Jace D

Sounds like a good idea to me. I don’t usually sandbag anyway but I know why guys do it. Good idea bud.

In

Nonstop stickin’em! Good one dude!

Brian BassBass. Regularly producing toads since forever.... LOL! Nice one bud!

Palomar knot is absolutely not the problem. I’ve used it exclusively for fishing almost everything and have never had it fail. It is plenty strong enough for whatever line or bait you are fishing. As with any knot, it needs to be tied correctly but shouldn’t fail if everything is right. I would just suggest that you check your line often and retie every hour or so or whenever there is any type of fraying or kinking. Other than that, like was said before, maybe just get a new spool of line. Could just be bad. Just FYI, 20# Seaguar Invisx is pretty amazing stuff if you’re so inclined. My brother hung and hauled up a 25 lb. boat anchor with chain and about 20 feet of soaked heavy cotton rope in 25 ft of water on that line in one of our recent tournaments! No joke. We didn’t need any more proof of its strength but, needless to say, we won’t use anything else. LOL!

No. That record is very old and no fish has ever come even close to that since then. Georgia has big fish but their state (world) record is not really representative of what size fish they have there now. I actually don’t think that George Perry’s world record was legit but that’s just speculation and doesn’t really matter. LOL! SU actually takes into account past entries as well as some other factors (if I’m not mistaken) so that it’s not simply based on state records. The problem with only using state records is that many of the records don’t represent what kind of fish are actually alive and catchable now in a particular state (Georgia is a good example). SU moderators regularly monitor the handicaps and adjust as needed to keep things as fair as possible. Also, just to help with your equation, this equation would give you either a negative number or it would give you exactly 1 lb less than your fish’s weight. But, I see where you were trying to go with this. It’s a clever idea. A scoring system could probably work if the right formula was used.

I’m not anywhere close to Butch’s level but I feel like this may be more of a local thing to Butch. My brother and I recently went through all of the double digits that we have as well as the 30 plus pound days we’ve had. We also included double digit fish that we know we’re caught on certain days by other guys on our home lakes and we found that the vast majority of the those fish were caught during or close to a full moon when the moon was visible in the sky. Our buddy caught a 13 on Tuesday here in NorCal and the moon was high and bright. I think Butch has his water so dialed that he can tell exactly when the big ones are going to bite but does that translate to other bodies of water? I don’t know. I just know what I’ve seen on my local water. Either way, the moon phase absolutely affects the feeding habits of big bass. I don’t claim to fully understand it, but I’ve experienced it MANY times.

Congrats! Nice win!

Wow. Well, that’s pretty awesome.

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!

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.

Love it. I’m in.

Didn’t want to come right out and say it but I knew something wasn’t on the up and up. Good for SU to be on top of this stuff. You guys are awesome!

Wow. What is going on?

WOW! Another Battle teener! Way to go bud!

Now we’re talkin’. That’s a toad! Unless someone can pull off a serious giant in the next 16 hrs., you’ve got it.

Little over 22.5 lb for 4? That’s a great day! Whackin em! Good job man!

Fair enough.

I know a guy who has caught more big fish than almost anyone else on this site using an 804 bailey swim that wouldn’t agree with this. LOL! I really don’t care what anyone fishes with but it’s funny when I hear stuff like this. What makes it junk? It will throw a 250 great and unlike a lot of other rods, will also throw softbaits (hudds, baitsmith) well too. It’s lightweight, balanced well, and it’s cheap. The 804 Bailey is a good option. A Daiwa DX is also good. Both are cheap, both will do the job with minimal effort and both will do the most important thing which is HOOK and LAND THE FISH. Don’t get too caught up in brands. Use the tool that feels best to you and that you can afford. Also, look at the guys who are out there or on this site that are ACTUALLY catching big fish and see what they’re using. Chances are, they’ve got it figured out and they’ve done most of the homework for you. If a guy says a lot about equipment but never posts anything in the Got’em section, chances are he doesn’t have it figured out. Not saying those guys are always wrong but, just take things with a grain of salt.

I’ve been using seaguar invisx for years and I fill about half the spool with mono then the fluoro. Fluoro line just has some stiffness to it. The thing I like about the memory on fluoro is that it will usually loosen up and straighten out after the first few casts of the day. I will add this though. I think many guys try to get too much time out of their line. I get it, fluoro is expensive and you want to get all the time you can out of it but, realistically, 3-5 trips is about all you get out of it. Not that it won’t fish after that, but it will have memory that doesn’t go away, it will bind up on the reel and it will get brittle quickly after that. I usually get 2 fills off of a 200 yard spool on my Calcutta 400 or Luna 300. I change it out every 3-4 trips. It’s just the way it is. It’s expensive but I make it work. If I used mono I’d change every trip. If you want to try and save some money, the Yo-Zuri Top Knot is cheap and it’s pretty good. It has a lot more stretch than the Seaguar but it’s better than mono. It’s cheaper but you still need to change it out. Months on a single spool of fluoro is not a thing. Maybe if you only fished 3 times in those months! LOL! Either way, you’re asking for disaster. If all else fails, mono will work. I hate it, but not because it doesn’t work. Don Moorman (BassinDon69) has caught more big fish than anyone that I personally know and he uses only mono. Change your line often and line problems will be an afterthought.

Not sure how long you’ve been fishing the Hudd but if it’s been only recently then time of year is playing a big part in getting bites on a Hudd. Summer in CA is probably the worst time to get bites on a Hudd. It’s not impossible and night time can still work sometimes but it’s very hard. Also, the bottom dragging technique will obviously work, however, I’ve caught just as many or more on Hudds just steady reeling mid water column or just off the bottom. Try to make it look real. Have you ever seen a trout bulldozing on the bottom running into every rock?...neither have I. LOL! I never fish a Hudd fast but a normal steady retrieve works best for me in most situations and especially in really clear water. If the water is dingy or dirty then I’ll slow it down and bump bottom. The fall bite is coming. Give it another month and you should be able to start getting more action on it. Shallow points and humps with less than 15 ft of water on top and deep water nearby is a good place to start. Don’t be afraid to fish in <5 feet of water even in freezing cold water. The trout will be up in that water and so will the big bass when they’re feeding. Any hard isolated structure (trees, rocks, etc.) should hold big fish especially if that structure is on the type of point or hump near deeper water that I mentioned before. Weedless hudds work but I’ve found through the years that I can get a regular Hudd through almost anything without getting hung. You can add a stinger but I don’t think you’ll ever need it. The jig hook works great and makes it very stealthy and nearly snagless. Hope some of this info helps. Keep at it. The Hudd is still king and will still outcatch just about every other swimbait out there. Good luck!

That’s a lot of green. Nice one man. I went out yesterday evening but I might have saved a trip if I knew that one was coming. LOL! That’s a giant one, especially for CA in September! Good job!

In

In

Same stuff you catch the largemouth on. Seriously, they eat big baits and the big ones have no problem swallowing a 8-12” trout profile. 8” hudds, Hawghunter’s, s- waver, deps 250, etc. 20 lb. fluoro