abkeenan

Very well could be. Will wait to confirm just to make sure there is no other fantasy tournament event left. I finished in 9th place.....Bubble Boy! Doh!

Yep. It looks like Fozzype guessed the closest and will receive 3 baits for that fine estimate. I believe that the season is indeed over but the the fantasy page is showing an 11th event. Not exactly sure what is going on. If it is indeed over then I will get out lists out where baits go. If there is one more even we will then finish out the year. Stay tuned.

I meant no offense and $12 is more than reasonable for cranks and other baits. But the lures I am going to have painted are indeed jointed swimbaits and per your pricing are $25 a pop. I am sure the time and effort required to paint a segmented bait, that is not unreasonable either. I have a handful that need to be done and having $100+ tied up in paint alone......makes my palms sweat and probably Bo's head explode. lol. I'll shoot you a PM soon.

Nice Ks! Good to see the boat is on the mend and on the water. You sure have had some bad luck with mechanical letdowns here lately. Glad you were able to get out and trick a few.

Quit fishing my slip!

Looking for a realistic blue gill/green sunfish pattern and norman flake/lavender shad.

Haven't had any baits painted in a few years but got a couple that need done up. Last time I did have baits done about 7 years ago I had Dwain Batey (@Bait Werks) do them as he is IMO the best and was reasonable. He no longer re-paints and only sells his custom Skirmish baits. I know Tim Hughes is very good but bit pricey. Still may go to him but wanted to see if anyone here might have some other recommendations.

Looking to have some baits painted but not pay $20-25 bucks a bait. Know anybody that you might recommend?

I know a good dock to start at.............

Would imagine it would thin out their talent even further with now 3 large "pro" circuits. Perhaps you or I now have a chance to break into the FLW pro circuit?????

Once again NAILED it on all fronts. BASS has apparently been screwing over their pro's for awhile now. I thought the exact same thing when I read that link that MOguy1973 posted. Sooooooo if you can afford all of this now, what exactly were you doing before with all this money????? Also 100% on had MLF not stuck their nose in here, absolutely NOTHING would have changed for BASS going into next year and beyond. This is why competition is a good thing in any market!

The period to guess the weight is now closed. Any post now beyond this will not be accepted. Thank you all for participating and good luck!

Wow. Turning into a knock down, drag out battle between MLF and BASS. That is quite the response from BASS. I particularly like the $20,000 early tour entry credit trying to force hands early to commit to BASS. This story will be fun to watch unfold with who stays and who goes. Assuming Boyd Duckett's BASS invite will get lost in the mail. 🤣

Alright guys. Here is your last reminder of the year to get your AOY teams set which starts this Thursday. I believe I made a mistake in my last post that there will be another event. There will not. There will be the makeup for the cancelled event but I don't believe they are going to have count towards the BASS Fantasy Fishing. It's after this AOY event. That said, everyone please feel free to start guessing the winning weight for the event to win the 3 "guess the weight" baits. I will not include myself in the guessing and have no chance to win. Closest to the actual weight wins. No penalty for going over the weight, just closest in pounds and ounces. Please use lbs then ounces (ex. 99lbs 9oz). A tie breaker will go to the person who finished higher during the regular season should two or more people guess the same closest weight. You must fill out a team for this last tournament to qualify to win. You must also have your guesses in before lock on Thursday morning. Any late posts after that time will not be accepted. Thanks for all who participated and please everyone send your bait to your recipient in a timely fashion. We are all on the honor system. I will post here on this thread who sends baits to who. Each individual sender needs to PM/contact that person/receiver to get their address. Thanks again to everyone for another fun year. Good luck all! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here is the breakdown for the prizes in case anyone missed it in the 33 pages of this thread: Here is the breakdown. 32 total baits in the prize pool with (29) to league finish and (3) going to "guess the weight winner" (see below). 1st 9 baits 2nd 6 3rd 5 4th 3 5th 2 6th 2 7th 1 8th 1 I think to add a little fun to the mix and give guys out of contention a chance to win some baits, I will institute a "guess the winning weight" for the last tournament of the year. Person that guesses closest to the total winning weight for the last Elite event will win 3 baits. Doesn't matter if you go over the total (Not Price is Right Rules). Just mathematically closest. I will guess but will take myself out contention of winning. Two stipulations - 1 - You must guess the winning weight BEFORE the start of day 1 of the last event. Please use lbs followed by ounces (ex. - 57 lbs 8 oz). 2 - You must have filled out a lineup for the last event. Failure to do either of of those two you are not eligible to win.

Just my opinion but a Carolina Rig rod is gonna be hard to pair on a rod that is used for spinnerbaits, SB's and lipless crankers. For Carlolina Rigs I prefer a longer and stouter rod than on the other applications you mention. There are so many great rods being produced these that you shouldn't have a problem getting one that suits you. Rod market is so competitive these days you can find a decent rod without breaking the bank. If you want to talk to guys that will steer you right give the Tackle Trap (based in Alabama) guys a call. Will take what info you give them and put you in a rod that fits both budget and intended use. I am in no way affiliated with them. They have a big following over on BBC and I have bought from them in the past. Won't steer you wrong and will price match as well. Good dudes. That or give Babler a shout out and he could get you in a Falcon model that fits the bill.

Nailed it. Can't wait to see what anglers jump the BASS ship to go over to MLF. Sounds like a pretty sweetheart deal for those lucky enough to be one of the 80+ to get the invite. More I think about it the more I think this is a major kick in the groin to BASS. Would love to be a fly on the wall in the BASS emergency meetings with Trip Weldon and other BASS higher-ups. Also, still really interested in what scoring format they will go with.

I still like the 5 fish heaviest bag system myself. You can still do that MLF style constantly culling up without having fish bouncing around your livewell all day. I am sure they are discussing scoring formats before this Tour kicks off. I also would do away with the live scoring update info given form the marshal to the anglers. If you watch MLF you know how often an update is given on someone catching them and their response "I know where and what he is fishing". If you see that a particular pro is putting a whoopin' on them these pros know each others styles pretty well enough so they can guess how they are catching them and adjust themselves accordingly. Hackney - flipping. Rojas - Froggin. KVD - cranking/powerfishing. AMart -drop shotting/finesse. Etc. I don't care for that in real time myself. Gives too much away which was typically reserved for when anglers were at the tanks BS'ing or that night for the mind games to take place of gathering intel for the next day. If you wanted to break the scoring system into a mixed reward for both total # of qualifying fish caught and heaviest total bag that would be okay with me.

The only problem I see with this and what Bo put forward is cheating. Cheats will always cheat. In a perfect world you trust your fellow man and trust the honor system. But that's a pipe dream and there are always dirtbags when money is on the line. In the weigh, record and release scenario you must have a 3rd party referee or marshal to curb the bad actors. Finding those volunteers is not a problem for the big shows where people lineup for a chance to marshal/ref a pro. But in the rinky dink small local tourneys.....who the heck are you gonna find to sit a boat and not fish? The photo and release kayak style is good but is recorded in length so it somewhat has it's limitations when tournaments have always been in weight. One angler cut the friggin tail off a fish and with a little slight of hand in the photo added a couple inches to shorter fish.

Straight from the article: Major League Fishing (MLF) officials today announced a significant expansion beginning in 2019 with the goal of dramatically growing visibility and participation for the sport of fishing. The plans will help realize the founding partners' original vision for MLF to elevate competitive bass fishing and its top-tier pros to a national exposure level and grow a fan base on par with other top major league sports. The expanded MLF program includes the addition of the Bass Pro Tour, a premier 80-angler, eight-event tour with a championship and heightened payouts, made possible through enthusiastic support from Bass Pro Shops and Outdoor Sportsman Group (OSG). Both partners are supporting MLF as part of their commitments to the future of the sport through participation and conservation efforts.

I only read the one article and they didn't mention that (or intentionally omitted it). Boy, if that is true....gonna be some REALLY tough decisions for these "elite" anglers on what tour to join. This is certainly ruffling some feathers, no doubt. Can you imagine KVD leaving BASS to join MLF exclusively? Johnny Morris certainly has the pull to do so and make it happen since he's cut quite a few paychecks to KVD over the years. If that were to happen, would there be a domino effect of others shifting to MLF if the biggest name in the game leaves? Will be watching this for sure.

Saw that news a day or two ago in my FB minifeed from Wired2Fish I think it was. I believe it is MLF still running it just expanding the field and making the tour larger. Also going to have regional/local circuit events. Picked up BPS and other big players as partners. Not sure what that means for the BASS Elite Tour or FLW. Both tours will be fine but they will now be competing for sponsorship's, event locales, etc. Interesting for sure and a great advancement in terms of fish care/conservation. I saw that the MLF was the #1 rated show on the Outdoor Channel and that helped in upping the ante for sponsors and investor money to make this deal happen. https://scout.com/outdoors/bass-fishing/ContentGallery/Major-League-Fishing-Announces-Pro-Tour-121748340/#121748340_1

Just an FYI that the Lowrider is on clearance at Tackle Warehouse. Usually when TW has closeout pricing on gear it's because the manufacturer is either ending that product line or updating it. So not sure what that means for the Lowrider line from Falcon. *** Edit I just checked out Falcons webpage and it looks like they revamped the Lowrider series with some updates on the 2019 models. Notable among 2019 LowRider features is the addition of tangle free “K Frame” Fuji guides. Along with new extra-durable, silky-smooth FazLite guide rings. We tuned the actions with a higher grade of aerospace- rated carbon fiber to achieve an even lighter blank in the fish catching actions that our fishermen have come to expect.

Nice report. Next time you get around some schoolers that won't hit a topwater, throw a white or chrome slab spoon at them and let it sink down. Good luck with the fishing club. MIZ!

Is that a sock on the light pole? 14 keeps is a heck of a night. Thanks for sharing.

Found a little info for those that give a crap: WHAT FISH ARE BEST? Years of research with fish stockings have demonstrated that largemouth bass and bluegill are the two species best suited for stocking in most ponds. Channel catfish are often stocked along with bass and bluegill to provide additional fishing and harvest opportunities. Hard-fighting largemouth bass will be the top predators in your pond. Bass are voracious eaters that feed on small fish, frogs, crawfish and insects. In Missouri, largemouth bass live for six to 10 years unless they are harvested. Bluegills provide food for largemouth bass as well as great sport and excellent table fare for anglers. Bluegills eat everything from microscopic plants and animals to insects, snails, crayfish and small fish. They can reach 6 inches long and start reproducing after just one year. Once introduced into a pond, they usually sustain their numbers through natural reproduction. Bluegills in Missouri may live five to 10 years. Channel catfish are primarily bottom feeders, eating insects, crayfish and fish. They canbe trained to feed on commercial food pellets. Populations of channel catfish rarely increase in ponds as the bass eat all the young ones. A supplemental stocking of channel catfish longer than 8 inches every two to three years is needed to sustain a fishery. HOW MANY DO I NEED? The number of bluegill, bass and channel catfish that a pond can support depends on the amount of available living space and resources, referred to as carrying capacity. Condition of habitat, the amount of available food and space, and even the soil type in the watershed affect a pond’s carrying capacity. The typical stocking combination for most farm ponds in fertile soil is 100 bass, 500 bluegill and 100 catfish per surface acre of water. Most of the time, stocking more fish than recommended is detrimental to the fishery. Stocking rates are for 1- to 2-inch bluegill and 2- to 4-inch catfish in September. The following June, 1- to 2-inch bass are stocked. Stocking fingerlings is not only more economical (smaller fish are cheaper to produce than larger ones), but it ensures uniform growth and produces better sport fishing in less time than stocking a smaller number of adult fish. The Missouri Department of Conservation provides fish for stocking private ponds that meet certain guidelines. A landowner who wants fish must fill out a pond stocking application and agree to have the pond inspected by the Department. (See “Want Fish?” on page 16 for more information.) WHAT ABOUT CRAPPIE? “What about crappie?” many pond owners ask after I advise them to stock the usual combination of bass-bluegill-channel catfish. It’s true that the state records for both Missouri crappie species came from private ponds. However, not all ponds produce quality crappie fisheries. Successful crappie ponds typically have somewhat clear water and a lot of aquatic vegetation. More important, pond owners must manage the pond intensively. You can’t just stock the pond and walk away. Landowners have to be willing to manage the pond for numbers of largemouth bass and make sure that the pond is fished often enough to remove adult crappie. Crappie can be managed successfully in a pond, but owners must know beforehand that there is a risk that the crappie will spawn hordes of young and have very slow growth rates. If, despite the risk, you decide to stock crappie in your pond, consider putting in black crappie, which don’t compete with bass for food as much as white crappie. GRASS CARP Many landowners who want to clear their ponds of weeds stock white amur or “grass carp.” These large Asian minnows can eat two to three times their weight in vegetation per day. When stocked at conservative rates, grass carp can offer pesticide- free vegetation control. Grass carp, however, do not control filamentous algae, cattails or water lilies. Although they don’t reproduce in ponds, they are hard to remove and may live for up to 30 years. Over-stocking grass carp results in a plantfree and muddy looking pond as the carp stir up bottom sediments searching for scarce plant life. A weed-free pond might sound nice when casting from shore, but aquatic plants are necessary to start the food chain, contribute dissolved oxygen to the water, provide cover for juvenile as well as adult fish, and protect shorelines from erosion. Contact your local fisheries biologist for specific stocking information for your pond before trying this weed-control method. REDEAR SUNFISH Another popular pond fish is the redear sunfish or “shell cracker.” These cousins of bluegills produce fewer offspring than bluegills and rarely provide enough food for largemouth bass by themselves. Rather than letting them replace bluegills, they are best added to a pond along with bluegills. Redear sunfish are sometimes stocked to help reduce numbers of snails, which are part of the life cycle of the white grub parasite anglers sometimes see in the fins and meat of fish. Redear can grow larger than bluegill, reaching 2 pounds or more, and taste just as good as any other fish in the skillet.