Bass Fishing Forum - Westernbass.com

Listen, I just got back from this tournament. I wanted to fish this circuit because of it's history, which is almost as old as I am. As an AM, I drew two great pro's, and am still grinning. I finished just out of the money, but what matters to me is what I paid attention to and was able to learn.

Mike Reynolds blew my mind. The man is a pitchin' flippin' genius! If an upside down pipe had water in it, he could pitch into it. He took a so so bite with little prefish, and ground it out. I've never seen someone pick apart an area so efficiently and silently.

Richard Smith had great knowledge of the lake, was a great guy, and was very gracious in giving me some baits to use and to take home.

Both pro's were one bite away from cashing in with their pattern when they found it.

What I'm saying, is that I am going to support this tour 100% because I feel what I will learn is invaluable. People say they would rather fish the FLW for the money, but I feel there is twice the value for the co-angler. When you have a pro who is constantly giving you history, tips, baits, and having you throw where they would like to cast...... That's great. Being backseated, and having the cold shoulder in non-shared weights are not for me.

They are not giving away boats yet, but if you look back in history, they were giving away fully rigged boats on pro and am side. With a little support, we could all be fishing for a boat!

Thanks Larry for the guts to get this thing going again, and being able to fish with these great fisherman.




Josh Palmer

Josh,

Right on dude this is what fishing is all about. I hope WCB can weather the storm during this tough time. glad you had a great experience. Did WCB change anything on the prefish rules?

Josh, we all thank you for the kind words. You are definately the type of fisherman that makes it all worth it. It was a pleasure to see all of you there.

Jigs

Rich hamilton wrote:Josh,

Right on dude this is what fishing is all about. I hope WCB can weather the storm during this tough time. glad you had a great experience. Did WCB change anything on the prefish rules?

It is being discussed and worked on, as we talk about it.

Thanks Rich

Jigs

Phil wrote:Josh, we all thank you for the kind words. You are definately the type of fisherman that makes it all worth it. It was a pleasure to see all of you there.

Jigs

We? How do you fit in with West Cost Bass Jigs?

Also, could you please post the pay out.

Thanks

I have been wanting to fish a Pro/Am tourney but i don't know if i have the experience plus i think i may be a little intimidated. Thanks for the posative words it deffinatly makes me want to do it even more.

Josh, you couldn't be more right. I had the pleasure of fishing backseat with Mike Reynolds as well at a Nor-Cal ProAm If I remember he had just came back from a BassMaster Tourn and hadn't pre fished Don Pedro and he taught me so much that day I still remember every minute of it. We ended up cashing some money but what a day, always willing to help and explain what and why he did things. Those are the type of guys you like to draw even if you don't cash in. Priceless day. It's great to hear he hasn't changed a bit Right on to both of you

You've nailed it. I would like to see a follow up report after each tourney, where the guys or gals in the back of the boat kind of fill out a report card on how their day or days went. Personally, if it's a good day or a bad day, I always want my Partner to feel like they were a big part of the overall performance. Shared weight or Non-Shared weight.

If you're concerned, fish a shared weight tourney, as you're a team. The pro is more likely to work with you because the fish you catch help the weight limit.

Mike Reynolds is a class guy and fisherman a true ambassador to this sport.

Mike is a stud,, and a bassmaster champion...... he has won on the highest level......

Mike wrote:

Phil wrote:Josh, we all thank you for the kind words. You are definately the type of fisherman that makes it all worth it. It was a pleasure to see all of you there.

Jigs

We? How do you fit in with West Cost Bass Jigs?

Also, could you please post the pay out.

Thanks

I was the guy doing your boat check in the morning, I was the guy asking you for your boat number when you came into weigh in at the dock. As for payback. you can call or email Larry at his website that I can tell you if you email me. I can not say it here..

Thanks

Phil

Murph wrote:You've nailed it. I would like to see a follow up report after each tourney, where the guys or gals in the back of the boat kind of fill out a report card on how their day or days went. Personally, if it's a good day or a bad day, I always want my Partner to feel like they were a big part of the overall performance. Shared weight or Non-Shared weight.

Well Murph,

Following in Josh's foot steps, he outlined the event pretty well. Sure there may have been a little confusion at first, but Larry and the staff quickly cleared things up and it was quite possibly one of the better events I have fished as an AM. I was blessed to fish with Steve Perkins the first day who took the time to outline what he had found and what his game plan was going to be.

Every stop we made, Steve took the time to explain the composition of the bottom, what he liked and disliked about an area and how the fish related to either the structure or the food source in that particular area. He provided a high level of energy from start to finish. It was a great day.

Day two was equally blessed to draw Bret Leber. Bret's style was a bit different than Steve's which allowed me the opportunity to get another perspective. We fished totally different water and as a matter of professionalism Bret never inquired as to what I did the day before and I never said. We fished Bret's patterns and he let me fish my strengths with recommendations on variations to improve on what I was doing.

Both these Pros allowed me to fish my strengths which resulted in me being able to contribute to the sack we weighed in each day.

The communication between Pro and Am were key and I learned more in these two days from these two Gentlemen than I have in the past year trying to learn out of my own boat.

Thank you Steve and Bret for the experience. Thank you Larry and the West Coast Staff for putting the event together. I hope you see you all again at Oroville.

That is excellent Bill, and that is what I always hoped for in the Pro/Am tournaments that I've fished so far. I've been fortunate to get several similar draws and have learned a bunch from the experiences.

Roger

Every stop we made, Steve took the time to explain the composition of the bottom, what he liked and disliked about an area and how the fish related to either the structure or the food source in that particular area. He provided a high level of energy from start to finish. It was a great day.

Day two was equally blessed to draw Bret Leber. Bret's style was a bit different than Steve's which allowed me the opportunity to get another perspective. We fished totally different water and as a matter of professionalism Bret never inquired as to what I did the day before and I never said. We fished Bret's patterns and he let me fish my strengths with recommendations on variations to improve on what I was doing.[quote]

This is exactly what I'm talking about... and all in a weekend working man's tournament!