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Just been thinking about this whole thing over the last couple days and it’s made me want to just say a few things that I’m sure some of you guys have also been thinking. First, I’m so glad that moderators at SU were on top of this and did their homework. There was a real threat of this thing ruining future tournaments for a lot of guys. There were guys like me who didn’t have definitive proof, but had some pretty good evidence that this whole thing was not right. I wasn’t willing to just keep entering the tourneys knowing that there were guys willing to cheat at any moment. It also basically would have effectively eliminated the eastern guys from any real competition. If a teener pops up in CA every tourney then the eastern guys are really out of luck for the most part. I’m not saying by any means that I am the authority on CA bass fishing, but, I can say this to all of the guys outside of CA...teeners are EXTREMELY rare. Even in CA. I know it may seem like double digits and teeners are just easy to get out here and they’re caught by us all the time but it’s just not the case. I’ve fished thousands of hours, casted hundreds of thousands of cast with swimbaits on some of the best big fish lakes in the world for years now and I like to think that I’m somewhat decent at doing this stuff but I’ve NEVER caught a teener. Bottom line is, when you start seeing multiple teeners showing up in rapid succession and some by one person in one day, you should be suspicious. I’m not saying it is impossible, but the likelihood of that happening is literally less than someone winning the lottery. It is just not something that happens. Also, I’m glad that this has brought about some simple rule changes. The changes should make a big difference in keeping things honest. I was literally talking with my brother about some of these exact changes that I thought should be implemented and then SU goes and puts those changes into place. It’s going to be good for everyone. I personally like all the specifics in the rules. SU has made some really good rule changes through the years, including the handicap system and these changes will only make things better for everyone. Guys, just be honest. If you catch a 7 lber on a swimbait and someone catches a 9 the same day...who cares?! Don’t give your fish extra weight. Don’t fudge the numbers. Don’t say “DD” without weighing it just because you want it to be something that it isn’t. Just tell it like it is and be open about it. Be proud of your catch. Of course we all like to win and catch bigger fish than the next guy but do it legitimately. Earn it. Then you’ll always be able to hold your head high and know that no one can take it away from you. No one is perfect but I feel like I can always look someone in the eye and tell them the truth about what I’ve done fishing wise because I refuse to give myself more than I earned. Now, where and how to catch them, I’ll keep that under my hat most of the time (LOL!) but I’ll never lie about what I caught. Just work hard and earn it guys. It feels sooo much better when you do. Finally, keep up the good work SU! You guys have worked hard to maintain a fantastic forum here and I’m glad that I’ve been a part of it for all these years and more to come.

Just paddle to shore.

Caught a few solid fish Election Day. Biggest was 7.5. Brutal conditions not a cloud in sky post cold front. Several fish were sunning up shallow or just suspended and were inactive. No other bites but several aggressive follows that were spooked by the boat they weren’t on anything just appeared from no where and didn’t get on the bait soon enough. Had another nose up on the bait that looked to be in 9-10 range.

Nice Swimbait bite after a cool off temps in the 50s . Missed a bigger one later that day on the Klash 9 to .

Not true. The handicap system exists for this exact reason. As for the original post concerning the rule changes, I can definitely see how it could be harder to do these things on a kayak rather than from a boat. But, everything is harder from a kayak than it is from a boat. Boat guys have nearly every advantage over the guys on kayaks or guys on the bank. Its just the way it is and there probably isn't anything we can fairly do about that. I'm not speaking from inexperience. I fished from a float tube for about 2 years and although it was harder, I was still able to get to the bank, keep the fish wet, snap a few pics and videos, get a weight and release the fish. Its not impossible. For anyone who is afraid that they'll kill the fish by having it out of the water for 30-60 seconds I would just say don't do it. I can just about guarantee you that the fish will be fine but just don't do it if you're not comfortable with it. Measuring fish from a kayak is not a big deal. All of the kayak tourneys are based on inches of fish so everyone has to carry a board, measure, and take a picture. Go to YouTube and watch Greg Blanchard's videos. Dude only fishes from a kayak. He doesn't fish a lot of swimbaits but he catches, measures, weighs (if they're big) and releases every fish while getting it all on video. It can be done. The statement that "guys will still cheat if they really want to" is absolutely true. But, that will always be true. That is true in REAL boat tournaments and it happens sometimes. But, the point is to make it harder to cheat and these rules will definitely make it very hard to cheat. Rules, by their nature, put restrictions on things and increase difficulty but they are put in place to help keep things fair. Also, for the guys saying that you could catch a fish on a conventional bait and just hang a swimbait in its mouth, I would take that guy on every month and beat him nearly every month as well. I thought the whole idea about using swimbaits was that you get bigger fish with them? I guess, to me, if a guy is dedicated to using conventional baits and trying to beat other guys with swimbaits, he's putting himself at a disadvantage and isn't generally going to be a threat in the tourneys. All this to say, I agree. I really do. It is dumb that these rules are needed. They shouldn't be. But the fact is that guys have been caught cheating now. Its not about "what if?", it's about "what now?". I personally would not feel as good about the tourneys and probably wouldn't have even entered if I knew guys were probably cheating and nothing was done about it. Hopefully this isn't taken the wrong way. I'm with all you guys, this shouldn't be needed. I just understand why they are doing it. Good luck to all you guys in the tourneys!

This was my best big fish year of all time hands down. Went from having one five-pound Montanan fish (my 6.46 PB from 2018) to my name to twelve this year! Changed how I was utilizing my big baits as well as upsizing and managed to completely overhaul my rate of success! Largest this year was 6.26 on the perch deps, just two-tenths of a pound off of my personal best and two and a half pounds off the state record! Originally I was going to include the excerpts from my fishing log for each day/fish but that was going to be a massive whock of text. consider this the abridged version.

Finally made it to the seven pound club today with this fall slug that clocked in at 7-0 and 21.75 inches, the girth on this fish was unreal, I couldn’t wrap my hand around her tail fully. Miserable conditions, windy, raining, and 39 degrees but they were just right for the big girl to eat

Two layers of paracord will add significant weight as well. Nice thing is its super easy to remove if you don't like it. Wrapping the opposite direction of the first layer will make things a bit easier. Also, if you want to add a butt caps, these rubber caps are cheap and easy.

So can you wrap this stuff over your existing EVA handle (on the Fury 795 for example), or is it wrapped over the actual graphite blank? Thanks, I've never seen this before but I'm intrigued.

I've used Armilo 20# and 25# and it's damn good. Just hard to come by here in South Korea.

awesome fish Brian, that didnt take long to put those baits to work

I am restoring a tiny boat, hopefully it will be done by the time you get here, we'll go hit Pleasant.

Thanks @kraken, that's the kind of intel that helps! I'll be in touch as I get closer to the date.

Awesome fish! Thicc

that doesnt stop anyone just makes the flipper price $500 i mean eventually builders will realize that they can get the prices flippers are getting and just up the price, seen it happen with surf and tuna baits. builders tired of selling baits at a fair price and killing themselves when flippers are making 2-3x as much

Ummm they are $350 a pop!!! Wow. Why worry about flipper prices when they come standard at flipper prices.

A couple of the entries look suspect but I know my lil catch is not going to hold water but definitely something to look into.. I see a spinning reel behind the fish on the rocks. Bad place to leave a unattended rod, unless it was used. ..

What a beast. Congrats

It’s hard to capture girth of the mothership but man is it beefy. Here it is next to a RM Mother. Scored on the TK pre-order and picked up yesterday. Tossed it around the last hour of the day. When the time is right this thing is going to produce.

Got one today for that guy making fun of my baby fish

For no real structure in the lake I look for breaks and I mean any kind of break.... wind break, depth break, composition break, thermal break.. basically any kind of break you can think of.

Don’t know where this girl was a couple days ago but I’m glad we crossed paths today, 6-15 brute on the meany. Proto Nameless Adventure Rod handled her like a dream

it's a free tournament so it's gonna be hard to complain about much! and there's always going to be some cheaters in life, you can worry about others or worry about yourself... buy a cal coast donkey leash for keeping the fish in the water and healthy while doing all the requirements for the submissions and you won't have to worry about keeping the fish out of the water too long.

No one should cheat! But I guess it’s could happen...I think it’s our responsibility as community to bust them and called them out (Mike Long) Documenting a fish from a kayak is a pain in the ass but it’s really not that bad from something slightly larger like a “Bass Buster”or Coleman crawdad Kayaks and small watercraft can go where a lot of boats can’t- doing it very Stealthy... They can certainly be an advantage over say a bass boat in some situations IMO-With a high potential to catch a giant from shore it’s all pretty “Even Steven” as far as hooking and catching the actual fish... But As far as “landing the fish and Documenting” it does feel a lot harder in a Kayak...Trying not to hook yourself in the Crotch too! For me can be awkward as heck sitting down trying to net and manage a giant bass in a Kayak...Let alone put it on a board And I own a Hobie Angler (Stand up) fish ability is awesome but I still prefer to land the fish sitting down in a yak...Maybe I’m doing it all wrong? Kayaking can Certainly be one of the most exciting and fulfilling ways to Catch and Land a fish but there is MOST Definitely an art to it! But then again the Float tube ain’t easy and I would hate to see a Giant “flop-off” a paddle board...Tight lines!

The tranx is a beast and bullet proof. I use mine in salt all the time and it still performed effortlessly. Just make sure when your done fishing it for the day to tighten your spool tension knob all the way and same for your star drag then spray it down with freshwater.