J Francho

Good luck, man!

You're gonna get pwnd with that rod. Need to step that part up, both in power and length. I use a 9' rod rated to 20#. You don't need to go up to 20# mono, 8-12 will do. You aren't going to stop the first run, so it doesn't matter, let 'em take drag. For hooks, I like Raven brand. I don't bother with egg sacs for salmon. In the mouths of the rivers, we just chuck brightly accented spoons - Cleos, KO Wobblers, Kasmasters, etc. Once they're in the rivers, and upstream, flo. colored yarn wrapped on the hook does it. About as much as it takes to get a ball of yarn about the size of single salmon egg. Save and cure your salmon eggs for brown trout whan the run pater. Save your brown trout eggs for winter stelelhead the rest of the winter and spring.

Sounds like you want an extra fast taper. That's usually my preference for topwaters & jerkbaits. I will say, I do not like a rod longer than 6-6 for those. In fact, I prefer my 6-2 Avid AVC62MXF for this. The also makes for a great sniper style spinnerbait rod.

All you need is a FishGripper, and an 11" pair needle nose pliers. If you need to open their mouth, just pull gently on the gill cover, and they'll oblige. Just be careful. There's no shame in using a leather glove on your "working hand." Just be careful not touch the fish with it.

With the right hull, you can do just about anything. Pitching from my Commaner 140:

I have this is issue with this brand as the braid "wears in." Power Pro, Tuf-Line, and Seaguar don't seem to be as bad. If you strip off 20 yards or so, it seems to fix the issue for several weeks, until it wears in again. I also find that KVD L&L slows this process down. It also keeps the line from bleeding and fading, so there is a benefit to using it.

Seems like a lot for an almost 30 year old boat. But, if it's in good shape, and gives you years of good times, then it's worth it.

What brand braid? Some are more apt to do this than others, I've noticed.

I forgot about that add. I think it started about a year ago. I'm so used to calling, I forgot about it! Makes it easy, if you know your part number. Only thing is, sometimes if you call for just a couple cheap parts, they don't charge you.

If you're just looking for duplicate OEM spools, then go to the manufacturer directly. Shimano and Daiwa are real easy to deal with, if you call them. I think you'll have to call Lew's as well. Other companies - Quantum comes to mind - has an automated web store front for parts.

Nice avatar, lol.

Humans have a great capacity to lie. It wouldn't be the first hoax out there.

I like that setup with the siwash hook. I do the same with my trout spoons.

That's interesting! I wonder if you could grab some before and after pics next time you do this.

I have one popper I throw, Popmax in Python, and one spook type bait, a Sammy 115 in MS Shad. Those cover the color bases. In fact, that Sammy only has one eye.

The Hawg Trough would be difficult to screw up because the lines are in the mold, not printed after the fact. It's the defacto tool in the Kayak world, but in the boating tournament world, The Gator Grip Golden Rule is the rule. I believe that Gator Grip makes them in the USA.

None, if you put holes in the boxes.

A long time member, Fish Chris used to catch huge ones on UL gear.

It's actually easiest and less messy to use a soldering iron. Holes come out nice and clean.

I use the vented Planos, now. Issue resolved. Water is no longer trapped in the boxes, and therefore they dry out, leaving no rust issues.

I loved my Xpress. Solid boats - way better than a Tracker.

Just staple gun it, and see if that fixes it. I've done plenty of fast seat repairs without doing a ton research on the web.

First, it's a lot easier to look at stuff on the Navionics site: http://webapp.navionics.com I'd be looking at some of the points, and the coves between them. And do not be afraid to throw a frog in some of the shallow stuff.

I would see if your lake is on the Navionics Web App. It's just web site, so there's nothing to install. http://webapp.navionics.com/

Bigger baits are easier to learn to walk. A Sammy 115 is a good size to learn on. It's easy, once you get the cadence down. You can also walk a Popmax pretty easily, too. Just use light downward strokes, lighter than you would with a Sammy or other spook type bait.