Super basic question here….however I haven’t been fishing for too long. So bear with me.

I’ve only ever targeted bass as a species. So beside that the only other species have caught were chain pickerel, 1 crappie and a baby gator. As I start to fish larger bodies of water I’m sure a catfish will be hooked soon. From what I’ve watched/read you can’t lip them and they have some sharp spines. Is this correct? So what would be the best method of getting one off? I’d rather research now before it happens. Thanks for the advice.

Can you see the difference in this?

Hey SUFam we're down to just ONE 10 days!!! (Please read the entire post) We're getting closer to the the event we're organizing a retreat grill out/potluck with games and activities. Below is a sign up sheet please comment below what you'd like to bring.

Important items we'll need:

Water/drinks

Paper products (napkins/plates/plastic ware)

Hot dog/hamburger buns

Hot dogs/hamburgers

Cheese

Condiments

Chips

Snacks

Dessert

Trashbags

You are also welcome to bring other options, bring what you can and IF you can. Anything helps, but also if you can't no worries! We're going to have a good time 😄

Sign up 👇🏾

Des & Chris: 3 lrg packs of hotdogs, 2 sleeves of burgers.

Nathan Sipes: couple cases of water and soda

Tron: Case of water

Eric Zenke: Hot Dog & Burger Buns Ricky Taylor: Assorted Chips

Tim Dodson: Couple sleeves of burgers

Matthew Dennis: Chips and dips (buffalo)

Ken Pfeiffer: Plates and napkin

Myron Williams: Plastic ware and plates

Devin: Trash bags and desserts.

Brian Barde: Ketchup, mustard, relish, and pickles.

So I feel I need to explain my absence\ lack of involvement the past week. I have been processing a fatal accident, 13 yr old v\ motor vehicle, I worked last weekend. It's extra hard, when your own child is a 13 yr old as well. I think the hardest part was knowing\ accepting there was nothing I could do and there was no crime to explain why it happened. I was just a God's timing. I hate to say it but I am thankful that she did not go to the same school as my son. I have become very efficient at compartmentalizing my personal and professional life. But I guess, all of them were full and I needed to a new compartment to hold this one for me. I literally just wanted to sleep and fish last week but do to the weather I wasn't able to fish. So I sat in more floor and glued jig heads and soft plastics together, respooled reels, organized\ reorganize my tackle. I was finally able to go fishing Friday and did really good. The wind was worse than I anticipated for my kayak and I got discouraged. But I remembered strategies from the SUF school. Found some pockets and just fished.(I'll post those pics later) It was nice... Definitely what I needed. I was going to post this Friday but I didn't want to take away from Brian Latimer tournament excitement. I say this to say, self awareness and mental health are very important. I'll try to cover some of this in my roundtable this week. Also hug your loved ones, make things right with whoever you need to. Answer calls from family\old friends that you haven't talked to in a long time. You never know when you won't be able to, and regret sticks for awhile. Love y'all, missed y'all..... And Lord have mercy, when you miss a day or two on the app it's hard to keep up. Proud of all have have done this week and welcome to all the new members! 😄 😄😄

A 17.00 inch LB caught on Lake Juliette. SMH head with a green pumpkin red flake DuBro Fishing Dewey baits Shake and Bake worm

Bad News!

Appreciate the hospitality Ricky Taylor it was fun.. wish the fishing was better .. good job on keeping your composure while fishing with me.. you are the best culler there is!! And a damn fine netter.. we did good for two country boys who never left the boat ramp creek lol..

I’ve been fishing a lot lately. I can’t wait to get in the app tomorrow and catch up on ask BLAT. I finished 10th today at Hartwell with 16lbs today. I had so much fun this week catching them on a jerkbait and a Carolina rig. I caught some slipping docks. (Shallow ones) I also caught a big one on a shakey head today. Lake Hartwell owes me nothing. I was worried about this one more than any other on the schedule. As good as it is sometimes it’s easy to top out at 12lbs.

First Tournament in the Books!

Mack and I hit the Chickahominy River today for a local tournament with 16 boats. Mack was on fire, landing around 8 bass, while I put my netting skills to work assisting with his catches and brought in 3 of my own. The storm cut our day short, but we made the most of the 4-5 hours we had on the water!

What I learned:

✅ Slow down the retrieve.

✅ Get a limit first, then go for bigger fish.

✅ When that doesn’t work—go back to what does!

The Straight Up Fishing School is more than just learning techniques—it’s about building confidence, friendships, and growing as an angler. Mack drove hours to help me with my first tournament, sharing his knowledge on water clarity, lure selection, and even how to properly fish a Ned rig. That support gave me the confidence to jump in and compete.

A huge thank you to Brian Latimer for creating this incredible program and for his support through the SUF Sponsorship Program. His passion for the sport and dedication to helping anglers grow is what makes this community so special. Proud to be part of it—this is just the beginning!