Dwight Hottle

Caught on a generic swimbait 9lb-8oz. Best smallie went 7lb-6oz caught on a rapala tail dancer.

The typical trailerable boat maxs out at 100 " beam because of trailer restrictions over the road. Once you reach max width near the 96-100" range it is all about length. But the typical bass boat or modified deep V boat starts at 16' up to 22'! That is about the max. So to answer Sam's question length is more important once you reach max width. It is a combination of both width and length up to max beam and then it is all about length beyond that. Obviously the most safe boat is the modified deep V with the greater dead rise for water with big waves. Ocean going boats have a minimum of 19 - 22 degrees dead rise based on a deep V design. The typical bass boat is based upon a pad system for maximum speed with little consideration for dead rise or free board depth. The typical freshwater boat has a dead rise of 15 degrees or less. The typical bass boat is less than that. My Great Lakes bass boat has a 100" beam and is 20' 2" in length. It has a 19 degree dead rise and can hit 60 mph with a merc pro XS 250. This is a great bass boat for the Great Lakes but not a good choice for shallow lakes in the south because of the high freeboard and less than shallow draft. So it all boils down to match your boat with the predominate waters that you will fish.

I lost a high end spinning combo St Croix/Diawa in 20-25 fow in erie two years ago. Quickly put in a way point on the gps & started dragging deep cranks thru the area. South FLA snagged the line and we were able to get it back after unsnagging the combo then unsnagging the lure which caused the whole mess. That was one of those low/high moments that life throws at you.

Take a picture of your screen & we can help you out. Perch show up as a school in mass. Bunches of small arches in strings or fingers. Largemouth would show as much bigger arches with more separation between arches.

I just chirp in now & again to let everyone know I'm not dead yet.

That fish has been gorging. Wow. Here is another fat one but not quite as gorged.

Wasn't your hot water heater sitting in a pan with plumbing run outdoors in case of a leak?

Beautiful fish and picture!

That hurts. A looser drag might have saved that fish. I will often loosen my drag when I get a big fish close to the boat. I learned that lesson the hard way.

WTG Stitch. That sounds like a lotta fun for both you & the kids.

Looks like the big fish passion is back.

Nothing wrong with 2nd place. Congrats. Beautiful pictures.

6-7lbs. Nice bass.

I was just going to post this up. You beat me to it, He was using a planer board.

Lucky craft liked it so much they spawned the Kelly J. Slightly different profile but highly similar. Like Jeff said they don't work!

Congrats to you & Sam for those great fish . Very nice.

Happy birthday Kent.

Hooks that bend in near the point are typical of Eagle Claw.

Congrats on the finish. Very respectable placement.

Fishing is good therapy. Glad you got out.

That is the same conclusion I have reached regarding the equality of a 6lb smallie & a 10lb largemouth.

Phantom flusher.

That's pretty special. Congrats to you both.

That's not good. Rest up as best you can and start eating when you can. We are all pulling for you.