J Francho

A carbon fiber pack canoe would work as well, but they start at over three times the budget. Swift makes on that is 19 lbs. overall.

Don't have red lures on Oneida in April and May? Not getting bit. Seriously. Crayfish are beet red. All that may change when/if the gobies invade, but so far, it's still a crayfish lake in the spring.

Not sure how we can make any comments about durability for reels that haven't been out for more than two years.

Your budget is unreasonable, outside of the used market. Start off with a boat that requires no stabilizers, and get a set of C-tug kayak wheels. Ride 115/135, OK Prowler Big Game, Malibu Stealth, Native Ultimate, Jackson Coosa, are a few notable boats that even a big dude can stand in.

I would search Youtube. I've also read about it in the In-Fisherman books on smallmouth and largemouth. I've observed it myself, as well as blue crayfish, especially after molting. These are things I've learned myself over the years. Yes, it's about sharing info and having discussions, but at some point you have to become a contributor, and not a taker. You can't just get all your answers spoon fed. Several quickly answered with the why, or that they've noticed it too. Now you have the basis to check it out and learn more. It's beyond the scope of a forum to go into researching the biology and physiology of local crayfish species and boil it down into one post especially for you. Especially when you seem bent on debating whether it's even true.

That's pretty funny. What book? Who's the author? Does he actually fish? Sounds like a bunch of nonsense to me.

I can't remember if it's iron in the clay they burrow into or the bugs they eat. All I know is they're red when they emerge. I'm not the only one that has noticed this, and several people agree that red is a great early color.

The rod I use is rated for 35# line and 2.5 oz. baits. You can't pound in a railroad tie with a tack hammer.

This isn't anecdotal observation - it's sort of a fact deal. They emerge red. It has to do with diet. Their color returns to normal as we head into summer.

I'm on Sprint. A few minor hiccups, but it works for me.

Crawfish are deep red as they emerge from their wintering holes. It is a crucial spring time color pattern on many lakes up here.

I'm not gonna say it's the best bait ever, but the Texas rigged worm was shown to me when I was 11 or 12, and COMPLETELY changed the way I fish for bass.

$80 is a decent price for them. I've seen them as low as $60.

Don't use bell sinkers, and stay out of rocks - it's for weeds. You're defeating the purpose of the rig by using a fat sinker. A skinny sinker works best for penetration. A football jig with a craw trailer would work better in rocks.Better tool for the job.

Out of those three, the 50e is designed for lighter baits. The other two are fine entry level, Al frame reels that will serve you well.

I use a 7'6" XXH/Mod-fast stick for punching. That might be a nice rod for general use, but doesn't sound nearly stout enough for punching. Here's a video, so you can see what "punching" is about:

I've had 50-60 fish smallie days. The most largemouth was probably around 30. Check this out, how about a 104 fish day catching stripers? http://www.richz.com/fishing/blog/?p=3418

Wow. And he's looking for an upgrade, folks. Nice, nice work Dwight!

I don't assume anything until about a dozen or so. And even then, I assume I've figured out the dink pattern.

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/dropshot-bedding-bass.html

Good Stuff!

What you can do to control the skipping is to cup your reeling hand around the spool, and feather the line gently, to slow the skip down, or stop it completely. This also puts your hand in position to close the bail manually, and seat the line on the roller, which will go a long ways to reduce twist and ensure you are ready for a quick biter.

I lube up big swimbaits with it, hard or soft plastic. If I'm slow cranking a deep diver, I'll lube it up too. Jig skirts, spinner bait, and buzz bait skirts get it too.

Same guts.

Definitely check for stringer and transom rot.