J Francho

If I didn't know better, I'd almost say that fish was suffering from some systemic internal bacterial infection. Problem is, those fish seldom bite. He's just one greedy smallie! Very cool!

Thanks!

Glad you got her in without going in!

Probably better just ask Abu themselves: http://www.abugarcia.com/contact 1.800.228.4272

These are well made lures that come with good sharp hooks. Build consistency is there, too, which is important to me. I like them almost as much as my prized Arukus.

There is one type of roller that's deceptive. After a big storm on Ontario, you'll get these 40' long maybe 3' tall rollers. You can barely tell they're there, but man they can make a bass boat squirrely on plane. Deep V hulls are more suited to dealing with that type of water. I call it "lumpy seas." I never noticed it back when I ran a deep V walleye boat, but I notice now with pad hull bass boats.

Very cool!

Stability on plane or at rest? Or "bow plowing" in rough water? Too many variables......every boat will have advantages and draw backs.

Inline spinner "bonus fish." You can just see the Panther Martin in the corner of the trout's mouth.

Inline spinners are a staple bait for many fish species. The reason you don't see too much press about them in bass fishing, particularly largemouth bass fishing, is that they don't work in cover very well. The modern "R" bend spinnerbait addresses the cover issues and what many throw instead. That doesn't mean that inline spinners can be ignored. If you've thrown a few different types, you will notice some work better in certain situations. Panther Martins take very little retrieve or resistance to get the blade spinning, and are a good choice to throw upstream in current. Rooster Tails pretty much need to be burned to get the blade spinning right out of the package. Mepps, Vibrax, and others with an Indiana blade are a good middle of the road, general purpose option. Even though they are completely different baits, I sort of lump inlines with casting spoons (not flutter or jigging spoons) when considering what bait to throw. They are great option when bait is schooled up in huge congregations up shallow, and they are very easy to fish. If the conditions allow, I'd rather hook a new angler with a bait like this than a Senko or other often cited "beginner" bait. If there are fish around, of any species, the spinner will get bit!

It would really depend on the rest of the conditions, and what the fish are telling me. I try to avoid hard fast rules about bass fishing, and stick to my game.

Oh, I agree totally, Catt. I have an 18' Xpress with a Merc 115 that looks like a rowboat compared to my Bullet, but despite it's limitations, I am actually more confident in this boat on really rough days than the Bullet. The bow lift on the Xpress is just a lot more responsive to throttle inputs, and it turns faster. I can scoot over those 2-3' rollers like it's nothing, using the throttle. When it turns to heavy chop, I'm not nearly as concerned about spearing a wave as I am in the Bullet. It's not as smooth a ride as the bigger boat, but that is a trade off too.

The 50 has three tabs instead. Since neither touch the spool, it has no bearing on smoothness.

I use the same rods I use from shore or on a boat. I will say spinning rods with long rear handles are a pain, unless you are standing. I've heard some say that you need a longer rod, in case the fish runs to the opposite side, so you can get the rod around the bow or stern, but I've found that if the fish is big enough to do that, you can use the fish to turn the kayak. That's actually an advantage of kayak fishing for bigger fish - the vessel becomes part of the "drag system" in that you can lock down on a fish, and let it drag you, provided the fish doesn't out class the rod, reel, and line strength. Here I am getting dragged around by a low teens northern pike:

It's the driver. No hull design can fix recklessness. I'm safer in my 22' Bullet than some guys I've seen in big Rangers and Skeeters.

Rigging info can be found right on the Ragetail site. Scroll down for the shad: http://www.ragetail.com/news/rigging-info/

Just changing out to a stainless isn't going to change much. Going from a 3 blade to a 4 blade will help hole shot. Going down one pitch will also help hole shot. Going up one pitch will help top speed. These are just generalizations, there's more to it than that. Take a look at the links I posted above, and you'll get an idea. Plug in the numbers, and see what you get. Too much slip, go up a pitch. Not getting top end rpms, go down a pitch. I tested a few props, and I found that while going up one pitch resolved hitting the rev limiter, my hole shot went from like 3.5 seconds to what seemed forever. I just couldn't get up on plane without cavitation (spinning out in car terms). There's other aspects to prop design, but in this case, we're not looking at high performance, just squeezing out a few extra mph. In my opinion, this may be a matter of redistributing weight, and balancing the boat, along with a prop change. It's not an exact science, and every boat is different. Read up, and post some slip numbers, and maybe someone can help you further. Otherwise, it's just hunt and peck at the issue.

Already posted, by the angler himself: http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/125260-best-top-water-frog-strike-you-will-ever-see/

I ALWAYS start with a map study. I look for the launch, and try to break the lake up into zones. Then I consider wind, current, bait, seasonal patterns, and sometimes online fishing reports or tournament results. I try to relate this info with the structure presented by the contour map. Once I'm on the water, I try to look at the cover present in spots I earmarked to fish. From there, it's really just a matter of catching. The more you catch, the more information you unlock....moving baits vs. contact baits, depth, cover, water temp, all these details will lead to a pattern, hopefully.

Before you do anything, you'll need some baseline numbers. Here's a couple of links that should get you educated: Prop Slip: http://www.go-fast.com/prop_slip.htm http://www.go-fast.com/Prop_Slip_Calculator.htm GPS Speed app: http://www.mothertuckerllc.com/speedpro/speedpro.html Prop Slip calculator app: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/propeller-calculator/id427093321?mt=8 Mercury Specs: http://www.mercurymarine.com/engines/outboards/optimax/1.5L/?model=0

I use a hair band that I "borrowed" from my girlfriend. Just wrap it around the butt grip, and slide the sinker under when you store your rods.

They lower the water level in a couple of Finger Lakes by 15-20' which kills most of them. Thankfully they do this in winter.

A guy in a bass boat caught two nice bass near our dock. I asked him what he used, since the grass was so thick there I couldn't get my lures through. He showed me a Texas Rigged plastic worm. He gave me some bullet weights, hooks, a bag of worms, and showed me how to rig it. That guy changed my bass fishing forever. I was probably 11 or 12 at the time.

I see so many of these threads complaining about when guys do wrong. Happens all the time. But more frequently (at least in my experience) people do the right thing. Why don't we give them props? Seems like we spend too much time lying in wait for someone to make us angry. Go fishing. Someone acts like a jerk, kill them with kindness. Karma is a....

Never heard of it until now. We've always been told a dilute chlorine solution to clean out the livewells, and letting the hull and bunks dry completely was effective. BTW, link works fine. http://www.marronebioinnovations.com/products/brand/zequanox/