Introducing Josh Giran, from the NE

Hello, my name is Josh Giran and just like you all I am addicted to bass fishing. First I’d like to thank the people at BASS 2.0 for giving me this opportunity to share my experiences and ideas with you. A little about myself, I live in a rural area south west of Pittsburgh, PA. Yes that’s right, I have the privilege of fishing for small fish on the Three Rivers. You know, the location of the 2005 BASSMASTER Classic(lowest total, ever) and the 2009 FLW Forrest Wood Cup. Okay, so I don’t get to fish for five pounders all the time, but as the old saying goes “a bad day of fishing is better than a good day at work”.

I have been fishing all of my life, my farther started taking me fishing at a very young age. But it wasn’t until a strange turn of events that I got into tournament bass fishing. At the time I thought my world was coming apart. But a co-worker and friend, Mike Noel, steered me in the direction of tournament fishing. He had been fishing BASS events for years and took me under his wing. It started with convincing me that I needed a boat. So I went and bought a brand new aluminum boat. Then I joined a federation club. That first year I fished mainly as a co-angler. I read every article I could, watched every fishing show imaginable, and really paid attention to the people I fished with. I was like a sponge trying to absorb everything I could. My friend use to tell me that in a few years I would want to step up to a big boat. That few years ended up being less than two.

So now I’m looking for a big boat. Wow, what a jump in price from the aluminum's. I did a ton of research on all the major brands. I had it narrowed down to three brands. One of my main concerns was having a dealer near by that could fix any problems that would arise. It was February 2008 and I’m at an outdoor show in Harrisburg, PA. I was sitting in the boats, trying to imagine myself running down the lake in it. That is when I meet a rep from Triton Boats, Jerry Johnson. Jerry and I hit it off and before I know it I’m on the Triton Pro-Staff. I chalk it up to being in the right place at the right time. So I order a 2008 Triton 21X2 with a Mercury 225 Pro-XS. I add a Motorguide 36 volt trolling motor and finish it off with Lowrance electronics. So here I go, into the world of professional bass fishing. Okay, before I go any further, I’m not gonna say that my boat rig is better than yours. Everybody has there favorites. In the coming weeks I’ll let you know what I like and don’t like about my boat. That will be the case for everything. I’m just going to give you my experience with it, whether it be a tow vehicle, rod, reel, line, bait, etc. You make up your own mind if you like the product or not.

So I decide to start off slow and fish a few ABA Weekend series. My best finish in that series was a second place on Lake Erie(my second favorite place to fish). I ended up qualifying for the two day championship, but due to money issues I chose not to fish it. At that point I realized how expensive this sport is. In February 2009 I attended the BASSMASTER Classic in Shreveport, LA. A good friend and fishing mentor of mine, Ken Baumgardner (Bummy) had qualified for it through the Federation. All I have to say is WOW! What an experience!

In 2009 I fished the Northern Opens on the Pro side. I can’t even begin to tell you how much I learned that first year. Bummy (Pro) and Tom Landish (co-angler) were my travel partners. Traveling with someone makes things a little easier on the road and also leads to plenty of laughs. Oh, and I’m the “camp cook”, we ate better on the road than we do at home. I also made allot of friends, Koto, Bill, Jonathan, Jason, Ray, Chris, Jake, Monty, Jamie, and too many more to list. This is how I came to meet J Todd Tucker. It was the final Open on Lake Erie out of Sandusky. I was somewhere near Chick Island drifting and throwing a drop shot. J Todd happens to be about 3 miles away and starts heading in my direction. When he gets about 10 yards away he shuts down and says are you ok. I tell him I’m fine. I had my big motor trimmed up out of the water to get a straighter drift along the shoal I was fishing. “Apparently” that is a warning signal to other anglers that you need help. Anyways, that was something I’ll never forget, he went out of his way to check on me and make sure I was okay. I was also fishing Federation tournaments that year and was able to Qualify for the 2010 Mid-Atlantic Divisional.

I again fished the Opens in 2010, but didn’t have the success I had the previous year. That lack of success also carried over to my Federation Tournaments. But again, it seemed as though every tournament I went to, I made another friend or two or three. It has all been a great time and a learning experience and that’s what I hope to share with you in the future. I plan on discussing just about everything that a tournament angler deals with on a daily basis. Sometimes it might just end up being a quick little blurb on how my practice is going, a video from on the water, or a new bait/technique. Who knows what you will see or read? Well now that my little intro is out of the way we can get to the bass stuff in the coming post. Until next time, be safe!

Restore the California Delta newsletter

This is the newsletter for a group called "Restore the Delta"

They are a group of folks in northern California which are committed to the conservation of the California Delta, one of our nation's greatest fisheries. Precedents are set in California and they tend to leech their way eastward year to year, so DO NOT think you may never be affected by legislature like what is going on in California RIGHT NOW.

Posted By: Jessica IñiguezTo: Members in Restore the DeltaNews from Restore the Delta

On Monday, the Legislature voted to postpone the water bond to 2012, demonstrating once again that they are incapable of making decisions about water with calm deliberation and in the light of day.

The Senate backed postponement from the outset, but the Assembly took several votes, with Jared Huffman arguing to keep the measure on the ballot or pull it altogether and revise it, leaving the ballot date open. It took until 9:35 p.m. for the last Assembly holdouts, Assembly Member Pedro Nava (D-Santa Barbara) and Assembly Member Sandre Swanson (D-Alameda), to respond to pressure from legislative leadership and vote to postpone.

Thanks to Food and Water Watch, we know exactly who is behind the pressure. In a fact sheet published last week, FWW reported on research into contributions to the Alliance for Clean Water and New Jobs, the primary pro-water bond PAC. The big contributors:

• the Western Growers Association, a leading agricultural trade group

• the construction industry

• Southern California developers

• land conservancies, especially the Nature Conservancy

FWW reported that the pro-bond campaign also got money from Schwarzenegger’s California Dream Team, which itself had received funding from the energy industry, agribusiness (including Resnick, of course), and developers.

Once the dams are built, once the houses in the desert are built, what happens to the jobs? This isn’t about long-term benefit for the construction sector of the economy. It’s about short-term benefit for interests who are creating additional demand and setting themselves up to market water at ongoing profit.

And what about farm jobs? Is this water going to be used to put large numbers of farmworkers back to work in the fields? Unlikely. In the long run, agribusiness stands to benefit more from marketing water than from growing crops. (If they can’t make money growing cotton, they’ll make money growing houses.) Water cutbacks were not responsible for last year’s job losses, and nothing proposed by the water bond can guarantee more stable economies in communities that have grown up depending on unsustainable water deliveries.

And wherever we are going to grow in California, traditionally-landscaped housing in arid regions of the state is not the way to do it.

When green is not “green”

Let’s look at development in arid regions of the state. We really hate to quote the Public Policy Institute of California, creator of the Apocalypse vision of the Delta. But in a 2005 report, “Lawns and Water Demand in California,” the PPIC estimated that the amount of irrigated landscaping in California equaled the size of Westlands Water District.

According to our own researcher, Deirdre Des Jardins, “The report says that California’s Landscape Task Force concluded that outdoor use constitutes about half of residential demand in the state (California Urban Water Conservation Council, 2005), which was about 5.8 MAF in 2005, according to the 2005 California Water Plan.

“That would mean that residential landscaping uses as much as 2.9 MAF of water - almost three times what Westlands uses. . . . Furthermore, the water use for residential landscaping in desert areas is much higher, per capita. The PPIC report says,

"’The water provider for the Las Vegas Valley, located in the Mojave Desert, estimates that roughly 70 percent of residential demand goes to outdoor irrigation. Officials in Riverside County estimate that 80 percent of residential water in the Coachella Valley - an area with a similar climate - is used outdoors (Bowles, 2005).’

“This is because not only do lawns in inland areas use a lot more water than in coastal areas due to higher evapotranspiration -- the lots are generally LARGER than coastal areas. That's why water use in Bakersfield is about 300 gallons per day per person, twice the use of 150 gpd per person in the East Bay area.”

Deirdre uses California Water Plan figures to estimate that landscaping is 40.4% of urban water use in California. She says, “So if urban users simply cut their landscaping use by 40%, they could reduce their use of water by AT LEAST 16% statewide.” (That’s 40 percent of 40%.)

Metropolitan Water District, which gets 30% of its water from the Delta, could manage with about half of that by implementing some of the same water-saving techniques that agriculture has been using for decades – smart irrigation scheduling, and moving to drip systems. But we cannot expect MWD to use any water it saves to serve a larger number of customers, because MWD is only relevant if it is moving water.

What percentage of California’s water comes from the Delta?

While calling for smarter use of the water we have (a subject short-changed by the water bond), we need to keep pointing out the flawed implication in DWR’s oft-reported statement that two-third of Californians are served by water from the Delta.

The suggestion, always, is that the well-being of a large percentage of Californians depends on fixing this fragile region we call the Delta.

Really, how many Californians rely on water from the Delta?

There are lots of questions here, including what constitutes reliance on water from a particular source. If you rely on that source, how much do you “need”? Enough to drink? That plus enough to flush your toilet, shower, and run your garbage disposal? All those plus enough to wash your car and keep your lawn green in August?

Also, do you get all of your water from one water source? For example, some people in the Bay Area get their water almost exclusively from the Delta, while others get part of their water from some other source, such as Hetch Hetchy.

DWR is the source of the statement that water from the Delta serves more than 25 million people. But other information from DWR suggests that the State’s reliance on water from the Delta is not as high as this figure implies.

Steve Evans of Friends of the River has done an estimate using a bar graph from the 2005 California Water Plan. This bar graph shows California Dedicated Water Supplies for Water Years 1998, 2000, 2001 and lists supplies in six categories: Local Projects, Colorado Project, Federal Projects, State Project, Ground Water, Reuse & Recycle, and Instream Environment.

First, Steve averaged each category. Then he added the Federal Projects and State Project columns, getting a total of 9.3 MAF from those two sources of supply.

Finally, he divided 9.3 MAF by the total amount from all six categories, 80.4 MAF. That produced a percentage of 11.56%.

So based on DWR’s own bar chart, the Federal and State water projects supply less than 12% of the water from all sources.

Steve notes that quite a bit of federal water is diverted and used by contractors before it even gets to the Delta, so the actual amount exported from the Delta is less than this calculated percentage.

Deirdre Des Jardins suggests another way of doing this calculation. She takes the total Agricultural and Urban Water Use in California in 2000 (which was 43.1 MAF according to the Pacific Institute) and divides that into Delta exports that year (a bit over 6 MAF according to DWR). This produces a figure of about 17.5%. That was in an average (rather than a dry or wet) year.

So statewide, it looks like at most 17.5% of the water Californians use comes from the Delta.

In July of 2009, there were just under 37 million of us. If some imaginary subset of Californians used only water from the Delta, and they used all the Delta exports, we would be talking about at most 6.5 million people.

Let’s get back to reality here. Let’s stipulate that two-thirds of Californians (as many as 24 million people) probably do rely to some extent on Delta water. But overall, water from the Delta provides less that 20%, and perhaps as little as 10%, of the state’s overall water supply.

If we ended exports tomorrow, we wouldn’t have two out of three Californians dying of thirst.

Restore the Delta will keep taking apart conventional wisdom this way over the next two years while the water bond lingers on life support. And we will keep telling the story of the Delta, a place of ecological, economic, cultural and historical importance, that is under attack by those promoting California’s unsustainable 20th century water policies.

Interesting paraphrase from Guy Eaker as printed in BassWestUSA

This is taken a bit out of context, but worth reading the entire article. If you don't subscribe to BassWest USA mag, you should.


Eaker believes that part of this change is due to technology and part due to networking. "GPS has changed BASS completely." Prior to tournament cut offs, when BASS pros are no longer allowed to tap into insider information, they can discuss lake hotspots with local pros and guides. Armed with several waypoints, they're able to quickly find and evaluate structure that in the past would have taken days, if not weeks, to find. "All you got to do is call your local buddy and get the GPS readings and your're on 'em." And let's be clear -Eaker isn't complaining, just stating a fact of tournament life. The other side of the coin is that if you're new to the tour and don't have those local contacts, you're at a decided disadvantage.


www.basswest.com

Champlain to Erie

Again I want to thank all of you for your kind words and support while I was in NY. What a derby. Beautiful setting, great fishing, huge smallmouth which were eager to eat. This was my first experience going after northern smallmouth and I feel like I learned quite a bit regarding natural lakes, I guess I will get to try and prove that next week on Erie.

I can tell you now what 'big' water is. I thought I had some kind of definition in my head as to what a rough lake was and well, I was wrong. If you go to the great lakes or anything like that, ask questions, do your research, utilize the internet to gather as much information as you can about how to be properly equipped and how to contact help if you need it. A 5 blade prop may indeed save your life.

So, moving on to lake Erie, this again will be an opportunity to get on some smalljaws but there is a difference in how this derby will unfold unlike Champlain. Many more anglers will be going after smallmouth where in NY at least half the field were splitting efforts between largemouth and smallmouth. I really think that helped me in NY. I am not saying you cannot get on a LM bite on or around Erie but the better fish in numbers and size are said to be SM. Lots of territory available around Detroit, Erie, St Clair, the Detroit and St Clair rivers are all in play so this will tend to 'stretch' the field. There surely will be one day where Erie will get to big to get on so the remaining areas will fish a bit smaller but still, that is a huge area. Current will also be guiding factor for some and I hope some of my Delta experience will help me find some of the ambush points available to those fish in the rivers.

I'm very excited to get up there.

I will post some pics of what I find.

Champlain Practice - Mike H

I love to get on waters I have only read about, it's just cool to even be here on Champlain. When I think about it I believe that this is the first real natural lake I may have ever fished in my life and well, it is a little different. I have spent the last two days trying to find a way to really fish my strengths without making the 60-70 mile trip one way to the skinny south part of the lake even though the AFS derby was won there yesterday or that's what I hear. I guess I will hold that as a contingency plan IF we get fair weather allowing me to make the trip. I feel like it is a big risk to put a plan together there simply because you never know if you are going to be able to get there and back. I have looked at some 'riverish' spots way up north by the Canadian border and really only found a couple three good largemouth, not much but something, good here is 3.5 lbs and better. Today the lake is supposed to be flatter and I plan on going and finding a place to get 5 brown fish for a limit and then expand on the green fish thing if I can. I know LM are the way to win here and I really want to put a milk run together fish SM early and LM the rest of the day hoping for a couple of kickers. Inland sea needs to turn on for my plan to come together.

Thinking about Champlain, Mike Haggerty

As the northern circuit starts to look me square in the face, I have to change gears here and try and prepare for some unfamiliar lakes and techniques. Love it.... I have to try and wrap my head around an entirely new set of standards regarding northern BIG reservoirs ie Champlain and probably St Claire. A lot of new questions are running through my head, a lot of unknowns for me logistically as well as strategically. What's the forage? What do the crawfish look like? Can you make the run on Champlain from launch to the mats and back on one tank of gas? How does the wind set up predominately? How big is the water in bad weather? How do you effectively stay on 'pelagic' smallies day after day? Can I use my electronics well enough to be effective in open water? Where do I pull up to in a high wind situation? Am I versatile enough? I could go on for a while here but you get my point. I've been told time and again that a bass is a bass is a bass but..........., I drink that coolaid a bit too but we all know a lake Erie smallie acts a whole lot different than a G'ville largemouth. My experience level here is pretty low but at least I don't have any bad habits right? This will be a huge learning experience for me regardless and that fact alone makes it worth it. If I have learned anything up to now, there is no substitute for time behind the wheel on as many different lakes as you can muster, period. If you plan to succeed, you gotta catchem everywhere any time. I am really looking forward the challenges that are in front of me but I would be a liar if I said I was not a little intimidated as well.

Confusion at Ouachita - Mike H

Boy how a couple days can bring about such massive changes in a fishes behavior. First two days I was here I was just kind of looking around searching for bites here or there, caught a ton of fish on a squarebill and trap and whatever else I decided to throw at them, found a bunch of fish on the north side cruising for bedding sites with even a few locked kinda, conditions looked real promising. A mild cold front passed yesterday early and even after that I was able to scrounge up a small limit X 2 just finessing and re running a few spots I like from the day prior. Today though was a killer. I added Ricky T. to the back seat and neither of us could put a HALF limit together. Gonna have to take today as an 'off' day and go look around some more tomorrow. Up lake it seems a bit flatter, smaller and may not hold the population of fish as the central or eastern sections but it looks more like what I am used to seeing at home (hate to use that as a crutch but hey, it is what it is). I will look at the east section of the lake at least a half day and treat it like Amistad sans the huge swimmers, it is deep, steep and supposed to be clear, maybe I will run into some of this rumored clarity or GRASS. So far this lake lacks cover of almost any sort, lots of snot moss on the bottom, the occasional stump. I am going to start treating this a lot like a pure structure lake for sure but on a mini scale as the fish HAVE to be thinking spawn. They have to. Really. They do.

Amistad pre

Amistad is fishing pretty good right now with a multitude of patterns working. We have 4 boats down here right now and all of us are catching fish but maybe not the quality bite consistently, I guess that is relative to this lake but 3-4 lb class fish are abundant with a peppering of 4-6 lb class fish. There are a lot of fish bedding but also a lot of abandoned beds, I think the majority of the spawn is done but you can still get on some sight fishing bass. The hydrilla is still developing and most quality fish are not relating to the grass but wood in my opinion. Access to deep water seems to be the key and late in the day a lot of quality fish are moving up to wooded flats to feed along little migration routes from that deep water. Patience with a big swimmer can pay dividends in a big way, California Swim Babes - Hot Momma and Baby 'E' along with 3:16 - Rising Son are catching quality fish 6.5 to 9 lbs. How ever you want to fish, you can dial them in pretty good right now.

LOZ time is short

I have to think five straight days of low 40s air temps and drizzle with low hanging clouds have put the fish in a rather neutral mood. This place needs some sun and thats it. A 3 day warming trend would be nice but in mid MO, thats an unrealistic expectation in mid March. My practice strategy was to try and find a couple groups of fish getting ready to move in the direction of the shallows but that has been kinda miss and miss so the last day or so has really been about trying to find places where some of those fish may be moving to when the sun does show it's face and then try and get bit in those areas, even a nudge on a jig would tell a guy hey, we are here, we are just not active YET... What few fish I have caught would lead me to believe that they are further back towards the flats than most would think they would be including me, two to six feet of water around prepared brush piles and if you get any kind of rock transition in the vicinity that is a bonus. So, given the above to be my theory, I plan to junk fish those spots in areas with a variety of techniques in hopes of figuring what presentation the fish want on the fly, not ideal but it's what I got.

LOZ first couple days - Mike H

So my first derby of the year is on Lake of the Ozarks and it starts Thursday. My folks still live there, on the 1mm of the main lake so I was able to get some insight into what the lake is like and what the weather had been doing and the news has not been good. The lake froze over bank to bank this year and I don't think it has done that since I was a kid and I was told that coves had a sheet of ice on them just a couple weeks ago and the water temps confirm that. I measured 39 at the mouth of the Gravois, 41 at the mouth of the Glaize and 43 at the mouth of the Niangua but in the backs of the creeks yesterday, I saw high 40s and even a 50 deg reading 3/4 of the way back in the Niangua but where it is warm it is hella dirty, oh, the lake is also at least 6 ft low, alot of the shallow cover, ie crappie beds, are sticking halfway out of the water around the docks in the back of the creeks. Muddy warm water would tell a guy to look at the shallow cover hard and I have but had minimal results doing so. I have also looked real hard at typical structure spots ie creek channel bend coming close to the bank leading into spawning flats, rock transitions etc and had terrible luck there too. Now the weather has been crap, 39 deg air and rain this am and predicted to blow 20-25 but later in the week it IS supposed to stabilize some in the mid 50s and some sun...finally. I really think some fish will start to get active come mid week, I just need to scout enough spots where I believe those fish will move to and be RIGHT. A BFL is going off today and I will get to the weigh in to see how those guys faired, watch a bunch of heavy sacks get weighed and I will feel totally lost.

Our Water Ways Endangered -M Haggerty

The following is an excerpt from an email I got concerning the taking of water from the CalDelta and piping it south to SoCal. Anglers, outdoor enthusiasts, boaters, nature lovers, we need to understand that if our govt can do this in NorCal, they can do it anywhere.

"Despite requests from Restore the Delta for a meeting with Senator Feinstein's staff, and despite repeated requests from fishing community representatives for a copy Senator Feinstein's amendment language for increased water exports from the Delta, the proposed amendment language has been kept mostly secret. According to Restore the Delta Campaign Director, Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, "Those who would be most affected by implementation of the Endangered Species Act waiver - Delta farmers and commercial salmon fishermen - have been once again left out of the discussion process, as they were during the 2009 California legislative water package discussions."

Although, as reported in today's San Francisco Chronicle, Senator Feinstein's amendment was not included in the present jobs bill, Restore the Delta has learned that Senator Feinstein is seeking other ways to move her legislation forward.

In stark contrast, Restore the Delta understands that the Westlands Water District, some additional water contractors, and some members of Congress have seen the language included in Senator Feinstein's proposed amendment. Once again those who want Delta water are working to control any and all legislative discussions by funding media spin and political contributions. Barrigan-Parrilla adds, "Westlands leaders and Stewart Resnick of Paramount Farms clearly have access to the Senator that everyday Delta people do not."

Therefore, Restore the Delta urges Senator Feinstein to recognize that Delta residents are dependent on protection of public resources. Barrigan-Parrilla adds that Delta residents "have an equal right to participate in representative governance" as do corporate irrigators. "The people of the Delta and related fishing communites must be given the opportunity to create a sustainable economic-ecological future for Delta communities and fisheries."

The people of California, especially Delta residents, have been kept in the dark along enough regarding the Senator's proposal to guarantee Westlands' water contracts. Barrigan-Parrilla calls on Senator Feinstein to "end the secrecy on behalf of large corporate irrigators receiving subsidized water. The public has a right to know how their water and money will be spent."

This kind of stuff scares me to the bone. We need to take this kind of action very seriously no matter where it is happening because it sets precedent for future cases. The Cal Delta is one of the best fisheries in the country, it is truly a beautiful place that needs to be protected.

Questions to ask your dealer prior to buying any brand of boat

You asked! You have to look inside a BCB to know more.

Are they really made of the same materials. Does that other brand have an all fiberglass hull, including a molded solid transom, glass stingers and the floor molded to fit. Or is that a foam board urethane transom?

Is the jackplate a 6 bolt custom full transom length model, or is it shorter with only four bolts. And are those fine thread or coarse? Do they have aluminum backing supports at all three levels of the bolt up. Or do they just have a dress plate at the top only for looks more than anything else. Also is it an R & R with locking groove, or is it dependent on the bolts to hold it in place on the side panels.

Is the carpeting 24 ounce Syntex brand, or is it 18 ounce that costs 55% as much.

Is the carpet glue spray on light grade, or is it brushed on by hand and thicker.

Under those decks are the bases for the seat just bolted on top, or do they have a machined stem glassed into the floor and the only 7 x 7 floor base sandwiched between fiberglass.

Do they drill each gauge hole to retain dash strength, or do they panel cut large face and insert a plastic cover up dash? Do they use aluminum rings on each gauge, or are they plastic if they use them at all?

Are the screws all stainless, and are they custom #2 square drive. And do those in areas that really need a seal have a neoprene stamped washer on them. And are they machine screws with nylock nuts or tapping sheet metal into the glass, which strip. Of course this requires a wrench or socket on the install.

Are the screws or rivets under those parts all counter sunk and chamferred to prevent stress fractures, or did they just ram a screw into the fiberglass.

Is the hydraulic steering hose sheathed in a jacket to protect it for safety, or is it just run through the boat open to exposed fiberglass.

Run your hands or put your head under the decks and compare the looks of both, from the back side in the storages or sump area. Is the sump painted black to hide things instead of cleaning that area. Or is it white/offwhite and cleaned up.

Are the battery trays the same. Standard ones are, though the optional Aluminum trays are not. (eluminiuhim, that one always get us.alum, er.. elumni... oh we got it right -attempt at humor)

Are the boxes all fiberglass, glassed in as one piece, or are they rotomolded plastic screwed into a deck or an aluminum deck under the carpeting held up with twin screw threaded stems. Basically floating the deck instead of supporting it to the hull.

Is the rub rail through bolted every now and then,or is it just a screw stuck in the side of the rub rail. And is the rub rail special designed to reduce damage and with an easy replace insert, or will you have to replace it all if you damage it.

Do they spec particular fiberglass or is theirs Chinese imported at a significant savings.

Is it a GP DCPD bulk resin on the cheapest bid or a specified Ortho or Iso resin that is built to spec. And do they have a full Vinyl Ester Barrier Coat behind the gelcoat in at least 15 mills or more.

How about the seats, are they an aluminum framed, fiberglass molded back, or how are they constructed?

Is the trolling motor through bolted with a 3/8" backing plate holding it with nylocks nuts. Or is it a Wellnut that is just drilled and the rubber Wellnut holds it in place, for now. Which also leads to more stress fractures.

What brand latches are on the model in question, do some homework and compare.

Are the lids insulated on the back side, or are they painted, or maybe not at all. And do those lids seat against the seal trim (StanPro) under the lids and match up to a seal molding?

Are the Pumps all 750 GPH Mayfair cartridge style, or are they lesser and how about the bullet end connectors on those pumps that are sealed to reduce wicking of water into the electric motors. Do they replace easily if you need to, or not.

Is the trolling motor wire fine soft stranded or is it just a base wire with larger strands and thus carry less power. Either would work fine if they are 6 gauge, though one costs more. And if one is 8 gauge all is different.

Is the steel USA made on the C Channel trailer, or is it imported. And is there an adjustment on that trailer, or is it all welded to fit with no adjustment, or bolt brackets to bend.

Are the wheels 15" or are they smaller. And are they a wider aluminum wheel and what brand are the tires.

Is the harness on their trailer a less expensive imported harness, or is it a Wesbar specific harness. Same goes for the lights and hardware on the trailer.

Are the end units Vault with a 5 year seal warranty, and an optional 10 years. or are they imported Chinese "private label" brand. With what kind of seal?

Are the bunk boards double padded, glued, SS staples, and are they trimmed to fit, or are they just a 2x6 carpeted once wrapped and stapled.

All of this and more takes a little bit more time, materials and obviously a little bit more funds. And we can go on and on... Though you got the picture, the choice is now yours, though there are plenty more differences.

BCB

PS: Is a military Hummer a better off road vehicle than a Chevy Silverado?

Back seat account of Falcon Stren by Randall Coyle

Hello, my name is Randall Coyle. I will be reporting on my season in FLW American Fishing Series, Texas Division, as a co-angler. The first tournament of the series was in Zapata , TX at Lake Falcon . I left Beaumont Texas at 6:30 am Wednesday where the temperature was 28. There is quite a bit of scenery to take in during the seven hour trip. Between Freer and Zapata, fifty collared peccary ran across the road. What a site that was!

We finally arrived in Zapata only to discover we didn’t need the heavy coats we adorned because it was a pleasant 70 degrees. However, this temperature would surely drop when the cold front reached this area.

Practice was not in the cards for this tournament. I have fished Falcon several times so I felt very comfortable. After the initial meeting, I met my first day partner, Jerry Propst of Sam Rayburn, TX. We were boat #65 which was the last boat in flight 3.

We started the first day of the tourney at 6:15am with a temperature of 55 degrees and heavy fog. The fog delayed us until 8: 30am. When we were finally released, we ran 20 miles south toward the dam and the ride was a fairly smooth one. By the time we arrived at our first location, the wind had increased drastically which made it very difficult to stay on our spot.

My very first cast yielded a 2 pounder on a Carolina rig in 25 foot of water. We drifted over that spot several times and my second fish was a 5 ½ pounder. By this time it was 11am and the wind was coming out of the North. The temperature had dropped to 33 degrees and my partner made the decision to head in. On our way back to the weigh in site, we hit a wave wrong which resulted in water getting into the cowling. As you can guess, we lost the use of the boat motor. About an hour and a half later, the motor finally dried out so we were able to crank it and restarted our venture back to the dock. By this time, the waves were at 13 feet and the exact same thing happened again. After letting it dry out yet again, we made our way back in with 30 minutes to spare.

I finished the first day with an 8 pound bag. I wasn’t disappointed with the weight because, honestly, I was just happy we made it in. Surprising enough, I was in 42nd place.

Jeff Richard of Helotes , TX was my partner for the second day. Once again, we were southbound with a temperature of 28 degrees. We made it to our first spot a little after 8am. The wind was blowing around 20mp out of the north. Being wet and cold was not a good combination. My hands were so cold, I didn’t fish for the first 30 minutes but, as I was about to find out, no matter how cold it gets on Falcon, fish are always biting down south by the dam. The first fish along with each and every fish I weighed that day came on a Carolina rig using a 10 inch Berkley Motor Oil Red Flake Power Worm.

I ended the day with approximately 17 pounds and moved up to 13^th place. Most of the top ten caught their fish on Senkos, brush hogs, and lizards. Keith Combs brought in a monster bag on the final day of over 40 pounds but still wasn’t able to knock Michael Yoder out of first place. Michael won with 93 pounds 8 ounces.

Tournament number two of the series is next month at Lake Sam Rayburn. Big Sam in February is every bass fisherman’s dream.