J Francho

I get a lot of baits for testing from our sponsors. I leave the stock trebles on them in order to evaluate the lures out of the box. The only ones I don't like are the stock hooks on Heddon baits. They work, but they wear out quickly. I am a fan of short shank ST-36 from Owner and Vanadium Inline trebles from VMC.

Don't hate.

That is no joke. Unfortunately, rules in NY make it very restricted to fish them in the tribs up here, so we're generally limited to brief windows when fish can be caught in the big lake from shore, or casting shallow from a boat.

Were you at a BPS location, or a boat dealer? A dealer would have given you a different answer. I mean there is a production kicker mount on a Tracker 'toon a couple posts up.

On both Erie and Ontario, 100+ days are not as unusual as you'd think. I generally fish vertically, with no cover or obstruction to speak of. There have been days at certain spots where you could walk across the boats. Everyone is catching, and the "bent rod pattern" is strong, lol. I know, it sounds unbelievable, but I don't the claims, because I can make them as well. I just don't count my fish. My buddy Burnie has a clicker, and I've been in the boat and that clicker is over 100 by lunch.

I use the YackAttack arm which uses a RAM pod. I like it.

LMAO

Moderate fast for live bait presentations. It's easier to lob a soft shell crab on a split shot rig using a moderately tapered spinning rod.

Saltwater jigging reels.

What does that creek drain into. It's highly unlikely that the creek stays cool enough for them, and they'll go to the lake and become pelagic (open water) fish for years, until they around four and come back upstream to spawn. The fish I posted were all caught out of creeks, with the exception of the last one, which was caught near the mouth of the creek just before a run. All the creeks run into Lake Ontario, where the fish spend most of their lives.

There's a TON of Great Lakes bass anglers on this site, and plenty more from northern states. Heck, the site's owner is from Washington State!

I've been using KastKing braid in pink. Great stuff.

I think the Ziploc method is huge pain in the butt. I'm glad you love it so much. It isn't necessary to argue how superior your method is. The question was whether plastics will color the Plano boxes. ***************************************************************************************** OP: Some of my older boxes have discolored over time from storing plastics in them, but they're so old and scratched up, it doesn't matter to me. You can't see through them anyway. Lately I've been string my plastics in the bag ANNNNND in a box. Yer both right!

I can go higher for spinning rods, but I use them quite a bit. I've paid handsomely for a custom swimbait rod. I don't have any problem with ultra high end gear, I just can't afford all of it.

It's not really a matter of preference to me. I just don't feel any need to spend over $200 on a reel. I've recently had to raise my ceiling on rods to $250, because they just get higher and higher. I feel it's a bit obscene that we have to put together a $500 combo, and it's viewed as just a "mid grade" option.

Very sad news...My condolences to his family, friends, and fans.

The baits and hooks are exactly the same, just the colors, and the name on the package changed. I have baits from both. Xcalibur was always a Pradco brand. They just folded the line into Boo-Yah.

That's what "Other Species" category is for. You should be able to find out where your DNR has planted fingerlings. Search their website to find out where. Fish there. They will go about as far as they can go. It depends on each individual tributary. The steelhead run upstream all winter, and there are "summer run" races, like Skamania. Water temps around 40°, most winter steelies will move from holes and onto gravel redds. Skamania prefer warmer temps, around 55°. I typically use a 10-13' centrepin rod and reel. You can use spinning too, but drift fishing, the pin is easier. There's lots of good stuff on YouTube that shows how rig and fish a float/drift rig with a centrepin. I generally run an 8-10# main and shot line, and a 4-8# fluoro leader. I like Raven brand hooks, floats, and other terminal tackle. They have some great information on shot patterns on their site. I've had days where I never saw a single fish, and other days catching a dozen or more before lunch. It depends. Tributary environments are very dynamic. Good Luck!

It depends on their activity level. Some days, just your line landing on the water over their heads causes them to scatter. Other days they come scorching fast from 20' away as soon as your bait splashes down. I'll be tying direct to braid, and not getting bites. Switch to a leader, and the bites start. Is it the line? Who knows. If you can figure what adjustment to make so you're not negatively affecting the bite, then your really doing something.

Get a proper prop wrench. You DO NOT want to over torque it. The prop wrench is plastic, and prevents this. They're $12 and most float.

The towing capacity of that truck under 1500 lbs. The boat and trailer weigh over 1700 lbs. Towing this boat with that truck is illegal. The answer is not subjective. It's flat out no, you cannot tow with vehicle. End of story.

Spool engagement/release mechanism issues, symptoms similar to what MassYak85 detailed.

You have to usually go to JDM sources for those.

Those are very nice reels.

Issues are never good.