RoLo

Reminds me of the Heddon Crazy Crawler Roger

"Gone Fishin" is a catchy jingle, but I also get a boot out of Roland's theme song: "He's a great American Fisherman, he'll fish anywhere, Anywhere there's water, Lord knows he'll be there." Roger

I grew up with heavy, mushy fiberglass rods, so I've pretty much had my belly-full of those rascals. The last time I used fiberglass blanks was bluewater fishing for shark and tuna. But it's not uncommon for those animals to explode a high-modulus graphite blank, so E-glass was the coastal favorite. That said, the desired cushion can be provided without conceding to a fiberglass or composite blank. Shock absorption & speed dampening can also be achieved with a medium power rod, moderate-fast tip &/or monofilament line. Roger

My overall favorite spinning reel is the "Shimano Stradic" (they run abreast with my Stellas). Roger

Based on your opening post, you're no stranger to fishing and didn't leave many openings With regard to Hildebrandt spinner blades, they market all 3 styles but they use their own names. Hildebrandt refers to 'Willow-leaf' as "Slim", 'Indiana' as "Standard" and 'Colorado' as "Idaho". If you're looking for maximum thump than you would switch to a Colorado blade (Hildebrandt Idaho). A curve ball is the Oklahoma blade which is midway between an Indiana blade and Colorado blade. On some spinnerbaits you might want to invert the skirt to give it more billowing action. On some models you can trim long skirts strands close behind the bend-of-the-hook (I do). With respect to buzzbaits, you're idea of seasoning the blade for 'squeak' is a good one. It seems that one buzzbait in the tackle box does all the catching, and all the others are on standby. Roger

Your point is well taken, but the spotted bass may not be the best example. The world-record spot was set by Lewis Smith Lake, Alabama at 8-lb 15-oz in 1978. However, spots transplanted in California have been in an "inhouse" competition as it were, not unlike the largemouth bass saga. I have a strong suspicion that if man never intervened, Lewis Smith Lake might still be holding the spotted bass world record. Roger

Without going into detail (I'd be here forever), I just outlined the 'Pre-Launch' & 'Launch': PRE-LAUNCH > Park the tow-car “Off-Sides” ('off' the ramp and 'off' the approach) > Remove the bow “Safety Line” > Remove “Motor Bracket” (I don’t use one) > Install “Drain Plug” (I never remove mine, but check it anyway) > Remove “Transom Straps” (A Biggy!) > Load “Cargo” into boat (Mount your chartplotter, remember your hat ~ ~ ~) > Attach 25-ft “Bow Line” (Only needed when you’re launching alone) LAUNCH > Back-down to ‘X’ waterline (usually between top of the trailer tires and top of trailer fenders) > Depress “Emergency Brake” > Shift into “Park Gear” > Remove “Winch Hook” > Climb into the boat, don your life vest & attach the Kill switch (Well, that’s the proper procedure anyway > Lower the “Motor Shaft” before turning the ignition! > Hold the boat on windward side of dock while the wife parks the car – All Aboard! Roger

Whatever you do, forget about surf-fishing along South Beach, you'll have a terrible time concentrating on your fishing Roger

Gee I wonder if 'Gopher' is an 'underground' outfit? Roger

Don't be offended, the "dropshot" is technically not a bait, it's a rigging method Roger

That's for sure. You can also forego built-in line holes by throwing a spool noose around the arbor (stop knot & overhand loop). then back-up the braid with any heavy diameter mono you've got laying around.

Shimano Core (discontinued but still available) Roger

Though nylon and fluorocarbon are compressible, braid is virtually incompressible. For this reason, a spool of pure braid is liable to rotate on the spool arbor. This is easily avoided by simply wrapping electrical tape around the arbor, I detest the connection knot between the backing & topping, so I'll often fill the entire spool with braid (good for years) Roger

Every boater has his own launching system, for instance, I break it down into 6 subdivisions: Hitch - Pre-Launch - Launch - Retrieve - Post-Retrieve - Unhitch The whole system is an awful lot to digest in one sitting. To get the most informative replies I'd suggest that you break it into separate posts Roger

In water 8 to 16-ft deep (a key depth zone in reservoirs), I'm sure I'll fish a 'jig & twin-tail grub' and 'T-rigged Ultravibe 7" Magnum Worm' Roger

Welcome to Bass Resource Some years ago, a comprehensive study was performed on fluoro & nylon lines (they're both monofilament). Based on their results, the difference in line-stretch between nylon and fluoro was not material-specific, but depended on the line-brand in question. Some nylon brands stretched more than some fluoro brands, while some fluoro brands stretched more than some nylon brands...Way More! Roger

If I were looking to depart from braid (Fat Chance) I'd go with Sufix Siege copolymer nylon (Sufix Elite on spinning gear). It's shock-absorbent and has great abrasion resistance & knot strength. Roger

Two approaches may be used to calculate the required foot-pounds for an electric motor. Both methods have merit, but neither is gospel because personal preference reigns supreme. METHOD 1 Total Weight = Boat + Motor + Equipment + Passengers + Fuel + Livewell water Optimum Ft/Lb Thrust = Total Weight / 40 METHOD 2 Instead of weight, this method focuses on water-resistance and hinges on hull length. Boat Length Minimum Ft/Lbs 12’ 30 13’ 33 14’ 36 15’ 39 16’ 42 17’ 46 18’ 49 19’ 52 20’ 56 21’ 60 22’ 64 FYI: When a planing hull is powered by an electric motor, it becomes a displacement hull. As a result, greatly overshooting the required thrust adds little or nothing to the boat's top speed. Roger

Sounds more like a hydraulic issue than an electrical issue, but please keep us abreast. Roger

I wouldn't pull the plug on the Berkley Lightning rod just yet. You mentioned that it was 'medium' power and from your description it sounds like 'moderate fast' action. Before you throw in the towel on Berkley, see if Walmart carries a 'fast' action tip, which is not as mushy. In either case, you don't have to worry about blank failure unless you're high-sticking bass over 3 pounds. In the final analysis, it's your baby, so make the decision that you feel most comfortable with Roger

Thank you...I've been looking all over for my Tuna Gaff!

Metanium of course, but a fairer fight would be Metanium vs. Aldebarin Roger

Great fish! Maybe I'm bigoted, but I rank a 5-lb chain pickerel on par with a 10-lb largemouth bass. Roger

That reminds me of the Bass Bugs we used to pitch with a heavy fly rod. They're Killer! Roger

T-rigged 6" black straight-tail worm