senile1

Welcome to the community, Dan.

I don't have a canoe but I have plans for one in my future. You might want to re-post this in the boating section to get more responses . . . . or maybe a moderator will come along and move it for you.

Nice fish, Red. I like that silhouette technique you're using with your pictures. lol

Cool stuff, George. Thanks for the report. It sounds like you're making a lot of clients happy with PBs!

I have used mostly Shimano and Daiwa and like their quality. However, the Pflueger Patriarch XT is one beautifully built reel and I am definitely tempted.

Cool. We don't get too many pictures of people fishing in the snow.

Bravo, Chris! That's a beauty and I see you haven't lost your touch with the camera either.

I like the color of that fish. That's a pretty area you are fishing too. If your four fingers are about 3 inches across we could be looking at an 18 inch fish which would generally make it under 4 lbs unless she just had a monstrous girth which doesn't appear to be the case here. If your hand is wider than that she could be 20 inches and definitely in the 4 lb range.

Sweet. That's a beautiful smallie! You guys really make me jealous fishing the Tennessee.

I like my Ficht too as mentioned in an earlier post above, though I have read plenty about some of the issues that occurred with some of them at their introduction. Your knowledge on boats and engines precedes you, Way2slow. I, for one, would appreciate your comments.

There's a lot of great information here and a lot of nice setups have been offered. Keep in mind that everyone has offered ideal setups and what you need also depends on what you are willing to spend on a rod and reel. To summarize what has been provided in the thread so far: Purchase at least a mid-range MH rod if you can afford one. For best results in moving line, go with a 7 feet or longer rod. Purchase a reel with a high enough ratio to take up line swiftly. A ratio of 6:1 to 7:1 should be considered. Use braid, fluorocarbon, or braid with a fluorocarbon leader for your line depending upon the clarity of the lakes you fish. Rods with heavy action are useful when flipping very heavy cover. I also want to repeat Catt's quote. I don't know how many times I've seen him post this but it is an excellent quote.

Welcome to the community, Randy.

I bought a Stratos with a 200 HP Ficht three years ago and it runs like a champ; however, I did my homework before I bought it. I did plenty of research and discovered the recall work for my motor was a replacement of the injector flange and hold down bolts. If the motor has the 1/2 inch bolts rather than the 1/4 inch bolts the recall work was done. Make sure the engine is propped to run at 5800 - 6000 rpm and make sure the owner is running Evinrude XD-50 synthetic oil and using the recommended spark plugs for the motor. Have the motor checked out by a reliable mechanic before you buy it and make sure he/she performs a compression check on the motor. The extra $125 - 200 bucks for the check-up is worth it. (I would do this anytime a used boat and motor is purchased.) There were some Fichts that had major head problems and I believe those were the 1998 - 1999 150 HP and 175 HP motors. They may require more work than the 200 HP motor that I have. Below is one of the links I read before I bought my motor. There were others but I can't find them at the moment. http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=79617

Monday night football was at its best when those three were in the booth. What a perfect mix of personalities! Dandy Don will be missed.

Welcome to Bass Resource.

Welcome to the forum, James.

This is true to a point. However a bass is still a bass no matter where you live.. Here in California our water may get down to the mid 40's. Depending on the species(spots, LM, SM) has more to do with catching then anything other. Spots are much more aggressive and you can catch them a variety of ways. LM on the other hand are a different story, but they can still be caught. The colder water slows the metabolism, but they still need to eat, and an easy meal is usually what they will take in the winter. Dead sticking bigger baits can be deadly at this time. There are always fish around or in grass. Dieing and decaying vegetation creates warmth and often a food source. Its a great place to fish a big jig and trailer combo. Then again Ive caught plenty on steep rocky banks on a one ton jig fished fast in a lift drop manner. That said I find that I usually have several rods rigged with smaller finesse stuff, and 2 rods with bigger offerings. My biggest winter fish have all come on swimbaits. Then again Ive caught fish over 8lbs on a 4.5in drop shot worm as well. A bass is a bass no matter where you are and nothing I stated disagrees with that. Different regions have different temperatures. The same bass in 34 degree water is going to respond much more slower than if it were living in 45 degree water. Water temperature is controlled by region.

This is true to a point. However a bass is still a bass no matter where you live.. Here in California our water may get down to the mid 40's. Depending on the species(spots, LM, SM) has more to do with catching then anything other. Spots are much more aggressive and you can catch them a variety of ways. LM on the other hand are a different story, but they can still be caught. The colder water slows the metabolism, but they still need to eat, and an easy meal is usually what they will take in the winter. Dead sticking bigger baits can be deadly at this time. There are always fish around or in grass. Dieing and decaying vegetation creates warmth and often a food source. Its a great place to fish a big jig and trailer combo. Then again Ive caught plenty on steep rocky banks on a one ton jig fished fast in a lift drop manner. That said I find that I usually have several rods rigged with smaller finesse stuff, and 2 rods with bigger offerings. My biggest winter fish have all come on swimbaits. Then again Ive caught fish over 8lbs on a 4.5in drop shot worm as well. A bass is a bass no matter where you are and nothing I stated disagrees with that. Different regions have different temperatures. The same bass in 34 degree water is going to respond much more slower than if it were living in 45 degree water. Water temperature is controlled by region.

This is true to a point. However a bass is still a bass no matter where you live.. Here in California our water may get down to the mid 40's. Depending on the species(spots, LM, SM) has more to do with catching then anything other. Spots are much more aggressive and you can catch them a variety of ways. LM on the other hand are a different story, but they can still be caught. The colder water slows the metabolism, but they still need to eat, and an easy meal is usually what they will take in the winter. Dead sticking bigger baits can be deadly at this time. There are always fish around or in grass. Dieing and decaying vegetation creates warmth and often a food source. Its a great place to fish a big jig and trailer combo. Then again Ive caught plenty on steep rocky banks on a one ton jig fished fast in a lift drop manner. That said I find that I usually have several rods rigged with smaller finesse stuff, and 2 rods with bigger offerings. My biggest winter fish have all come on swimbaits. Then again Ive caught fish over 8lbs on a 4.5in drop shot worm as well. A bass is a bass no matter where you are and nothing I stated disagrees with that. Different regions have different temperatures. The same bass in 34 degree water is going to respond much more slower than if it were living in 45 degree water. Water temperature is controlled by region.

How you approach winter fishing is different depending on the region. The OP is in Georgia. I am in Northern Missouri. Winter fishing for me involves fishing in lakes with coves frozen over and water temperatures as low as 33 - 35 degrees. The warmer water at the bottom of the water column is about 39 degrees. In the dead of Winter the vast majority of the time I have to locate the fish and drop the bait in close proximity to the fish or I won't get a bite. There are days that are unseasonably warm where I may be able to do something different but generally this is the way it is. Lure size can vary. Sometimes large baits work but many times smaller baits are better. In the southern tier of states the water temperatures will be warmer and this should open up the playbook a little more, so to speak.

How you approach winter fishing is different depending on the region. The OP is in Georgia. I am in Northern Missouri. Winter fishing for me involves fishing in lakes with coves frozen over and water temperatures as low as 33 - 35 degrees. The warmer water at the bottom of the water column is about 39 degrees. In the dead of Winter the vast majority of the time I have to locate the fish and drop the bait in close proximity to the fish or I won't get a bite. There are days that are unseasonably warm where I may be able to do something different but generally this is the way it is. Lure size can vary. Sometimes large baits work but many times smaller baits are better. In the southern tier of states the water temperatures will be warmer and this should open up the playbook a little more, so to speak.

How you approach winter fishing is different depending on the region. The OP is in Georgia. I am in Northern Missouri. Winter fishing for me involves fishing in lakes with coves frozen over and water temperatures as low as 33 - 35 degrees. The warmer water at the bottom of the water column is about 39 degrees. In the dead of Winter the vast majority of the time I have to locate the fish and drop the bait in close proximity to the fish or I won't get a bite. There are days that are unseasonably warm where I may be able to do something different but generally this is the way it is. Lure size can vary. Sometimes large baits work but many times smaller baits are better. In the southern tier of states the water temperatures will be warmer and this should open up the playbook a little more, so to speak.

My goal is simple. I just want to spend more days on the water. The last few years work has really kept me busy and it isn't likely to subside anytime soon. I am spending less days on the water but when I am out there I seem to be catching more quality bass so I am thankful for that. I am also thankful that I have a job and make a good income but I wish I could achieve more of a balance between fishing and working. Also fishing helps me ignore the voices.

My goal is simple. I just want to spend more days on the water. The last few years work has really kept me busy and it isn't likely to subside anytime soon. I am spending less days on the water but when I am out there I seem to be catching more quality bass so I am thankful for that. I am also thankful that I have a job and make a good income but I wish I could achieve more of a balance between fishing and working. Also fishing helps me ignore the voices.

My goal is simple. I just want to spend more days on the water. The last few years work has really kept me busy and it isn't likely to subside anytime soon. I am spending less days on the water but when I am out there I seem to be catching more quality bass so I am thankful for that. I am also thankful that I have a job and make a good income but I wish I could achieve more of a balance between fishing and working. Also fishing helps me ignore the voices.