Tucson

Wow, a blast from the past. The Mitchell 300 was THE go-to reel in the sixties, along with a fiberglass rod. My brother still likes to pick them up at yard sales. If you A/B them with a modern reel though, they fall a little short.

Made this tensioner for loading my reels. Adjustable spring pressure to dial in the resistance, works for spinning and casting reels depending on which way you position it. Also a reel unwinder to use on a drill press or electric drill.

You could start an urban legend about the experimental floating/sinking jerk bait that somehow got out of the factory unintentionally. And of course it has magical properties.

I didn't know that a crank will run so much deeper trolling than cast/retrieve. I assume it has to do with the length of line involved. Surprised to learn that Traps don't run as deep as I thought.

Good for you! I just started seriously fishing drop shot rigs and made out real well.

Thanks for the good information. I'm a little better prepared now.

When trolling Traps I don't know how deep they are running. I assume you can do a countdown before you start trolling but will it stay at that depth? I usually troll them at just under 2 mph. How does trolling speed affect the running depth?

My biggest gripe on this topic are the young women in Brazilian bikinis who keep stopping by and asking questions, asking me to rub tanning oil on them etc. It's especially annoying when the bend over a lot and bring their girlfriends then giggle and shriek at one another while trying on their high heels. I just can't get away fast enough, it's like "c'mon girls, I'm trying to fish here".

Actually, I have had similar thoughts. To you it's a fishing line, to the bass it's a tractor beam. Two completely alien species interacting. After I release a fish I think "now he's got a good story for the boys".

Been there - While fishing in Florida I got a big hit on a Senko. Took off on the fastest run I've ever experienced, completely out of control. It stopped about 75 feet away, my Senko was released and I saw a big fat alligator rise up. Real glad I lost it.

Done them both. Someday I'll learn to check the kill switch before I tear into the motor.

Just got back from Lake Havasu, 5-day trip. Might be the last trip of the spring season, they've closed down all the National Forest Campgrounds & ramps at Roosevelt Lake so that's no longer an option. Rats.

That's a new one on me, like the price stickers though!

Posted this earlier on General Bass Fishing before I saw this thread. Sorry Glen Not my original idea, stole the concept from another fishing site but it's a real game changer. Such a simple solution why didn't I think of it on my own. If you trim your dividers about 1/2" or so you can double the number of lures you're storing. Here's a couple of pics: One showing how much I trimmed off. This 3700 box was completely full before I modified it.

Reposted in the Fishing Tackle Forum

I have to drive 160 miles to Roosevelt lake from Tucson AZ. Alternative: 300 miles to Havasu. Naturally, you have to make it a several day event, bring your camping gear, food etc. One does not casually fish for bass here, takes a commitment.

Do a youtube search for Lefty Kreh, he's a master of the sport. personal note: your fly fishing reel is just something to hold excess line, the purity of fly fishing is working the line with one hand and holding your rod with the other. Please don't use the fly reel like a baitcaster! Have fun, wish more people used fly fishing techniques for bass. A bit of a learning curve but well worth the effort.

Interesting piece of hardware. Pretty sure it just splices in behind your pump, there is a little arrow showing direction of flow, you'll want to point that arrow to the outflow side.

This actually goes back to biblical times.......gotta be some truth in it. I once read a meteorological perspective on this which presented the facts behind the saying. Of course, I forgot the details in a few microseconds but it is scientifically valid.

Nice looking posse! Nice looking posse!

This is good to know, never certain which was better for them.

I always struggle to hit the sweet spot on my trolling motor button. Frustrating to mash down the button a half-dozen times before it starts to activate. So I found this metal disk at a steel supply place. It's designed to use as a candle holder bottom. I filed 4 grooves on the edges to clear the motor button supports then glued it on top of the original button with some Shoe-Goo adhesive. It has a higher arc than the factory button has so it's a lot easier to find with my foot and activate. Here's some pics:

These were my go-to baits for many years. I've recently started using them again but for me they absolutely require a swivel to attenuate the line twist.

The typical blades on these definitely will buzz your rod & line. If you use one with Colorado blades it will really wake you up. I guess that's why they use the Colorado spinners when night fishing.

Happened to me once, 4-strokes are really quiet so you don't get much warning. Had the impeller/pump replaced, it was in pretty bad shape after running maybe 2-3 minutes. Decided to try replacing it myself once (Yamaha 60). The process went very well, amazing easy to do. Now I can save myself a few hundred bucks by doing it myself as preventive maintenance.