slonezp

FLcentral, You mention the aftermath of a hot bite can go a month. Had it occurred to you that other changes may have happened causing the bit to slow down? Temperature changes, barometric pressure changes, more boat traffic, less boat traffic, the changes happening within the bass going from pre spawn to spawn to immediate post spawn, to post spawn, and how it relates to the baitfish going thru the same changes. I find is difficult to believe that a fish will put off eating because of being caught once or twice or a hundred times. Fish have to eat. I said in an earlier post, it is my opinion they grow wise. I do not believe it happens overnight.

I'm a sucker for free t-shirts

It's overfilled. I saw KVD speak at the local fishing show. In addition to using his line conditioner, he recommends buying reels with oversized spools and filling them 1/2 to 3/4 full.

When I didn't have gps, I didn't miss it. Now, for me, it's a necessity on unfamiliar water. This year I'm going to do some exploring on my home water with the SI and gps to see what I've been missing for the last 10 years. You need to weigh what's most important to your fishing style. You can then add additional graphs in the future as finances become available.

Mine neither. I'm waiting for the Chain or Bangs to open so I can break in the new rig. There's a bass tourney on the Chain in 3 weeks. Not one of mine but if the weather stays the same there may still be ice

The 176i saves 500 wapoints in memory. I'm no expert but I'd bet they won't erase when the battery is disconnected. For under $200 the Lowrance Mark4 has an SD card slot and map capability. It doesn't look like the lower end HB's offer that

Mark, He said they caught 22 over 14" and a few dinks

Possibly a place to rest it on your neck and shoulders when portaging

My son and his buddies made it out to Lasalle for the opener yesterday. It was slower than in years past, and they really couldn't find a pattern until 11:00. Here's a few pics

Fish Chris is the one you need to talk to about large bass because that is what he targets. My opinion, for what it's worth, the larger the fish, the more energy it loses chasing bait. This is why they prefer fewer larger meals if it's feasible.

Fish don't only attack bait beacuse they are hungry. When they are hungry they will attack anything that looks tasty. How many times have you caught a bass that is spitting up multiple types of bait? Happens all the time. Spitting up crawfish and baitfish. A bass will also strike because it's territorial, because it's startled, because its curious, etc.

The thing people overlook is bass don't eat food just because it's put in front of their face. What's the difference between seeing the same bluegill all the time and seeing the same KVD 1.5?

Old and wise? Yes. Conditioned to a bait? Not so much.

I have caught more "money" fish in adverse conditions than not. If there wasn't a tourney involved I never would have gone out. I pray for crappy conditions on tourney day. (That last statement is going to jinx me.)

Fish gotta eat. Serve her what she wants. I've had aggressive fish hit lures repeatedly in one and multiple outings. A small lake I used to fish held a few monsters by northern IL standards. Water is gin clear. My son and I found a bass with distinguished black markings on its head. We had both hooked it and lost it multiple times in a 3 week period. It always hung out in the same area. I took my father out fishing and told him the story about the elusive fish. He had her in the livewell shortly after we arrived to the spot. She was a tad over 5lbs and my dads PB.

Sweet ride. Congrats

#1 rule in fishing laydowns is boat positioning

texting while driving

The Great Lakes affect the local weather. Early in the year, Lake Michigan keeps the Chicago lakefront cool and late year keeps it warm, relative to surrounding areas. The precipitation is higher all year but more noticible in winter as "lake effect" snow. During the warmer months it may just be humidity, mist, or clouds rather than actual rain.

It depends. Many of us are stupid enough to go out in rough conditions. Being smart enough to know when to call it quits and make it in safely, whether it be 5 minutes or 5 hours, is key. I don't care how big a boat you have. Being able to control it under adverse conditions is a necessity. This, unfortunately takes practice. To the OP. May I suggest looking into taking some USCG classes. They offer them online and in person. I'm amazed at the amount of boaters who don't know their azz from a hole in the ground when it comes to water safety.

Empty water bottles I use them but normaly not bass fishing. If I find a school of crappies or perch and need a reference point on unfamiliar water, I'll drop them in

Go on their website. With options, you can price out a Z9 at 70k There are other mfgs starting to follow suit with "ready to fish" boats listing pricing on their websites. Phoenix, Stratos, Charger and some tin dealers to name a few. I think that is where Nitro beat out the others in the past. The, "Here's your no haggle price". I think people have it in the back of their mind they are getting screwed if their haggling. With the advent of the internet, a little bit of homework, you can make some pretty good deals. Fact is, Nitro lists their option pricing on the site and charges mfg list. We can buy those options online and save hundreds if not thousands of dollars on the final price of the boat. I almost bought a Z9 when I was looking. I was looking at a new leftover 2010 model that was discounted deeply. By the time I whould have rigged it the way I wanted, it whould have cost the same as the boat I bought, which was brand new and with a better reputation.

In addition this may be the warmest water early in the season.

The 798 is not ethernet capable UNLESS it's an HD model

A few years back i took my neice and nephew tubing. my nephew, maybe 6 or 7 was scared to go on the tube. He had to pee. I told him to pee off the side of the boat. Wouldn't do it. "Well go on in the lake and pee". "NO! There will be pee in the water and it will get on me." so I proceeded to pee off the side of the boat to show him how it's done. My neice was on the tube and my nephew started laughing. He decided she was going to get pee on her and couldn't stop laughing. Eventualy he couldn't hold it anymore and jumped in.