slonezp

Time for turtle soup

I believe it's the extra drag more so than the extra weight

He's got a couple over 5.Ive got a couple in the 4ish range. bwell hasn't posted anything yet and Mark claims he's from IL but only fishes in Wisconsin.

We've got a gentleman's bet on big bass for this year. You win bragging rights. nice_Bass is in the lead so far. Post your pics and reports here and welcome to BR.

I don't collect old stuff but I have some old wooden pike lures that belonged to my grandfather. Also have an old Siloflex rod of his(pre Browning) The old baitcasters and stainless steel rods have long since been junked

Welcome. Just a little north of you in Streamwood. Check out the "Where are the IL guys" thread in the Northeast forum

Check the line guides on the rod for nicks. Do the same with the guide on the levelwind

Hellova project boat. Worse comes to worse you scrap the hull and sell the trailer for more than you paid.

Problem with that is by the time he buys her lunch, there will be no money left for the bait monkey

First sign of the apocalypse.

We call it plumbers strap. You can also try U bolts

He should plea his case to The Sharks. I'm sure Mark Cuban or Mr Wonderful would throw him a bone.

This is not entirely true. If the police have jurisdiction over the waterway they can. The Lake County Sherriff patrols the Fox Chain along with the DNR and they have the right to ask for a license, check your livewells, and enforce safety regulations. The same goes for the Chicago Police Marine unit. There may be other waterways as well that I am not aware of.

It won't run correctly, maybe you misunderstood what Kevin22 was stating. Your electronics are 12v. Apparently they are connected to one of the TM batteries. This will cause extra drain on one of the two TM batteries. Think of the saying a chain is only as strong as it's weakest link. If you drain one battery more than another, you have a weak link. When buying batteries, the "group size " is the physical size of the battery. The "reserve capacity" is how long it will last. The higher the reserve capacity, the longer the battery will last(also more expensive). Do you have a stereo in the boat connected to the TM battery's? A stereo is a constant drain on the battery. Same thing with a Power Pole

The only thing on the TM batteries should be the TM. Do you unplug the TM during charging and when not in use? Put your graph(s) on the starting battery

Yep, smallmouth

Hopefully they are just that and not stress cracks.

BINGO! Could be the Keitech is interfering as well. I use Cane Thumpers for a larger presentation and the regular(not fat) 3.5 Swing Impact for a smaller presentation.

Did you catch it in the Great Lakes or one of it's tributaries? or inland? I'd be concerned if it was inland and you may want to inform the DNR. We see them mostly on trout or salmon.

First, I commend you on your actions to put away a poacher. It's much better to let the authorities handle it than taking matters into your own hands. Depending on the circumstances, things could get dangerous. Secondly, bass tastes good. Yes, bluegill tastes better, but there is nothing wrong with a legally caught deep fried 14" bass filet with a vegetable and a side of french fries. It's pretty good on the grill as well.

My only suggestion, bypass the VRO and premix. In my experience,they don't last long. I owned a boat with 70hp Johnson for about 5 years and went thru 3 pumps during that time.

Sorry to hear that and glad you're ok. Do you have BoatUS as your regular insurance carrier as well? Are they going to take care of the claim?

Nope. Just glad I don't have to fish to survive.

Rick Clunn is pushing 70

Fox Chain 7-12 Got some good bites today, and some not so good ones. In addition to the pics we got a few short keeper bass and a few more short bass. Water 78*-83* Swimjigs and soft plastics were the baits of choice. Bite completely died after 11:00. Both the trash fish were caught on swimjigs. The walter in the mouth and the carp in the tail. The carp weighed in at 12lb. I'm guestimating 6 on the walleye. She was bleeding from the mouth and it took a few minutes to revive her but she swam away full force. My sons bass was over 4.