CWB

I take a cheap dipsey sinker or Bass Casting sinker and put the eye end into the tube first. Then I T-rig it and make sure the hook point passes through the eye of the sinker before exiting the bottom of the tube. Then finish T-Rigging as normal. 1/8 or 1/4 oz. work well. Makes for a nice compact package. Tubes will usually get bit and sometimes when nothing else will, like senkos.

Sounds like a Parasite keeper to me.

If you notice I mentioned live bait was used. There are a couple guys I see doing this on a regular basis. Mark the bed, come back to it, and throw a crawler, leech, shiner or crawdad into it and sit and wait. These guys just seem to want to get a picture at the end of the day. I've tried sight fishing a couple times but as pointed out, the bigguns are tough to catch in gin clear water and I just don't have the patience. A couple years back there was a 6+ nesting right off my dock. Tried flipping a few baits in there and she didn't even move. Caught a 3" bluegill and tossed it in there and she attacked it with a vengeance. She didn't spit it out right away either. I tugged slowly for a while without setting the hook and finally she spit it out. Couldn't force myself to set the hook.

Bought a bunch also. Bought a bunch this summer but they did not have coffee scent. Made me wonder if the sight sells items not up to snuff. At these prices though, who cares.

1) Save alot of money. 2) Book a trip to one of the best lakes for bigger bass (Mexico?) 3) Fish my butt off till I get a pig. Maybe I'll get invited on the next scounga trip Pres. Dwight.

In smaller clear water natural lakes it can have an effect. You can cruise the bank and see just about every bed made. Bad thing is they are pretty hard to catch. I've seen guys mark a bed with a stick then come back and toss a live bait in it and pull out both the male and female. Then they move on to the next bed. A limit of big females are always kept and a stringer picture taken at the ramp. Fish then thrown into a cooler. Turns my stomach. I know... It's perfectly legal but...

Ragetail Shellcracker.

I've had pretty good luck just removing and cleaning the existing bearings and then when putting them back in adding a small touch of high speed spindle oil that I get from work. We use it on our engraving machines and its rated for 40,000 rpm. Seems to make a noticeable difference. Been doing this for years.

I believe the Fortrex is the best MK has to offer. Most newer boats have 6 ga wiring but no guarantees. You might have to switch out the male and female plug sockets as most are 8 ga. Check to see what ga. the wiring coming off the motor is also. Not really much you can do about that but alot are 8 ga. Agree 100% on the breaker. Don't skimp there. 60 amp min. $50.00 is cheaper than rebuilding the motor. When in doubt, err on the high side.

I use 2 setups, both spinning. For skipping around and under docks and boats, I use a 6'6" MHF rod and 40 size reel with 12lb. Yo-Zuri Hybrid. Usually not casting more than 20' so the line casts fine and is strong as iron. Can't remember how many times I've hooked a nice one right when tait starts to sink after skipping way under a dock or pontoon boat and I always seem to get them out with this set-up. For open water or over weeds, I use a 6'9" MLF Veritas with a large spool BPS Pro Qualifier 20 size high speed. I use 20 lb braid with a 5-6' flouro leader. I usually fish over the tops of the weeds which are 1-2 feet down. In clear water I can cast the bait a mile and the high speed reel lets me burn it back in if I see a fish rise etc. Don't have the patience to wait for bait to fall 12' at weededge. Just fire it out, let it sink and watch the line, pop it up and repeat. Easy but deadly.

Can't beat a Rage Craw.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ What he said. Heat the spring up and it works like a charm.

Bass Tackle Depot, and sometimes you can find super steals at Overstock bait and Tackle.

X3 and like JF said, its not too costly. Most smaller tackle or bait shops do this.

I recall retail was $159.99. To $169.99. Used ones currently sell for &120.00 to $150.00. A few on Ebay listed as new north of $200.00 same with 200E. I recall these retailed at the same $159.99 to $169.99 and now go for more than that if you find a new one and close to that used. Point is, there is no set rule for pricing. These are in demand and will command a higher price. You can find items for 60% of new and you can find items for 100% or more of new. Depends what it is. If you find a 50E for $120.00 in real good shape, I would snap it up.

Good call on the multiple spool option. Covers versatility concerns.

When filling a spool, I usually stop about half way, give it a good soak, and then when complete another. Before starting the day fishing then another. Hey Mike, does it help braid? Never used it on braid.

I think RW said 60% of retail, not off retail. I think either way its low depending on what you are selling. I got lucky and got a couple Curado 50E's before they were discontinued for $99.99 each. Now you will be hardpressed to find one under $125.00. It all depends on what your selling and the condition. Out of what you list, the Veritas, Revo, and Villain will draw some interest. See what they are selling for on Ebay. You can ask what you think is appropriate and may or may not get it or get some offers.

Like JF said, there are quite a few to choose from. If your local BPS has a sonar setup like the one by me, you can see just about any unit made up and running. Good place to start and they will match any bonafide price. I like having a store to return or exchange items like this to if necessary.

In response to the OP's question, I would go with my 7'0 mf Veritas. Perhaps he fishes from shore and can only use one rod. There are times like that when you do need to choose only one setup. If thats the case, spinning is the way to go.

Keep us posted on your experiments. Probably be next year. Not all of us fish southern impoundments ( but wish we could) I'm gonna tinker with lb test and length flouro. I'm thinking of starting at 17 lb 8-10 inches tied to 10lb main line and go up from there. I use a 1/2" Kahara snap as I change lures alot. Too impatient. Always check the line though. I used to get complacent with a snap and just kept casting until I lost a monster right at boatside. Checked line and it was frayed.

I've tried that and sevenstrand. Either they hamper the action or are too visible but I don't seem to get near the bites using a leader. I have a few flouro leaders for muskie but they are 80-100 lb test. That would surely kill the action. I tried 12" of 30 lb. and didn't seem to get the same amount of bites. Gonna keep experimenting. There has to be a trade off point.

Same here on the toothy slimy critters. Don't get me wrong, I love catching them and they put up a real good head shaking fight. My best this year was 39" on a KVD 1.5. Hit like a freight train. No mistaking the fight. Head shakes and short hard spurts testing your equipment. But there is nothing worse than reeling up a 24"er and seeing him shake his head and take you expensive bait with him. Had a decent one break me off at the boat and then just lay there. Came close to jumping in on top of him I net them no matter what the size just to be safe.

Normans Flat Broke is an underrated little bait. It's a 2 piece flat shad type bait with a pretty good wobble and goes 4-5 feet. Might want to give it a look if you want a flat bait with decent wobble. Everything everyone else has said would be good choices also. In a squarebill, I like the rattling KVD 1.5 which you can only get from BPS.

Have used the small BBZ and the Giron. Both are good baits for around $20.00. Giron is pretty cool. When you stop the retrieve it kinda turns around to see whats following it. Also let it fall to the bottom and it doesn't lay over. Haven't tried the Sebile but I have used the Strike King Sexy Swimmer. Pretty good bait for the price. Not chasing 10 lbers up here either. Only bait I have ever caught 2 fish at once on. I shy away from the super expensive baits as any cast a 30" pike can take it with them.