Shewillbemine

Holy...those are nice!

^^^ Correctamundo

I have a PQ and it's great, especially for the price. There's something like 500 reviews of that reel on BPS with most of them positive. You can't go wrong with it.

I'd love a copy of In Search of Big Bass (sure I have the title off).

Nice job. My boat came with removable seats and let me tell you, there's SO MUCH space when I decide to take the non-driver seats out.

Ok, so I've been using my boat for a few months now and noticed that the winch hook snap "gets caught" under the rubber stop on my trailer after retrieving the boat. What's happening is that as I winch the boat, the snap part nudges against the stop and causes it to bend to its side, and actually enough to come off the hook itself so that it's now "on the outside". This obviously defeats the purpose of the snap portion, which is to prevent the main hook from slipping off. Am I just winding the hook to closely to the rubber stops? Should I attempt to guide it more to the center? I don't have actual pics but tried my best below. After it makes contact with the rubber stop, there's too much pressure on the side axis and it gets bent sideways and then "outside" the hook. And this is what the general winch/trailer set up looks like:

I like this video a lot regarding sonar screens:

Well the transferring portion is what will limit your options. You won't want to transfer a traditional finder from boat to boat as the wiring and transducer will be annoying at least. Personally, I use the Fishin Buddy when not using my Tracker. It takes seconds to clamp down. However it's not color. If u have a Nitro, u don't really want a portable type finder; that's like using 4 spares on a nice car. I suggest looking for used units. I'm happy with the Lowrance HDS Gen 2 units.

I would respond to those people that "luck fishing" is putting a piece of bait on your line and casting it out into the water from wherever you are. Bait and wait, I believe is the term. Bass fishing, particularly with lures that require expert puppeteering from us, requires plenty of skill. And when you attempt that feat on highly pressured, super deep, gin clear California waters whoo boy!

Thank you. I sure hope you plan to post and participate more after this first post since it's kinda "spammish".

Some kind of awesome, water proof outfit. I'd like one and those jackets are ooh boy expensive!

Rapala PRO BASS Fishing is the better one. Well, my biggest issue with any fishing game is that after several minutes, I wish I were actually on the water.

He he he, nothing wrong with a good fishing video game but yes, you better have your flame suit on for stating the reason you stay indoors is rain. I have the Rapala game for Xbox (the better one as there are two versions) for those times I can't go fishing because of REAL reasons (such as the lake is closed).

Proud of myself. Last night, I filled up an entire shopping cart on Tackle Warehouse and kept justifying the free shipping for a minimum $50 purchase. I then looked at the checkout site and clicked "X" on the top right since I'm still waiting for my BPS order to arrive. Walked into a local tackle shop today and bought ONE $2 product. Woohoo!

I use one but lately for jig fishing. Mine is MH as well and yes, it was too stiff for lighter applications such as soft plastics or even crankbaits. I use it for heavier jigs and it will definitely be my pitching/flipping rod when the water warms up and the fish move shallower. Let me tell you, that white finish gets looks and compliments too. It's the first rod that my wife looked at and said "Wow, that's a pretty looking rod and reel" (it's paired with a white Abu Garcia Revo S).

So sad, since I fish by myself 99% of the time the only pranks I know are from fish not biting.

Important question: do you catch bass using jigs at OTHER lakes?

Oh you opened up a can o' worms asking for brand/type recommendations. My suggestion for anyone looking at getting into a new type of lure: just pick one that's easily accessible to you (i.e. sold at a local store so easily replaced as needed) or purchase several of the same type if you must order online. Your head will explode switching from Brand X to Brand Y. Pick 1-2 and learn how to work them. That said, I'm a big fan of Rapala, especially Shad Raps and Rattle Raps.

Do all modern (let's say 2008+ year models) outboards have "self-tracking" hour monitors? I certainly don't have a gauge on my boat dash so wondering if a Mercury Optimax keeps track of its own operating time.

It's actually different per lake and region of the country. One of the things I'd check for locally is the water temperature. You've probably had the coldest water temps. of the year especially in December and early January. Once the water is consistently higher than what it was for these months, bass will begin moving back and forth from deep to shallow water, looking for good spawning areas. I'm sure others will have helpful tips as well.

I've avoided the Bait Monkey by not going to fishing stores. The problem is that he's found me through the internets and PayPal (curses!). What I personally do to stave him off is this: I buy 1 lure at a time (ok, sometimes 2 if I want another color). I use the lure until I catch a fish with it. If I don't, then that means I don't know how to use it yet or it isn't working for me. I only buy more of the same lure if I snagged and lost it or it got beat up/tore so much from fish bites. It's how I still have one tackle bag though it is filling up.

Well, it's your brother's boat so you should know its history. I'd feel very comfortable buying that boat from a relative of mine (assuming you have a good relationship and he took care of it). If you plan to pay for it all at once, cash, tell him to detail the boat for you!

EBay, Craigslist or search a bunch of fishing forums classified sections.

Hate you. Hard core.

https://www.youtube.com/bassresource