My Thoughts on the Classic...

Big surprise huh, KVD kicks everyones butt again. The guy is a machine, I cant recall another athlete that has ever dominated their sport quite like KVD has. I would cut my left testicle out with a dull butter knife to be in his position. I can only pray that one day I get to fish against him, let alone beat him. He is a class act and a great representative of our sport.

While its disapointing that the coverage of the classic is a week old,  I wouldnt be surprised if next years classic is a live coverage event that will be aired on Versus channel. There are moments that might not make it to air, and if they do, they will probably be edited down for time restraints and its a shame. Gerald Swindle, who kicked my ass at Toho, really showed you why he is such a popular guy, I hope it makes it to the week old espn coverage. Someone needs to come out with an "all fishing" channel that would air the Classic in its entirety. I would watch the whole thing if it was accessible.

 If you hadnt noticed, guys like Mark Zona, Charlie Moore and a few others have taken their shows to Versus, probably because espn and B.A.S.S. have cut ties. It seems as though espn has started to phase out its coverage of fishing in general, not just B.A.S.S. Its very disapointing but maybe the new owners of B.A.S.S. have better ideas on how to cover the events. Someday, someone is going to figure it out and hopefully our sport will get the recognition it deserves.

S.T.P.

What it feels like...

I am around people every day that have no idea what it feels like to set a hook on a bass. Sad, I know, but they are out there, lots of them. Some of them are even fisherman, or so they claim to be. Guys that go fishing once or twice a year, may or may not even buy a fishing license and havent changed the line on their reels for years on end. These people are missing a part of life for which there is no substitution. There are things, however, that give you a similar sensation. All of these things are unique but they also all have one thing in common, this feeling you get when they happen. At this point you are either saying "what the hell is he talking about" or "i know exactly what you are talking about". If you are of the "what the hell is he talking about" group then I am going to explain it. If you are of the ladder group then I will give you a taste of some of the other things in life I have experienced that will give you a similar sensation.

I love sports, so naturally growing up I played alot of sports. If you ever played baseball then you know what the sweet spot is. When you hit a baseball with a perfect swing, at the perfect spot on a baseball bat you have hit the sweet spot. It alomost feels like an electric energy surging through your body, your swing feels unimpeded and the ball just explodes off your bat. You feel it throughout and it lasts for just a fraction of a second but when it happens, their is not much else in the world that can make you feel that way. Very similar to setting the hook on a bass. In football, if you have ever blindsided an unsuspecting player with a viscious hit, it feels like you have went right through them with your body having not absorbed any punishment and having dished out all of the punishment. If your a golfer, then the baseball reference is something you have felt. Away from sports, If you have driven a wicked sports car, the feeling you get when you step on the gas pedal, similar. If you have ever been in a fight, the feeling you get when you land a nasty punch, similar.

I guess what im saying is, there is a rush involved in fishing for bass, if you're doing it right, you will feel it. There are other ways to feel something similar but I maintain that sticking a pig is the safest, most easily accessed way of getting your fix.

S.T.P.

The New Generation of Fisherman...

I hear alot about this topic in some of the forums I frequent and I'm not sure I even know what this means. Guys like Ike have ushered in a different type of angler that rub some people the wrong way. A guy mentioned earlier that some of us look more like skateboarders then fisherman. What is wrong with that? I love to fish, I also dont like dressing like the typical fisherman that everyone expects us to look like. You are never going to catch me wearing a giant sunhat, Im never going to have 12 rooster tails, crankbaits and master angler pins adorned on my person. Im never going to be wearing a fishing vest that has flies sticking out of the pockets and Im surely not going to wear a t-shirt with some goofy fishing slogan like "kiss my bass". Does that make me stuck up or arrogant, I dont think it does. It seems that this whole debate comes down to a generational gap. These people that think we look goofy are the same people that me and my friends think look goofy. I know Ike goes crazy from time to time but what is wrong with a guy that loves doing what he is doing. What he is doing is expressing what he is feeling inside, we all have different emotions and we all express those emotions in a different manner. You just cant tell someone how they should react, its a reaction. That means you reacted, which in turn means, you did not plan it. I would like to see how you would react at catching a big money fish, you might end up acting just like us.

Fishing Expos and Boat Shows

I'm sure anyone reading this has been to one or two or twenty. If you're a patron, then your walking around, meeting people, looking at new baits and hopefully buying some. If your working, you're standing in one place, meeting many people, looking at your own baits and hopefully selling some. To me, there is nothing I would rather talk about then fishing and these boat and tackle shows gives a man the opportunity to talk about fishing for hours at a time.

A fella by the name of Jamie Fabian who happens to also be a fellow Warrior Baits pro staffer was working the booth alongside Brandon Estep (owner of Warrior Baits) and I. This guy has accomplished alot over the last few years and he was one of the original qualifyers for the Elite series when it was just getting started in 2005. His stories are priceless but one in particular stood out to me.

One of my concerns about fishing as a pro was getting a non-boater that was a pain in my ass. So far I have yet to experience that issue but good ol' Jamie Fabian has. The one that made an impression on me was stellar. Jamie explained that it was an extremely hot day and the two guys had already butted heads a few times. Jamie said that he made a cast and looked over his shoulder to see his non-boater stripping his clothes off, down to nothing but a speedo.  Sexy! I know, right? He then proceeded to lather himself up with suntan lotion. Jamie explained that he was not going to let him role in his boat in nothing but a speedo. Jamie had to call the tournament director on the spot to report the guy.  What a nightmare! The sad thing is, I have friends that have asked me if they could come fishing with me and wear a speedo. I obviously said....Yes! Mainly because I find it hilarious but I reckon it would be extremely weird if the guy were a complete stranger.  Scott Rawlings from Frankfort Ohio, yes I'm talking about you!  Our wives think both of us are nuts but hey, if you cant have fun fishing, when will you ever have fun.

S.T.P.

The Super Bowl

Anybody who knows me knows I am a huge fan of the NFL. Fantasy football, the Cleveland Browns, the whole 9 yards, I'm into all of it but if any of you know anything about football, you know that Browns fans hate the Steelers. So I took great pleasure in watching Aaron Rodgers treat the Steelers like Ben Roethlisburger treats a drunk girl in a bar bathroom stall, he violated them. The Steelers are a great organization but that cat Ben Roethlisburger is pretty much a low life. What does this have to do with fishing? Pretty much nothing but my days are consisting of re-stringing rods and looking at google earth. Not much going on right now. I hope I didnt offend and Steeler fans but if I did, then your skin is a bit thin. Until next time

S.T.P.

Getting Ready For Norman...

A little over a month seperates me and the next tournament. I'm fighting the urge to plan out scenarios and plot strategies because its a huge waste of time. I have no idea what the fish are going to be doing or where there going to be doing it. The weather has been abnormally cold this winter for North Carolina which makes it more likely that fish will still be in a pre-spawn pattern but I guess I wont really know until I get down there.

 I've been looking into getting affiliated with a quality rodmaker and a new friend of mine turned me on the a brand called Esox Rods out of Indiana. I contacted them about possibly trying out a few rods before I commit to buying anything but I havent recieved any responses. Ive been using G Loomis rods for 5 years or so, I really do love the quality but I am harsh on equipment and I really cant afford to replace 3 or 4 broken rods every season, not to mention the ones that end up in the lake...

There is a tackle expo this weekend at the state fairgrounds, I will be at the Warrior Baits booth, come and introduce yourself, I always enjoy meeting people interested in tournament fishing and fishing in general. If for some reason you dont like me or I have rubbed you the wrong way for whatever reason, come tell me that too, I dont take anything too seriously.

Talk with ya soon, S.T.P.

Day 2

After an epic fail on day 1, I again achieved another huge no-no in bass fishing. By my calculations, I had missed about 2 hours of a 3 hour topwater bite the morning before. If I just go to the topwater spot first thing in the morning on the the second day, I could get a nice bag of fish before 10 a.m. Classic rule of thumb while fishing, dont fish yesterdays patterns. I again waste 3 hours (travel time included) fishing for fish that were no longer valid. I did manage to get one nice keeper out of a matt flipping a Warrior Baits warrir craw, but obviously that wasnt going to get me anywhere. I was only getting bit 3 or 4 times a day out of the matts during practice and even though they were always quality fish, it wasnt going to be enough to help me. Finally, after nearly an entire tournament, I took everyones advice and just went fishing. I told my co-angler, "I'm sorry to do this to you but I'm going jig fishing in the canals". He kind of laughed and said that they dont jig fish in Florida. I wasnt going up on that stage again without a limit. I went to the canal connecting Toho to Kissimmee and I started flipping a blue and black jig in the riprapp. After about 3 more hours I filled out a limit that included a 5lber (a runt by floridian standards) and I felt alot better about myself. I weighed in and jumped up 38 spots on the leaderboard and finished 112 out of 194. Knowing that a few mental errors and a minimal amount of motor issues (that i caused) kept me out of the top 50 is enough to get me stoked for the next one. I beat myself, for the most part. I was never going to go out there and catch 80lbs like Gerald Swindle did but I could have caught enough to get me into the money if not for a few minor mistakes. I guess what I'm saying is it felt like I could hang with the big boys, I hope things go better in North Carolina!

S.T.P.