Dwight Hottle

Awesome

Interesting topic. I have always felt that a 7lb smallie is the equivalent of a 10lb FLMB. Lots of people think it should a 6lb smallie but my catch rate tells me no. For northern strain bass a 7-8lber should be the equal to a 10lb FLMB. I don't have any experience with spots so I will decline on that one.

When I was younger in my 50's I fished for musky on the Niagara river in December & also fished the St Lawrence in December requiring shoveling the ramp out to launch. It's doable when you have the fever.

TackleTour.com just did a review of the new curado K and gave it high remarks. Very informative article.

My heart felt condolences.

I joined Bass Resource in Feb 2008 but never read your thread until just now. Thanks for sharing your inspiring story.

PB smallie at 7lb-6oz & PB largemouth at 11lb-2oz.

I have a 20' aluminum boat with a mercury 250 pro xs & a 9.9 merc bigfoot pro kicker. They are hooked together with a tie bar that has a ball joint type connector at each end. They both steer from the wheel & tilt independently. I would suggest you find a boat dealer that is familiar with the set up to help you with the installation.

Happy New Year Mike & everyone.

Lake erie, lake ontario & Niagara river based on which way the wind is blowing. May for prespawn smallies. Captain Frank Campbell http://www.niagaracharter.com/fishing-seasons/

That'a a fishing history recap to be proud of Tom. Outstanding!

Try practicing along side the boat so you can see what your bait is doing as you work it. Sometimes you want to pull the bait along with the rod tip then allow some slack by pointing the rod back toward the bait before moving it again. That will create slack. Long pulls often out fish short jerks depending on the day. Just practice until you get a rhythm going that works. Pauses between jerks & pulls need to vary based on water temp & how active the fish are. You will learn quicker if you can see what the bait is doing as you work it. Hope that helps you.

Nice December smallies.

7’ StCroix avid MHM. Great jerk bait rod with braid. Handles 3/8-1oz baits.

The St Croix avid makes a MH moderate in 7' which handles casting baits 3/8 up to an 1oz. The moderate action rod makes a great trolling rod & treble hook rod. You dad will probably like it for single hook baits too. It will handle heavier baits when trolling. I would stick to the curado or tatula for a reel since they both have great track records.

I have seen them on muti-species boats on the great lakes.

Your starter battery needs charging from an on board charger even though it gets charged from the motors charging system. I have a 9 year old minn kota 3 bank charger on my boat that has always performed great. If you are going to install it yourself getting the same one you already have might be easier on the install.

Welcome to BR. You can rest easy with any of the legend extremes line of rods. I have 5 extremes & never have had any issues. Excellent quality rods with one of the best industry standard warranty. Buy it & fish it for a long time.

Merry Christmas Mike.

I use the 46lb for swimbaits & larger cranks & the 33lb for jerk baits. I have never had a failure using these snaps.

This is one I highly recommend. http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Owner_Hyper_Welded_Quick_Snaps_6pk/descpage-OHQS.html

Welcome back

My condolences.

Good observation. Welcome to bass resource.

Beautiful fish & a really sweet photo.