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approximately how big is a typical back-of-the-deck storage box on an 18-21 ft? Triton says 168qt, others say 7 plano 3700 boxes...

I like that idea of carrying plastics separate from the tackle bag! I think I'm actually sending my reels to DVT for a cleaning this year! I'll pm you when I'm ready. Thanks.

Thanks, Tom. You're right - I do need to bring less gear. I have always brought more gear than is needed. I've been getting better, but it's not like flippin' a switch. The fact that I'm willing to buy a smaller bag is a step in the right direction for me. It's a work in progress.

I've been fishing out of the back of the boat for a few years with my monster Flambeau Az8 tackle bag. It's been great for a guy who feels confident when he brings his entire arsenal. Now that I have my own boat, I'm looking to downsize my tackle bag for when I fish a team trail with my buddy in his boat. Going back and forth between prepping for a tournament in my boat, versus fishing the team trail with my buddy's boat can be a pain. I want to keep using my size 3700 boxes, so the bag needs to accommodate that size. My Flambeau Az8 would never fit into the co-angler storage compartment on the back deck. I would ride with it underneath my knees and I know I've probably ticked some boaters off over the years with this monstrous bag. So, the new bag must fit in the back storage compartment of a normal 18-21ft bass boat ( I know they differ in size, but generally speaking). Any suggestions based on experience?

Just because I hardly use a lipless crank, doesn't mean I'm new to fishing. I must have worded it wrong, then. Anyways, thanks for the input. I heard duo realis has a nice lipless crank that's thinner on the top - comes through grass easier. Braid is a given. I hesitate using braid with a crank, for fear of ripping it out of the fishes mouth on hook set, but I've heard of people using it. Might be time to give it a try. Thanks.

sorry man. But I take offense to the " are you new to fishing " comment. When they have lockjaw and the flipping bite is off - ripping a bait off the outside edge is a presentation worth using. Chatter bait and spinnerbait (along with the swim jig) are given, but I was curious as to what others use Thanks for your input.

All I'm asking is for some different baits that you prefer when you're rippin a bait out of the grass to get a reaction bite. I mentioned what I use and I also mentioned a lipless crank. I'm not looking for what the bass on your home lake are doing at this time. If you say "I'm not meaning to sound like a jerk", you sound like a jerk.

I had a tough tourney recently. I think, listening from others who did okay, ripping the bait from grass and getting a reaction strike was the key. I usually use a 1/4 oz. spinnerbait with 1 willow-leaf blade tied on with braid plus FC leader, but it only got a few bites during my tough tourney. I RARELY use a lipless crank, but I'm thinkin' I should have. Any other suggestions for this technique of ripping it from grass? Thanks.

So, I think the blue arrow on the last screenshot means the current speed is decreasing, while a red arrow indicates that the current speed is increasing. A rise above the middle line on the last screenshot refers to 1 high-tide period where the peak is the fastest current speed during that high-tide. A curve below the middle line is a low-tide period - the lowest of which is the fastest current speed for that low-tide. I think I figured it out on my own, but it's still confusing.

I'm trying to understand how to properly read tidal information provided by my Navionics iPhone app. I know how to access the tidal information, I just can't read it properly. When I click on a tidal icon on the navionics app, tidal information pops up at the bottom of the screen. However, if I were to click anywhere else on the river (Connecticut River - Haddam), a different illustration shows up at the bottom of the screen. Why are there two different illustrations used to get tidal information? In the 2nd picture (directly above), I see a downward facing arrow that's blue. Does the blue color indicate that it's an incoming or flood tide? Because, from what I know about reading a tide graph with peaks and valleys, is that a peak would be max flood (or incoming) and the valley is dead low. This doesn't seem to be the case when I look at this illustration. When I click "details" it tells me that 5:54 pm is "ebb" at .74 mph. And that slack is at 9:45 pm. When I put the crosshair exactly on the straight horizontal line, it's at 9:45pm. The arrow color then switches to red and the direction of the arrow points up as seen here: Is this tidal illustration measuring the velocity of the current with peaks and valleys? When I move the crosshairs to the absolute peak or valley, the current speed is at it's maximum, however the color of the arrow (NOT THE DIRECTION OF THE ARROW) switches from red to blue as seen here: I don't understand why the color but not the direction of the arrow changes at the peaks and valleys. Could anybody help me out, because I had trouble figuring this out from navionics help pages. Thanks.

I'm looking for an ideal set-up for throwing a wacky-rig. Everyone has their own special mod; I'm curious if anyone has ever experimented with hook orientation. Has anyone noticed if there's a better hook-up ratio with the hook perpendicular to the worm instead of parallel? Any fans of the Wacky Saddle or Never Slip bait tape? What size / brand of hook? I've tried thin metal weed guards, but I've lost fish with these. Has anyone else had this problem? I've even bought wacky-rig hooks with mono-line weed guards (the line was too thick and still caught a lot of grass.

Thanks for the replies! I'll let you know how it goes once I make a decision.

I'm looking for some feedback from those of you who have a face/neck gaiter for sun (and wind) protection. I'd like to be able to wear it over my nose when needed AND cover my neck (maybe up to the crown of my head the way most of the pros wear them. I figure they know best about coverage for sun protection. The gaiters all look pretty similar - is there one brand/item that has advantages over the others? Thanks.

It could also be my leader knot hitting the large guide slowing down the front of the line while the line behind the knot goes forward. I use the alberto knot which is extremely tiny and very efficient - A few days ago , I brought in a 25 plus pound carb I foul hooked on 15lb braid with a FC (8lb) leader connected with an alberto knot.

All my reels are Stradic 2500's

On a few occasions I have had my thin braid double-up or catch the large guide while casting with my spinning rod. Any tips for avoiding this problem? It's a pain to get out sometimes, and I'm sure it's not good for the integrity of the line. I use 12-16 lb Braid with a Fluorocarbon leader (6-8lb test) alberto knot

Thanks guys. And thanks for the detailed response A-Jay. It made me think about how the type of line plays an important role. Based on what I have in the rod locker (no money right now for a new rod) I think I'm going to use my dobyns savvy 734c mm with 16 # FC and my St. croix tournament 70mf teaser rod with 30 # BR

In terms of hookset, I've always viewed the chatterbait and spinnerbait as similar. They both have a good hefty hook (with possible trailer hook) that needs a strong hook set to get that hook through the mouth. Most spinnerbait rods are Medium Heavy Fast. So wouldn't you want the action in your rod for a chatterbait to be the same? Brett Hite and some of his followers are doing something different with their bladed-jig set up. He and others prefer a rod with strong backbone, but a more forgiving tip - Medium Heavy, Moderate Fast or even Moderate. I'm just looking to see what other people think about this and if they have different rod actions for Spinnerbait and chatterbait. Thanks.

1 for, 1 against. Looks like I'll show up to my tourney and let the rest of my club decide

Backed it too far into my garage. Will this damage affect my steering? Should I take it off?

Thanks. How much do these cables usually go for? Installation will probably be a pain too, huh

Bass Tracker 1800TF - Fiberglass (1989) with a Mercury xr4 Magnum II 150 hp outboard. It's an old boat, and I'm new to boat ownership. It's really tough to steer and I'd like to make it at least a little easier to steer without buying a new cable (can't afford it right now). Where do I lubricate the cable and what lubricant should I use? Thanks.

Awesome. Thanks so much. If I wasn't so strapped for cash, I would definitely send my reels to DVT. Thanks again.

I'm about to start doing my yearly maintenance on my curados (201e7). I use a youtube video series from a SHIMANO reel maintenance worker. It's a 3 part, 30 minute video that takes you through cleaning and maintaining a curado D, I believe. It's been helpful. However, after I clean and reassemble, I hear a clicking noise when rotating the handle (reeling line in). I think this part is the culprit: By the way, that's a citica only because I don't have pictures of the curado disassembled. Has anyone else had this problem? What can I do to fix the clicking noise? Thanks.

Is there an updated article / crash course on the typical electronic set-ups and how they function ?