rboat

It is the entire base plate, it sticks up too high and is a trip hazard. I will look for a metal fabrication shop nearby.

I may have to try that. I am just not sure I have the tools needed to get the shape correct. I would need to cut it out and then file it smooth and then drill out the holes. Might be possible.

I want to remove one of the pedestal base plates on my boat. It is in a strange place and I sometimes even trip on it. Does anyone know if I can just buy a flat plate with no holes that would look good and just screw in to the existing area and holes? My pedestal plate is a raised square, rough texture, 7" x 7" with 3 screws on 2 opposite sides of the square that hold it down. I have checked on Amazon and West Marine, but can't find anything. I would think someone would have made this, just for this purpose. Thank You.

As a follow up to Ol' crickety's thread. Name top 5 dislikes about the sport we all love. 1. Idiots at the boat ramp. (Don't know what they are doing and take forever as they hog the ramp like they are the only ones on earth.) I load and unload by myself and never take more than 5 minutes. 2. Idiots on the water. (Pleasure boats and jet skis who have the whole lake but prefer to be right near the guy who wants to be quiet and alone while fishing.) 3. Cost. inflation on the price of gear, fuel, and insurance is out of control. 4. Wind. some may like it, but not this guy. Fishing when it is windy becomes a hassle quickly. 5. Traffic. Drivers need to be aware of people pulling a trailer. We cannot accelerate or stop quickly. Most do not understand this. Still love the sport!

If the weeds are thick, It is usually best to stay on top or punch through. Trying to rip something through is possible, but you will catch more salad than fish. On top try a frog, floating worm or lizard, a fluke or any t-rigged soft plastic you can swim over the weeds. Punch through to bottom with a t-rigged creature that has few appendages that may catch on weeds, like a beaver style bait. Good luck, let us know what worked for you.

Dislike: A-rig, feels like I am chucking the kitchen sink at them. Can't Stand: Drop shot - 😴 - snooze fest. Doesn't work: Jigs, Can't get a strike. I think our lakes have too much crap on the bottom and the jig hides in the crap.

That first one is a Hubs Chub Rattalure in frog color. The earlier ones were made by other manufacturers.

If you only town in city driving at slow speeds, probably not needed. If you hit any highway speed, have them balanced. Think about it, those trailer tires are spinning just as fast as your tow vehicle, and often times making even more revolutions if they are smaller. Personally, I would have them all balanced. As said earlier, it is normally included in the mounting price anyhow.

In general, they have all been really nice. The ones in boats may pull up, check your license, ask how the fishing is and then go on their way. I believe they are most interested in DUI. They like to see what you are drinking, since it is bottled water or soda with me. They leave quickly. Of course like any job there is always a bad apple in the bunch. One time after fishing with my son, who was maybe 3 at the time, A warden came up to us at the dock. I believe this dude really wanted to be a cop or military officer someday. I think steroids were his go to and he spent 8 days a week in the gym. With his chest puffed out , flat top hair cut, and showing his gun and badge to everyone, he proceeded to rifle through every compartment on my boat. Like me and my son were running heroin across the lake or something. He checked off every piece of safety equipment, license, and anything else. My son had a life vest on, as always, and I had a throwable seat cushion beside me. I had already put my inflatable vest in the compartment for the ride home. Big mistake, fined me $50 because it needed to be out and accessible. The jerk scared the crap out of my son, he probably thought it was a real live stormtrooper. Anyhow, I believe that is why my son gave up fishing to this day. That was the only bad experience in 50 years. I did report the guy for being rude, but never heard anything.

The old school original lure. A regular texas rigged straight tail worm. I have a bunch, but just do not use them. If I fish a worm it is a senko style or a curly tail swimming worm. Kinda strange how you drift away from methods you relied on years ago.

More lures than I could fish in three lifetimes. I still buy more. I call it a collection and it makes me feel better. I store all hard lures in 3700 boxes and soft plastics in their original packages in large plano type boxes that have no dividers. It is truly a sickness. I am waiting for a shrink to come up with a cool scientific name for it. That way I can tell my wife I have a real medical condition.😂

If you like catching big toothy critters (Northern Pike), troll that perch colored lazy ike around the lake and you will catch a bunch of them.

This bass gear buying truly is an illness and it gets passed around faster than covid, rsv, and the flu combined.

Anyone know what happened to @avid? he always had some great fishing tips and some humorous insight.

If you did not get an email, it may be because you are using a vpn. Shut off your vpn and then try again. I did and got the 20% link instantly. Good luck.

Tim Hughes does awesome paint jobs, whatever you want. I don't remember the cost, but I was extremely happy.

Still waiting for an email.

I used to take almost everything, now I have down sized to about half the lures. That is always difficult, because you tell yourself, "I may need that someday out on the water." You know you most likely will not. Still trying to cut down, but with new lures and presentations each year, the struggle is real. Normally I use what is already tied on to 5 rods. 😕 1. spinnerbait/chatterbait 2. jerkbait 3. senko 4. soft swimbait 5. fluke I am committed to cutting my arsenal in half again this winter, wish me luck. 😬 I am in the group who struggles with jigs. No confidence, and the bottom structure here is very soft mud, so bottom lures quickly disappear.

1. I learned, there is no such thing as too many lures, rods, reels, etc. 2. People on here are share good fishing tips, compared to the guy at the ramp, that will not share. 3. BR shows me that there is still good people in the world. 4. Fishing line and reel companies are very passionate for some. 5. Bass fishing is supposed to be fun, so relax and make another cast, you never know how many casts you have left.

When I was a kid we lived in Northern Minn. My dad had several Lazy Ike lures in his tackle box. We were usually after bass or panfish, if we blanked, out came the Lazy Ike and we would troll for big pike. The lazy Ikes were perch colored and big pike love to eat perch. Normally caught at least a couple of big ones with many of the small hammer handles mixed in. Good memories. I don't ever remember catching a bass on one.

Thanks Capt. Phil, I will give that a try.

I have some soft plastic baits that have been in plano boxes and have dried out a bit. Does anyone have a good way to refresh soft plastics? I was thinking of putting them in a plastic bag and adding some type of non scented oil or something. I have learned my lesson and now keep my soft plastics in their original bags. Thanks.

What baits do you find to be most productive with the core tackle hover rig or core tackle tush weighted hooks. Thanks.

2 to 4 minutes out of water is way too long. 30 seconds to 1 minute tops, especially if temps are on the warmer side. Keep your camera at the ready for that memory, but unhook, snap photo, release.

I have a few saltwater lures that I use for bass. I have caught fish on them, but wonder if I should change the Saltwater treble hooks out? They are the gray heavy duty type trebles seen on SW lures. If I change them out, would the weight or action of the lure change much? I am thinking I could change them for Owners or Gammis and then maybe add a suspend strip to compensate for the lighter hooks? Anyone try this?