rangerjockey

The best thing to do is try it for yourself and see if you like it. A spool of line is a small expenditure in this sport. Like rods, reels and women, sometimes you just have to make a decision that works best for you.

Yes it's fair. If memory serves, the green rods became an option a couple years after the initial launch of NRX. People argued that the painted blanks were less sensitive than the unpainted/blue wraps but personally I could never tell the difference but they never were all that popular. There was an issue with the fore grips splitting back around that time but it would have happened by now. A used NRX of that vintage will still bring north of $ 300.

That’s fine if that’s how you desire to fish. I wouldn’t paddle a canoe on Table Rock

I've only had one tin boat but in general the most important thing with any bass boat is how it actually fishes. Try out any boat you're considering on the trolling motor and see how well it tracks and how stable it is. Keep in mind that wind and boat traffic can change things. Also, check how well you fit on the front deck, and if you use a front seat or butt seat, see how much room it leaves you to walk between it and the gunwale. If you have to squeeze every time you deploy or pick up the trolling motor it get's old fast. They look bigger on the showroom floor than on the lake. As was said, you will never say I wish I had bought a slower and smaller boat

No , I use a medium or medium heavy fast even a heavy on the 130 plopper. Personally ,when I get one hooked I start cranking and don't stop. I think they throw more baits because of slack line than the line itself. I like to throw top water around sunken brush piles and pole timber so the last thing I want is the fish getting back there. They should get on the plopper/choppo in a few weeks . Of course your never going to have a 100 % landing percentage on anything regardless of the bait or line.

An ounce weight would be pushing it but if your not worried about the cost I'd look at the Steeze BC2 or an NRX 894

What does the bobber stop do ?

$ 641 per year. Don't know what I was thinking of.

Now you have me wondering. I'll check with my agent

I'm afraid to add it up. In my case a lease a yearly slip at the marina. That's $ 1700 and goes up every year. The lift I also lease for $ 980 per year. Fuel is $150 to fill it up but I don't run very far anymore so that lasts a couple months. My insurance runs about $ 100 a month Be sure you have enough to cover the contents of the boat. When I lost the Triton in the Tornado last year I had taken out an additional $10,000 for Tackle and contents and topped it out easily. I think in my case with Am Fam the standard coverage would have been $ 3000 . They make a distention between what's attached to the boat like graphs and the trolling motor and contents . You want to have that conversation with your agent.

I used to fish them a bunch. I don't have many in the boat anymore but they are a good rod. I'm not sure they have kept up with some others in the industry. They have some great actions , The weightless worm was designed to be a floatin' worm rod but it does other stuff great. Personally I think it's the best stickbait (jerkbait) rod they make.

I can't see a reason not to use braid on a topwater rod. If it fouls just add 6 or 8 inches of mono or flouro leader. Most likely it comes from overworking the bait vs the braid itself. Back in the day working a spook was an art ,especially when Heddon kept moving the line ties around. I never liked the tie under the chin and used to unscrew it and put it in the nose then epoxy the hole shut. Today baits like the sexy dawg are so easy to walk my youngest grandson does it with ease.

Falcon weightless worm or Loomis 802 TWR. Really, anything that will cast it will work. Whatever you would use for a smaller topwater or jerkbait.

The motel that he owned on Table Rock is right across the road from me. When everybody copied the salt impregnation deal he came up with he sued a bunch of them. Unfortunately he didn't live long enough to collect but his wife did. She passed a few years back. The Salt Craw was the deal .

If you replace the skirt with a toad they become much easier to throw and plane better also.

Back when the Jelly worm came out the only real competition in that market was flip tail. I have a picture somewhere of me at the Mann's factory in Eufaula with my Dad. They had a tackle shop there and you could buy jelly worms in bulk. They were all loose and you just grabbed a hand full. The smell in that place was incredible. That was before Gena Larew came up with the salt process and that pretty much changed the game.

If I had to choose between those 2 I'd go with strike king. Mike Russell designs the paint schemes and he is a really talented guy for the price you get a custom look. Rapala seems to be more popular up north but I personally never got over them ruining the wiggle wart. The Spro RK crawler is a great mid depth choice as is the old LC 1.5 DD , you can still find them on the action sites but they bring a premium.

Fish will bend them and some just don't run out of the package. Bend the top wire with the blade to one side or the other. Kinda like the line tie on a crankbait.

I wouldn't bother with it this time of year around here but spring and fall for sure. I think the plopper craze a few years back moved some away from it me included but I still love throwing it

Of those 2, the Tatula.

I have the plano edge. It's fine in the boat but too big to carry around. I will say the thing went through a tornado and was submerged with the boat for 12 hours and I'm still using it and the spinnerbaits and buzzbaits that were in it.

I never throw a lipless bait so I can't speak to that. For 1.5 squarebills and 2 hook topwaters like the chug bug I would go with a medium fast in the length of your choosing. I personally use a Loomis 802 and a witch doctor surman 6ft 6.

Me personally ?, no. I can tell the difference between a rock and a bass or a bass and a bluegill.

Don't get too obsessed with sensitivity. Any of those rods will catch the same fish. It comes down to technique and presentation and of course finding fish. There are plenty of guys making a living with rods I personally wouldn't use for a tomato stake but they catch 'em because they are great fisherman not great rod buyers.

Honestly if you're looking to get into tournament fishing these days with FFS I'd buy 3 or 4 decent spinning rods. The Tatula elite would be a good choice.