moguy1973

I have a G2 Shellcracker wake bait that was like $19, haven't lost it yet but almost lost it in a tree first time out because it's so big and casts about a mile.

I 2nd this. Branson area has excellent bass fishing from all three black bass species from 4 lakes (Beaver, Table Rock, Bull Shoals, Norfork) and then world class trout fishing in Taneycomo. Doesn't typically get extremely cold in winter in SW Missouri, summer heat at humidity can be a little unbearable sometimes but it's doable. Plus those lakes offer stripers, walleye, huge catfish, paddlefish, and more if you want a little variety.

I use some generic ebay snaps for everything and have no issues. I think I use size 1 for all.

Huge fan of P-line CX Premium.

Fluoroclear is crap. A buddy of mine uses(d) it and broke off at least once on casts with it every trip we went on and I always told him to stop using it. I use CX Premium and CXX and have never had a problem of breaking off at all. I find those two are super strong and really easy to use.

I usually use a #1 or 1/0

I've switched to the Berkley Fusion19 weedless wacky hooks. They have a fluorocarbon weed guard that works very well and the hooks are surprisingly sharp and sticky.

I was out there by myself for most of them. My daughter photobombed me on the last one.

Had an awesome day fishing my in-laws pond yesterday. Probably one of my best days of bass fishing weight wise I’ve ever had. Caught 7 in a about an hours worth of fishing, and besides a small 8” fish the other 6 were these. Two 2.75, a 2.80, a 3.00, a 4.00, and my new biggest largemouth a 4.52lber. Best 5 would have went about 17lbs 4.00 2.75 2.75 4.52 2.80 3.00

Right, but the OP is talking about a rod that is 1/2oz more than his rod is rated for. The one post said to go with an extra-heavy rod to throw a 2oz swimbait. That was what my statement was aimed at. If the OP was saying "hey I got this ultralight trout rod that's rated at 1/4oz and can I throw a 2oz swimbait on it?" the answer would be pretty simple.

All this stuff about breaking a rod from throwing a bait that heavier than what the rod is rated for is a bunch of mumbo jumbo. What kind of stress do you think a rod goes through when you catch a 10lb fish (thats 160oz mind you)? It's a whole lot more than by throwing a bait that is 1/2oz more than the rod is rated for. If it's going to break on a cast of a larger bait then it's going to break when you catch a big fish. The lure weight rating is more about how the bait loads the rod on the cast. Use a bait that is lower than the rod's lure weight rating it isn't going to cast very well, if it casts it at all. Same goes for if the lure is heavier than the rating it's not going to cast it as efficiently since it's going to overload the rod tip and it's not going to go as far as if you stay within the weight rating. Most anglers that use big swimbaits or whatever typically lob the bait out there anyways. And a rod's power has nothing to do with how heavy of a bait a rod can throw either. There are medium-heavy musky rods that can throw 2-10oz baits.

I like the Bass Pro 4" Magnum flipping tubes. Last a long time, good price, and they work. I rig them stupid style and they are pretty snagless.

I was going to say to look up a particular jig but it looks like calling out specific brands that aren't in line with Bass Resource is a no-no. Sorry, can't help you out then.

If the transducer is the GT40 like the one my 73sv I use at the console came with it will not fit on the bottom of my trolling motor head. It would be too long and would interfere with the prop due to the way the skeg is positioned. My skeg looks like this: If the skeg was like the one below it would fit but would probably stick out some in front of the tip of the TM head.

I'm a fan of the Garmin's for the fact that they come with preinstalled maps. Depending on your trolling motor you should be able to mount the transducer on it. The new transducers, especially the side imaging ones are pretty big. I have a Minn Kota Maxxum 65 and the TM head has a fin on the bottom front end of it (skeg) and my 53dv transducer barely fits behind the skeg without interfering with the prop. If the skeg on your TM is in the back like some are it should fit no problem as the transducer can stick off the front of the TM head wiithout any issues.

Discovery picked up the MLF Bass Pro Tour, not sure when they are airing though. CBS will continue it's coverage of the finals of their cup series also. ESPN is keeping BASS highlight shows. All three have online coverage, and somewhat expanded coverage over what has been offered in the past. BASS is offering their LIVE Mix feed where there is rotating coverage of each angler with no commentators. It's kind of refreshing really.

Yep these work great for stocker trout around here. Basically a wholly worm on a spinner.

All this cold is definitely Elsa's fault. But the cold never bothered her anyway.

I'm a fan of Super8 Slick by Power Pro. You can get it on sale for $12-13 for a 150yd spool. Seems like a good deal to me because it lasts a long time, and then when the free end is done flip it around and use the spool end for a while.

I use the weedless wacky hooks with the mono weed guard. They work great and like said are super sharp. Price is great too.

THat's what I would do. If you really want to use your BPS cards you should wait until the Spring Classic in a few weeks to see what kind of deals they have going. Usually their finders are on sale pretty nicely.

The thing that will help with the bigger screen is when you have the side view on the bottom half and then the 2D and down imaging sharing the top half of the screen. I have the 7" one and I do wish I would have went with the 9" screen. Do some searching around, I know you have BPS gift cards but you can use those for anything. GPS store has some deals from time to time on the Garmin stuff.

I've used it but unless you do use Line and Lube it gets really curly if you don't use it for a while. I prefer P-Line CX Premium. I've found it's just as strong and inexpensive and it doesn't curl as much as the Yo-Zuri.

Half size feet under size 10 can be a problem too. I found a really good deal on some Zekos at a fishing show, like half off, but they only had full sizes and the 9's were too small and the 10's were too big, especially if they would get wet. So no Zekos for me. I ended up with a pair of Teva Evo's. They have spider rubber bottoms which is great on slippery rocks when I'm floating. I wish they would do a better job of not retaining the river smell though. They can get pretty smelly.

Pflueger makes decent stuff. I like the President line of reels they make. The Trion is a step or so below the President and is a $40 reel if bought separately. So that's a $20 rod that it comes with. Should work fine for what you are wanting to use it for.