Dwight Hottle

Don't.

Welcome to BR.

I'm guessing 3.5 lbs.

I don't think you need to worry about Lax. I was really impressed with how careful they were with the shipping process. They do beautiful work. Post up a picture when you get it unboxed.

I had my PB pike replica shipped from Lax Taxidermy. It was screwed to a board with a lag bolt in a large cardboard coffin filled with large foam peanuts. It came through shipping flawlessly. I had to support it at both ends to unscrew the lag bolt from underneath to release it.

Congrats on the new PB.

Yes it keeps the hook eye from digging into the bait & tearing it up. Also makes the hook more efficient against a fish leveraging the hook lose & provides better hook ups.

The only thing that would have improved that video is a scale. Just saying.

Looks like we are going to Dale Hollow. Thanks for all the info. I have heard the smallies suspend post spawn feeding on schools of alewives. Anybody else dialed into that bite?

And we all know that Jason Alexander swears cold water causes shrinkage.

That's a classic trying to break off that snag. Great footage.

Trolling rods are usually longer in length than conventional casting/spinning rods but you can use your regular rods with no problems. The longer rods help cushion the impact & help with spacing baits out when using multiple rods. Overall fiberglass rods make good trolling rods. My advice is to match the rod actions based on what type of line you are using. Fiberglass rods & moderate action graphite are best with braid which has little to no stretch. They help cushion the blow when a fish hits a fast moving bait and keep the fish buttoned up until you land it. If you use mono/fluoro for line you can use a stiffer action rod like moderate fast or fast & still have a cushion from the line stretch. I prefer medium heavy moderate over medium moderate actions for bigger fish & baits that have more resistance. Trolling speeds are determined by your bait selection & fish species. Colder water temps also affects speed. Typical trolling speeds vary from 1.5 to 2.5 mph. Cold water temps vary from .5 to 1.5 mph. Those speeds cover most bass trolling. If trolling for musky, salmon, steelhead. lake trout or some other species you might troll at 2.5 to 5 mph. It is necessary to watch the action of a bait behind the boat to see how it responds to your boat speed. Some baits blow out over 3 to 3.5 mph. The other thing to consider when trolling is changing your speed & direction. Slow turns or trolling s patterns helps trigger strikes by speeding up one side buts slows the other side. Stalling & then speeding up also helps trigger strikes. Don't just troll in a straight line. Mix it up. Some fish follow a bait & will not hit it until it changes speed or direction. It's like a crank bait deflecting off structure.

Sweet cold front PB. Congrats Kent.

I fish with a buddy out of a 18' ranger. We both fish out of the bow shoulder to shoulder & it works pretty well. The guy running the trolling motor gets preference as to left or right side positioning. If casting to a weed line edge you have to alternate unless one guy can regularly outcast the other to stagger the retrieves. Standing next to one another prevents back cast problems & hitting the other guys rod with yours.

Absolutely correct. My experiences with smallmouth on Lake Erie confirms that getting banged around in even big livewells because of wave action stresses the heck out of them. They act pretty feeble after a couple of miles run.

I know that spot.

I totally agree the rod is the major factor considering what you feel in your hand. But I do feel that the reel can contribute to increased sensitivity by minimizing any distraction to feeling the transmitted vibration through the rod. Imagine the increased feeling of sensitivity you would feel if the reel & the rod were manufactured as one piece rather than two pieces combined.

The new Met & the Bantam could very well be considered more sensitive because of the three piece housing design over other reels that are five piece. Fewer pieces in the housing design contribute to a more rigid design that flexes less & is more smooth in operation. Those two factors would contribute to them being more sensitive. The three piece designs just make those two reels feel rock solid & combined with a quality well balanced rod that just plain feels good & you get the feeling that they become an extension of your arm. You have to try it to determine the difference.

Welcome Scott you are going to like it here.

Strike King hands down. Caught two DD’s on them including my PB.

Great news.

Congrats on the new PB.

Welcome Brent. You will like it here.

Kent has the Asian carp invasion affected the fishing. I saw some negative comments regarding the current fishery.

A turn for the better. It's great to find a job you truly enjoy. Congrats.