Goose52

Can't beat that deal. Ya'll should load up during the sale - these jigs work very well. Below is a 6 lb 1 oz LMB that I got just this morning on a Siebert 1/2 oz Dredge football jig: This is an unpaid product endorsement ! The results speak for themselves...

OK - here's another one. You know the player that sits on the bench for years, then the coach finally sends him into the game, he makes a couple good plays, then gets his knee thrashed - career over. Sorta like the ultralight MirrOlure in the red circle below. I bought all those MirrOlures in 1967 or prior. The ultralight baits had probably never even caught a fish back then. They "sat on the bench" for about 45 years and then I put one of them "into the game." Tied it to the 4 lb. mono on my ultralight rod, caught 2 bluegill and 2 bass with it, then hung it on something underwater at the end of a long cast (fishing from the bank) and had to break off. If I had been really young, like in my 30s or 40s, I guess I would have gone swimming for it. BUT, since I was nearly 60, I decided to let it go - it finally got off the bench, and had an honorable departure to the deep - lost in action. April 28, 2011. RIP micro MirrOlure...

OK - here's another one. This Deep Little N was well over 100 bass caught - probably nothing bigger than 3 pounds caught on it - just a soldier that "went over the top" whenever called. I was cranking it across some known man-made fish structures and it probably got wedged between some of the pvc pipes that made up the structure. Not recoverable by a plug knocker. RIP DLN...

@Wayne P. - what would we do without you ?? Thanks for taking the time to provide these type of detailed responses - BRAVO !

I'm sure all of us have lost favorite baits - especially some that are no longer made and thus not readily replaceable (short of paying collector prices on eBay). I also sorta "bond" with some baits, especially those that go over the century mark in number of bass caught - BUT, when those baits eventually go KIA, I know that they fought the good fight, and brought in enough bass to more than pay for themselves, and pass on to the Valhalla of bass baits with their head held high... Then, there are the baits that have one shot at glory, and are lost too soon. The 3/4 oz Red Eye Shad in the photo below was removed from the wrapper, tied on the rod, caught a 5-pound bass on the first cast, and then was hung on a stump on the second cast and lost (fishing from the bank). RIP RES - I hardly knew ya...

Wow - two-speed reels from the 80s (or so) coming out of the woodwork ! I guess I have to revise my statement from post # 3 to read: "I am not aware of any current production low-profile baitcasting reels having two-speeds."

You bet. I moved up to the Helix 10 from a 798 so that was a HUGE upgrade for me. I should be good for a number of years now (unless HB comes out with something like a 14" screen with the latest features for $500 ) AH, clarification noted. I just assumed that when the new models came out that the "original" Helix 10 would be discontinued (as you can tell, I don't spend a lot of time on the HB web site looking at the model lineup...I have my "new" sonar and will be standing pat for another 4 or 5 years...! ).

I certainly didn't remember that series ! I just Googled it and came across two smaller Ambassadeur round reels that were two-speed as well (smaller meaning 5500 and 6500 series).

There are quite a few conventional / trolling reels primarily intended for salt-water use that are two-speed (switchable with a lever on the reel). I am not aware of any low-profile baitcasting reels having two-speeds. If these folks WERE talking about baitcasting reels, perhaps they were saying that their BC reel is AVAILABLE in two (or more) gear ratios.

Mine is not Ram attachable directly - it is designed to be bolted to a "sideboard" (some of which might be Ram compatible).

Thanks ! It works, gets me off the bank...

Different kind of boat but the same solution. I highly recommend a "deployment arm" for SI transducer mounting. As John said above, you can easily raise the transducer when launching or landing the boat, as well as shutting down the sonar and raising the transducer if you are in a bunch of slop that would foul the 'ducer. I've been using my deployment arm for 7 years now, most currently on a Helix 10. You can see the arm raised on the right side of the sonar in the photo below. Regarding SI on small watercraft - why not? It's just as helpful on small boats as on bass boats...

Yes. When this has been discussed in the past, the general consensus by most folks is that they fish like mod-fast.

Thanks Wayne. It will be interesting to see what the next software upgrade will bring. For me personally, I plan on using my legacy Helix 10 for a long time...

I haven't read up on the improvements over what is now the Helix legacy units so I don't know if they are all hardware-based or whether any of the new or improved features might trickle down to my Helix 10 legacy unit via software upgrade and possibly a transducer upgrade ???

"Old-Town-able" indeed ! NICE smallie ... What were your surface water temps today !?

"Old Town-able"....funny that almost everyone that reads this will know what it means...

Indeed - the only thing "old" about the plugs I posted is that they were purchased around 50 years ago...HOWEVER, they are still in production today (except for the ultra-light MirrOlures and the River Runts)...

I still have quite a few baits that I've had since the middle 1960s but many wouldn't be considered "crankbaits" - some are topwater, jerkbaits, etc. But, here's a few from back then: In the '60s, I lived in the Miami, Florida area and fished both fresh and light saltwater. MirrOlures were the BIG thing back then. Some of these baits have lips so they fit into the crankbait category: A couple River Runts: Nothin' special here - they're all Rapala floaters....but they all date back to the 60's - let's put 'em in the crankbait category since they have lips (but most folks call them minnow baits I guess). A couple "veteran" Hellbenders:

I have two Daiwa rods - the Tatula 7'7" M - R and the Tatula 7'2" MH - R. They are very nice rods with good build quality and sensitivity. As mentioned above, many consider them the best value in their price range (especially considering you can get them at a good discount at many on-line sellers). The 7'7" M - R will launch a 5/8 oz lipless crank a LONG way out there... And, here's the 7'2" MH - R:

Nice one ! I love that new PB rush !!

I'm sure everyone has seen this photo since it goes back to 2012 - 9.54 pounds: The story is here:

......and you forgot to mention the potential for the 8.0 'quake..... (Not sniping at California....I lived there for 35 years....don't any more.... )

I have 3 Mets - the Met 13, Met 16 (MGL), and the Met DC. I don't prefer one over the others - they are just different tools in the tool box. I personally don't see any practical difference on the water between the Met 13 and the 16/MGL. BUT, since the JDM MGL has somewhat less line capacity than the Met 13, I had to rematch the reels to rods based on that line capacity. Since the Met 13 has the higher line capacity, I moved it over to an NRX 894C and run 18lb flouro on that. The MGL ended up on the NRX 893C (taking the place of the Met 13) and it has 14lb flouro on it. The Met DC? It's the jack-of-all trades, all wind conditions, always in the boat tool that is mounted on a Loomis Edge 705-1 and used for all sorts of stuff... Just tools...

Holy mackerel - I mean holy smallmouth !!! Good times indeed... What a great way to finish the season - and some good memories to tide you over through the winter. I guess if this is the last trip - it's the last trip. BUT, I'm still seeing soft water in the background...............