tysonck

I totally agree with what you are saying. I’m not a jealous fisherman, and I’m fairly secretive about my spots like most of us, but the numbers are a little too good if you really think about it.. which I never have before.. think about some of the most proficient big bass catchers in the country, fishing the best lakes with the biggest fish. How does he have those types of numbers? Is he really that much better? He is the KVD? Idk man.. I’m heart broken and angry at the same time. Innocent men don’t run in real life. They fight tooth and nail to the most bitter of ends. When you have nothing to hide, you immediately bare all in an attempt to prove your innocence, and then you go on the offensive to those people that lied about you to re-establish your good name. But you never run. That’s not a good sign. Also, if this is a hit job, you put a lot of people’s names and reputations on the line. If it’s not true, someone will back him up. But the lake records? The numbers of giants caught? And frankly, how they were “caught.”All of that is now called into question. Maybe he is innocent and people just want to see the man fall. But that’s not what my gut tells me. Even if Kellen has an axe to grind, that doesn’t mean it isn’t true. That video is damning. There is no walking that back. This guy helped me so much getting into the sport when I was a kid. I’m thankful for that. But this.. this is too far.

My dad said exactly the same thing! “Someone is finally catching them on that damned helicopter lure I threw my money away on 20 years ago”

teach me your ways

Well this is a change of scenery. Same big baits, but not seeing any fish is tough. Muskie fishing is harder than I thought it would be. Any tips that dont involve me losing and of my deps 250s or triple trouts?

Before glide baits were cool, i caught a looooottttttt of citation fish on the Casatic trout. like a lot

I’m in va. I’m here for three weeks then Minnesota. Let’s go!

Totally a deadly saltwater swim bait. Shimano waxwing with the Tranx? The death! My dad even caught one on the fly rod. Original swimbaiter.

Right at the 25 inch mark. 316 rising son has been on fire recently. My brother-in-law made fun of me for about 15 minutes when I started to throw that bait. He stopped laughing when the fish jumped. I will say, I almost lost this fish due to the fact that he was stabbing at it wildly with the net like he had a harpoon on wicked tuna. With a very brief conversation after that. Anyway awesome day on the water, caught lots of fish. Still not as big as the fish I lost in March, but a giant nonetheless.

Went offshore bottom dropping out of Va Beach on a calm day Saturday. Shimano Lucanus jig is the Black Death on the bottom dwellers. Blue Line Tilefish and Black Sea bass.

I’m 33. Lol I haven’t even looked at this thread because it still hurts. I haven’t even started searching for a new one

I finally got some time off, and my dad wanted to go catch some big bluegills. So I decided I drive the boat, go find some beds and let him wear them out on the flyrod. I tied on my bullshooter, and proceeded to play back up every time we pulled up to a brim bed. I’ve made probably 40 Casts, and my dad was burning them up. I saw a likely brush pile, made a cast, three cranks of the reel handle, and the water exploded. I had her on for about 20 seconds, and my dad said it was the biggest bass he’s ever seen. I’m guessing 11 or 12, Not quite as big as the fish I pulled off in March. And then, she just broke off. She jumped twice afterwards and threw the bait in about 12 feet of water. I have no idea what happened, and we looked for the bait for about an hour. No luck. I guess it’s a right of passage. But what a bummer. It reminded me of the first deer I missed with a bow.

Hard to beat a big thumper type tail at night. Rising son, optimum; sometimes those big fish do not want to break the surface for some reason. If you find that there isn’t surface activity, those fish will take that big thumping tail just under the surface. Side note most of my glide bites have come in the spring

It is interesting that all the interest we have in realism for our baits is getting laughed at by a bait with a whiskey logo and no tail

Caught a few nice hud fish today in VA. Not many bites but a 5 and a 6.5. Both were shallow 3 ft of water. 54 degree water. Sunny, light breeze.

Don’t get mad and I’m sure I’m going to get flamed for this, but get some live bait, and just go catch that fish. It’s a fish of a life time. We all want to catch a giant on a big bait, but don’t miss the opportunity. Big shiner/water dog on a 1/0 hook and a 6ft,20lb floro leader with a small split shot about three inches from the Uni on the floro side. Drop it on her and have the net ready. Sorry for the purists, but he’s gotta catch this fish.

Custom Swimjig and a kitech trailer. I kept trying to make her 26" inches but she was just under. 22 on the girth. 10 ish I'm guessing but who cares. My dad was there to share it with me and that really is all that matters.

Im in! What a beautiful bait

Man those things look good. I remember bugging him to death about a shad bait 3 years ago. Glad to see he put out an awesome one.

is this a problem? I havent seen a guy keep a big fish in years

Now we are getting somewhere. I didnt mean to discredit or be disrespectful in any way(even if it came off mildly provocating. I get passionate. Sorry not sorry). I simply wanted to point out how important it is that the greats share their knowledge. Its obvious that the search button exists for a reason. Its obvious that the guys on the site are and have been willing to help. I love that. Everyone loves that. Thats what this is about. What im saying is, the devil is in the details. The specifics. The nittygritty. The beautiful thing about Bills book to me is, no stone left unturned. Almost to a fault where you say to yourself "man, i thought I was a little obsessive." It is so comprehensive that it gives you exact direction. Something to strive for and something you know will put you in a position to be successful. He made it clear how to avoid mistakes and pitfalls that he encountered. Its been 5 years since I read it for the first time. Whether you have all the knowledge in the world or not, youre going to pay your dues. There is always a learning curve. But man, all that time i spent doing the wrong things. That means something. And if someone was there to say "no dummy, youre doing it wrong, do it like this" the appreciation and admiration would have meant so much more. When someone asks for advice, its not because they want a magic bullet per se. A lot of times in my case, i just dont want to make that mistake again. If i had a dollar for how many searches Ive done and threads ive read, id have way more custom gear and baits and probably a new boat. You guys are awesome. Sometimes the search for knowledge becomes a quest, and that quest becomes an obsession. And the only thing that quenches the thirst is the info that solves the problem that the mind had not previously been able to move passed. Telling a new guy who has heard "let the fish decide" a thousand times, when he has no idea why, or when, or how to do so, can seem a little dismissive, no matter how true it is. More than likely, you used to be that guy, no matter your level of experience. More than likely, you had a million questions, and spent a lot of time and money trying to answer them. Maybe thats the journey. But wouldnt it have been nice to have someone show you the ropes? Or maybe some of us did. Imagine then what it would be like without that person. Just some perspective. The pool of knowledge on the site is incredible and welcomed. What im saying is, lets have more of those guys step up and write books. Shoot some dvds. Make youtube videos. Write blogs. Southern Trout eaters? Wow. for a new guy and guy with experience, I learned some things I had never thought of before. What a gem. I am nowhere near the level of those guys or most of you. Just a guy who loves to fish, and read, and learn. I had a great convo today with a guy from the sight over text today about glide baits. Its my first year throwing them even though ive thrown swimbaits for 15yrs, and he was very open with me about what to do and what not to do. Would have never happened without the SU. May have never happened period. Thank you to him and all of you. Im getting really good about writing these message board books.

Ok so youre saying, that instead of "sharing the wealth", they would prefer to not. Because, thats what youre saying. Stop asking, and go out on the water, and learn for yourself without help like we had to, like my fathers fathers fathers fathers... Well I would say to them, if the Old heads believe that; what are we all doing here? What are THEY doing here? I mean on this sight. Buying books and dvds and $300 custom rods and $200 custom baits and boats with electronics and asking questions and telling everyone about our success and failures looking for advice or admiration for finally putting something together. Where do you think we learned those things? Where do the old heads think this younger and hungry generation learned what to throw and how and where? By compiling bits of knowledge over time and applying the techniques on the water, mostly from the internet. My dad got web Tv when i was 10y/o. When he got it hooked up, he asked me where i wanted to go first. After reading a recent article in field and stream, I only wanted to go to one place, Worldrecordbass.com. Paul Duclos was my hero. He was on the cover page,and all i wanted to know was how to catch a fish like him. How he could throw a lure that large. Where he got it. Where he was fishing. Why he was fishing there. Now as an east coast kid, i had a lot to learn about fish like that( mainly that the live in california), but what did I care? That was the only resource that I had to learn. And that resource started a revolution, one that we are living in today. One where guys can share bits of info. Fishing reports. Trade lures and gear. This our future. But its flawed. And its not comprehensive. We just have fragments. These OLD HEADS are our true opportunity at a next step to further the opportunity for someones next personal best. Thats what truly matters in furthering the sport to me. Look what Butch has done with just his youtube. The hudd videos are amazing. It changes things. All im saying, is that if it is such an elitist sport that men wouldnt want to share their knowledge because they are worried that some random person would read it, and then never go fishing and try it out, is asinine. Or worse, if someone wouldnt want to put together comprehensive literature because they dont want their "secrets" out there. Im not saying give me the gps numbers to your favorite spot. Im saying, guys who are successful beyond the dreams of us mere mortals, would be doing the right thing by sharing. Bill did. He didnt worry that someone wouldnt put in hard work (anyone who read his book would know this fact) to find and catch huge bass consistently. He knew the value of what he learned. And now so do we. On that note, Who else besides butch do you want to learn from?

Im glad you came clean, i guess. If you need to get it off your chest, or apologize to fulfill a personal debt, then great. Good for you. But who cares? If someone has enough time on their hands to fact check you and make you into a fraud to "Protect the integrity of blah blah blah" then they better work for the sight. If not, they need to fish more and worry less about internet posts. High and mighty is the worst. Its a fish. We spend thousands of dollars to catch a fish. Teach me how to catch them. Let me teach you. You get the point. Youre not Lance Armstrong. You didnt cheat on your wife in the oval office. You didnt lie to police about getting robbed in a gas station parking lot in Rio while unknowingly being filmed. Move on.