flechero

remember when you were a kid and you took off for a whole day with one rod and a pocket full of worms and 3-4 bullet weights in the hook pack in your other hip pocket? Life was simpler then. lol Can't offer a good suggestion without knowing a little about the water and weather/season your area is in... But, you can easily get by with those rods for a weekend- just pick what you are comfortable with and go have fun. Or bring all your rods and only take 3 per day out with you depending on the water and conditions.

Here is the link to Minn Kota's page - scroll down to chart http://www.minnkotamotors.com/Support/Battery-Selection---Rigging/

I run the Everstart Maxx marines in my boat... have for many years- they are good batteries. As good as any other brand of marine batteries I have used in the last 20 years. Oh, the Maxx Marine line has a 2 year free replacement.

If you fish with spinning gear you will get some line twist, it's just part of it. If you are in a boat, troll and let out about 2 cast lengths of bare line (nothing on it) and let it "unwind" by trolling for a minute or two. I do this after initially spooling up and then whenever I notice twist building up from fishing.

Get a replica- they don't shrink, stink or rot! Plus in many states selling a gamefish is illegal. I just googled "Largemouth Bass replica mounts" and a ton of options came up for sale.

Backing saves money, takes up space and prevents line/spool slippage. I'm not a braid guy but do keep it on 2 reels for certain situations. As for leaders, some like it to go into the spool a few wraps and some don't- personal preference. I use only about 4'-5'.... just enough for a couple of reties if needed. By then, I'll change the leader for wear.

Yep, the silence was deafening! Thanks for checking in!

Still praying you JBW252, hoping everything went smoothly and by now you are only in slight pain and walking/rehabbing! I assume it will be a few more days, but let us know how you are doing. If you need a cane, I probably have a couple broken flipping rods in the shed, that we can cut to length!

Back in the 90's we ate lunch at Oak Ridge Marina every sat/sun! They had a good burger but the best grilled cheese on earth!! great memories!

Gotcha. That boat looks like it's in better shape than mine were when I sealed them.... roll it over and paint the rivet line and seams with fiberglass resin (no mat) just mix it and dot the rivets or pain along the lines of rivets. Not a durable as bedliner but cheap, easy, dries fast and you can redo anytime quick & easy. You have to seal the bottom though, because you can't get into and under the ribs. As I mentioned, my sealer jobs lasted a couple years each. edited to add that to prep for resin, all you need is some fine sandpaper or a wire wheel on a drill... clean and scuffed.

Not surprising that a ML would outcast a M with light lures and a M would outcast the ML with heavier lures. But with properly spaced guides, through static testing, I'm not surprised that you are getting better casting performance overall.

damage was probably a guide that was damaged and replaced... not sure why that kills the warranty but for $40 I'd buy one.

I wouldn't seal over a rotted deck... putting bed liner over rotten wood might prolong it a [very] little bit but only gives you false hope. Just pull it out and replace it. Sure you could miss a day or two fishing but if you did it during the week in the evenings you might not miss any water time. You can do a few upgrades or add some storage at the same time. As for sealing the boat (not sure what you are sealing) But i have used fiberglass resin and painted the rivet lines of a couple old boats- talk about cheap and easy. But you have to mix up small batches and paint quick! (you get about 8 minutes working time depending on your ratio) Lasted for years without a drop of leakage. A couple of pics would help- lots of wisdom on this board and if they saw what you had to work with they could offer some great suggestions and or help you work through a plan.

That's a fact... in the last 25 years, I've done it 2 or 3 times. Go do a few laps (or 10 minutes) around the lake to drain most of the water and then plug it... flip on bilge for a few more minutes and you are done. Embarrassing, YES- a big deal- NO. ETA- I would get that looked at by a pro- it appears to be on the seam of the hull and cap so from a structural standpoint, this may be more than a simple fill and coat.

Some are- the one in Rowlett, TX is built on the lake and they have a whole marina set up for boat demo and customer docking.

Didn't you lake test it? How did it drive/handle/accelerate/run? I wouldn't EVER consider a new or used boat without a thorough test drive.

Look on the underside of the steering column just behind the wheel's hub. Look on the link at the little know (shown on top) but most are under. https://www.walmart.com/ip/45031529?wmlspartner=wlpa&adid=22222222227033348387&wl0=&wl1=s&wl2=c&wl3=84272945928&wl4=pla-116577613008&wl5=9028267&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=online&wl12=45031529&wl13=&veh=sem

Do you have a little screw knob under your steering wheel? Many do that adjusts steering tension, but they also seem to gain tension at speed... at least mine have.

Lots of stuff like this available in varying sizes... http://www.boatdepot.com/p-343/shingle-creek-toho-rig-livewell-green?gclid=CJbBtf7t99ICFRy2wAod_agIdQ

Each person's eyes are different... especially for those with some color blindness. I notice a marked difference in underwater vision and enhanced outdoor contrast with amber or copper polarized lenses, while gray lenses seems to do nothing but reduce the overall brightness outside and still give me headaches. look into the water (or factory tinted auto glass) and then turn your head sideways... if polarized as you turn your head, the surface of the water turns to glare or you'll see patterns in the glass.

That's the spirit, look for ways to scam your fellow anglers...

A reduction in catch rate should be factored into the "value" of you line.... Free braid that keeps you from losing a lure isn't worth squat if you stop catching fish. Mono or flouro that catches fish and costs you the occasional lure is a better value in my mind. At a minimum you should learn to tie a short leader onto the braid- often that's all you need for shy fish.

the only reason I go to a high speed is for ripping rattle traps over grass in the spring, and then it's just so my arthritis doesn't flair up as quickly. (getting older stinks!!) I haven't found any technique that needs a high speed reel, just people and ailments that benefit from them. Lots of people like them just as a convenience... so if you are (or think you may be) more comfortable with them, give it a whirl.

That's the same price I paid for my first 3 IMX rods back in 1996ish... a salty deal for sure! The IMX pros look to have slightly different tapers and lengths. Could be a trimming adjustment to get new specs and keep the product line fresh. Either way, glad to see them continue, as they have been one of the best values for many years.

Just a thought- if you are using multiple coats and still enveloping guides, I think you are applying it too heavy, or your dryer set up is significantly out of level.