battle for the underground question

[ThePhonse]

My home lake "Shearon Harris Resevoir" is about 6,000 ish sq miles. I live in NC. They shocked the lake and found 2 fish in the 15+ lb range. One was 17 one was just oer 15. This is in NORHT CAROLINA! Theres big fish everywhere if you ask me. Some are just MUCH more abundant in places where they are giventhe chance to be bigger. (Cali for ex.)

That's nuts what nc state record anyway

 

just searched it, 15 lb 14 oz. could be a bad website but idk

That is not right. Ive talked to the dude that caught it.

[waynem]

Perhaps we should have drug testing too. I suspect Don is on steroids or some kind of performance enhancing drug. How else could he win all of these?

 

Seriously, just leave it as it is- you will never be able to make it perfectly fair for everyone.

[evans_usmc69]

That is not right. Ive talked to the dude that caught it.

 

If this site allows links, NC record is 15lbs 14oz on the books. http://www.ncwildlife.org/Fishing/Fishi ... ogram.aspx

 

If need be I will screenshot it and post it when I get home but according to the NC Wildlife, who keep track of the records in NC, it's 15-14. Let's hear this 14.9 story.

[evans_usmc69]

National big fish tournaments are pointless.

 

+1 and you can't make everybody happy and that's just all there is to it. Battle has been won every year by California and will more than likely continue to do so, especially if it's in October every year.

 

Fact of life- biggest fish in the US are in Cali. Chances are, if you do not live in Cali, you are not going to be able to compete with guys that do, bottom line. Friend of mine has never caught a fish bigger than 9-12(pretty sure that's what it weighed) fishing mostly the same water I do. He went to Cali for a 20 day trip and got an 11. Or how about the guy that got a teener throwing a 6" rago off a dock on a Cali lake.....goes hand in hand with the guys here who get a 10lber on a drop shot and I can't get a 10lber throwing 12" trout. I'm not saying it's easy to catch a big fish in cali, just saying it's more likely and possible if you put time into it. You have to be around big fish to catch big fish and cali has more big fish.

 

I don't agree with state percentages either. I could care less if a fish is 60% your state record, overall weight is all I care about. So, I have no solution as well, just a bunch of rambling, but what do I know, I'm not from Cali and I fish the tournaments here for fun. If you want to be competitive and stroke your ego to prove you are the best fisherman, go fish real tournaments...I am attracted to swimbait/trophy fishing because there are no time limits and I can do it at my own pace.

 

If you have to have a trophy for your fish, since skin mounts are so unpopular now and replicas mostly look like ish(except for buttaluns, hit that guy up!), I suggest a go pro and a good DSLR. Video of the catch and a good quality picture of the fish is all I need anymore.

[ThePhonse]

That is not right. Ive talked to the dude that caught it.

 

If this site allows links, NC record is 15lbs 14oz on the books. http://www.ncwildlife.org/Fishing/Fishi ... ogram.aspx

 

If need be I will screenshot it and post it when I get home but according to the NC Wildlife, who keep track of the records in NC, it's 15-14. Let's hear this 14.9 story.

Thought it was 14s. Met the guy in bass pro he had good docs of it. Said he was fishing "a lake" in westen NC. In the spring.

[evans_usmc69]

That is not right. Ive talked to the dude that caught it.

 

If this site allows links, NC record is 15lbs 14oz on the books. http://www.ncwildlife.org/Fishing/Fishi ... ogram.aspx

 

If need be I will screenshot it and post it when I get home but according to the NC Wildlife, who keep track of the records in NC, it's 15-14. Let's hear this 14.9 story.

Thought it was 14s. Met the guy in bass pro he had good docs of it. Said he was fishing "a lake" in westen NC. In the spring.

 

Union county is more central and south. However, I believe the 2 records before this current one according to my father were in western NC, one on a lake that should be an amazing swimbait fishery but it was raped and pillaged by idiots using live trout.

[Mossypumpkin]

50-60 ft yr round

 

 

LOL, not so sure about that...

 

You fishing Tahoe, or Crater Lake?..........

San Diego...literally gin clear water

 

Don, if it was literally GIN clear, I would stock up on bottled coke, move to SD, and learn to swim

 

My input....someone mention that they shocked up fish around 15lbs in NC and that suggests there are giants everywhere. FALSE! NC is 1000 miles south of here. NC is in no way a cold, northern state. Sure, its not Florida, but lets be real. Today its in the 30's with snow coming down. Prob in the 60's in NC...your fish are still growing!!

 

Second....again, someone pointed out that the northern states have more numbers of fish in the 5-6lb range. TRUTH. Or very possible anyway. But it is irrelevant because a 6 will never win an online tourney. I couldnt even win our swimbait new england tourney with that 6-5. Damn you, Pat...

[evans_usmc69]

Today its in the 30's with snow coming down. Prob in the 60's in NC...your fish are still growing!!

 

I get your point but today's high is 53, snow was yesterday

 

As far as the giants everywhere, it's possible. That Massivetwoshits record keeps coming to mind although I don't know much about it. I know it's all based on location, but I could see Dan and Wayne competing in these tourneys. I know Wayne got an 8 this year and I'm pretty sure Dan did as well. I won a monthly tourney here with a 5lb fish last June....lot of new blood fishing it now though.

[wtrwsel]

I think a teener should be recognized no matter where it comes from. The Holy grail for all Bass fishermen is still 22.4 in Georgia and 22.5 in Japan. I don't get out as much as I wish I could; but I enjoy seeing big fish caught from across the country. I have been lucky to have had a career that had taken me to Washington State to Florida and even fished in Pueblo and surrounding lakes 99-04 in CO, (Love that place). I have caught some big fish along the way, just have not anything over 10lbs. Personally I'm looking for the elusive DD myself. But until then, congrats to Don on an epic season.

[bassbass]

36 degrees with 40mph wind and snow mixed with rain.

Snow sucks

[flaswimbaiter]

I agree Cam, it isnt fair. Not everyone has bass boat, a collection of rods and sponserships either. I like the length idea, I catch some big fish that have no weight.

[Danny]

California has a huge advantage that goes without saying. Just off the top of my head I can say at least half of the monthly tournament winners are from california and I know three of them hit it from the bank and produced fish that northern states don't stand a chance to compete with. Its very well possible for them to get an 8-9# but its just not likely. I myself either fish from a 12' aluminum or from the bank and I've caught more then my share of fish that the northern states don't stand a chance against. I'm not saying its easy in Cali I'm just saying we have bigger fish. Its takes tons of dedication to get even a bunch of 8# fish in Cali much less double digits. And i mean a ton of dedication. There is no fair way to do it though. The site is based in california and the tournament format was created for fun big fish wins. I think a separation of northern strain states wouldn't be a bad idea. Northern states do not stand a chance I literally only fished one bait for the battle because i wanted to win on the alpha rat and managed an 8pound 15ounce. And I was on very limited time due to work. But it is what it is. Pressure plays a huge factor but if there was a separation of northern states that would level the playing field on that as well. Its a free tournament created for fun and california and the southern states rule. We have bigger fish. Im not saying they're easy to catch theyre just bigger. Bottom line.

[SPEEDBEAD]

I'll chime in on something I've seen come up a couple times. Yes, it's a "free" tournament, but every single guy would be lying if they said they didn't want to win a freaking FREE LDC and all the other cool prizes.

 

I could give zerofucks about having champion wings by my name. That does nothing to make me a better fisherman.

 

Obviously, I favor a different format but I also agree that you'll never make everyone happy. Overall weight favors CA, TX and a few others. Length favors southern states generally. % of state record favors others. I'm all for a change but regardless, it's not changing the way I fish or my goals of catching the biggest fish in PA.

 

Word to your mother.

[vikingbear8]

My input....someone mention that they shocked up fish around 15lbs in NC and that suggests there are giants everywhere. FALSE! NC is 1000 miles south of here. NC is in no way a cold, northern state. Sure, its not Florida, but lets be real. Today its in the 30's with snow coming down. Prob in the 60's in NC...your fish are still growing!!

You have to remember that Travis and I live in the mountains of NC not the flat land. These are by far the highest mountains east of the Mississippi. It was 26-27 at my house the last two mornings and I had 3 inches of snow yesterday. This is coming from a yankee, I was born and raised in PA till I joined the military so trust me, its not as warm here as everyone thinks. It is consistently colder here than in PA in the summer.

 

The NC state record is definitely 15lb 14oz. I have met Phil Cable who has the Jordan Lake record of like 14-6 and a few other guys with mid teen fish in the piedmont, they were almost all 20 years ago or in the spawn bedfishing or both.

 

As for shocking up 15-17lb bass, Chris I know we texted about this but I will say it again, there are lots of things wrong with that story. 1. I have heard it about literally every "big fish" lake in the piedmont. Jordan, Harris, Falls, Michie, Bond, Cane Creek, you name it. 2. Where are the pics? Because my better half is a biologist that used to work extensively in fisheries I know a good many of they guys that shock. They always have a camera. Also they rarely see big fish so they get really excited when they do, If you follow their FB page you will see they freaked out about shocking a 20lb striper, they posted pictures of that thing like 30 times.

 

None of this is to say though that I don't think our lakes can produce high teen fish, I mostly fish in NC, SC, and GA. Randall has a damn near 16 from GA, and I know guys that have 14's in NC and SC. Most of the guys I know with mid teen fish, say they have seen MUCH bigger fish, and these are guys that seriously know big fish. There are several lakes in the mountains here that I would bet money on have a 17+ in them somewhere.

 

To briefly address the original topic. California has more DDs swimming around for certain, but me, I could care less. Lakes in Mexico probably has more than Cali, and I KNOW lakes in South Africa do. I think even Don would have trouble if a stick from S. Africa started competing on here. Honestly the swimbait fishing here is leaps and bounds better than it is just east of here out of the mountains, its like two different worlds. So do Travis and I have an edge over my buddies Chris and Dave from the piedmont? Yes, but at the same time Dave has won what like 2 tourneys? Of course Travis has won several as well. No its not completely equal at all, but I doesn't have to be. Its just for fun, I just like catching big fish. Which I don't get to do nearly often enough.

 

(btw Cam I would take a 7+lb smallie like you have over a DD LM every day of the week, even though it probably won't win a tourney, I would be way more stoked about that. Im going to try for one this winter in TN)

[Danny]

I'll chime in on something I've seen come up a couple times. Yes, it's a "free" tournament, but every single guy would be lying if they said they didn't want to win a freaking FREE LDC and all the other cool prizes.

 

I could give zerofucks about having champion wings by my name. That does nothing to make me a better fisherman.

 

Obviously, I favor a different format but I also agree that you'll never make everyone happy. Overall weight favors CA, TX and a few others. Length favors southern states generally. % of state record favors others. I'm all for a change but regardless, it's not changing the way I fish or my goals of catching the biggest fish in PA.

 

Word to your mother.

I would have loved to win that LDC. The ldc was the reason i wanted to win. And to push the alpha rat. That obvious.