DDbasser

Thanks guys, I am going to have one installed on my boat this winter. I'll be running on some fairly big lakes that get real rough in the spring or any time a 25 mph wind comes up. I do like the idea of being able to keep both hands on the wheel, so I guess I'll have to have the trim switch installed on the steering wheel also.

Question for those of you that use a hotfoot, Do you find it a necessary piece of equipment or just another toy??

What is the purpose of a jackplate??? what function does it serve???

LBH I didn't even notice that, but they do match!!

Mine is still an ongoing project. I have a real nice rod locker that has individual slots with plastic tubes for each rod it will hold 10 rods plus I have some more laying in the bottom of that locker. I have a big square storage compartment in the middle of the bow thats where most of my tackle stays. I have a medium sized tackle bag that holds 4 plano 3600 boxes one is full of crankbaits, one has topwaters, one has jigs and the other is full of terminal tackle weights, hooks, etc. Then I have 2 plano spinnerbait boxes one for regular spinnerbaits and one for buzzbaits. I use a small tackle bag with the boxes removed to store all my plastics in. As I collect more tackle I'm finding that I must adapt my system. Now where did I store those new crankbaits???

I've always used the improved clinch knot up until this year. I had 14# Trilene big game on my baitcaster. I broke off several fish and the line broke right at the knot, I did a search on line for fishing knots and learned how to tie the polymor knot. I haven't broken off a fish since.

Great post RW. I've been trying to make myself stay on fish once I find them, I have a real problem, after i catch a couple from one area, I want to move on to the next area.

Chris, when you use beads with a t-rig worm do you use a brass ticker with them?

Welcome to the boards!!!

What colors to use when?? Do you use natural colors in clear water? And the brighter colors in stained or muddy water? I've also heard a lot about using red in stained to muddy water and in low light conditions, have you found this to be true??

Glenn, I don't think I have ever seen that color before!! That is absolutely gorgeous!!

Sounds like the prop on your motor isn't the right pitch.

I think one thing that makes a person a better angler is being able to take the information that they hear or read and be able to actually apply it to their style of fishing. Also as said in an earlier post you must know the bass's habitat, food sources, and how they relate to structure and cover. In order to be a consistent/better angler. And again PERFECT practice makes PERFECT. Keep those lines in the water!!!

LBH, thats sweet!! I'm looking for an older aluminum boat to fix up for fishing a couple of electric only lakes around here. Don't know if i could do as good a job as you have on that one though!!!

I've had a real good year, I just got back into bass fishing. The wife and I crappie fish a lot mainly from the bank during the spawn. This year we were finally able to afford a boat and I'm in the position finacially to fish tournaments next year. I've spent this year learning as much as I could about lures, presentations, and the biology and habits of the bass species. I've only been skunked on 2 outings this year, i haven't caught anything huge 5 pounds being the biggest but I'm catching a lot of 16" & 17" fish. I also caught my first fish on a jig this weekend, I caught 3 fish on a 1/4oz green jig with a zoom watermelon super chunk Jr. all of them were exactly 17". i caught a total of 12 bass this weekend ,7 of them would have been keepers. I did lose one that would have went around 3 lbs Saturday morning.

Here's my baby!!!

Unfortuneatly, every group has it's idiots!!! I was fishing down a 100 yd stretch of bank this morning. Working every stump, rock, brush pile and catching a few smaller fish. I heard another boat coming around the bend, this guy pulls up 75 yds in front of me and starts fishing the same bank in the same direction as I was. Fortuneatly for me this guy was a speed fisherman and it didn't take him long to decide he needed to fish else where. I finished working the bank and caught a couple more fish around 16"s long.

Chris, have you tried the Booyah swimming jig yet? If so, what are your thoughts on it? I've bought some of them but I haven't had any luck with them yet. Although, I'm not very good with a jig to begin with.

Last weekend while I was throwing a c-rig parallel to a weed line, my line suddenly felt real heavy so I immedietly set the hook. Theres something heavy on the line but it's not fighting back. I get it up where I can see it and It's a cast net. i got my lure back and let the cast net go to fight another day. LOL!!!

Chris that sounds pretty clear to me!!

I sometimes throw several different baits at the same target if I am convinced that theres a bass there. Sometimes its as simple as a color change or sometimes it takes a completely different style of bait like from a t-rigged plastic to a spinnerbait. Then once I've gotten the fish to bite I'll stick with that lure for a while.

Thanks Again Raul!! you have given me another piece of the puzzle. Now I can't wait until the weekend to try out some of this stuff!!!

Thanks for the info Raul!! and like I said before, keep it coming!!

Hap_Hazard, I'm in way an expert on locators!! Most of the knowledge that I have has came from the Lowrance web site. You need to check out the website from the Mnfg of the locator that you are planning on installing. Both of mine are Lowrance I have an X48 in the dash with a through the hull transducer and an X75 on the bow with the transducer mounted on the trolling motor, no interference. Not sure about interference if they were both mounted on the transom Not sure about using the same transducer for both locators. One thing is that if you mount the transducer on the transom and the locator on the bow you'll be looking at whats behind the boat instead of whats under the front of the boat.

A friend of mine is fond of this saying. " Fish don't have hands " I set the hook as soon as I feel something different on the line, too much slack, a little heavier than normal, or a peck.