Downeaster2010

I used to use pork all the time 20 years ago. One thing to remember when using pork. After you use the jig and pig, and decide to use a rubber worm on a different rod, make sure you allow the jig and pig to trail just over the side of the boat keeping the pork wet. Otherwise in 30 minutes you got one dried up piece of pork. They also make a wrap, that you dip overboard, then wrap it around the rod, and jig keeping the pork wet. I have one and keep it in my tackle box for when I use pork. The best thing about pork is when you use it, and the bass takes the jig, it has a natural live feel, and taste to it. Unfortunately it is pricey.

I have fished WD40 on lures many times fishin on Lake Ontario for Lakers, Browns and Salmon and there isn't a charter boat up there that doesn't use it. I have used it many times and it works for the salmonaids, but I don't for bass. For bass I believe the Anise, and Garlic flavors are better.

That problem sound familiar. You might want to check your gas line hose from the tank to the motor. There could be a small leak letting air enter the line, thus starving your engine of fuel.

Most of the jigs and drops work pretty good, but if it gets deeper than that and there are fish present, I have use a Hopkins spoon to reel them in. Using a Hopkins to me was out of desperation, and surprisingly it saved my butt, only because fish were so deep. I have them in the tacklebox, and haven't tied one on since, even though I know it works.

A cheap reel will actually be more expensive than a quality reel, and you will have very little satisfaction with it. You will have to replace it earlier, and in essence it will cost more in the long run. If you need to go to Ebay, and get something.

I don't remember that rule, and I have been bass fishing for 40 years. Adding the boaters weight to the rider. That is a crazy ruling. We all have to get over the What if's. They happen all the time. I fished a tournament 30 years ago, when $1000 was a big prize. They paid only for only first place. I came in second and lost by 1 oz.

I like Screwjaw67 find that to get quality product the cheapo molds don't cut it. I have spent a lot of money on POP, and Resin only to disappointment. I am now getting only aluminum molds, and the cost is way more than just buying plastics from Walmart. The only thing you get is satisfaction from building a unique plastic in the color you want that others cannot get. When I am done I will have a thousand dollars in materials and molds. Unfortunately, I am hooked now.

You should be able to buy a reasonably priced transducer in 200 khz for under 50 bucks. Search online ebay etc.

I would think that would be the next big thing in bass boats. A chiller surrounding outside the livewells, with plenty of insulation maintaining a cool water temp all day long.

On high water it was always my opinion to continue to fish the original locations and not the newly flooded areas. My experience is that bass are unfamiliar with new areas, and it takes awhile before they accept them. Same as for newly fallen trees. I love it when beginners in tournaments concentrate on them.

I use nothing but free lead, and have never purchased any. Friends offer me lead, but i cannot use any more. I have about 200 lbs of lead broken down into about 1 lbs pieces. Sources for lead are varied. All plumbers use lead. Roofers use it for flashing, and old wooden fishing boats use it in the hull for ballast. Its everywhere, look around.

I think what we are doing with some of our variations, is about as good as it is going to get. Some heat shrink tubing around the head might help with the T style, but how do you shrink it to where you want it. Maybe hot water.

I have been thinking of putting one of the Oring's on the front of the Senko, then feeding the hook Texas rigged through the Oring, and into the body like you normally would a T rig. I assume I would need the oring about 3/8 to 1/2 an inch down the worm or at least the bend in the hook.

I have had a lot of fiberglass boats in my fishing days. As far as bass boats go, I am on my 5th. My first was in 1978, and it was a HP178 Glastron, then 3 Rangers. Unfortunately I found out later the boat I like the best was the Glastron bass boat. It wasn't as fast as a Ranger, but it could handle any kind of water, and the Rangers couldn't. I found workmanship to be lacking in the Ranger glass boats, and I expected for so much money, it should have been better. I now have an all aluminum G3 Angler boat. It doubles as a trolling boat when I feel like trout fishing, and works superbly for bass fishing, which is what I do most now. It cost about the same as the RT117 on sale. There are zero rattles, and no wood of glass in the boat except the steering console. Of all my boats this is the best. I don't have the speed like a Ranger, so I have to think a little harder during tournaments. It comes pre rigged with a 24v outlet in the bow for the trolling motor. Some of you that haven't had a real quality aluminum boat in the past 10 years, then you would be surprised at how well these are made. Another thing they are half the cost of the larger full size Rangers. Mine is paid for, and when you buy a new Ranger, you get a book of payments for 12-15 years. Paying 3 times as much for your boat over time, is no bargain.

I like to look for all alternatives for my molds. There have been so many changes since I last tied jigs. (1990) There were no EWG hooks back then. After tying a few jigs all my experience in tying came right back, and I can turn them out in minutes. The Eagle Claw hook certainly deserves consideration, as they seem to be way less money than the others per 50 count.

If you decide to go with the built in transducer, you can pair it up to most digital sounders on the bow. You will need to purchase a small cable from MK that matches up your digital sounder to the MK trolling motor. It is cheap, maybe 15 dollars, and is only 15 inches long.

I don't fish two days in a row much anymore, so decided to get the MK 210d charger that was on sale through Cabelas this spring. It mounted easily, and charges two batteries simultaneously for my 24v 70lb thrust v2 motor. I have noticed that it easily brings both batteries up to full charge over night, and I never have a low battery anymore. The slower the rate you charge the longer your batteries will last and this does the job nicely. I was reluctant, thinking I needed at least 10 amps per batt when charging. I paid just $109 on sale. As long as the batteries are full charge in the morning what can I complain about.

Your Optima is a good battery, but one thing you must know. If it is the blue top, then it is an rating of 24, where many other boaters are using full batteries rated at 29 and 31. They will have a lot longer endurance than your battery even if it is an Optima. If you can jump to a 24v system, and two 27/29/31 batteries you will have power left over at the end of the day. Seven hundred acres with a trolling motor only sounds pretty ridiculous to me. Yeah, I agree with the other guys, dump that club, and get some new friends.

Don't get me wrong, I have red hooks as well. A lot of fishermen here in Maine like the smaller ones in red for catching trout. Yes, they were to present a bleeding effect, but I like most of you catch just as many on the regular hooks. I do think that the hooks that come in the watermelon green, might be more of a camo effect when fishing than regular hooks. I powder coated a lot of my weighted hooks in the Watermelon color. I am looking for a camo effect rather than a bleeding effect. Years back I fell for a plug called the Heart throbber. When twitched an internal weight would throb throwing off vibrations once left to sit and float. I did catch some fish on it but mostly at night. We've all bought gimmick lures.

To me the red hooks are a farse. They are just gold hooks repainted with red, and the red wears off exposing a gold hook. I like the standard black ones, and think all the red is just a gimmick to catch the fishermen. Seems to have worked.

I stopped bass fishing in 1990, and had lots of bags of rubber worms, that were years old back then. This year I am back bass fishing, and using the old worms. Some of them still catch fish better than some of the new plastics. I melted down a couple of hundred, and poured them into Senko style. Seems they last forever to me.

Use your plastics around cover, or structure, and cranks etc in open water. It will happen as there have probably been more fish caught on a plastic worm than any other bait.

Thanks, I will check that hook out. Looking for EWG alternatives to the normal hooks

I am interested in pouring off some football jigs using my FBB-4H-AFM Do-it mold. What I would like to do is use some EWG hooks. The best I have found is the Gamakatsu 2014 hook. Anyone use anything different, and found acceptable.

I have had a dozen trolling motors, starting when the biggest was a 12 lb thrust. I had two of those. Now I have the 70lb thrust MK and love it. One thing I found out over the years of fishing is the MK was quieter than the MG resulting in me catching more keepers in tournaments. I got my MK 70 v2 four years ago, and they have dropped in price like a rock. Mine was over one thousand, and I also have the built in transducer. That is a nice touch, when you want a depth finder up front.