My buddy was @ the Alabama river yesterday at the take-off and was standing @ Skeets boat and talking fishing. He said he got to look at the new skeet reels and said it looked like he had a Series 6xd tied on. Did Skeet drop LC or is this a pretty common thing???
if a lure works better then your sponsor, you use it, but you just dont tell anyone.
They're there to win and those guys will use whatever lure they have in their arsenal to get it done.
QuoteThey're there to win and those guys will use whatever lure they have in their arsenal to get it done.
I agree 100% but you would think he would keep it hush-hush.
They all throw baits that aren't their sponsors but they'll say they won with their sponsors baits.
It's really about the money.
It isn't just Skeet. It would be pretty difficult to win consistently if an Elite Series angler could only throw their sponsor's lures.
QuoteThey all throw baits that aren't their sponsors but they'll say they won with their sponsors baits.It's really about the money.
That may be true of some. It may even be true of most, but I do not believe that all of the Elite anglers would lie about the bait they are using. I may be naive, but I am not cynical enough to believe that it is all about money.
no different than" the quakerstate, folgers, hooters ford was really good today!" in nascar. all of these guys have skill and sometimes being in the right place at the right time vs what tools you have.
QuoteQuoteThey all throw baits that aren't their sponsors but they'll say they won with their sponsors baits.It's really about the money.
That may be true of some. It may even be true of most, but I do not believe that all of the Elite anglers would lie about the bait they are using. I may be naive, but I am not cynical enough to believe that it is all about money.
You wouldn't think someone would want to keep a pattern maybe secret as well would you, especially if they arent using their sponsors products.
If you can't beat them, use them.
Can't say I blame him... I just picked up my PB smallie last night with one of those in Sexy Shad.
Don't believe everything you see. Common practice to tie on another lure(s) before arriving at the dock. It's done all the time to throw off others.
QuoteDon't believe everything you see. Common practice to tie on another lure(s) before arriving at the dock. It's done all the time to throw off others.
So true. Some of the guys in tournament fishing are masters at throwing people off. This is one of the main reasons you hear people say ignore dock talk.
Seldom do I have the rods I'm catching fish on out on the deck at the dock. Let them figure it out on their own.
Not to down play Strike Kings baits but if I remember correctly Luck Craft makes some of the best quality baits in the world.
Not saying that if for some reason the fish are hitting only Strike King that you don't want to tie one on because of your sponsors. But when Lucky Craft is one of your sponsors it would seem your set in the Hard bait category.
Skeet was ether trying to throw people off or fishing a custom bait.
If you guys remember correctly....Takahiro Omori used a bagley balsa b to catch 3 fish on the final day to win his classic trophy.
Lucky Craft has a great quality control department. That is part of the reason you pay more for them. You can be pretty sure that your Lucky Craft bait will run straight when you take it out of the package and that it will come with sharp hooks. Strike King, as well as some others, cost less but may need more work to turn into a great fish catching bait. Sometimes they need tuning to run right. Sometimes they have extra plastic at the seams. Some crack easily or have hook hangers pull out. Most of the time, they also come with low-quality trebles.
The reason why Skeet would throw a different brand bait over LC is because LC doesn't make a bait for every action. Crankbaits can wiggle, wobble, flash, and sound different. What the fish wanted may not be in the product line up of LC. No biggie.
Well we see who won AOY and what lures they use.... Ha jk
Anyway, im sure skeet has about 300 cranks laying around that arent LC. Pros have all kinds of random tackle just like us average Joes.
Of course, no one can deny that Sexy Shad is a great color
every one is throwing that color then soon those bass stop biting on tht color sexy shade is nice but alot of guys throw that in cali and it sucks now lol
Quoteevery one is throwing that color then soon those bass stop biting on tht color sexy shade is nice but alot of guys throw that in cali and it sucks now lol
Sorry you have lost faith in the color. It sure does not suck for me here in Texas.
Even if Reese did have a strike king crank tied on he was mostly flippin shallow timber so who knows if he even used it
QuoteAnyway, im sure skeet has about 300 cranks laying around that arent LC. Pros have all kinds of random tackle just like us average Joes.
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I've been on several Elites' boats, and that comment could not be more true. With some of these guys, it's shocking when they get on the water and they open their tackle storage compartments. With some of them, it looks like the whole sporting goods section was dumped in there, in every size and color. Course, some are more organized than others, just like all of us.
i know it doesnt apply to the pros becuase they probably dont pay for cranks... but if i found out that on a certain day i could catch just as many fish on a SK as i could on a LC i would def. be throwing a SK. its 5 bucks. i could lose 3 of them to a tree before i paid for one LC. lol
its ridiculous. ive never had a single problem with the "lower quality" of SK series cranks.
A few of those "blue-black" pattern tourneys, most guys were throwing the Sebile Magic Swimmers and there aren't that many Sebile sponsored guys. Just a thought :D
They are going to throw what they can catch the fish on regardless of sponsorship. I was a marshall on one fo the elite tourneys this year and observed first hand 2 pros that plugged their sponsors when they caught most fish on other brand baits. To their credit they did throw sponsor products as well. Bottom line the sponsors help pay the bills so I understand them continuing to plug away for them. Exception would be Denny Brauer, who (with the exception of a few casts with a swimbait) exclusively used sponsors products, ardent, american rodsmith and strike king.
I've got to chime in here. I've spent countless hours sitting in many of the Elite Pro's boats. As an observer on the last day of practice before the Classic and many times at boat docks and hanging out after a day of tournament fishing. I've watch them set up for the next day and I've watched them trying to figure them out. The truth is that they talk to each other before and during the tournament. They hang out in each others boats, share details, they trade lures that are working. They help each other out alot more than most people know. They have kinda formed groups that hang out together. I have noticed that when one guy figures them out the rest of his group of friends start to do good as well. I remember one tournament last year that 7 out of the top 10 finishers all hung out together the whole week. Most of the time they start out using their sponsor's baits but most aren't' against switching to what's working when a trusted friend clues them in on something.