Bantam1

I believe the tackle store called Limitout Bait & Tackle is the one that performs the inspection and sells you the sticker. Give them a call and talk to Bob. I think its $10 for the permit. LIMIT OUT BAIT & TACKLE 12607 E. HWY. 20 P.O. BOX 704 Clearlake Oaks CA 95423 707-998-1006

I'll give you my no BS non Shimano related opinion of the Calais DC. If you can cast then you do not need a Calais DC. However if you need to cast a spook 4 miles then this is the reel for you. I use my Calais DC for two applications. Spook and the frog. I do not need it for t-rigs, jigs or anything else like that. The adjustability is cool for windy days, but it does not cast normal things that much further. My Curado 200E7 will almost hang with the DC and my Calais 100A will typically outcast it with everything but a spook and frog. My opinion on high end rods is that they can help you detect those subtle bites. I fish Loomis and Shimano rods only. I use GLX and Cumara and a few Crucials. Yes they are a lot more sensitive IMHO. When you can feel a bite on slack line with a breeze you know the rod is sensitive. However will it help you catch more fish? Maybe. An angler that is used to his gear will be able to catch fish. When I first switched to GLX rods I actually missed more bites because I could feel what was going on. It took me a while to get used to it. Now it feels normal and when I pick up a lower model rod I feel that it is inferior. This is only because I am used to my gear.

Bring some jigs and some finesse baits. There could be a reaction bite at that time of year too. The lake can fish very tough or they could be on the chew this time of year. It is a very windy lake (or can be) so make sure you wear a life vest when you run in the boat. I have seen 8+ foot wind waves there many times. The water is very clear so light line can be your friend. Points, flats, and grass (if you can find it) will all hold fish. There are smallmouth and largemouth there along with lots of stripers. You should have fun!

No problem. If you run into any issues just ask!

I cut a hole in the transom for the aerator pump. I sealed it with clear silicone. It does not leak a drop. I used a hole saw to cut the hole and it turned out very clean. I added a drain in the bottom of the livewell and used a plastic water/sprinkler valve to open the drain. I ran a tube from the drain to the transom and placed the valve at the back near the boat drain plug. When I pull my boat out of the water I pull the drain plug for the boat and open the valve. This allows the livewell to drain and pour right out of the drain plug hole in the transom. Its very simple and uses gravity to drain. Here's a simple blueprint. The red is the water inlet from the aerator pump. The green is the overflow and the blue is the drain. I cut holes through the bracing on the floor to run the tubing through. This way it cannot get stepped on, crushed or anything else that may cause issues. The overflow is higher than the water line to allow proper draining. Here is the livewell drain, overflow and recirculation pick up and spray head. The steel strainer is on the pick up and the drain is just a simple plastic drain with holes.

What kind of problem are you having with the livewell? I used a 500GPH pump and bought a kit from Cabela's or Bass Pro for the recirculation system. I added the timer also to save on battery power. A lid full of Rejuvinate helps a lot too.

I spent around $200-250 on wood and carpet. I bought the carpet from Lowes because they had the better rubber backed Marine carpet in stock. I think it was around $6 per 1'x6' lenghts. I bought 16' and it was more than enough to do everything. I did spend a little more on some better quality plywood. I think it was a burch and maple mix? That was around $50 per sheet and I used three sheets. I had some 2x4's that I got from a freind so I didn't pay for that. You can use other things for the bracing under the deck. I really wanted to use Aluminum angle bar stock and rivet it to the hull. I just didn't have enough time. Where I live there is an accociation and they gave me 4 days to work on the boat in my driveway (Yes CA sucks...). I built the deck and carpeted it in a weekend. I spent one day wiring, plumbing and adjusting the compartment doors. Day 4 was making the riser for the trolling motor and installing that. I was on the water that afternoon Here was a link that I used for some ideas too: http://www.secretweaponlures.com/odf/odfsite.html I just didn't have the time to do it this way.

I thought I would share this as I used some ideas that I saw on this board before I started posting. I purchased this boat from a local tackle shop owner. It was used on a small private lake and it just sat on his dock rotting away. I paid $250 for this 1979 Sea Nymph that had decent paint on the hull under all the lake scum that had built up over the years. I built a front and rear deck and extended the front deck to make room for 3 people to fish. I used all 3/4" plywood and weather treated it before adding carpet. I braced everything with 2x4's under for added support. I weigh 250 pounds so I made sure it would not buckle I added tackle compartments, a small live well, dry storage and a few other goodies like a Lowrance LMS 332C and a Motorguide Tour 82 w/ transducer. This boat will do almost 5 mph on the trolling motor. The 8hp Mariner is completely rebuilt on the inside and I freshly painted it last year. Overall this boat is awesome and considering what I have into it I can't beat it. Here it is right after I finished the deck Here's the front deck and compartments. The middle compartment is used for my cooler, ropes and rain gear. Here is my switch panel and timer for the livewell. I have lights, bilge and aerator with recirculation for the livewell. Fish stay feisty in my livewell My tackle compartments are rediculously oversized. They will hold 16 370 sized trays. I use one side for trays and the other for bags of plastics, swimbaits and anything else that does not go into a tackle tray. My future plans are to recess the pedal and add locks to the compartments. Maybe add a small rod locker if I can figure out the proper spacing. I love this boat and it fishes very well for a Jon. I use it in the local bays and harbors here and at some lakes. I just need a little more HP for the bigger lakes. 10 pounders like to come to my deck too Some boats get bit better than others and this one gets bit.

Big fish eat the drop shot too. The bass in my avatar fell to the drop shot during a blistering summer. It was one of many DD size bass that month

I get my rubber and silicone from these two suppliers. Lots of colors available in silicone. I tend to use both rubber and silicone in my jigs or all rubber/all silicone (depending on the lake). Many of my jigs are 3-5 colors. Experiment and see what works best for you. Then make a "cookbook" with all the colors. Then you know what to tie later until you memorize your patterns. www.livingrubber.com www.barlowstackle.com

Yamamoto Fat Ika in my custom poured colors They work all over the US and in Mexico. My other favorite is the 3:16 Wake Baits in both the full size and Jr.

Wwhen I set up all of my gear for tournaments I do something really ghetto. I use Aluminum foil to wrap my lures ;D You should see the looks I get!

14-4 on a 3:16 prototype One Up swimbait.