senile1

Bassinri, you already have the answer to your question. A bent drive pin will cause vibration. They are very easy to replace and the kits are relatively inexpensive. Just do a web search for Minn Kota drive pins and you'll find them.

It may be the basement but it's not a bad basement to be in. All three teams are a game over .500 and only 6 games out. 8-)

I agree with the statements that success can be had with lower-priced equipment but the original post asked for the extent of the performance difference between equipment with different costs. I don't see any snobbery in someone stating their opinion if they think very expensive equipment has a tremendous performance difference over inexpensive stuff. Too me, I find a big difference in sensitivity between rods in the $150 - 200 dollar range and rods below $100. As for reels, those in the $100 - $200 range tend to be smoother and have better drags than less expensive models. However, I have a couple of cheaper baitcasters that perform well and I don't see that they have hindered me from catching fish. If you are going to spend extra money the rod is where you will receive the most benefit from the extra dollars, especially if you fish jigs and soft plastics a lot. The difference in sensitivity between an excellent midrange rod and a high-end rod is not so significant. Again, these are just my opinions.

Thanks RW. I tend to be like Micro in that I can afford the expensive stuff but I purchase mid-range equipment due to diminishing benefits and eliminating the worry of damaging nice stuff. Because of this I have never purchased a $400 reel, so I am curious as to how much of an improvement they are perceived to be.

I do agree with revisiting some threads because opinions will change, especially for developing anglers. I think the long-time anglers are more likely to have lures that they have settled on as their favorites and a lesson can be gleaned from Catt's response. The expert angler has complete command of a few lures that he/she can catch fish with under almost any circumstances. To reach this level of expertise one has to fish a lure with patience. The suggestion has been made many times to take a particular lure out and fish it all day to learn how to use it. You can't change lures every 10 or 15 minutes and become an expert at fishing a lure.

Ouch. I knew about the calf but I was hoping he was getting better. I hadn't read this yet.

In your estimation, how much more of a reel is it? 8-)

This has been a great thread. I don't think anyone here is bashing science. Most of us who are avid anglers try to take in as much knowledge as we can. But as Randall stated, you use that knowledge to develop a simple system to use on the water. There is a point where the more detail you try to incorporate into your system on the water, the more you will encounter diminishing returns. At what point that occurs may be different for each of us.

4:00 - 4:30 PM Early August. Temperature 103 degrees. 6 lbs 15 oz

I would buy anything that fills gaps in your current arsenal of lures first, keeping in mind that the summer season is fast approaching.

Nice fish!

X2. Nice hawg!!

Shad_Master, I've been stuck fishing muddy water throughout the Spring and up to now as well. I know sometimes the upper end can be muddy and the lower end is clearer because the muddy water flows into the creek and river mouths first. Also, there is more water to dilute the mud particles on the lower end. There have been times when I've been able to fish main lake points on the lower end that were much clearer; however, with the amount of rain we've had this year the lakes I'm fishing are muddy from end to end and I would bet the same applies to you since you're 150 miles or so north of me. What fishfordollars stated has been true for me. I have found the most success pitching tubes and jigs extremely tight to cover. I have not had much success with spinnerbaits in the truly muddy water this year.

I know of the grass of which you speak. Most of the hydrilla, milfoil, and coontail that I fish also has the green slimy stuff. If I'm going to fish vegetation I'm generally fishing the green slime as well.

I just purchased a few of GMAN's jigs to try out. I caught a couple of fish on them Sunday using a Yum chunk trailer. The jigs are nicely made. Thanks for the info concerning the basssnacks. I thought about purchasing some of them as well.

Paul Roberts stated: I commend you for your ideas regarding writing a book and pulling all of the disparate ideas concerning catching fish into one integrated whole. I would definitely read such a book, as I already read just about everything I can get my hands on. However, we must remember that we are talking about a book on the behavior of a species that we cannot interview or talk to. There are a number of books that try to tie a number of the variables together, but none will eliminate the occasional bad day on the water. Your's would not be the first, nor would it be the last on the subject. Some days the fish may not be biting. The fact is, no matter how much we learn or think we know, we'll never be 100 percent (or even 80 percent) certain if they just weren't biting, we didn't fish the right lure in the right place, etc. Otherwise, if we could know these things, the challenge would be gone. There always has to be room for us to wonder if we solved the puzzle that day. This isn't to discourage anyone from being scientific but if I go to the lake trying to get a fix on every single variable, when all I need to know is it is early summer period, there have been no recent cold fronts, water is being pulled at the dam, and shad are the baitfish of choice so the fish are positioned on points to eat, then I'm wasting my time with variables that don't matter. Granted, this is science as the scientific method involves observation leading to a hypothesis to be tested, but it isn't deep science. It is common sense and common sense should be scientific, but it isn't too complicated.

Paul Roberts stated: I agree, Paul. I actually get into the scientific discussions but my post about the aliens was too much fun to pass up. I've always been into science no matter what it pertains to. I just believe that much of the time, when it comes to helping others learn to catch fish, we "muddy the water" by covering every scientific variable that exists in the equation.

And for extremely thick mats, use a compact lure without appendages sticking out very far from its body. Once its down under the mat, you can wiggle it, jerk it up to the bottom of the mat, etc. If you don't get a bite and you retrieve it to pitch to another spot, you will be cleaning off your weight or jighead after just about every retrieve, unless you pitched to a hole. This type of fishing requires patience when you're not getting bit, but once you find one there'll generally be other fish in the nearby vicinity.

If a plug had to be used the hole is too large for a patch. As stated, have someone else redo the plug. Hopefully, it is just a poor plug job. If it still loses air, you'll have to replace the tire.

If aliens were trying to catch humans they would have missed me yesterday. I was in a john boat on a pond with no anchor and no trolling motor, in 35 mph winds. All of the science stated that humans wouldn't be located in this environment under these conditions. So much for science.

CJ, I don't see much complex science in this. You just used your common sense. I agree with Catt and LBH that we overthink fishing. I am interested in the science, but I have found for myself when I try to overthink it, my success decreases. And I think this is why some newbies to the sport feel overwhelmed. We present all of these scientific theories on where fish will be and why and it is too much to try and put it all together on the water, because some of the factors that effect fish location contradict each other. Get down the basics, observe the environment and use your common sense to determine likely locations, and then go fish with lures that tend to work under those conditions and in those locations. It's really pretty simple, though that doesn't mean you'll catch fish every time just because its simple.

The Kicktail Minnow. I've been banned from all local tournaments because of this lure.

I would buy a used Yugo. :

If you're only buying one crankbait rod and you like to fish deep cranks, go with the medium-heavy because the vast majority of the deep-divers will be a 1/2 ounce and up. This will allow you to fish both shallow and deep with cranks. If you rarely go deep and you don't use larger crankbaits shallow , or you're not buying only one crankbait rod, go with the medium.

All this debate and speculation over a creature that no one has really seen yet. It reminds me of Bigfoot.