Sophisticated Cheating On The Bass Pro Tour

[fishinwrench]

I know see why I shouldn't have written the last sentence in my second post. Oh Well

That's ok, I'll forget that one and respond to the other

The fact that a guy can cheat now by starting up a computer website or chat room that's open to the public, talk about fishing spots and locations and tactics, and then close it down without giving others access to the same information, clearly violating the first paragraph of the rules. Their defense is that because it was once on the internet, it was public information.

One of the first steps to becoming a successful tournament angler is closing yourself off from "dock talk". Chasing leads that you hear about is one of the most repeated surefire ways to waste your practice time.

So missing out on forum chatter is actually not a disadvantage at all.

Spending time pissing and moaning about closed website, or cliques that won't share info instead of standing on the deck with a rod in your hand....now THAT'S a disadvantage imposed on ones self.

[Flysmallie]

I agree with Wrench's point. Fishing someone else's bite is usually frustrating. If you are not good enough to go out and find your own fish you won't make it very far.

[Mitch f]

Agree with both of you , however.....

Having a local guide giving you real time information is much better than "dock Talk" or chasing leads. You can't tell me that GPS coordinates of brush piles wouldn't be valuable info to have in your back pocket when the chips are down.

[Bird Watcher]

Agree with both of you , however.....

Having a local guide giving you real time information is much better than "dock Talk" or chasing leads. You can't tell me that GPS coordinates of brush piles wouldn't be valuable info to have in your back pocket when the chips are down.

I don't know about professional bass fishing, but so many times I have tried to put friends on a bite. I've tried to give them step by step directions: boat position, bait, presentation, time,..etc. and they don't catch them. It just doesn't work like that. I wish it did. I've felt horrible about guaranteeing guys they would catch them and then they blank.

[Flysmallie]

Agree with both of you , however.....

Having a local guide giving you real time information is much better than "dock Talk" or chasing leads. You can't tell me that GPS coordinates of brush piles wouldn't be valuable info to have in your back pocket when the chips are down.

If I was just out fishing it would be great. But I would still rather have my own fish in a tournament. It's the only way to be successful.

[LarrySTL]

What Mitch and BW said in the two posts just before mine does happen. A guy goes to the Tourny Lake before its offlimits and finds, or hires the best local fisherman he can find and has that guy give him a bunch of GPS waypoints. Thats legal under BASS rules although a lot of the Elite guys think it sucks, and some of them, including some of the biggest names refuse to get waypoints, or in some cases wont fish before the offlimits period either because they think it sucks, or because as BW says, sometimes it turns out to send you on a wild goose chase.

I've casually known a couple Elite guys and met a few others and I have never heard any of them who feel that its illegal *if* you get the info before the 30 day offlimits. I have heard 4 or 5 of them say they think it sucks and that they wish it was illegal.

Its not just the BASS guys trying to go to the limits of the rules. Go to LOZ on almost any Saturday and go to the point on the right hand side of PB2's cove. When this Saturday's tournament starts, 5 or 10 boats will be fishing that point because it is the closest logical stopping place for the release fish from the week before. Shioty ( apparently I have to keep the O in there) IMO but legal

[fishinwrench]

Agree with both of you , however.....Having a local guide giving you real time information is much better than "dock Talk" or chasing leads. You can't tell me that GPS coordinates of brush piles wouldn't be valuable info to have in your back pocket when the chips are down.

Well it wouldn't be valuable info to ME because I don't own a gps unit, and all the brushpiles I'm interested in are the ones I can see, or have planted or found myself that just so happen.to be in the area I plan to fish during competition days.

Covering some miles to hit a milkrun of someones cached brushpiles just guarantees that it'll have nothing but a pair of dinks on it when you get there.

That might be the bread/butter style of a guide who wants to get a client bit, but it is more often than not poor management of time for a tournament angler.

[fishinwrench]

Go to LOZ on almost any Saturday and go to the point on the right hand side of PB2's cove. When this Saturday's tournament starts, 5 or 10 boats will be fishing that point because it is the closest logical stopping place for the release fish from the week before. Shioty ( apparently I have to keep the O in there) IMO but legal

"5 to 10" is an exaggeration, but nevertheless...... Stick around for the weigh-ins and see how often any of those guys take a good check.

It might seem like the "closest logical holding spot"...but bass aren't "logical" very often.

[Feathers and Fins]

I don't know how many times I have given exact reports only to have people say they couldn't catch them, Heck had guys follow me out and still not catch many and they watched me pull them in.

The "Elite" anglers should be able to find and catch fish should be the logic but as Wrench points out , they are not Logical. I have been lucky enough to fish with some very "Elite" anglers but in a tournament were worse than Bubba on a Friday night after a 12 pack. Before they could load the boat but pressure and time constraints screwed them up. The edge they had before was gone and its funny because most the time the edge was simple " doing it for fun" You get a guy that does it for fun all his body and mind are tuned in and he is a giant Net scooping up fish. Add tournament pressure and he becomes a hook with no bait.

[David Unnerstall]

Wow I think I need to get new glasses, print to small, any one else notice that?

eg,

Hold the Ctrl key and move the mouse wheel up and down and that will change the resolution on the web page.