moguy1973

I've tried two days to watch some of it. Just doesn't have any pizazz like it used to when you knew most of the anglers. Then the long draw out process they have of the weigh in. Yawn.

I can see needing a leader on a hi-vis main line. I typically use the dark green or black braids so not as much of an issue there.

One benefit of long leaders, is when the knot is in the reel when you are fighting a fish next to the boat that's one less knot you have to worry about. Personally, I'm getting away from leaders as I have not found a benefit of having to tie another line to my braid. My catching rate has not gone down with the type of fishing I do when I go straight braid.

They call that color "Baitfish" http://jig.hu/en/spl/678399/LUCKY-JOHN-CHUNK-TAIL Looks like Lucky John is a Latvian company and everything I'm finding where you can buy them is in eastern Europe. http://luckyjohn.info/products/chunk-tail/

Do you mean their mouths are too small? I've caught smallies as little as 6" with the 4.5" BPS Magnum Flipping Tubes. Those are the only size tubes I ever use for smallmouth and do fine with them.

I would suggest a 4-4.5” tube with a Blue Rock Custom Tackle stupid jig head 1/4-3/8oz with a 3/0 hook. I’m not a fan of small tubes as they tend to get deep hooked.

I have to add one thing here. I know people need their day off here and there. My reasoning why I don’t take an unscheduled sick day to go fishing is because I know people rely on me when I’m and work and nothing makes me more mad at work when I show up at work and someone I’m relying on has taken the day off to go fishing. If it’s a legit reason or a planned absence it’s fine but just to take a day off because you’d rather be fishing, well, get a different job that allows you to do that.

Too much. I have baits I never used simply because I've never caught fish on them and I have no confidence in using them. Anymore I'm using stick worms, some sort of crank bait, a tube, a top water (toad/walk the dog), and a spinner bait. Those are what catch fish for me. Not sure why I take all the other stuff out on the boat with me anymore.

Illinois is just crazy. Not sure why people live in that state. On the Ironton trailers, for kayaks most of the DIY projects involve buying a longer piece of iron stock square tubing that is the same size as the tongue piece that comes with the trailer. I know you said you didn't have much time to mess around with building a custom trailer but that's what they do to make it work.

From what I've seen a paddle tail swimbait on the back of a swim jig will give a similar action to a chatterbait, although much slower wiggle. I'm more of a chatterbait fisherman than a swim jig fisherman though.

Longer morning bite!

The same way Arizona and Indiana and their bordering states do it.

Although looking at Harbor Freight it seems they stopped selling their trailers due to their tires not meeting DOT standards. That stinks.

The DIY kayak trailers I've seen are the Northern tool or Harbor Freight 8x4' trailers they've modified. If I ever do one when mine are too much to load into the truck or whatever I'll get one of those trailers, put sides on it where I can mount roof rack and kayak mounts that I already own to strap the kayak(s) down to. Something like this:

Can't say in the 23 years of professional work I've done that I've ever called in sick so I could go fishing. In the first 15 years of that my vacation and sick days were all in the same so it didn't matter if I planned to take a vacation day or use them for days I was actually sick. In my current job of almost 8 years I get sick days that add to my retirement pension time and I'd rather have that money in my pocket when that time comes. It's easy enough to get a day off with this job plus I get 13 holidays a year paid so there's really no reason to take one off to play hooky so I can fish.

There's a reason why BASS cancelled their 2nd tournament on Chick. The TVA system has been rolling with heavy rains all winter...TVA really aren't lakes, they are just a river with some slow down spots they call dams. Open the spillways and it's a river again. Dangerous stuff for those with equipment that isn't up to par.

I use the Rod Glove brand specifically because they have a rounded tip. This allows it to make it easier to slide into the rod tubes in my rod locker. I’ve tried one of the brands that have the flat tips with the metal eyelets. They seemed to catch on the edge of the tube more. Also one trick I’ve done to all of mine. I noticed when i would pull the rods out of the locker the sleeve would tend to want to slide off stay in the tube. To prevent this I took a short length of nylon string, ran it through the mesh at the end of the sleeve and made a loop just long enough to reach around the handle of the reel. That way when I pull the rod off the sleeve stays with the rod and not in the tube.

Why keep them in packaging? It's not like any mass made lures are going to be worth anything later if you do keep them in the packaging? I take mine out as soon as I get them home and on the boat. If I don't take them out then I have the packaging laying around in the boat when would open them when I'm out fishing. I don't like trash in the boat.

I found this out when I installed my Minn Kota. Got about halfway down the bolt and the threads fouled like all get out. Had to end up using a cut off wheel on a Dremel to get them out. Ended up getting different bolts and used some locking washers and the nuts off the rubber well nuts from the MG mount that came with the boat.

Check out the navionics webapp. It has bottom contours of Potholes Reservoir. That will give you an idea of where structure is and give you places to start.

There are screws embedded in the carpeting on that sloped panel. I'm thinking there are 8 total. 4 across the top and 4 across the bottom. Then that panel should lift out and you should have access to the under side where the TM is mounted. I had the same issue on mine. They use rubber well nuts to hold the TM mount onto the boat and that's why they are spinning. You'll need a pair of vice grips to hold them from spinning. Not much room there, be prepared to get your hand cut up unless you wear mechanics gloves or something.

Something that would fix them from bouncing out of the holes is a strip of elastic band stretched across the top and affixed to each end of the rack. You would have to lift the band to put the lure in the rack but it would hold them in there.

Biggest largemouth was on a wacky rigged green pumpkin/gold flake BPS stick-o worm. Biggest smallmouth was on a white buzz toad.

I just spend all my money on baits that the fish actually see. They don't really see the rods.

None of the above. If you think you need a specific rod for throwing chatter baits you are over thinking things.