Thanks, I would love to be there this weekend, but I’m fishing the Anglers Elite Pro Am circut so I have to wait for the TOC to get there in August. It’s a long way away but I promise you I’ll help you out via Email next year.

Bigfife, were does that largemouth live, might need it more a upcoming tourney?

Great piece, thanks Jason and Travis, nice work. Maybe a show in the works?????

I never knew that the gimic bait in Bassmaster was called that. I thought they had a different name for that? Anyway,thanks

I must be an idiot, but what exactly is a kicktail???

Thanks, guy’s and gal’s. If anyone else still has any imput that would be great. Thanks again.

Ouachita is a giant, any starting points?

What’s the best hook sharpener on the market and where can it be found?

Thanks

It has everything to do with sponsorship money period. Take a look a the PGA payoffs. The average tournament now pay’s out 6 million, if the PGA was covering the tab they would be broke in a few months, and the PGA pros don’t even pay an entree few in most cases. The only way to figure this one out whould be to know a $ figure on what the sponsors are kicking in. You talk about Walmart, Citco had the greatest earnings in america history of any company, brining home around 9 billion in profits. Just say Citco kicks in $1,000,000 a year, thats only 1/9,000 of there profits which is a tax write off anyway. That amount along would cover most of the Elite Circut. You then have all the other sponsors, plus who know’s Citco could be putting in $5,000,000 ??? Anyway you look at it there’s money coming in from this. Plus I’m sure ESPN has some pretty deep pockets anyway.

I wonder in Byron’s case if the co angler could be aloud to take command of the boat after many fishless hours.

It has nothing to do with looks, the guy hasn’t made a cut in 2 years. Kick him when he’s down, he’s always down. I can promise you, any one could head down to that lake in March and cast anything for that matter on the shore lines for 15 strait hours and catch 2 keepers. The next closet pro at #105 caught 7 keepers, 75 co-anglers beat him, in my mind it’s time to hang up the snoopy rod for Byron.

Do you think Byron has learned how to use a baitcaster yet?

ESPN should do a special on how a four year old boy fishing from shore near the weigh in managed to catch 9lbs of bass in 2 days of fishing beating Byron by a few onces. The story would be an inspiration for all little kids that want to become a professional angler.

I’m sorry his name is Byron not Bryron, although after this tournament maybe it will be Cryron.

When you get beat by 75 co anglers it might be time to hang it up. How can you catch a 6 1/2 pound bass in a tournament and finish dead last at #106, maybe that will be his new boat #, last week he was bragging how he got his birthdate and how that was going to bring him good luck. Although I guess he was able to land 2 bass maybe thats lucking for good old Bryron. WEST SIIIIIDDDDDEEEEE

Can someone say WEST SIIIIDDDDEEE. What an Idiot

I would love to, but with work and fishing many bass tourney’s I would say it’s safe to say no. If you do decide to I still need to give you a couple of those spots.

Never the less it was sure better watching the classic then womens college basketball.

Less then a month and were heading south.

Stick um hard!!

I betcha Dincau is wondering if the Goose serves a mean bowl of cheeseburger soup.

Actually lifting the ban on the bass in my eye’s is only going to strengthen the population. If anything right now it is overpopulated with bass and has stunted growth of the large bass in the lake. Plus in reopening it back up few people today even keep bass so that’s really not going to affect numbers very much and in my eyes only improve the bass fishing. To me it’s almost laughable that the walleye fishermen around the area are the one’s that really pushed for this ban to be lifted early, but in reality I think it’s only going to strethen the bass in the lake. Plus I know those walleye fisherman were not thinking about all of the bass tournaments that will now be on the lake. So now they will have to deal with bass boats ripping by them at 70 mph every weekend. For a fact the Silverado Pro bass tour, Anglers Elite Pro bass tour, and Anglers Choice are all holding tournaments on the lake in 06. Thank you walleye fisherman I’m going to make some cash this summer fishing for your enemy. To balance the lake out again walleye fisherman need to start realizing that catch and release is the key to success of a species in a lake.

How’d the tourney go on green. I’ve been so busy sorry I didn’t get back to you.

paff, that wasn’t really directed toward you more of the public in general. I never fish deeper then 30 ft on Green Lake, ever. But I’ll give you it’s frustrating. It’s a lot like fishing a spot on a spot. Certain little areas hold only walleye or bass, then you have many others that hold both species. For example I have a spot on the west side of the flats in 20-26ft that in the past 5 years I’ve caught around 150 walleyes and 2 smallmouth and that’s the honest god truth. Two other sand points on the east side of the lake in 7-10ft that have produced around 50 walleyes with never catching a smallmouth. It’s about putting in your time and really knowing the lake. I try to tell guy’s to think of spots in the past were they never caught a smallmouth becuase if you caught 2 there now there’s a hundred. Fishing deep doesn’t work either I know guy’s that catch smallies in 32-35ft all the time. Here’s my post, I went out last Wednesday in the rain and wind and caught 28 walleye’s, but no need to say where, how, or what, becuase there’s nothing but smallmouth in Green.

Hey, Bigfife if your looking for some spots I can help you out, that tourney is coming soon.

I heard there’s spotted bass in the Mississippi now,maybe they made a journey northward.

I personally will never leave the spot if big fish are present. If you have caught 4lb + fish off of a spot I would believe you haven’t caught them all. Now if your catching limits of 12-15 inch fish reguardless of them shutting off I would leave after a limit is bagged. In the case of a big fish spot that has turned off, first I expand my origanal area I was fishing to about twice the size, in case the fish have moved or shifted. Then for a short period of time I’ll switch up what I was throwing. If that doesn’t work I’ll imediatly switch back to what I caught them on, becuase obviously that worked already and it will be the bait you have your confidence in. I find though in most cases the fish have just stopped feeding for a period of time. Wait them out, becuase if they start feeding again you will win the tournament. So many times from experience and from talking to other tournament anglers that left the honey hole and ended up finishing in the top five instead of winning. Even if you leave the spot and upgrade your fish a couple of pounds more then likely someone else is a on big fish and when they stay they win. I find the key is to find the big fish, not whether to decide to leave or not.

Fish adapt to changes and so do fisherman if they want to be successful. I also grew up on the lake and know were to find walleye. All of the classic spots for walleyes are gone you are right at that. They have moved and shifted to new and different locations and I suggest you do the same. Or just keep complaining like many other walleye fisherman that can’t figure this out.

Quote:

---

You would need a current break regardless where the fish are. Unless your fishing a 3 oz jig you could never get your lure consistently in the strike zone anyway this time of year. I’m not talking about fishing in the current persay, but fishing by strong current areas. [say it loud, say it proud, can I get a Booyah!/quote]

Thank’s for the tip, next time if I get three 5 pounders in a spot during a tournament I won’t leave.

You would need a current break regardless where the fish are. Unless your fishing a 3 oz jig you could never get your lure consistently in the strike zone anyway this time of year. I’m not talking about fishing in the current persay, but fishing by strong current areas.

Don’t get me wrong you can catch giant bags of smallies in no current, but if there’s 80 boats and only 5 of them are fishing strong current, the concensus at the end of the tournament will be that the fish were caught in slack water.The great thing about strong current bass is the weather and other changes don’t effect them as much. If you want to consistantly catch smallies on the river I would head to strong current areas.