Midnight Splash

Locked N' Loaded. I will give it a go tomorrow. Does that look about right? Thanks!

I had time to go out for about half an hour. d**n! I'm loving this braid so far. 5 bites/3 boated/1 spit at the boat(still Gamo 5/0 EWG). I immediately noticed a big difference in the sensitivity from the mono to the braid. I could also notice a much tighter hook set. I caught the second and third fish on back to back cast. My hands were still wet after the second fish and when I set the hook hard on the 3rd the d**n reel nearly slipped out of my hand. That was only a 3lb fish and it felt like I hung a tree on the hook set. When I get the right hook on there I believe I might have found my Senko replacement. ;D

I'm not driving all the way out to Katy after any work day just for hooks. That's my fishing time. I just ordered them online and pay $5 bucks for shipping. It would cost me three times that in gas.

The water right now has a green tone with about a 1 1/2- 2 ft down visibility. I have noticed the water is usually clearer during the colder parts of the year and then gets murky by summer. Maybe because all the rain we get here in Houston during the warmer months? I picked up the 50lb Power Pro braid in Moss Green color. It said the 50lb was the same size diameter of 12lb mono. I had used 10, 12, & 14lb mono on the Citica and preferred the 12lb, so I went with the equivalent size 50lb braid. Gander didn't have the hooks I linked above so I will order them from BPS. I will try the braid and report back. Thanks for all of your help

I'm going to pick up some 50lb Power Pro braid on my lunch hour. As far as an easy straight shank set up, do you think this would do the trick? http://www.basspro.com/Gamakatsu-Heavy-Cover-Worm-Hooks-with-Wire-Keeper/product/10210189/-1741303

I'm fishing in a private 25 acre pond/lake daily. These fish tend to stay within 15 feet of the bank(2-6ft of water). Last year I used Senkos for numbers this time of year and I killed em. I just hate spending more on Senkos per day then I do on Bud Light and smokes ;D. They just tear too d**n easy. I have the wacky tool and O rings but looking for a more cost effective yet plastic. I caught somewhere around 1,000 bass last year. This plastic seems to get me close to the same bite as a senko at close to half the price. I was just shocked at how many were getting off this past week.

Sufix Performance Braid This one looks real popular on Bass Pro. I see it jumps from 10 to 20lb. Would this be a good choice of braid for this setup. Also 10 or 20lb? 8-9lb bass max this small lake out.

I just got this rod about 2 weeks ago from academy. I could probably exchange it still. There is not an upgrade at this academy available in the Falcon line above the original. Would a 7' MH or M be better? Also I have never used braid or floro. Which brand and model would work best with this setup? Do they cast as far or farther then mono? Thanks for your help guys.

New Shimano Citica(6:3:1) Falcon Original 6' 6" MH FC-5-166 Herm Trilene XL Smooth Casting 12lb I hear you on having to reel fast. I had a low gear ratio spinning rod out there as well. I learned that lesson fast and put it down.

I tried these out this past week and caught 25-30 bass. I originally bought 2 packs of the baby's and 2 packs of the regulars. I had good success getting bit on the regulars from the start(went back and got about 10 more packs). I haven't gave the baby's much of a chance(maybe 20 minutes). The bite has been great on the regular size but I am losing a lot of fish. I'd say half of what gets hooked gets off, not to mention the biggest one also. I started off using Gamo EWG 3/0's texas rigged and then switched to 5/0's. The 5/0's seem to do a little better but d**n. Is this a common issue with the regular size brush hogs? Do I just need to try to jerk the lips off when setting the hook or what?

I just pulled my boat out of the water to make a slight angle adjustment to the transducer. I checked it for water and not a drop has got in. The transom transducer mount has been submerged for six days. Looks like it will be good to go.

Hey Dean you might want to try sending these guys an email. They say there seat tracks/frames fit other models and to contact them for the info. I think it will work and they are $40. I'm sure they can verify by email or phone if they are compatible with the Raider. I cant post a link so just google "bass hunter boat seat tracks".

This? If so go to the pelican paddle boat website(not pelican sport). Click on your boat/parts/highlight boat and click go to parts.

Thanks for the welcomes! I'm getting pumped. A few days of warm weather here and 6 bass in 30 minutes this evening. Tis the season to catchin alot of bass and pissin off the wife! ;D

Dman I just put it in the water last night for the first time since mounting the transducer. Everything worked great. Mine will be in the water 24/7 on the pond behind my house. I will give it a week or so and check it for water and report back. One thing I really liked was the Hummingbird portable battery was smaller then I thought and it fits nicely in the top compartment right next to where I mounted the fish finder. The battery is maybe 6" L x 3" W x 4" H.

A few more...

I put my transducer on the back right pontoon on my 8(used 3m 4200). I have the trolling motor in the back. I put the fish finder up in the front/right. The fish finder will run off of the small hummingbird portable battery, while the trolling motor will run off a deep-cycle. I didn't want wires all over the floor of the boat so I ran them under the side railing with 1/4" nylon wire clips. The transducer wire was going to be too long for me since I didn't want any slack. Once I got the wire half way around the boat I just laid the wire along the railing all the way up to the fish finder mount. I had 5 more feet then I wanted so I doubled up the wire 30" and used 3/8" clips here to allow all three wires to fit inside one clip. I did make one change after I took these pictures. I adjusted where I brought the cable on top of the side railing in the front inside the U shaped indention. This way I wont bust the cable if the front of the boat hits something.

I was planning on mounting my transducer on the same location this weekend on my raider 8. The guy at the marine store told me to use the 3M 4200 sealant. I bought that and put the boat in the garage to work on but now I'm having second thoughts about putting 3 screws through the transom. It just seems a little thin and I'm worried about it just stripping out. The transom will push in a little without much effort. Mine is a 2002 so I don't know how much they have changed them. Have you had any leaking problems so far? Also, I was wondering what ways you guys have run the transom wire under/over the side railing. I was wanting to put the fish finder up in the front and the transducer in the back. I have a separate small battery I can put up front to run the fish finder. My trolling motor is in the back.

Hey whats up. Ive been hooked on fishing since my Dad started my out of perch fishing at 4. I'm 30 now and addicted as hell. Kona Blue Marlin is defiantly my preferred fish of choice but due to lack of funds I mainly bass fish. I fish on a 7 acre private neighborhood lake almost daily(8-10 foot deep). I'm about the only one that fishes it out of about 75 homes that have access to it. The biggest bass so far in the two years I've been here is 7lbs post spawn. My goal this year is to catch one topping 8 hopefully pre spawn. I'm giving swimbaits a shot this year. I hate the price but Ill give it a go. The lake has bluegill, perch, shad, & fathead minnows. I'm going to give the 4" BBZ slow & fast sinkers a try. I bought a cheep H20 swimbait first and landed a 5lb bass on the first time out that made me a believer. I look forward to learning and sharing with you guys. Glad to be here!