charlesn

I thought Penn was winning the fight when they stopped it. He was primed to finish GSP off. You could see it in the victorious demeanour he carried to the corner and how proudly he stood in the corner, vibrant and jubilant. His face and head had done a number on GSP's hands and elbows. His ribs had also put a good sized welt on GSP's knees.

Don't worry BJ, you got robbed!

Lyoto looks amazing. His accuracy and ability to counter plus his awkwardness makes him a difficult opponent for anybody.

Steve, I thought the Clay/Nate fight was disappointing. Clay clearly did not want anything to do with a fight, he did nothing but hug nate and smother him with a lay and pray. If it was a real fight, it would have lasted to eternity as he did so little damage to Nate. The only damage that happened in the fight happened to Clay. I hate to see fighters that don't try to finish get rewarded.

Charles

Congrats, you will love it.

Only about 80 more sleeps and you should be able to at least sit in it without wearing a survival suit. lol

They say the happiest two days of a boat owner are the day you pick it up and the day you sell it... Expensive toy and no doubt a luxury item that many will never get to have. Consider yourself blessed and enjoy that thing as much as possible.

Charles

3X plastics and regular salted plastics do not mix! I remember seeing a demonstration and the 3X stuff started a chemical reaction with the regular plastic.

I put all my salted plastics in trays as it just makes it easier to keep track of the colours and styles and also makes it easy to keep inventory and know when I am low in a particular colour/style.

Charles

I almost find it hard to believe with the universal bad reviews the place is still in business. Thank goodness for this site, it will save a lot of people a lot of money and frustration in the future I bet.

Charles

It's a matter of balance (or lack thereof). I could probably reverse it up the ramp, but I don't think it would help in taking it down. This is not a ride on style snowplow. The starter is electric - you plug it in and push a button. There's a cord there, but never used it.

I'll take a pic with my phone the next time I'm doing the deed. Wait, that sounds kinky. lol I'll take a pic of the ramps the next time I have it all set up.

Charles

Thanks guys. Following behind was what I thought I would try first, but the ramps are metallic ladder style and I can barely walk up the ramps without the added weight of the snowblower. It's a pretty good jump down and having to negotiate the jump down while avoiding the slick ramps and being pulled by a huge hunk of weight would probably make for a great Youtube video, but not a fun experience.

The clutch idea is a great one, I totally forgot to try that to see if it would engage the gears while backing it down. Hopefully it will work to create the "controlled descent" I'm looking for as opposed to the current jailbreak method.

The idea of leaving it running was one I had as well, but the slipperiness of the ramps would cause sideways movement if the traction of the wheels was fighting against gravity. I found that out the hard way one time when loading the thing and pausing halfway.

Thanks to all for the speedy responses.

Charles

P.S. The pulley idea is what the ramp manufacturer suggested. If the clutch thing doesn't work, that's what I'll have to invest in I guess. Thanks.

Thanks to those who recommended Princess Auto, went and got a couple nice ramps for my truck that secure to the truck with a couple straps. Here's the issue, the ramps are about 6' long, when attached to the tailgate, they come down at a pretty sharp angle. Driving the snowblower up on to the pick up is easy. Taking it off is tougher as the thing weighs considerably more than I do and as it gets on to the ramps, gravity start pulling it downward and even with me trying to push against it, it comes down real fast and hard and if I were to slip I'd get crushed like a bug.

Any ideas on what I could do other than hittin' the gym and becoming stronger than a 6th grade schoolgirl? lol

Charles

It works both ways. I know guys with little boats always seem to want to have that little bit of extra speed, comfort, storage and safety. The guys with the bigger rigs want a smaller rig that will be easy to fit in a garage, easier on gas and easier on the wallet. If you're not planning on fishing any big tournaments in the near future, you will be totally satisfied with a 17 & 115. My third boat was very similar to what you're looking at and although I'm on my 2nd 20 footer, I miss that 17 foot boat a lot. I may even downgrade at some point as the options for big tournaments up here are becoming very limited. Also remember, there are circuits out there dedicated to 115 HP & under, so if you fished one of those events, your rig would obviously be one of the top dogs and you'd be at no competitive disadvantage.

I also know what it is like to have a dream boat. Mine was always Champion. Picked my first up in Denton Texas after about a 21 hour drive. I think I floated on air the entire tow home. Still think fondly about it.

$17 is a very fair price on that rig. Have a mechanic take a look at the motor if it is out of warranty for some peace of mind. Also the trailer. The boat itself is a Ranger, that speaks for itself and their customer service is legendary and warranted.

It is a great first boat and certainly not what most would consider a starter boat. You will love it.

Once you are comfortable and want to squeeze the last few ounces of performance out of it, talk to Paul at Top Gun Marine. He did wonders for all my little boats and is still the only person I trust with my boat and motor after 3 marinas I won't mention that tried to jack me. You can ask misfish too, he dealt with Paul and he knows that Paul will do you right at a price the competition will not want others to know about.

Enjoy the boat!

Charles

Super relevant article on Tournament fishing in the news section from Spiel. The "top" level guys are hurting, even endemic companies like Gamma dropped their entire pro staff. Brunswick has been laying off and closing plants. The pro fishing game is as much about sponsorship as it is about fishing. Just plug in the numbers for about half the Elite field. Most of the guys on tour would need 40-50 K in endorsements in order to make a comfortable living last year. Some would've needed that just to break even. The debt load some of them carry must be scary.

I think you will see a reduction in numbers it at every level - except the grassroots clubs, guys simply not being able to afford to "pay to play". Many of the guys I've talked to have said they will not be doing a full circuit this coming year up here. Instead they are planning to focus on smaller club level stuff as the investment and commitment necessary is a lot less.

Very interesting times for tournament angling.

BTW, I somehow missed the post on the Oshawa club "Downtown Bass Anglers". I totally second that. Great group of guys. I know most of the executive well and they are as good people as they are fishermen. You could do a lot a worse in finding a club to start off in Mike. You will learn a lot from them.

Charles

Just my view, even if you start small, don`t be worried about fishing in a small tournament out of a 14 foot tinney. I have seen some people fishing out of small inexpensive boats that knew a heck of a lot more and were more willing to be an instructor than people fishing out of 40,000 dollar bass boats.

Exactly.

A good friend of mine won a nice $40,000 bass boat fishing St. Clair and Erie out of a 16.5 footer with a tiller 75.

The boat is just another tool in the arsenal. It's only a handicap if you let yourself believe it is.

I'd bet on him in a rental boat with 9.9 hp motor on Erie's eastern basin fishing against half the B.A.S.S. Elite guys. The guy simply knows how to catch fish and no boat comes with a magic fish attractor.

Charles

If you want to be a millionaire fishing bass tournaments, it's easy, start with 2 million.

I know exactly what Rich is talking about and luckily I have never let myself get to a position where the pressure to do good outweighed the simple joy of doing something that is so much fun. If it ever turned in to a job or a grind or if I were to let a bad result affect how I treat my girls or my job, I'd stop in a heartbeat. Fishing is fun, for me, tournament fishing amplifies how fun it is. I can enjoy a simple afternoon on a dock too, or even the occasional trip in to the outback with a canoe and 1 rod, but there's just something about the smell of burning 2-stroke oil and the sound of a 100 rumbling engines just before blast-off that still brings goosebumps and a sense of anticipation you have to experience because no one can really describe it and do it justice. My very first tournament was on the Holland River and I recall blasting down the river at a heart-pounding 21 mph in a 16 footer with a 40 HP motor. We caught one fish that day that we kept alive in a cooler with an aerator. It was about 12.01 inches long and possibly brain damaged for us to have been able to catch it. lol We weighed it in proudly and the winners had like eleventy five lbs. All I remember was that we didn't finish last and we had so much fun the habit turned in to an obsession and 4 boats and 3 trucks later I still remember that day fondly.

I know the majority of this board likes to talk bad and look down on us tournament guys, but I'd bet anything that the majority that like to look down or disparage it have never given it an honest shot. Give it a shot and maybe you'll like it, maybe you won't, but at least you won't wonder "what if".

Charles

Since the disappearance of the CFT, there has not been a pro/am style series in Canada. The market just doesn't seem to be there for such a series up here. Then again, with the economy as it is, getting involved at a lower level is probably the best way to get your feet wet and try a tournament or two to see if you like it before going nuts and investing a bunch of money in it.

Depending on your age, some clubs may be able to get you in as a full member. There are also junior clubs around. I believe the minimum age is 14 to be a full member of the CBAF (Canadian Bass Anglers Federation). The non-boaters in our events are determined by random draw and you fish with a boater as a team (cooperatively as opposed to fishing for your own fish). I believe the Bass Pro Shops chapter has several teenagers, David Chong is the president of that club and can help you out. The skill, boat sizes and experience level varies widely but everyone has a good time out there and the entries are kept low to be inclusive. As a non-boater you would be paying $40 per event plus a gas fee dependent on gas prices at the time. So you could fish with a JP Derose or Dave Chong for example and learn from guys that have been doing the tournament thing successfully for many many years for less than the cost of a crappy rental boat. Also, because you fish as a team, they will do all they can to teach and help you to catch fish, so you really learn some good tricks. Hard to beat that. I started as a non-boater too and enjoyed it and believe it helped shorten the learning curve. Of course once I became a boater I forgot everything I was taught and now I just drive around the lake as fast as I can trying to look cool. haha

Feel free to contact me for more info.

Charles

I use both, not much difference at the 65 lb rating in my opinion. I buy whatever is available and or on sale at the time. Also have used TUF-line braid and that was cheaper and not bad too, but couldn't find bulk spools at the time. I don't think you need to worry about switching away from Super Braid if you're happy with it. I started with PPro and now use more Super Braid than PPro just due to availability at the times I need it.

For spinning I use the 14 lb Super braid because I got a discount on a giant spool.

Charles

Totally understandable Raf considering the toothy species you target...

You won't find many bass guys that do not tie direct. Not sure if it is just being hypersensitive or not as I'm sure bass are dumb enough to eat it regardless of the hardware used to attach the bait, but just in case...

Charles

keep it simple young grasshoppa.

 

<snip> as mentioned, spinnerbaits are another great lure.. unfortunately many manufacturers went to "R-Bend" (not closed loop) style SBs in bass sizes. If you can find some that are closed loop, get 'em. By far more durable.

<snip>

Raf has the crux of it.

But I disagree somewhat on the closed loop, I find the closed loop only good for attached a wire leader, otherwise I find the R-bend better. Less durable for sure, but I think they transmit vibration better and more importantly, I've broken off some very nice fish when the line got stuck in the closed loop area during a hookset. It's hard to explain how it happens, but it is a combination of the cast and the angle the fish takes the bait from. It is an infrequent occurrence, but it happened to me in a tournament on a 5 lber I saw take the bait and once on a pike that had a waist bigger than mine!

Charles

What model is your boat? Some dealers in the states such as C&O Marine buy a lot of parts close outs so they have parts for a lot of brands of bass boats. If they don't have it, a big dealer in the states would probably have something for you make and model.

I don't think a one-size fits all solution exists because every bass boat is somewhat different in their console design.

Charles

Mike,

4 major hardbait styles I see missing are a walking bait (Zara Spook, Lucky Craft Sammy) and lipless rattle bait (Rattlin' Rap if it must be a Rapala - but I like the Megabass, Lucky Craft LV500, the new SK Red Eye Shad, the original Bill Lewis Rat-L-Trap, Cotton Cordell Rattlin' Spots - they're all good and I have some of each because I am a sucker for buying stuff I don't need), another style is a deep diver (Rapala DT series is very good lots of variety to choose from) and finally a wake bait or super shallow runner. The Manns 1- was the original in this style and I still have lots of standard, mid and baby 1- baits that still produce.

There might be a few I'm missing, but it gives you some ideas on how to flesh out our tackle selection.

With that said, what you have is a good start and maybe it would be worth your while to master what you have rather than get obsessed with having every type of bait. I have probably thousands of dollars of stuff that never gets let out of the tray which is such a waste. Unless you feel a need to experiment, use what you have confidence in and master it and you will find your fishing time is more effectively utilized. Also, various clubs in the area will have tackle swaps in the coming months, if there is one in your area, consider buying used. Change out the hooks and the lure will be like new. The more scratches and bite marks on it the better. If you buy used it hurts the pocketbook a lot less once a dirty slimer comes and bites it off on the first cast.

Good luck and have fun shopping,

Charles

Thanks Brian and Terry, and thanks OH fisherman for the link, I'm gonna give them a shot!

Charles

C'mon Blake, brand makes very very little difference if you ask a tournament pro that is not sponsored. And asking a tournament pro anything is really dependent on their sponsor at the time. They flip flop all the time. Product A is better and then they change sponsors and suddenly product B is better. I'm super super sceptical of all "endorsements" by anyone with sponsorship or connections to any company. Look up George Cochran (Bassmaster Classic Champion and FLW Champion) and some of the lies he's told and been caught telling trying to promote Strike King (his sponsor) while being filmed fishing a Lucky Craft Pointer. lol

Brand makes essentially no difference as someone pointed out, most are made in the same place. It's just marketing.

Colour sometimes makes a bit of difference, and once in a while it has been "proven" (insofar as any fishing bait outproducing another can be proven) to my sceptical self that it can make all the difference. But the norm is that colour doesn't make much difference either.

There is not a brand of tube I haven't tried I don't think. They all work. There are a few basic size differences that matter more that are not brand specific:

-2.5" - great for sight fishing in clear water especially during the mayfly hatch with a 1/16th oz. leadhead and 2/0 hook

-3.5" slim - e.g. the Bass Pro Tender Tubes - awesome for numbers of fish and a finicky bite. They do not last all that long compared to for example a quadruple dipped Schuberts. The scent impregnated Berkley Power tubes also used to have the slimmer profile which is useful. I also prefer this profile to any other tube for drop-shotting. 3/0 hook

-3.5-4" fat salted - this is the standard, tonnes of brands, none are superior to the others, I like companies that let you make your own colour creations (but you need to buy a 1000 - but that's usually not a problem split up with a few guys). 4/0

-3.5-4" quadruple dipped - I think it's schubert that makes these incredibly durable tubes. For places like Erie it's nice as you can catch 50 fish on it before needing to replace it. You need a wider gapped hook for maximum hook up percentage. 4/0

-5" "flippin'" tube - often used more for largemouth, but deadly for big smallies on Erie in the fall. 4/0 (only because no one I know pours a 5/0 tube head)

What is boils down to is confidence. I have approximately 50 lbs of various tubes in various size and colours. Do I really need: smoke/pepper/purple and smoke/pepper/purple/gold and smoke/pepper/purple/silver and smoke/pepper/blue and smoke etcetcetc. No, but I got caught up in the "bait of the day" mindset and everytime someone did well, I went out and bought a 100 pack. Realistically, green-pumpkin/pepper works day in day out and some guys use nothing but that colour. Then again, some guys have 300 lbs of tubes and will cut off a tube that has just caught five 4 lbers in a row to try to catch a 5 lber on a different colour. I'm not at that level.

Buy yourself a few packs of different colours in different sizes. That's all you'll need to get started. Don't get caught up in the gimmicks (e.g. coffee tubes), they are usually more expensive and in the case of the coffee tube, less effective.

Charles

Thanks for the advice. I'll look at Princess Auto for the ramps.

Get a set of ramps, drive it right up and in.

Hello Big Cliff,

I'm not sure what you mean. Is there a ramp system I can go to Home Depot/Rona/CT and buy? I was assuming I would have to fabricate something and I'm about the least handy person in the world so I've held off. Powertools and me usually involve emergency room visits and lectures. The most dangerous tool I'm allowed to use is the Hercules hook. lol

Sorry to hijack the thread, would just like to help the parents out so if there is a ramp type system, I'm sure some others would be interested to know as well.

Charles

I asked for advice last year and got the same great advice. Ended up not having much choice and bought the 10.5 HP Yardworks one that Spiel posted a link for as they had just gotten a shipment in and everyplace else was sold out. I paid more than what it appears to be selling for now, but it was worth every penny to me.

I am really really happy with it. Now if I can figure out a way to get it in to the bed of my pick up truck so that I can do my parent's driveway life would be good.

Charles

They had to move the tilapia because the eels would eat them. But not even an eel would eat a carp.

lol

j/k

Charles

He call Remy a "good actor" implying that the foot stomp didn't cause the double vision and dizziness that Remy claimed. I guess he thinks Remy took an "easy out" instead of getting back up and shaking it off. Remy had a good idea, if Badr thinks it was acting, maybe before a rematch he can allow Remy to stomp his head. lol

It's pretty simple. When I win a tournament, it's because I did all the right things. I was prepared, I developed a good pattern, I executed well and persevered through bad luck or misfortune and my dedication, hard work and experience paid off.

When someone else wins it's because they got lucky and found an "easy to catch" pod of fish.

lol