J Francho

Does the OP have a boat? I assumed so. Shore fishing is uniquely different when approaching new waters and the same techniques and skills don't really translate to a boating experience.

No, they don't.

No. In your case the smaller size would be a disadvantage since something more dense will sink into the muck even faster.

I'm quoting Catt not as a reply, but to make a point for clemsondds. For me, this doesn't happen until I actually see the lake in person. That isn't to say I go in blind - I do not. I just don't get to attached to any preconceived notions I formed while staring paper or computer screen. I need to see, smell, hear an area. I need to know what is growing there, what the bottom is like. When I do look at a map, I look at where I've been and know the layout, and then search for places to check out next time on the water. Now, we're talking about lakes with points and shoreline features. This often leads to offshore exploration, and that entails some map work, but often it's more about looking for stuff on the graph that isn't in the map. This is more like my hunt for smallmouth in Great Lakes, where there's zero shoreline reference points, other than to get you in a football field range of where you want to look. Otherwise you rely on the GPS, maps, and a bent rod to tell you where to go. Again, no real shortcuts. Anytime I think I figured out some fast and easy way, it bites me.

I start at the one on the left and work right. You won't know what you have until you fish it. There are no shortcuts.

I think I'm in for Thursday.

I don't think sinker shape is going to help much with a mucky bottom. I typically stick to mid and top water baits for this.

When you catch a fish on the trailer hook, 9/10 it's hooked weird and the fish crashed the blades. Short strikes are not common, especially with largemouth. I find the fixed main hook better for reducing snags when I'm fishing wood, which is almost always when there's wood in the water.

I really don't remember catching a fish on any point. I usually fish the area near the point. Sometimes I see fish, mostly not. It's the area around the point and it's structural make up that makes or breaks a spot.

The powers poles look to be mounted on a transom bracket. If that's the cause then there huge issues with the transom seeing as the motor is much heavier then the poles. I don't think it's from the poles.

I'm not sure if they still do this, but I had WHCC bolted into print fulfillment for my clients. You can charge whatever you want for the prints and take the mark up as profit. The only overhead is book keeping. https://www.whcc.com/products/prints

I guess that leaves with one option. Uh, no. The object is to not hit things.

My advice, after doing professional photography gigs to significantly supplement my income: Get a good lawyer and a great accountant. The more you charge for your service, the easier the clients are to deal with.

It's way more fun (and cheaper) to just chuck rolls of quarters into the lake at the launch.

I think an impact driver vs. a variable speed drill is a better comparison, but yeah, each tool works best for its intended purpose. This is really about advantages of one over the other though. Use something wrong and those advantages disappear.

A spinning setup will often still cast a bait or rig that is way lighter than its rating. The only other thing I can think of is you can simply open the bail, and drop the bait over the side of the boat without learning any special technique. Otherwise it's really about preference and what your used to.

I probably force feed more than anybody. It's more important to me to make the observations that lead me to fish that will bite than it is to somehow imitate what they're eating right now. That isn't to say I ignore the local forage, though.

When I'm in a hurry and I don't need 100% knot strength, I use a triple surgeon knot to connect leader to main.

They look like more than just typical gel coat crazing you see on a boat left in the sun. I would pass.

Everyone bugs me at some point or another. I've learned this is more about my attitudes and moods than anyone else's.

Stay in boating lanes or go slow.

Not in a million years would I touch a Bayliner, let alone one in this condition. But hey, it's free. I can't really help with the issues, but it would be cool to see pics of the restore process and eventual outcome. We've had threads like that before and it was really interesting. Good luck!

The best custom cover I ever had was made by Aurora, and fit my Bullet like a glove. You could also probably take a look at a car tent. My buddy had one and it was great for getting the boat ready to fish in the rain.

I think we need video of this happening....sounds like a Bill Dance moment.

It took me forever to learn how to use a left hand retrieve for jerks and topwaters. Now I use whatever is there.