scrutch

some pics...

I have a 1999 Cobra 180 and I was taking my seat backs off to inspect my gas lines when I found a lot of CRUD behind the seat backs. It appears that water is leeching down behind the backs and just sitting there rotting the wood in the seatbacks. The screws were a nightmare to remove because they were so rusty. I want to replace the seatbacks with some material that won't rot. Anyone have any ideas? Also, when I reattach the seats, I think I'll trim the carpet so It doesn't go down behind the seats. I think this will allow me to put a bead of caulk along there to keep the water out. Ant suggestions? I'll try to post some pics.

X2 I tried this too, but for me, if it does snag, the dropshot sinker will break off before the rest if the rig. Isn't that what you want to happen? The split shot pulls off and you get your hook back at least. yes, it is what you want to happen, but I must have squeezed the split shot too hard and broke it off. I then went back to the dropshot sinker. If that's what works for you, great. It's probably cheaper than what I do anyway.

X2 I tried this too, but for me, if it does snag, the dropshot sinker will break off before the rest if the rig.

See if you can find some videos online of bass inhaling food. You'll see how then.

Through some experimentation, I've discovered a cool technique for protecting your dropshot weight as well as adding a little more "weedlessness" to the rig. I add a plastic bead and a pegged bullet weight on top my dropshot weight to protect the line where it goes through the metal catch of the dropshot weight. The bead slips down over the metal point and the bullet weight allows the whole thing to slip through the "gunch" a little easier. so, from bottom to top its: dropshot sinker, bead, pegged bullet sinker.

Don't be afraid to go with a little heavier weight if you want. The bass will not feel the weight until its too late. By then you should already have the hook set. This extra weight will allow you to impart more action on the worm without dragging it out of the strike zone.

IMHO sinker weight is dictated by how effectively you can jig the worm IN PLACE without moving the sinker off the bottom. For instance, if you're jigging it wacky style and the sinker is dragging towards you, or current and/or wind is moving it, then you don't have enough weight. The object of the game with a dropshot rig is to keep the worm IN THE STRIKE ZONE as long as possible. In regards to how does the fish get hooked: If you are properly jigging, keeping your line tight, you should feel everything that even touches that worm. occasionally you'll feel the "flutter" of a bluegill grabbing the worm. They aren't hooked because they cannot "inhale" the bait like a bass can. They bite the tip of the worm and run with it until you pop it out of their mouth. With some practice, you'll easily be able to tell the difference.

LOL.. Picture just went thru my mind... standing up in a 14ft aluminum boat...setting the hook 'cause it "feels a little different"...airball...no fish...jig shoots out of water right at fisherman's head...fisherman loses balance trying to duck... SPLASH! That could make some very funny video. ;D ;D

LOL...reminds me of Clint Eastwood in the movie Gran Torino. "No, I ain't comin' to your party, and don't touch my dog!"

If you have that long to look for a boat, then you should watch craigslist almost everyday if you can. You'll get a good feel for what's a good deal and what to stay away from. As long as you are patient and do all the things talked about in this forum on checking out a boat before you buy (search the subject and read up), you'll almost be guaranteed to get a great used boat at a great price. Can't recommend a new boat, and especially a tracker right now. Good luck in your deployment, and Thanks for serving! We'll be praying for you guys.

Gotta remember this one for sunday morning! ;D

Is Falcon REALLY that good to where it'd be worth it to risk your life to fish it? Save yourself the potential tragedy and skip it. Fish elsewhere for now.

Landed a toad today! New PB for me! 23.5" long. Around 6 lbs (calculated with a 13" girth) had no scale so I'm guessing the weight. Caught it on my family's farm pond. Been fishing there since I was 5 yrs old. Bit a Storm Wildeye shad. Look up...yep that's me up there on cloud 9!

I'm in north central Indiana. Spawn's been done on my lakes for 3 weeks. They've definitely moved into deeper water. Look in deep weedbeds, offshore humps, channel drops and ends of points. Spinner baits have been a little more productive for me this year. Summer tube season is starting. Throw tubes over underwater humps with sharp drops close to deep water, especially if it has weeds. Just a couple of productive methods out of several that work well here. As always, conditions dictate your presentation that day, so it's a little tough to be specific. Hope this helps. Good luck!

do yourself a favor and go to a launch and WATCH other people launch and recover boats. You can learn a lot by just sitting in your truck.

another Cochise Chops subscriber! cool!

just get them all...problem solved.

I assure you sir that I ONLY pee off the back!! ;D

I've got a 99 Cobra 180. The hull is white. Along and below the waterline there's some yellow staining that doesn't wipe off when I wash my boat. It does come off when I scrape it with my fingernail but its really tough. Any product recommendations? I use BTS but it doesn't seem to help. Am I just applying the BTS wrong? Seems like I need a good rubbing compound that you can use on gelcoat.

One of my good buddies is a Conservation Officer in my area. He frequently gets water detail on a large local lake. He tells me that one of his favorite tickets to write is what he calls the "Idiot Award". It's for "reckless and dangerous operation: Maneuvering your boat recklessly in the vicinity of other boaters, or causing a hazardous wake or wash. If the infraction is serious enough, you can actually get points added to your driver's license. Ron White said it best..."you just can't fix stupid"

It's the reel that I learned to baitcast with at the age of 14. Used to get in trouble from my mother for taking all her coffee cups into the backyard. I would place them all around the yard and practice casting into them with a practice plug. Can still remember the competition with a friend, who can hit the most consecutive cups. The record, I believe, was 16 consecutive hits. Lots of fun!

Anyone have any experience with shimano calcuttas? Had a chance to cast a few times with a buddy's today. I really liked the feel of that reel.

spent a lot of time as a kid down at our pond watching frogs swim. I try to duplicate that action (very light twitch....long pause...dive and swim a short distance....pause again at the surface...light twitch...you get the idea). I've buzzed them past cattails and pads, then made the exact same cast and worked it like a real frog and got bit. There are a lot of frog presentations that work well. This just works best for me most of the time. It's most difficult for me to stay patient and work it slow. Then I get the crap scared out of me when that explosion happens! It's addictive!!

excellent way to do it.