Tim Kelly

I don't get many chances to fish punch rigs, but had some fun with them in the summer. Looking at the general punching info on the net it seems common to use bobber stops to peg the weight and a snell knot for the hook. What troubled me about this was that the moving weight and snelled hook make the bait hang at an unnatural angle. I used a peg-it inside the weight and a standard palomar knot on the hook. With my version it seemed to me that you could leave the pegged weight a couple of sixteenths away from the hook, so it didn't interfere with it and it hung straight. Seemed to work fine for me, and I'm probably way overthinking it, but does everyone else punch with a snelled hook and a bobber stop on the line?

I really like Sea Robins, or gurnard as we call them. firm white dense flesh. Not much meat on them, but I really enjoy the ones I eat. Impressed that you had such a tussle from a 12" fish!

It's just like switching from mono to braid or any other alteration in the way you've previously operated. You just have to learn the little wrinkles that you need to change to adapt. Hardly impossible to keep them out of the sun and away from other plastics. They have properties that are worthwhile in some situations. Don't understand the attitude of throwing the whole deal out rather than adapting slightly to suit a new material.

I've had zinkers stick together if the pack's been left out in the sun on the boat deck before. They go a little sticky and adhere to each other, but can be pulled apart and still fish fine. I just make a point of leaving them out of the direct sun now.

In Germany they made the mistake of electing a few Green party representatives into power. Only a few, but due to the way the political system works it gave them some power. They managed to get through legislation that meant that people wanting to fish had to pass a test to get a license first, and then they were obliged to kill any fish they caught as to catch them and return them was just inflicting cruelty to animals for fun. Politicians are staggeringly stupid, but then so are the people who put them in power most of the time. Hopefully these daft laws you now have in California will be roundly ignored by both the anglers and the authorities. It seems to be the only way the real people can exist in a world confused by politicians.

If that power pole is dragging in the water that won't be helping you. Might need to raise it up a bit. Looks like a lot of boat to get really planing well with a 20hp.

Love drum. Great fun fish to catch. Tubes, craws, cranks, they love 'em!

Thanks for that. Just checked the honda website and the 200 is around 100lb heavier than the 4 cyl verado or the opti.

Ha! Touche

The only slight problem with the boat is the engine choice. Verados can be expensive to maintain and Optis are loud. A 200 non supercharged 4 stroke would be my ideal choice, but not available unless you can get a lund without a mercury somewhere?

"When can I expect delivery?"

Love the black version. No more struggling to put the co angler's tackle somewhere, plenty of room on the cockpit floor for their bags. Perfect.

I like 12lb CXX for anything with trebles. Might try some 10lb on my deep crank rod, just for a bit more depth.

I have the same blank, spiral wrapped, matched with an Avail spooled Morrum SX. My favourite BFS combo.

Definitely no line or hair or anything caught up behind the rotor or one the main spool shaft? Sounds like there's something gradually wrapping itself tight stopping it turning freely.

Get a swimbait shad you like and pinch off the tail.

Those green owners are down right evil. They're often a mission to get out of the fish's mouth as they stick in there so well.

Turn the brakes up and the tension down. If you can cast baitcasting gear you shouldn't need to have any extra tension on the tension knob. Fluoro is more tricky, but if you click a couple of extra brake blocks on it should tame pretty much any cast.

You could always paint and epoxy the heads if you want to pretty them up. Those pewter heads are going to be big.

I never bother painting my jig heads. How do you bismuth/tin heads run for weight? I'd guess that they are about one size bigger for the same weight? 1/4oz head in a 3/8 cavity?

Fantastic. Very envious!

I've probably had 6 or 7 different sonar units over the years. All of them have fogged up occasionally.

Agreed, but the shroomz jigs have a forged looking hook and it isn't keen on being bent, but prefers to snap. I broke one that had bent out a bit bending it back to shape. My home pours with VMC aberdeen hooks can be bent back into shape a lot of times before they need retiring. I wouldn't be surprised if the act of welding the spike onto the shroomz hook spoils the temper of the hook and makes them brittle.

Yep. I got a pack and snapped the hook at the bend. Gone back to using my home poured heads with a number 2 VMC hook and superglueing the baits on.

I think the ALPS seat is similar. Looks like it's cut out but actually it just has a silver tube inside.