dman

Good info LBH, good to know this, thanks for all your input.

yea, i wouldnt get that but i'd probably spend close to 2 grand getting the trailer with one of the smaller ones..I figure that price isnt too bad because by the time I got a jon and trailer all the supplies i would need to deck it out somewhat, the tools i would need to do that, the know how to use the tools correctly and the patience and time to fix all the screw ups that are inevitable. i'm not very handy with that kind of stuff and maybe i'd learn but i think one of these is the more practical for my needs. It might cost a little more up front but wouldnt it be worth it if i didnt have the confidence in fixing up a jon? I really appreciate everyones input on this!

My Current Rig:

a cat....Only remember a part of it, i was about 8....fishing a small farm pond i dont know how the cat got a hold of my rapala\rebel type lure, maybe a bad cast onto the opposite shore or something. next thing i knew the cat was haulin and squeelin through the grass burning the line off my reel. everyone just started screaming to cut the line so i did. The memory stops right there, no idea whatever happened to that cat.

welcome! you came to the right place for Bass fishing, so much in fo on this site (and not just the forums!)

hey Buzzman, thanks for the info.....I was wondering how it would handle standing on that little platform....Basically i just want something until i get a big boat...Couple years away since im gonna fish as a rider in a bass club for a while first and learn how to operate a boat correctly...But i wanted something for my own time on the small lakes close by....Something relativley cheap..i would need a trailer to since i dont have a pick up....They are durable? cant puncture easily? are there any compartments for tackle? easy to go and launch by yourself?

Wow I didn't even look at the stats...... yea, its rough but for what you get maybe not to bad...they are loaded with seats, built in cooler, a live well (for what?! i cant imaging fishing a tournament with one of these), one of those even has a fish finder and trollong motor and trailer! No doubt if i could find a used jon and trailer i would pick it up, but i just thought with how small these are i could criuse around pretty good with just a trolling motor

Anyone have or tried one these type of boats? ( http://busterboats.com/ ) How well do they run? Can you move around decently in them (only trolling motors) I'm considering one of these to fish some small lakes and electric only and was wondering if they worked well...I'm not into the idea of a canoe or anything and would like some degree of comfort and these "look" ok (but expensive for what they are) Any opinion at all is welcome and appreciated, thanks

Spinnerbaits and Senkos are absolutely the most effective from shore baits for me. White 3/8oz War eagle spinnerbaits and Watermelon candy Senko's to be exact

you are not kidding!! I just went to gander Mt. on my lunch break..Picked up a few things, just one handfull....Xcallibur rattle bait, some tungsten weights, 2 small packs of gammys, 2 packs of coffee tubes, $34 gone, just like that....Lunch is expensive these days!!

Hmmmm......I wonder if it would be a good idea to "marinate" my Bass Magic swim baits in coffe grounds to help get rid of the awfull gas type smell they have....(?)

saw it online, never tried it. Would be interested to see how someone did while using it

i'm not sure i know of the posts your speaking of but i know i have seen a lot of people upset with the skirts....it seems the strands come all bunched up on one side of the jig so that the skid plate is sitting on them...Are they meant to be this way? or is it a manufacturing problem....my jigs came like that as well and they came with a lot of imperfections around the eyelet that would just shred the line....I believe the jigs will work great, thats why i bought a few but i think its these manufacturing things that is turning people off. I think the design is fantastic, i just wish they were made better. I also want to note that I mentioned my problems months ago here and you offered to resolve the problem for me. I kinda forgot about doing that but i wanted the folks here to know that you were a stand up guy and made the offer to me even though i didnt by them direct.

Been fishing the banks for years and i got a system down that works great for me. I dont need much! Tackle box = no good..to cumbersome. Get a Creel or a backpack. To be sucessfull your gonna need to be moving a lot and a "tackle box" will just be in the way. I keep a plano box in my creel with some jerkbaits, rat l traps, topwaters and terminal tackle. I have a small Fly box that i converted for my spinnerbaits, it fits about 6 comfortably. The rest is packs of soft plastics and a bottle of cb's hawg sauce Stay away from Cranks...They cant really be fished properly from shore and you will loose a lot of them. Since you can maintain a specific depth with Ratt L traps these will produce better for you. I take a baitcaster loaded up with a 1\4 -3\8 oz spinnerbait and a spinning rod with a wacky rigged senko and it usually works so well i rarely have to change it up. If its a tougher day i'll start texas rigging worms or a senko. Wear some glasses, dark clothes and have a great time

Thats just not right

Ok, got very recent experience with this. I would say no. I recently found a milk crate tucked away in my shed thats been there for the last 4 years since i bought my house.....In it were a pile of baggies of soft plastics and some cranks....All the soft plastics look and feel brand new! still soft and not rotted at all.....A good point was made about the cranks with Wood swelling in different temps. My cranks look fine, no cracks or anything but i wont know how well true they will run in the water until spring. I'm in North east PA and it gets cold in winter so after 4 years i would say soft plastics hold up pretty well in the cold

This will be my first year bass fishing this early, usually waited for the warm weather but this year i will be out early (right after iceout). What are the best tactics at this point? I heard rattle traps and jerkbatis? any other ideas? Softplastics? Jigs?

I think I know the bag you are talking about....Its the one i want to get because its got plenty of room for boxes and soft plastics pouches....I'll be fishing tournaments as a rider this year and wasnt sure if this would be to big to bring on someone else's boat. Would that be rude to show up with 5 rods and a huge bag like that? thoughts?

Spend the winter nites mock casting yer new rods (without line either) while watching The Bass Pros dvd........again

i saw some real nice hard cases at gander mt yesterday...I think around $60

What do you think would be the overall better rod here? The Premiers go for $100 and the KVD signature goes for $180 but i can get it for $100 new. It will be my spinnerbait rod.

Do you all really pay attention to this? Does it really matter that much? What i mean is, if a rods rating is for 1\4 to 1\2 oz is it gonna hurt the rod or the action and feel that much if you throw 3\4 oz bait?

Thanks for the heads up, just ordered one

ok, thanks for the info, guess i will stay away.....Are the premiers much better?

How are these rods? I went to my local dicks to see if they had any of the $99 Avids. They didnt....What they have left is the Premieres ($99) and the Triumph' ($69).....The Triumphs felt better in my hands but wasnt sure if these were any good....I never had any St Croix rods. But even these have a 5 year warranty, cant be that bad....right? Any opinions are appreciated, thanks.