Scott F

Sounds like you need to tighten down the drag.

People convert every kind of boat into a bass boat. It all depends on what you are comfortable in. Myself, I don’t find a round bottom row boat stable enough to use. I bought a 16x48 jon and it’s as small and narrow as I’m comfortable with standing on the front deck.

The higher the water temp, the less oxygen it holds. Adding fresh water through the aerator increases the oxygen content.

Mount the transducer behind the skeg. No worries about getting it damaged

If you use a regular tall pedal, you can remove the screws that hold the cover on.

Depends on where the skeg is on your motor. If the skeg is in front, yes, it’s behind the skeg, if not, it’s mounted in front. That’s why I asked which motor you have.

Which trolling motor do you have? If the transducer isn’t built into the motor, nearly everybody mounts the transducer to the motor. The skeg on the motor protects the transducer pretty well.

I don’t believe line spooks fish, so I go straight braid with jerkbaits. If you think it does, and, you believe the myth that a bass can’t see FC lines, use a leader.

Why are you trying to lift a 5 lb weight? Would you be trying to set the drag to compare lifting a 5 lb bass with the rod? The drag is there to help you fight fish, not lift them with the rod.

Totally depends on the lake. Some lakes I fish it’s a thousand bass to one pike, some lakes it’s 50/50. Another has 10 pike to every bass. There is no average that can be applied to all lakes.

That's because the number of hunters and fishermen are declining, there isn't a lot of profit in fishing gear, and there is a lot of profit in clothing.

A quick google search found a spare spool for the Shimano Curado 5 sells for $49.95

You can buy spare spools for most reels. Or, are you just looking for reels that have them included?

One of the best ways to make sure you get wind knots and birds nests on a spinning reel is to overfill the spool. Not too sure why finesse fishing would work better with a full spool either. I’d like to hear the reasoning behind that.

You don’t say if you are talking about spinning or casting gear. I made the switch from right to left hand casting gear instantly. I was already using my right hand to cast both bait casting and spinning rods, and was cranking my spinning reels with my left hand, so to me, reeling the bait caster with my left hand was not the least bit awkward.

You didn’t say what kind of line you are using. A braided line with no stretch will require less effort to get a good hookset than a mono or fluoro line that stretches does.

As you can see from this thread and every other rod discussion, choosing a rod is a very personal choice. One guys favorite, another guy hates. I could never choose one based on other people’s choices. I own Avids and Avid X’s I like them both.

What makes you so disappointed with equipment made in the last few years? I’m pretty happy with my newer gear.

I’m another that has ever had the normal Palomar fail with braided line. Has it been a problem for you that you feel the need for a stronger knot?

Are you using the same battery to power the depth finder as your trolling motor?

Gander Mountain was purchased by Camping World. They re-branded some of the old Gander Mountain stores as Gander Outdoors with an entirely different inventory.

Above most dams are not good places to catch smallmouth. Typically, the areas are silted in, have low oxygen levels, and have the worst water quality. It’s the reason most environmentalists are working to remove dams wherever possible.

You won’t be happy just catching one. After that, you’ll want a lot more!

I only use plastic grubs, never saw any rubber ones or pay much attention to brand. Color depends on what fish I’m after. Greens, browns, blacks and purple for bass. Yellows, whites for walleye and pike.

I know I’m in the minority on this one but I don’t think it’s right to hold a fish out an arms length away from your body, towards the camera, to make it appear bigger than it really is. If you want to highlight the fish, fine. Zoom in on it, stand closer to the camera, or crop the photo later.