Scott F

You could spend that $1,000 on a thousand different ways to catch bass. It would be easy to buy a lot of stuff that you might never use. Getting started, I'd only buy gear that will work best for the style of fishing you intend to do. If I were you, instead of asking guys who fish all over the country for what to use, I'd ask the friends who are doing so well what they are using for the waters you are likely to fish. They will also be a shortcut on how and where to use the gear you buy. If your friends aren't available to help, there are several fishing clubs in the Chicago metro area with plenty of guys who would be willing to take you fishing with them.

Because most of the time, guys spend more time fishing, than catching. FISHING for bass, using a variety of artificial lures, casting and retrieving, throwing at targets, is more fun than throwing out chicken livers and waiting for something to happen.

If you have to have the fluke shape but want to fish deeper, I'd use a Case Salty Sinking Shad or Sinking Minnow. Shaped like a fluke, but sinks like a Senko.

I use a spiral wrapped bait casting rod. NONE of the guides are lined up. A rod with slightly misaligned guides isn't going to hurt anything. It's not something I'd spend $20 to get replaced.

The DuPage River (East Branch, West Branch and the main river) is a big creek but wadable it’s entire length. Hickory Creek where it runs through New Lenox is another but is mostly pretty small bass. Is there a reason you only mentioned creeks and not rivers?

If you buy a cheap float tube, leaks can be a problem. Buy a high quality one and leaks will be the last thing you think about.

I remember a lure that swam like that bait that was widely ridiculed, the Dancin' Eel.

Ball head jigs in the 1/8oz size and smaller are typically for panfish and have hooks that are too small for bass. The Z-Man mushroom heads have larger hooks. Ball head jigs also have molded in barbs that will not hold elaztech plastics like Z-Man's TRD. Small, light, ball heads can be used with other plastics and you can save money on the heads. I prefer the Z-Man plastics because they float and they will stand up when fished and because they are so durable.

Where would bass get worms? (Except from fishermen). Earthworms are not found in lakes.

If guys only knew how many times their lures pass by a fish that just ignores it, they would be very frustrated. It happens all the time. Most of the time when we don't get bit, we just assume there are no fish present. There are a lot of factors that keep bass from hitting your lure. There is no way to tell why that fish didn't bite. Bass are usually only in an active feeding state maybe 30% of the time. If you could see this fish that plainly, he could also see you. The leader may have been the problem, it may not. Let the fish rest a few more days and go back again. Be stealthy and sneak up on the spot. Maybe you'll get another shot at him.

Plano makes a lot of the boxes sold by the companies on your list. I don’t live far from the Plano factory and their outlet store. I have around 50-60 utility boxes none of which that I paid more than $2.

Steel leaders. They don't affect the action.

There is a thread here on BR that talks about everything you ever wanted to know about fishing plastic stick baits (Senkos). Myself, I prefer to fish them weightless T rigged. Many prefer wacky rigging. Which one is better? Depends on who you ask. Try them both ways and see which way you like better.

Senko, (with a k) is a bait made by Yamamoto that has been copied by every company that offers soft plastics. What makes Senkos and the copies different from other plastic worms is that they are loaded with salt and that they sink without the need for weights. That slow sinking action mimics the slow sinking action of dying baitfish which has proven to be extremely effective in catching bass. Other worms tend to float or need added weight to get them to sink.

If it's only tiger muskies that have been stocked, most likely, you will seldom run into one. Muskies typically have very low densities. Guys who target them often feel that they are lucky if they even see one in a days fishing. If you are concerned about leaving lures in a muskies jaw, use a leader. Chances are, you'll be just fine without one.

It's funny. I saw this as a recent post, started reading and was wondering why no one said anything about the Ned Rig! Then I saw this thread is over ten years old! Guys were fishing the Ned Rig back then, it just hadn't gotten it's new name yet.

Bow mount trolling motors are seldom hard wired all the way to the battery. Normally, the motor wires are connected to a plug, and the receptacle is hard wired back to the battery.

I own 2 boats. One is a glass bass fishing style boat I use on lakes. I've had it 30 years and can count on one hand the number of times I've used an anchor. I do have spot lock on my trolling motor that I use. My other boat is a jon boat with a jet motor that I use on rivers. On that boat, I'm fighting fast current and I anchor frequently. I have spot lock on that boat too, but it doesn't hold me solidly enough so I use this 55 pound chain anchor with an electric winch that has held in the fastest water.

Many times, when an anchor isn't holding on a soft bottom, it's because you haven't let out enough rope. 3 times the depth is the normal amount of line to have out.

A club that I used to be in poured our own jigs as a winter project. Space wise, it is something you can easily do on the kitchen table but I don't think lead fumes are something you want in the kitchen. As the retail cost of lead jigs and plastics continues to sky rocket, you should in theory, save money pouring your own. I have hundreds of ball head jigs, painted and unpainted, that cost me only pennies to make but because I seldom use ball heads any more, they are just sitting in boxes. So, did I really save anything or did I waste my money? If you go together with some friends or fellow club members to share the costs of start up, you can probably come out ahead on plastics or lead jigs.

Those are called underspin reels. Is it one of these? https://www.google.com/search?q=underspin+reels&client=safari&sa=N&rls=en&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&ved=0ahUKEwikpfDc3OXbAhUOG6wKHb99Cdw4ChCwBAiGAg&biw=1098&bih=578

If the boat is filled with water, there is a good chance that the transom as well as the floor are rotten and may need replacement. Make sure you do a thorough inspection of any wood in the boat. Just because it’s holding water now, does not mean it doesn’t leak. When you clean it up, you might remove any debris that is currently clogging a leak. Be prepared for surprises. I think your trailer replacement estimate might be a little light as well. The trailer on my new 16’ jon boat cost twice the amount in your estimate. As you have already worked on another used boat, you already know that there are other costs that sneak up on you that you did not anticipate.

Do you think you invented that line of reasoning? I've been married almost 40 years. I'm way ahead of you.

Do you have the rear trolling motor in the water while operating the front one? That back one will act like a rudder to turn the boat even if it’s not running. Raise it out of the water and see if that straightens things out.

For me, accurate mapping is many times more helpful to me than side or down imaging. Being able to locate underwater humps, drop offs, points, etc, quickly and accurately has helped me catch a LOT more fish than side imaging. Once I know where I want to fish, depth and temp are the only thing I look at.