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In watching this years Classic, I think I have learned more this year from these guys than in any other year that I have ever watched any type of a fishing show. Some of what I have learned is we all probably do way more than we should and do not fish to our strengths. Did you buy this bait? Did you get that bait in that color? How big and what kind of jig are you fishing? Man, I tried everything in the tackle box today and just could not get a bite. That is not the way the pro's are playing the most important game in the world to them. They are not swinging at down in the dirt curve balls, they are not taking close pitches, they are all, everyone of them cutting at the fast ball right down the middle. They are fishing to their strengths. They are not reading the play book of the opponent and trying to come up with a game plan, they are saying this is what I do the best, the very best, and if that is not good enough, I'll try it again and again until it is good enough. Reese for the most part is swimming a Kietech, that is his deal. The Jerkers are a jerkin, the jig guys are jigging. The dock fishermen are dockin and the shallow crankers are crankin. They all want to either win or lose doing what they do best. 15 guys most doing different things within 6 pounds. Going to be a great finish. Just shows you no matter what the water temp is, you fish to your strength with the bait you have the most confidence in regardless with in reason what it is and you got a chance.

So I promised Amery I would do a SBS of the smallie pig. It took me a while but here it is. Pretty simple fly that has really shown great potential. I'm using a 2/0 jig hook. Tie in some dumbbell eyes. I vary the size to keep them as light as possible but still be able to get it down quickly. Select a hackle. Tie the hackle in flat wing style with the shiny side down. Create a dubbing loop and build up the base behind the eyes. Spin up some dubbing. Wrap it. Tie in the legs. Fold them back. Create another dubbing loop. Wrap it up behind the eyes to help hold those legs back. Whip finish in front of the eyes. Trim the legs. Go fish.

Bought this 1972 terry bass boat in the fall. Got it and the trailer for $350. Spent all winter gutting it and completely restoring it. Very happy with it. Should catch a crappie or two and maybe a few bass haha.

So are cow farts...

Gumbo -- before and after:

Well someone knows how to smile for the camera Looks like more fun than white knuckling around the TR highways would have been.

Maybe down the road for states where it is illegal to fish with lead baits. Thank God we live in fly-over country where folks have common sense about that issue

i will add this. when, in your mind, you are sure there are bass in the area, why not try different approaches to get a bite instead of just continuing to beat a dead horse?? when you have caught bass in an area, especially this time of the year, they are not ever very far from where you caught them the day before. you might have to change depths or space in the water column, and/or presentations. for me, when i am dead certain, there are bass in an area, i just keep changing presentations and speed, if am dialed in on depth. here is a prime example of that point. we were fishing an underwater point that the graph showed plenty of fish on. we had fished through it three different times, each of us with a different presentation, and not one bite. my partner wanted to go, but i insisted that we should give it at least one more try. my next switch of speed and presentation was the key and i caught 5 bass over 5 lbs. now, if i had the mind set, that i was going to catch them on what my strength was, i would have never caught the first bass. what worked one day, often does not work the next. you might catch them in the exact same spot, but have to change presentation some what to get a bite. i will say this about watching this classic, and that is the fact that there are usually different ways that bass are caught on the same day. but, those that are catching have found the right keys for the place they are catching, and that can vary from one place to another. for me, i will continue to be flexible each time out and try to find what the fish are wanting, instead of finding a fish that wants what i want them to want. bo

I don't recommend using Dave at all. All his proceeds are donated out of state to Coach Krzyzewski and used in most likely highly illegal NCAA recruiting practices. By giving money to Dave you could be implicated in these sketchy "booster" programs.

Some people catch huge fish or a lot of fish at places most would not think of, and nothing is ever posted and not much is said.

Beef tortellini. That will teach those girls not to leave me home alone.

I bought some of Dave's "ned heads" a few weeks ago, and it got me curious to see if there were any other regional folks making tackle. I think Dave's product is pretty publicized on here, but I hadn't seen anyone post about a company I found based in St. Louis. Fortunately they don't make finesse jigheads, so they aren't competing with you Dave. http://midwesttackleshop.com/ I decided to buy some jigs from these guys to see how they looked, and I am impressed. The pictures on their site are very accurate of what you will receive from them, and I was astounded at their prices: $1.99 For their Football Jigs, with wire tied skirts for durability(Living Rubber or Silicone). $.50 to add a rattle to any of them. $2.49-$2.69 for their Swing Jigs(2 pack), which is nearly identical to a Biffle Hardhead when put side by side, for 1/2 the price. I also got some of their drop shot weights, and they look great as well. All of their stuff looks as good as a lot of mass produced jig I've seen, so thought this was worth passing along.

Does anyone know witch ramps are clear, want to on come up tomorrow, and catch some more of these. Thanks in advance

Might get lost in the Classic scramble, but Ned Kehde was kind enough to send an example of a wire guard head from the late 1990's. It was made by Mineral Springs, a KS company that has since changed ownership and moved to TX. It is a very similar design to the original Gopher head, with perhaps a bit more lead running down the shank. At a guess, it is about 1/8oz, with a 1/0 or 2/0 basic Eagle Claw 570 style hook. According to Ned, they used it with 4" worms and grubs when fishing brush and wood. This was prior to the use of the 3" Dinger/Senko, and later the various Elaztech baits. As you might imagine, he finds the hook to be too large for finesse fishing. I agree completely. Hook size aside, I was struck by the stiffness of the wire weed guard. It is not as heavy as spinnerbait wire, but is at least the same diameter as in-line spinner wire, and not at all flexible. Ned tells me they used to put a bend in the guard near the hook point. I've fished some old hair jigs with a similar design, but lighter wires. For comparison, it is pictured with one of my 1/8oz wire guard finesse heads below it. Lends a useful sense of scale to the idea of "finesse" versus "ultra finesse". There are several similar heads available from Northland, VMC, BPS, PJ's, etc., with large hooks. With a 3/0 Mustad grub/dart/a-rig jig hook above it for scale:

Well live coverage is done, I wish they would keep it going until the fishing ends, maybe they will change that going forward. Bobby Lane made a move. And it's possible his weights could be sandbagged, it seems you never know, but if so, he could be in the lead.

I'd be smiling too, that's a fun size bass to get on the spinning gear.

Is going to be a good day. Is 18* outside so to cold to get out. BUT Bass Master Classic final day, if you can't be there this internet coverage is great, and the Daytona 500, with no Busch brothers. I have been to Bass Pro and Rogers sporting goods so have a couple big bags of new stuff to play with and a new rod and reel to rub on. Great home made pizza for lunch and BBQ ribs later. I may not even get dressed today. Kids stay home. HA.

Watching Skeet yesterday, he was just fishing way too fast, as were most of what I saw. Appeared that he was moving from place to place after making just a few cast in an area. He would engage the reel and start the retrieve just after the swimmer hit the water and then just crank like crazy.

There's a big difference in fun-fishing a lake you've been on all your life and fishing for a career-defining world championship on a lake you know very little about. What little confidence you may may have in any area is very fragile and can evaporate fast when you go 30 minutes or so without a bite. So the smart ones cling to what they DO have unshakeable confidence in, which is their personal ability with certain techniques. At least then they know that when they do get around the fish, they'll be able to catch them instead of bouncing around from one technique to another and introducing another variable. At times, the best thing you can do is eliminate variables --- simplify, simplify, simplify.

Powroznik has moved up on the leaderboard. I'd like to see Howell win back-to-back, but I wouldn't root against Powroznik either. Was fortunate to draw him in the FLW at Beaver earlier in his career. Super nice guy. Can flat bed fish. Let me tell you what a good guy he is. Trying to stay out of his way and make sure I didn't do anything to interfere with what he had going on. I finally catch a small spot and I'm measuring him. Having trouble deciding if he stretched. Without being asked, he stopped fishing and jumped down in the bottom of the boat. He flipped that fish a couple of times and fanned its tail until he was comfortable it reached before he went back to fishing. He was bedfishing in some serious cover and I didn't have many opportunities, but I got to go to the weigh-in of an FLW tournament with a keeper fish because of him. He even directed me to the bump board and stopped with me to measure the fish one more time before we went to the scales. Really fun watching it live. Hope I get to see the big Pow on video.

Looks like Powroznik is catching them today.

Can't help but think that Skeet Reese should have thrown the Ned in between all of those docks he was fishing? 3 more decent K's (5-6 lbs) would have put him in the lead.

A single strand of metallic would look pretty cool in that silk over the guide foot. Almost like it was all that was holding it.

Two more comments: Your garage is way way too clean and neat. You are somewhere around 20 rod and reels short in that department. Get to work!

I'm impressed.

I love the job you did on that...very nice!

That looks outstanding!! I've got to get out and find some chanterelles. Did a shrimp, andouille and chicken gumbo today. Did the roux in the oven this morning and made extra to keep in the fridge. I've started using a poblano instead of a green bell. Just like the flavor better. Chicken stock for the bulk of the liquid, but I always make a quick stock out of the shrimp shells and add that too.

WOW! Great job! Now to enjoy it this summer!

In 1972 I was out of college, just home from active duty, and starting law school. My boat was a canvas sling on an inner tube. I had a new wife and about 12 cents. I dreamed what it would be like to have a Terry like that. I have come back to look at your restoration several times. Well done.

Very nice! Great work on the restoration.

It's sad that a lot of people don't care for success. It comes in a lot of colors sizes and shapes. Jealousy and small minds don't do it for me and never have and never will.

Tonight Nancy and I are having a mini Thanksgiving in February. This afternoon, I put together two casseroles of dressing from a bag of cornbread crumbs and a bag of bread crumbs. I used chicken stock, lots of onion, celery, and sweet peppers, plus herbs. I also made a batch of queso. Nothing is better on dressing than queso. I have butterflied a chicken and I am about to put it in to roast while the dressing bakes. While that happens I will saute some fresh spinach in garlic oil. Tonight will be wonderful and will make goodies to use in meals the rest of the week.

Those old boats are classic. Great job sir, to me it looks better than new.

Ya I took some as I went along. Only modifications were I built side walls with storage and the casting deck. I also restored the motor. Here are some more pictures of the whole process.

Duane's big rainbow 2/19 before the One Cast - John Johnson - 19 inch rainbow caught above Fall Creek this morning on a scud. Paul with a nice brown caught off the dock this morning. What most of our trout are coming on - One Cast

Aunts Creek hands down is one of the best place to start.

Ya saw it and then said to myself after thinking about it. With wake boats, jetskies and just other boaters you launch without control of your boat you may end up damaging it or others and if you forget to turn the power on to the unit you could find yourself watching the boat float away and no chance to get it back anytime soon. This could be the one time I would sit back and not help someone because of their own stupidity relying to much on technology instead of a good old fashion rope.

1 Week to go. Thank you to everyone that has given. We are at $6,500 towards the $10,000 goal. Funding for rare diseases is very hard to come by so this is huge! Every dollar helps. Join us please! http://g1dfnd.ejoinme.org/Leiffer

Wow that has got to be a fast boat for being such an old turd, lol. I'm not bashing it though because I have a very similar model. A Straum with stick steering and 65 hp. My motor looks just like yours.

this one goes out to all the little boat owners

Hey Guys!!! This is your chance to help a wonderful man and his family and win a new Ranger boat at the same time. The top 3 prizes are pretty nice and I'm sure a lot more prizes will follow for this great cause. I even bought TWO tickets, as that's the only way I'll ever see a new boat. http://www.officerpearson.com/ Thank You and God Bless, Ken Spaanem

Barker has won a won over 6 figures fishing it, so I kind of tend to rely on how he does it. The v37 is also I believe Beck's favorite Brown Craw. Nice comment on the leaf Stonner, more than a great example. lots of times you just lose it or it stops wiggle warting. That's a BITE. Good Gosh we got to get off this Board and onto the water.

Just bought a ticket. Pete mentioned the charity on his last fishing report. Don't care about winning anything. Just hope they get enough donations to help them get through these tough times. Appreciate what these officers do. Under paid and under appreciated. Thank your Officer Pearson for your dedication to keep public safe.

Fish Po'boy sandwiches. Really good too and BIG! I had a hard time getting a bite but Mrs. BilletHead had no problem. She said you really going to post that? Yep, BilletHead

We have two of these fleece jackets left in the fly shop, that I had embroidered with the OA logo. They are both size large and I've discounted them to $35.99. Come by and grab yours before it's gone!

I wish every state and municipality in this nation provided full medical coverage for their police officers and firefighters. Seems shameful to me that they don't. I served 5 years in the Air Force during peacetime and now qualify for full VA health coverage for life. I choose to use private care, but the fact is that VA care is available. Shouldn't be any different for police and firefighters. They see a lot more "action" in a month's time than I ever did in my 5 years in the military.

Oh boy, it's gettin' deep in here.

Takes a special kind of character and courage to do what these folks do every day to keep everyone safe and sound. Just makes my blood boil anytime I hear of one of them being injured/killed. There's more evil than ever out there and these officers sure aren't getting rich while fighting it. We have several on this board who are either retired or active-duty police officers. Thank you, fellows. Mean it.

This evening I had the chance to head to the creek. It is spring, despite what the weather seems to say about it and that means White Bass. (Sand Bass for those with an accent). I arrived about two hours before dark thinking this water is too much like chocolate milk to catch fish, but fish have to eat so I stayed. I managed to catch about fifteen Whites before it got dark and, I had a good time doing it. The real fun was in my head of course, remembering the times I brought my dad there and all the fish we caught together. I also thought about the times mom fried fish and Morels for lunch or made her delicious catfish gumbo for supper. I heard a deer snort behind me. I knew what that was because my dad taught me to recognize the sound and imitate it myself. He could call crows with his voice, you know. A beaver slapped the water in front of me and I remembered the time late at night, us fishing the strip mine pits and I heard that noise for the first time and my dad had to show me what it was… and reassure me it wouldn’t get me. There were Ducks on the creek tonight and Geese honking around the bend. Then about dark the owls began their chorus of “Who cooks for youuuuu” and that evil laugh they make. My boys used to listen with young wide eyes to the owls when we entered the woods before daylight on a deer hunt. I guess it sounds like a Sasquatch when one is ten years old…or fifty-three. When I walked out of the woods tonight I thanked God for my family who taught me to pray, took me fishing and went fishing with me, taught me to survive in the woods, build a fire and eat something I found on the ground. You know… the important things in life.

Not soon enough, for two reasons ... 1. There is no bad football, even spring practice. High schools in Alabama-Florida-Georgia will fill 20,000-seat stadiiums for a spring jamboree. I saw it several times in person during my 3 years in Pensacola. And people up here wonder why very few of our local recruits can compete with the Deep South kids. 2. When the pads start popping in the spring, the fish are biting.