K_Mac

Whether you buy new or used, buy what you can afford. Keep in mind the cost of ownership is substantial, even with a new one. Insurance, maintenance and repairs, operating costs, and other expenses (there are always "other" expenses) can break the bank in a hurry. I don't mean to be negative; a boat is a wonderful thing. Just be careful to stay within the budget is my advise. Remember advise is often worth what you pay for it. Good luck.

Nice job. A good story also. 8-)

I have 2 Presidents (6730) on BPS Extremes (6'6" MF) that I use all the time. They are not the lightest combos, but will do a fine job.

I love night fishing also. It will make you better at keeping contact with your bait. Fishing with a bright full moon on a quiet night is as good as it gets. A new moon is cool too; just a little more work. 8-) One thing I learned early on, is you must be organized. Everything needs to stowed away properly. Even a little clutter and you're asking for trouble.

Ranger Z521 I stopped on the way home from the lake to pick up a plug for my live well. The dealer sells Ranger and Lowe. I asked the owner if he had seen the new Ranger and he said he had one that they had sold, and were preparing for delivery. He asked if I wanted to look at it. I told him I would like to see it, but if he had anything that needed doing not to waste time with me, because I do not have the means to buy one. : It is one sweet machine. HDS-7 in the console and 5X surface mounted up front. To your door for 62-64K. 8-)

There was a recent thread about the "best" scales. The XTools digital was recommended by a number of folks. I received mine Sat. and have not had a chance to use it on the water. I have done some testing at home and it is accurate and consistent. It has the added benefit of being water resistant/proof and it floats. It is a little more than you spent on the Berkley, but based on my limited use it works well. When you take the Berkley back, Tackle Warehouse has the XTools in stock.

Mine has come and gone. I answered all the questions. I don't have a problem with the government getting accurate head counts and demographics. The Super Bowl and a other media adds, and the pre-census mailings confuse and anger me. What are they thinking?

Thanks guys. I'm sure you're right that it is forage that brings them in shallow. They are hardier and more tolerant of heat than I thought. That's a good thing, because they are fun to catch!

Like others while I'm not sure I have one go-to bait, I always have a few things ready to go. 1. shakeyhead/Trickworm 2. 5 3/8" or 6" Stick-o wackyrigged from weightless up to a 1/8 oz jig 3. t-rigged plastic or a jig/spider grub combo 4. skirted jig/Paca chunk or craw If nothing else is working, either 1 or 2 will get the most work.

I have a friend that I fish with a few times a year that doesn't use baitcasters. He is one of the best fishermen I know. I would consider him a serious bass fisherman. He is very intuitive about finding fish, and proper presentation. He doesn't fish tourneys, but I promise you he would do fine if he did. I think there are times when he would be better equipped if he used BC for heavier cover/lures etc. When I tell him this, he laughs and keeps catching fish. 8-) I use both and would have a tough time only using one or the other.

Hello jettech. I will give you my opinion for what it's worth. Ultimately you will have decide what works best for you. Your spincast and spinning setups should take care of your light tackle needs just fine. Your baitcast setup should take care of your heavier stuff. What I think is needed is a 6' or 6'6" (my choice) medium power fast action spinning combo. With this you can fish a variety of baits, including weightless plastics, shakeyheads, light weighted plastics, small crankbaits, the list goes on... Good luck, and enjoy the process. 8-) BTW you can stop the cast on a spinning reel by using the first finger on the hand that holds the reel. As you bring your finger into contact with the outer lip of the spool, you can slow/stop the line much as you would use your thumb on a baitcast reel. It takes a little practice, but is worth the effort. One more suggestion , after you stop the line, engage the bail with your other hand. This will make line management much easier.

If not something green, black/red flake and junebug.

Big-O the first time I was nonchalantly swimming a jig back to the boat, and a bass hammered it, I came very close to losing the fish, rod, and reel over the side. :-[ I'm not a big crankbait guy. Swimming a jig can cover the same water, and keeps my head in the game better.

I completely agree with Avid on this. If you don't like it, don't do it! With that said, there are are times when a finesse technique will work better than a power one in my experience. Tuesday I caught some nice fish on a 5" spider grub fished on a 1/2 oz non-skirted football jig. I was bouncing it quickly down rip rap, and swimming it as it reached the bottom of the incline. I moved fairly fast down the shore. A classic power technique. Yesterday I fished the same lake, and same areas. Same technique as the day before, nothing. I slowed down my jig/grub presentation, nothing. Crankbait, spinnerbait, C-rig, nothing. I couldn't buy a bite. When I started using a 1/8 oz shakeyhead and a Zoom Trickworm I started catching fish, including one very nice female largemouth full of eggs and a couple of good smallies. My partner caught a nice smallmouth on a wacky rigged Senko knock-off. So in summary :, you don't have to use or do anything you don't like, but if you don't find a finesse technique or two that works for you, you will limit your success IMHO. Good luck. 8-)

I have had great success with BPS Stick-os in 5 3/8" and 6." The 6" on an 1/8 oz jig head has been one of my go to baits the last couple of years. Crawberry and pepper frog/hot orange are my current favorites.

I have 3 Extremes and 2 Pro Qualifiers that my wife and I use regularly. I am in my third year of fishing with the Extremes with no problems. For the money you can't go wrong IMHO. The PQs have both centrifugal and magnetic braking. You can set the Centrifugal once and then adjust the magnetic as needed. It is a great system for noobie or old fisherman like me. Good luck.

+1

I am a fan of Pro Qualifier baitcast reels, but I'm with Bilgerat and Dodgeguy on spinning reels. The President is a fine reel for $60.

Curious, what is your definition of "just barely enough? I have been using 24, 36 and 55 lb thrust electric motors on my 14 to 17' boats for the past 40 plus years in all kinds of water and never had a problem with power or maneuverability. Some guys are buying power they do not need and cannot use. I am one of those guys, I would guess. I have an 80# MK on my 18' aluminum boat. I rarely need more than 60% in even the windiest conditions, yet it is there when I need it. A motor that doesn't have enough power, or is at near capacity much of the time is a constant source of irritation. I like having power in reserve. Having more than "needed" is a wonderful thing IMHO. Carrington buy the bigger one. You will not regret it. 8-)

Rw having fallen off the boat in 50 degree water, I know for sure it is cold! I didn't really explain my question very well. In the summer when all three generators are running the surface temp will sometimes be >100 degrees. I've seen it as high as 105. The lake is 2000 acres, with 15 miles of shoreline. There is some deep water ~40' and an old channel that is ~20' deep. The average depth is 8'. Since this is a perched lake the only fresh, cool water is pumped from the nearby Kaskaskia river at the southeast corner. It is added only as needed. When the generators are running there is some current as the power plant re-circulates water from the southwest end, and discharges it at the northeast via an off limits canal. Last fall we caught a couple of nice smallies in 4'-5' when the surface temp. at that spot was 95+. I just didn't realize smallmouths could tolerate that high of temps.

Here is a link from the "best of" page that will answer some of your questions: http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1151590913 Once you understand how to set your reel up, it is mostly just practice. A decent reel will make things much easier, but many of us learned on junk, so it can be done. There are two basic reel braking types; centrifugal and magnetic. Either work fine. Some reels have both types and these are easiest to use in my opinion. Shimano reels have centrifugal brakes. Daiwa reels have magnetic. Pflueger, Abu Garcia, BassPro and others have models that have the dual braking. I have a couple of Bass Pro Pro Qualifiers with dual braking that you can find on sale for ~$80. I recommend them, esp for a beginner. Others prefer a"name" brand. Line makes a big difference in casting. A monofilament in 10-12# would be a good place to start. Trilene XL is cheap and works great. Good luck. 8-)

I have a power plant cooling lake near me (Baldwin, IL.) that I fish often late fall to early spring. The water stays above 50 most of the time, even in the coldest weather. The lake was stocked with smallies a few years ago, and they have really taken off. I've heard of fish over 5 lbs. We've caught them to 18", some well over 3#. I ordered a scale a few days ago, so I will post some actual weights and pictures next time. Is stocking smallmouth in hot water lakes a common practice? I've always thought they were a colder water fish than largemouth. Based on the fish I've caught in the last few weeks, that is not the case. They sure are fun to catch! 8-)

I only left one, with the same result. :-[ I will give Dawn a try.

With all due respect, I don't think so. You will catch fish without a doubt, but worms, creatures, grubs, craws, chunks, flukes, frogs, and probably a dozen others that don't come to mind right now, all have their time. Resistance is futile... ;D

I carry 7 rods in the boat. I have a 6'6" MH-M glass crankbait rod that needs 2 guides replaced and a reel. It will be number 8. Baitcast: 7' MH-F, c-rig/heavy jigs 7' M-XF, t-rigged plastics/light jigs 6'6" MH-F( While this rod is rated MH-F it has a soft slower action. It is old and cheap-much like me.) crankbaits/spooks 6'6" MH-F, spinnerbaits/chatterbaits/jigs 6'6"M-F, jerkbaits/buzzbaits/poppers/spinnerbaits/t-rigs/small crankbaits/light jigs Spinning: 6'6" M-F, wacky rigs/grubs 6'6" M-F shakeyheads/light crankbaits/light top water/dropshot Like Roger, my wife fishes with me often and all combos are interchangeable.