J Francho

Me too. I also put a toothpick in the bait at the bend. This is a good trick, whatever style you prefer.

We do in spring, too. Winter, they don't work so great through the ice.

The stress of catch and release might be what keeps them from biting again. The idea is they might bite the next day. I hate it in pre-fishing when I decide to stick a fish, and it's a brute. Oops, stuck the wrong one!

Spoons, man, spoons. Love a spoon bite!

Post your Labor Day orders!!!!! (remove personal info, tho!) Let's see what you got!

You only need to raise enough to be at the same level as your boat drafts. The usually leaves at least 12" or more in the water, and you still have a rudder. Also, I'd rather the skeg hits bottom before my hull. The skeg is sacrificial, the hull is not. The skeg's only purpose is to protect the prop. A side benefit is the rudder action when on the trolling motor.

Uh, never heard of swinging lures? Quartering cast, and let the current pick up the bait. Only reel in enough to take up slack, and let the current do the rest. The bait will swing right in their faces. The strikes are violent. Brown trout, huh? Sounds like an awful time.

That's what trim and tilt is for.

I would call Shimano Customer Support. 877-577-0600

The setback should mitigate the SI issue. Getting the prop higher out of the water means less drag. Moving the prop back puts the prop in "cleaner" water.

Thanks, Mike! Will be placing a small order today.

Nice job! I love the expression on your face in the second picture.

Nice fish. Really nice fish. Umbrella rigs are almost a necessary tool up here as summer winds down.

It's not the only reason. A set back adds performance, as does properly setting the height.

Way more than a 90% mortality rate in most fish species, in the wild. That's why there are hundreds per spawn.

I had a manual 12" jackplate because manual was lighter, and once the boat was set up, there was no need to adjust.

For 5" Kalin's grubs, I always used Owner 1/4 oz. ball heads. I think it's a 3/0 hook on those.

Frogs have been hot for a decade, and in my experience, spinnerbaits always work when they do.

I'm skeptical.

That part of the side plate is the most often broken thing on Alphas Ito reels. I can be repaired with super glue sometimes, but it will be weak.

We're talking about a specific pond and a specific situation. Anything other than that list of baitfish linked to is illegal in Mass. If a top predator cannot dominate in a pond situation, there's some other factor holding their success back. Plenty of managed ponds feed the bass with benefits to the bass population.

Like Canada. Heat index was 108 yesterday.

Therein lies the rub. You can't always apply a theory to wild fish due to all the variables, and isolation of those variables removes the wild aspect. All we can learn from lab experiments is that the results are possible, but that doesn't mean it's actually happening in the wild. Pretty cool discussion. Also, I'm qualified to answer because I have a degree in hard knocks.

It's pumpkin spice flavored smallie!

Outstanding.