J Francho

Usually it's just the hooks. Saltwater baits have corrosion resistant coatings on the hooks.

I don't see what fishing tournaments has to do with it, but you really should consider the best rod for the job, to get the most fun out of fishing. It's not about tournaments, it's about enjoyment. You're looking at dropping some pretty decent coin on this rig, do it up right, man!

You might want to compare the tapers in person. For cranking, you want a moderate taper or parabolic action, and a reel that runs at about 22-25 IPT. This allows the bait run through, and deflect off cover or other obstructions properly, and gives you time to stop the bait, and guide it through cover. Throw a crank into a lay-down, and you'll see what I mean. An experienced cranker can guide that bait through the wood, by feeling, and starting and stopping. What you picked out would be a nice plastics/spinnerbait/all around rig. You're also looking to combine spinnerbaits and cranks, and in my experience, while a cranking stick throws a spinnerbait well, it does not set the hook well. You want an extra fast taper to get into the power of the rod fast.

I thought you were looking for a crankbait setup?

Unbelievable, can't even get a scale calibrated. How do they determine it was actually "8 lbs. 4 oz."???

You should see how far back the stern eyes are on my Bullet, compared to where the buckle is on the trailer. They should work fine.

I was thinking the same thing, many of these guys just aren't accustomed to the gear or the style. But they're pros, and they have to adapt. It is painful to watch someone reel against drag.

Or wait for the spawn. Here's my new bed bait:

No, I only use senkos and shad shaped worms from GYCB. I use most of the Ragetail line, the KVD Dreamshot, and Ochoes. Simple math.

It's funny because skinny little single person crafts are becoming all the rage now. It's like things are coming full circle. Bwahahahaha!

Could be a mistake....senkos catch on days that nothing else will. Seen it too many times on tough tournament days. The guy that only throws senkos, and never wins, actually does when fishing is tough. Just a thought, might save your day on the water.

Not really. It's often necessity. Weeds are too thick to fish wacky, rig it weedless. Wind blowing to hard, add weight, either by pinching some split shot, Texas rigging the bait with a slip sinker, or using a wacky jig. You can't get bit if you can't get the bait to the fish, no matter what YOU prefer.

My Xpress had an aluminum extension on the front deck. It was pretty nice, and added a step to the front deck as well as more storage. However, be prepared to tighten a lot of machine screw after encountering moderately rough water.... That plywood extension with the cooler is pretty slick. Nice work man!

Yeah.....it would be.

Would it be fair then to allow cast nets? Electro shocking? Dynamite? You have to draw the line somewhere, and the law seems like the logical place.

We had three largemouth in a 1/4 acre pond by our cottage that grew quite large. My cousin has a pond that's pushing an acre, and there's a ton in there. We only get to fish it once a year, during our family reunion. They're really stupid, and easy to catch. Both ponds are fairly deep, more than 15' at the deepest, and both were spring fed.

Tom, I was thinking of those early tournament boats from the 70s. There's some pretty cool stuff online, and a guy that actually collects them.

I had to pick other. I fish a senko wacky, unless I encounter weeds that are too thick, then weedless. A Texas rig usually refers to a bait rigged weedless with a sliding bullet weight - something I also use.

I'd just make it look pretty, lol. When I was building small garden ponds, I'd mock up the shape with a garden hose. You could probably do the same with that "upside down" spray paint.

I'm calling this statement into question. I disagree. Simple as that. If you're offended, sorry. This is a place to express opinions. No one attacked you. I simply disagreed with your opinion.

I wouldn't make it square.

Repair by replacement...they probably don't know and won't bother to find out.

They were shorter, and also had a narrow beam. These seem much wider than boats from the past.

Get a FishGrip, Zero your scale out with it hanging from the hook, clamp in the fish. No holes, no drops, fast and easy.

I had a similar one, but in the Graphite series, and I loved it.