J Francho

Exactly what TnRiver46 said, not much meat fro their size. They do taste pretty good, though.

These things are practically in my back yard.

Fish fries are a big deal up here. Every restaurant has fried haddock on Fridays. It's especially big during lent. I like mine with American cheese and on a bun. But, back to bass...there's way better tasting fish in my waters to bother with bass. Steelhead, king salmon, walleye, northern pike, and yellow perch all make much better table fare.

My spinnerbait rods are either MXF or MHXF, depending on how big the bait is.

What line I use depends on what I'm fishing. I'll tie up a T-rig on any of my setups, which could have anything from 6# fluoro to 80# braid. General purpose would be 12-15# fluoro or 50# braid.

Those are what I used when car topping any boat over 13' on my car. Flat cam-lock straps vibrate annoyingly, even when adding a twist when used to secure the bow and stern. The rope style don't vibrate, and are super easy to use.

Irrespective of how you spool your reel, the first time you troll the line out to remove twist, and reel it back in, you are essentially spooling the line in the way the illustration I posted shows. Why not just skip the extra steps?

Congrats!

Not much snow, but we are still getting 60+ mph winds. Schools closed today.

Actually, that is the correct way to spool a spinning rod. Any modern spinning reel with a bearing line rollershould be filled in this manner:

Lake Champlain is catch and release. http://www.eregulations.com/newyork/fishing/lake-georgelake-champlain-regulations/

There are currents in lakes. Some so powerful, a swimmer can drown.

They're talking about flooding up here too. Lake Ontario is 14" high for this time of year. There isn't a ton of snow to melt, so maybe we'll be okay. Two years ago was a mess. Houses were literally sliding into the lake.

Another candidate for a photo of the reg numbers and a call to the sheriff.

It's a big white perch. That record seems attainable. There's a couple here in NY that are like that. People that catch these species often don't record record catches because either they don't realize the records, or don't care. I remember way back catching an 11 lb. bowfin. I didn't realize the record was only 8 lbs. That record has been broken twice since and stands at 12-14. You can always use this site, and paste the direct link here to post a pic. https://postimages.org/

You know I'm just poking fun. As I've gotten older, it's apparent that I have to do something to stay in shape. Drums and skateboarding fit the bill.

You're dead on! Shallow is a different game, especially in spring. On Oneida, we used to throw little Tender Tubes on the shoals in early to mid May.

Pretty much any deep crankbait or jerk bait I throw is 1/2 oz. or better. When fishing tubes, I like the Big Dude 3/4 oz. tube jigs. Drop shot weights, I start at 1/2 oz., and usually use 3/4 oz. Jigging spoons I use are all 3/4 oz.

They're not really the same class of boats. The Nitro hull is more than a foot longer and has a wider beam and is 450 lbs. heavier. If we're discussing the similar price points, consider this, the Nitro isn't exactly under powered, but not max'd out. The Ranger is max'd out at 115. You don't say what the electronics are or what options are installed. I'd think performance would pretty similar in regards to top speed in both. This is the entry level Ranger, so it won't have all the amenities that a higher end boat will have. I've been in a few different Ranger 17' class boats over the years. The front deck is too tight for two to comfortable fish. The Nitro us wider, and definitely accommodates two. The Nitros I've seen aren't anything to be ashamed of. Even considered a Z19 in my list of boats I'm pining for. Last thing, I'm not sure if anything has changed since the takeover, but in the past, Ranger's customer support has top notch. Keep that in mind as well. I'm sure I didn't give you an answer on what to get, just tossing out a few more points to consider. Good luck in your search. Post back with a pic of what you get!

It's Friday, so I'll be doing sets of 12 oz. curls after work.

I have T1D. There's light at the end of the tunnel. I wasn't diagnosed until my early 30s. I was sick for about a year before that. I was devastated to get the news. Once I got my first shot of insulin, by the next day I felt almost completely better. It was pretty amazing. I wear a pump and use CGM. I'm always here if you have any questions. I also work with a woman whose daughter has been T1D since she was an infant, so I can always tap her for the dealing with kids, if needed. Lastly, check out CGM in the Cloud group on Facebook.

Pop a nail weight in a Yum Crawbug, and screw in a CPS into the tail, and hook it like you describe above.

One of the temperate bass: White perch: http://www2.dnr.cornell.edu/cek7/nyfish/Percichthyidae/Percichthyidae.html

Right? I'm still pretty dumb. Almost 50 and heading to skatepark after work to get some time in the bowl.