BassFan - bass fishing news, tips, tournament coverage

Dr. James C. Liao of Saint Augustine, FL writes:

Thursday, February 23, 2017

RE: Balog on bass senses – Great topic, and I agree not enough is known about it. My lab at UF specializes in recording from the lateral line nerves in fishes. Though we don't receive funding to study what makes a bass commit to a lure, as a tournament angler myself you can bet I pay attention to it when I design my experiments! I suspect that the lateral line system does not override the visual system – if this were the case, no bass would attack a swimbait because the vortex wake behind it is completely different from a real swimming fish. I think there are visual cues that cause bass to strike that we do not fully comprehend yet. Anyway, my 2 cents from a scientist's perspective.

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Ron Mehr of Paynesville, MN writes:

Monday, February 20, 2017

You forgot to include in the poll for the best story of 2016 Seth Feider's amazing rise to greatness at the end of the year. I might be a little biased being from Minnesota, but it still was pretty great! Love BassFan, btw!

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Dave Mauldin of Round Rock, TX writes:

Thursday, February 16, 2017

RE: FLW at Travis – I have been fishing the lake a lot over the last 1 1/2 years. Their launch site is 20 minutes from my house, and I have not caught a big fish (over 4 pounds) since I started fishing the lake after it came back up.

Two of the pros are staying with me, and I wish them five keepers, but I predict many will not have a limit, and many will not have even close to a limit, but will have caught 20 shorts during the day. Next year will be better!

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Charlie Hartley of Grove City, OH writes:

Thursday, February 16, 2017

RE: Balog on Rose – Another great piece on an even greater angler and person. I have known Mark for 20-plus years. The world would be a better place with more people just like him, whether they were great anglers or not. Big Mark Rose fan, he is one of my favorites! I love when good people have great success!

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Terry L. Bonsell of Fruitland Park, FL writes:

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

RE: 2018 Classic to Hartwell – This is sad. Round and round to the same few lakes.

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Jeff Mitchell of Fish Lake, IN writes:

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

So, how many rods over 8 feet were used in the first Elite tournament? How many will be used in Florida?

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Bill Spindler of South, NJ writes:

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Jamie Hartman has been on the leaderboard many times in the Northeast – BFLs, B.A.S.S. Opens and NY Federation. Lots of skill, hope he makes it on the Elite trail.

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Johnny McLean of Little Rock, AR writes:

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

I think that most people would like to see the Cabela's/Bass Pro deal fail. They fear that the quality of things like Cabela's clothing will go out the window with BPS. Also, competition is a good thing for the consumer.

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Kyle Dennis of Kalispell, MT writes:

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Actually, Wheeler had another "glitch" in his program that's worth mentioning in your article and that is that he lost half of his waypoints for the lower part of the lake with an electronics issue on day 2. I think it's worth mentioning in the article as it was another major hurdle he had to overcome.

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Skip Bennett of Texico, Il writes:

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

The way Wheeler is going, I think he will surpass all B.A.S.s. record-holders. He has lots of years to do it. Good luck!

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Martin D. Lamb of Albia, IA writes:

Monday, February 13, 2017

It is one click to TackleWarehouse.com and they will put the best stocked Bass Pro to shame with free standard shipping, $5 two-day shipping, $10 next day.

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LJ Faster of Pea Ridge, AR writes:

Monday, February 13, 2017

RE: Walmart's reduced role – Maybe Amazon would consider taking their place. It is a shame Walmart pulled out of their own hometown event. A lot of young men were influenced by the Tour event to fish rather than take up other not-so-wholesome activities.

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Richard Moore of Peru, NY writes:

Monday, February 13, 2017

RE: Elite Series opener – Congrats to Wheeler. Tired of hearing how the FLW guys aren't as good as B.A.S.S. guys. Also noted that B.A.S.S. should be ashamed of their payouts. Jamie Hartman got $26 grand for 2nd and Paul Mueller got $14 grand for 5th in a 4-day "Elite" tournament – the exact same amount as the anglers who finished 2nd and 5th in the 3-day lower-tier FLW event recently on the Big O won.

How can B.A.S.S. be Elite if a lower-tier league pays as well with fewer competition days and lower entry fee? If you're going to call yourself Elite, then back it on green paper.

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W.M. Oppelt of Frankfort, KY writes:

Sunday, February 12, 2017

RE: Gander Mountain's potential bankruptcy – I expected this. The store I tried to shop at is 30 miles away. I fish for largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass. Their selection for bass is terrible. The reason for this is nobody from this area stocks the shelves. On top of this, the majority of workers are high school and college kids. I called their home office a few years ago, was told "That is the way we do things. We decide from here what to stock." I stated that if you continue, you will go out of business. A forest and trees syndrome. Oh well, it's a 3-hour drive to BPS, but they have the tackle needed.

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Michael Lee of Philadelphia, PA writes:

Thursday, February 9, 2017

RE: Elite Series opener – If Tacoronte does not have a spare trolling motor, then he is ill-prepared to fish the Elite Series.

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Jim Liner of Pintlala, AL writes:

Thursday, February 9, 2017

RE: Balog on college anglers – Another thoughtful article, Joe. I have worked with Garry Mason and other leaders in the college ranks. The anglers I have fished with were respectful and very talented. Like you say, I wish they could all make the Elite tour, but that is life in the real world. Most importantly, get your education.

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David Rose of Lexington, KY writes:

Tuesday, February 7, 2017

RE: Balog on circuits – Didn't the PAA try this and fail? MLF is taking a lot of the top anglers' time and trails like the Alabama Bass Trail and the one in Arkansas are filling the void for many. The reason, in my opinion, the Opens and Costas are so full is we are living in the biggest "wannabe" era ever in bass fishing. Everyone has a jersey, everyone has a boat wrap and not to mention the tens of thousands of "pro bass fisherman" Facebook pages. Everyone wants to look the part, but most have no idea what it takes.

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Gary Dobyns of Yuba City, CA writes:

Friday, February 3, 2017

RE: Balog on circuits – As an angler who came through the 1990s and early 2000s, I agree with most all of the comments in the article. It’s very well done and truthful. In the West we have lost all of our strong pro circuits from those times. Two anglers, Matt Morgan and I, are working hard to bring back the old days to the West with Wild West Bass Trail. We are in our second year now.

These strong regional circuits are a big need to keep our sport alive and growing. They are damn expensive to do right and more work than any fisherman can realize. Sponsorships are a lot more difficult than they were in the mentioned time periods as well. Truthfully, sponsorships are to promote and sell product for those companies and many circuits do not do a good job there either. I enjoyed the short article and found I agreed with it. Good write!

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Pat Leach of The Colony, TX writes:

Friday, February 3, 2017

RE: Balog on circuits – Interesting article, but speaking of regional tournament trails, you forgot to mention the American Bass Anglers Ram Series. This replaced the B.A.S.S. Weekend Series and has a respectable payout for the entry fee when compared to trails with equal entry fees. It has numerous tournaments throughout the country as well as a no-entry-fee national championship.

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