Dwight Hottle

Katie you don't need a leader with braid for topwater baits because the fish don't see the braid because its mostly out of the water. Now if your fishing crankbaits or jerkbaits with braid & your concerned the braid visibility deters bites then add a leader. Good luck with the new gear.

X3 I always use a boga grip because it embolizes the fish big or small plus it's a scale that reads to the nearest 1/4 oz.

It’s all about the price of the US dollar versus the Japanese yen. Right now the yen is about the lowest it has been compared to the dollar for a long time. So if your paying in American dollars you can buy Japanese goods at record low prices. Long story short the bait & tackle monkey is having a heyday with Americans buying record amounts of Japanese tackle.

The horn is standard equipment for a reason. Just like turn signals.

The best way to combat mold in a boat is to never cover it when wet & always keep the compartment lids open. You want to promote air movement even using a fan when not in use. I would skip the cover all together if it is stored in a garage.

My understanding regarding the difference between the two is the 9.9 Pro Kicker is geared to deliver more thrust & it's more heavy duty than the standard 9.9. They were developed as supplemental motors for trolling on boats that had a primary engine for running at high speed.

Congrats on the new PB.

Your 100% correct. It's only after we see the population dwindling we start to realize conservation is necessary to maintain the fishery.

I lost a really big bass while fishing Lake Bacarrac in Mexico. We were fishing a shore line with top water baits when the guide noticed some surface activity out over deep water in a big basin area. We moved over to the area with the trolling motor & I decided to tie on a 3/4 oz SK red eye shad in silver/blue color. The bass had a school of shad up to the surface over a deep area & were feeding. I hooked up first cast and it was almost non stop action fish after fish all about 4-6 lbs. I probably had 20 some fish landed before I hooked up with a big one. The moment it hit I started to remark it was a big fish. I pulled & she pulled drag preventing me from making much headway. I was using 17lb mono and had the drag set to give if needed but not lightly. This fish was kicking my butt. I continued to fight it for what seemed a really long time considering it was a bass & not some saltwater species. I finally got the upper hand & started to bring her boat side. No body had seen it yet. The guide finally dipped the net down & brought up a four lb bass hooked by the rear treble. We all looked amazed by what had just happened. Then I looked at the bait after unhooking the 4lber & noticed that the front treble hook had one tine straightened out. We surmised that the big fish was hooked by the front treble only. Later that day after lunch I caught a new PB at 11-73/4. The 11lber did not fight anything like the bass from earlier that morning. Since we didn't see it I'll never know how big she might have been.

Dump the fluorocarbon leaders. Take the suggestions about new glasses. And take your own suggestion about the green or smoke colored mono to make it easier to see. And quit worrying about the fish being able to see your line. Enjoy your fishing & remember all the big fish are the older fish & maybe their eye sight diminishes with age just like us humans.

It took me about a year fishing Erie before I caught my first 5lber then later that day I caught my first six. So sometimes it can happen quickly. 27-7 is a heck of a good base to build upon.

Blast from the past. When I was in my 20's a group of guys used to go to Rice Lake near Peterborough Ontario. We mostly fished for walleye. The local bait store convinced us the only lure that would catch walleyes was the beno. We believed them after buying some & they definitely worked for fishing the weedlines we were targeting.

I agree.

Neither does a paint gun or airsoft rifle. ?

I like using Duo Realis pencil popper in the 110 or 130 size. It's easier to walk than some of the more traditional baits. I also like the Evergreen JT walking bait in the Justine 115 size. It has killer sharp hooks & is silent, no rattle. I like to use a MHM rod with a 3/8 oz to 1 oz rating in a St Croix legend extreme. I will also utilize a IMX pro swim bait rod rated up to 3oz. I'll use 17 lb Suffix Advance or braid with a 20 lb mono leader to keep the hooks from fouling the limp braid.

I don't fish rivers for smallmouth but I agree with your thinking about cyclic spawn classes. I fished & studied Lake Erie for about 15 years. During that time I noticed a building peak in the early years regarding successful spawns & greater quantities of smallmouth. The numbers increased for about three or four years then started to fall off. Each subsequent year I noted fewer & fewer numbers. The quality of big fish (5lb & up) were also reduced proportionately. When talking to other fisherman & guides that fished the system regularly they agreed the numbers were off. Now during those same 15 years the walleye & perch & steelhead populations also fluctuated up & down. As of right now both the smallmouth & perch numbers are down. But the walleye numbers have been record strong the past couple of years. On Erie the biologists conduct a yearly net & creel survey & publish the results yearly. Strong spawn years definitely predict population increases for subsequent years.

Thumbing braid on strong fish mostly other than bass can leave you with a nasty thumb burn. I speak from experience.

The only model I remember having an I/O was the Baron or Tyee and it was a deep V aluminum model either 20 or 22 feet. Not a recent model but a blast from the past. I just googled it & found a 1850 Tyee Gran Sport for sale with I/O 2001 model. I was wrong on the length because its a 18' .

12-17lb test. Your pick.

I have worn glasses since the 3rd grade & I'm 74 now so I have a lot of experience with glasses. I'm legally blind without them so I give them plenty of care. I always buy new lenses with a scratch coating applied. I used to use my fingers under running water to clean but found that you can still scratch them that way. I now only use hot running water over both sides of the lenses & then dry with a soft cotton T shirt that is devoted to only drying glasses. It gets washed regularly but never with dryer softener because that can leave a film on the lens. Now my sunglasses & regular glasses are scratch free.

Welcome to the brotherhood. Your smile says it all.

Be the first one back to the ramp.

Welcome to the addiction. I like to use 10lb braid either green or hi vis with a mono leader of 10, 12 or 15lb test on spinning tackle. I fish for big smallies in the rocks so I use heavier leaders for abrasion resistance. I use 15 or 20 lb braid on bait casting equipment with the same copoly leaders 10-15lb test.

The few times I need a leader with braid I use a copoly like Suffix Advantage or Maxima. I use the leader to reduce visibility but most importantly to help with abrasion around rock bottoms. I quit using fluorocarbon because of its inherent weaknesses for knot tying.

You can do both 1 & 5 or 1 & 6 at the same time.