MichBassMan

I've used both Elite and Siege as well as trilene xl and xt. The Elite was very soft, supple, and user friendly but in my opinion had wayyyy too much stretch for my liking. Siege handled very similar to xt , a little softer than xt but was not as durable and had more stretch. Of the two suffix monos I preferred siege. But with that being said; I think both big game and xt are better lines if you make very long casts and/or if your line touches anything but water.

Without knowing other details I'd say; T rigged with about a 3/16 oz pegged bullet weight. 5/0 offset round bend hook fished slow in cover.

I never experiment with anything in a tournament. I start out with my strengths and my confidence baits. I have a plan going in, it may be "plan a", and "plan b" . And I probably have my first three spots figured out. The only thing in my "panic box" is bug spray and toilet paper.

Prefishing is important prior to a tournament. Then the day of the tourney, don't listen to pre-launch B.S. from the other fisherman, they'll get in your head. Slow down, fish your strengths, tell yourself your competing against the bass, not against the other anglers. Have fun and the wins will come.

T.Rig works through branches, brush, and other junk more snag free than a shakey head does. I like the shakey head better in more open areas of sand or gravel or thin grass.

zoom super fluke

Spinnerbait

50

Easy answer for me, Berkley power noodle.

Ranger Aluminum boats, at least the Cherokee is built on a Crestliner hull.

Most docks deserve a few casts but docks with wooden posts will generally produce more as will docks that are low to the water. The fewer logs, stumps, or trees there are in a lake the better the docks will be.

I would also suggest a chartreuse or black spinner bait, however in dirty or muddy water I generally use a single large Colorado blade or dual Colorado blades for more vibration and water displacement. Also Colorado blades allow you to retrieve it slower giving the bass time to "zero" in on it in the muddy water. I use the willow leaf baits in clearer water and for a faster flashy retrieve. Good luck !

The only one of the makes you mentioned that I have owned is Crestliner. I have owned a couple other brands that you didn't ask about. I have fished in a couple trackers. Friends trackers were mid 80s vintage, they rode rough, were slow wet hulls, and developed leaks over time. I have heard they are better now. I currently have a 1997 crestliner fish hawk that I bought new. This boat has been in the rocks, stumps, standing wood and in 6foot waves on lake Michigan. It's not as pretty as it was when it was new. But everything is still original, functional, and no leaks. I could afford a newer boat but I like this one. I still use it 3 or 4 times a week from April thru September. Feel free to message me if you want more details.

I have about 6 or 7 soft sided coolers of different colors. They are about the size that hold one six pack. Plastics in their original bags fit file style pretty good. I use a permanent marker to identify the type plastics in each bag; ie tubes & grubs, worms, flukes, creature baits, etc. In a very short time you will associate a color bag with type bait you want.

I dip fluke tails in it often, never had a problem.

CPBassfishing, Yes I have experienced the Trokar point cutting a large hole also. I also have noticed they cut the crap out of soft plastics, greatly reducing the life of the bait. I gave them a real good chance, then gave all mine away to a competitor of mine at a tournament. Some folks really like them. Some folks don't.

J Francho, yes I called them last year when I thought the problem was caused when fishing in the rain. They sounded quite skeptical that it was a rain issue. Turned out they were right it was just coincidence it happened the first few times in the rain. I guess I fish in the rain a lot here in Michigan in the spring. I'm thinking now that I have it more narrowed down another call may be in order. Thanks for the reminder.

I know this is an old thread but I want to give an update for those who tried to help and to those who had a similar problem. The sticky handle reel is a 2500fj and the three reels that work good are all 2500fi. The fj model is newer. I'm still having issues with the reel but have narrowed the problem. What is causing the reel to bind up is the anti-reverse mechanism. Sometimes while reeling it locks up the same way it would if it was reeled in reverse. So there it is; a very pretty $100 reel I only trust using on panfish.

Exactly what Wayne said.

I'm replacing wheel bearings on my shorelander boat trailer. I've tried to find help on the shorlander web site to no avail. My question is are the inner seal dimensions something that's universal depending on the I.D. size of the bearing. For instance the bearing slides on a 1.062" axel but the diameter where the seal rides is 1.275" and the outside diam. of the seal is 2.0" Will all bearing kits for a 1.062 axel have the same size seals? Thank you all for your help.

I have fixed several handles that looked just about like your picture before I started. I took an old piece of cork and used rough sand paper to make cork sawdust. I mixed it with wood glue making a runny paste. I just dabbed some in the holes I wanted to fill. position the rod so the patch is up while it dries. Some deep holes may take a second application because it does shrink slightly as it cures. Light sanding with fine sandpaper and your done.

Mend-it. Read the directions, it works good.

Can it be done? yes. Is it wise or advisable? absolutely not. That boat is too heavy for that truck period. As others have stated; the biggest issue isn't pulling it down the road. The concern is emergency stopping, general handling, and steep wet boat ramps. You may end up with your truck sliding backwards into the lake. Going up steep hills will also be an issue. as far as passing on a two lane hi-way,,,,forget it.

If it's your FIRST baitcaster I recommend some practice before you try skipping.

With T.Rig how deep is the hook point burried in your plastic? You could try skin hooking it.