J Francho

Yep.

You could do the topwaters on either, and find whatever your preference is. I prefer a shorter fast rod for topwaters. For frogs, I like a really heavy/fast stick, but a MH will work, just don't get into the real heavy slop. Lots of good bites right at the edge of the slop.

Just let a senko fall, it does the work for you. No bite, drop it somewhere else.

I'd be looking at a regular or mod fast medium for cranks, and a fast med. heavy for the rest. Put some Seaguar Ripping mono in 12# on the cranking rod, and 40-50# braid on the MH/F.

Michelle's father, "Stan The Man," driving the 1936 "Buffalo" in yesterday's parade. There's only a couple guys left that can drive the beast.

Old news, look again. We're talking about bass, not trout. There's a recent one. You can do your own experiment though. Get a glass of lake water, toss a hook in it. See how long it takes before dissolving. Leaving a hook in to obstruct feeding make no sense. Get it out. Now, a hook through the tongue....I leave it, until weigh in, and assume I'm eating that fish. My experience is a tongue hooked fish has a very low survival rate.

Join a local club. We have a ton of VA locals, so hopefully they can chime in with some pointers to some good local clubs.

Or super charger. http://www.mercuryracing.com/outboards/engines/race-offshore/ This gets nearly as much power from a 2.6L super charged V-6.

Usually, slow planing is from being over-propped, but that 21 doesn't seem too much. I know when I went from a 27 to a cupped 29 on my Bullet, planing was really slow, but I gained some serious top end speed. I feel like something else is off. How is the boat loaded, is the motor working properly, is the prop in good condition... there's a lot of factors, and it's not an exact science. Can you talk to the former owner? Other thing you can look at is prop slip when trying to plane. You need pitch, RPM, LU gear ratio, and actual GPS speed. You might be able to determine better what's from that. Do you have access to a lower pitch prop, or same pitch in a four blade?

Let's cover the basics, first. Can you verify that the motor is trimmed all the way in when taking off?

No, no, no. How does leaving a hook stuck in a fish's throat help it's chance of survival? Studies have shown, it takes several months for that hook to come out on it's own, if at all. You might as well just keep the fish for dinner, rather than let it starve.

I agree somewhat. You have to know your audience. I know for me, it's tough to sell a unique JDM reel, with mods, upgrades, and my own personal cleaning regimen for what I think it's worth. I kind of use those as a bonus, rather than charge for it, and it usually helps the item sell faster, even though I know maybe an auction site with a week long duration might be better. It's just so much more convenient to deal with friends here.

Matt's got all the right answers... thanks!

Weedless moving baits, like a spinnerbait, are what I like to start beginners of any age on. Even crankbaits will work if there are no trees or weeds nearby. It's easier to use baits that hook themselves. Once they learn what a bite and fish feels like, then I move to baits where you need to feel the and detect the strike before setting the hook.

You get the Shimano stuff from Shimano. Smooth Drags carries Cal's, and anything else you need to service your reels.

Is this your first time on the internet? This cat made the social media rounds a couple years ago.

Start with a dumb one: check the fuse.

And kittehs!

So, my girlfriend has to get a fishing license in order to buy me a reel as a gift? That isn't going to work. Tell you what, instead of aiding and abetting all these people that you know fish without a license, call your DNR tip line. Isn't that what this is about, finding some work around rather than ratting out your "friends."

That's sort of what I was asking. Why do we latch on to these things. Like the dress thing. I mean there's bigger things going on that we should be paying attention to.

Changing a LU is not that big a deal. Pretty much the same steps as when you change the water pump.

^^ Interesting points. I'm sort of in the same mindset. I'm not sure I'd consider my left hand the least coordinated, though I do play drums. Maybe that has an effect. I also have been fishing so long, all my casting habits are ingrained. I do find a little more comfortable to fish contact baits with a lefty, but for moving baits I like a righty. I have tried to teach myself to cast with my left hand on top, at the reel, but I just can't. It bugs me because I can swing a bat, golf club, or hockey stick both handed. Like I said earlier, figure out what works, even if someone tells you it's wrong or inefficient. Making a cast is better than not making a cast.

As long as the lake is healthy, I don't see it happening either. Something much bigger and problematic would be going on for that to happen.

No you cannot network Lowrance and Humminbird, nor can you add GPS to a unit that doesn't have it.