Tim Kelly

I have a weakness for jerkbaits and lipless baits. I barely throw crankbaits so can walk past isles of them without flinching, but the shiny rattly isles get me every time. 110jr +1 is probably what I have most faith in, but all the megabass are good, from the x70 to the Bigger 110s, they're all beautifully made and painted, but then so are my other fav brand OSP. Rudra is a naughty bait and Veruna a slightly smaller version. Duo make some great baits too. LC pointers seem to catch when others don't, so they're mandatory too. KVD 300 work, but you have to whack them like a demented woodpecker to get them to move like the more expensive baits. Stunna, meh, Rapala, Meh. Both get thrown when the cover looks particularly knarly, or pikey, but never first choices. Spinning rod for the win, BTW 😉

I don't know whether you're that far away with what you have. The Lowe website says the 178 is rated to 115hp and it looks like a very wide boat, so you might be struggling for much more speed. Probably worth getting vessel view as I wonder if your tach is a bit off. Motor height might be something to play with too, but I think you need to be sure of your RPMs before doing anything much to it as the motor should go up to 6000rpm I believe and if your tach is reading correctly you would want to go down in pitch, not up, to get the max RPM to nearer 6000.

What sort of boat is it? Do you have vessel view, or similar to confirm that the rev counter is accurate?

Not sure what closing the boat launch is supposed to achieve? Is there something particularly vulnerable in Camanche?

Ott Defoe has a good video on tying braid loops instead of using split rings. Very easy to do and ideal on baits that are difficult to get small enough split rings onto the lure to stop the hooks tangling as you can control the loop size very accurately.

Love my 12 footer!

My little boat, the mighty Labbos (Like A Bass Boat Only Smaller), 12ft, 20hp tiller good for about 20mph with two people and a small annoying dog. Works for me. 😄

I went to see him in London last year. Amazing musician. His set was one of his more prog rocky ones, which I don't prefer to his more classic bluegrass style, but it was a virtuoso night. Saw Molly Tuttle too, who is also extraordinarily talented.

No idea, you can set your own rules! I love using my Daiwa Presso AGS XUL with a 2000 reel and 2.1lb polyester line. Caught fish up to about 4 or 5lb on it, including a couple of mad seatrout. Wild ride in the river current, but surprising how big a fish you can land on light gear, as long as it's balanced.

Wonderful

The most important step in tying an FG is, after you've made the wraps and done a half hitch, pulling the braid and the leader really really hard. You should see the braid change colour when it seats properly. After that, trim the fluoro, do a couple more half hitches and the Risutto(?) finish and you should be good. If the knot seats properly when you're pulling it, it should never slip. The half hitches are just to stop the knot unravelling and have no strength function.

Thinking of you.

As long as the fuel line is the right diameter I doubt it matters much, but I would buy a branded bulb, rather than a generic cheapest one, just in the hope that they are actually better.

Could be the bulb, they have a non return valve built in I believe and that could be sticking. I think the fuel pick up is lower on the list of possibilities. Personally I'd start with a new fuel line and bulb.

I really like Molly Tuttle's version of "Standing on the moon". Probably heresy to Deadheads 🫢