Scott F

Start reading the USGS water level gauges near where you plan on fishing. You will see if the release schedule is consistent or not. If you are fishing tournaments, are you fishing the flowages above the dams in boats, or are they kayak tournaments?

I think saying that the older guys on tour are not tech savvy enough or that they are too stubborn to adapt is not giving them enough credit. Even my suggestion that older pros may not have enough stamina to compete at the same intense level all day may be insulting to the guys who are on the water all day every day. Everybody is different and there could be as many reasons why older pros may not be winning as much as they used to as there are older pros.

I'm an older guy who often fishes with a guy many years younger than me. We don't tournament fish but we both work hard on a long day of fishing. I always find that as the day wears on, I get tired more easily than my younger partner. As my energy drops, my concentration fades, and I don't make as many casts, and my casting accuracy suffers. As a result, the guy I was keeping up with catch wise early in the day, nearly always out fishes me in the afternoon. I can only imagine how the added stress of big time tournament fishing drains energy from a fisherman. It takes a lot of energy to compete at a high level for 8 hours.

Both a replica or a skin mount requires and artist to do a superb job painting a fish. I'm sure he was using the term "replica painter" to refer to a person who is not an artist but someone who does a poor job painting his replicas. Just because someone calls himself a taxidermist does not mean he can do a great job painting a replica. Taxidermists might do deer, birds and any other wildlife without being able to paint a realistic fish mount.

First boat when I was 33 years old. 30 years later, I still have and use the same boat.

I love in-line spinners for river smallmouth. BUT, as it happens, this past summer, the big smallmouth would throw it every time they jumped. I changed the hook on the #4 Mepps but it made no difference. I hated putting it back in the box because it was getting more hits on it than anything else. If they stayed down, I'd get them to the boat but if they jumped, it was game over.

I'm a smallmouth guy and I have a Quantum in the 1000 size with 10lb braid mounted on a St. Croix Avid ML. The drag works great even on big, river smallies that will really test your gear. It's all open water fishing. I don't even think what kind of reel I'm using. The smaller reels are light and I've never had a problem due to it's size.

What if you had a buzz bait where the hook up percent was 2 or 3 times better than any other buzz bait? How about a buzz bait that you could pause? How about a topwater that catches a lot of bass? If that appeals to you and a $13 bait doesn't scare you away. Get one. Color hasn't mattered for me.

Make sure the seller has a title and the title is in the seller's name. If the title is in the son's name, the son must sign the title before it can be transferred to you.

Here is Tracker's warranty. It doesn't look like what they told you was entirely true. https://www.trackerboats.com/warranty/TRACKER_PROMISE_Aluminum_Boats_Warranty.pdf

There are other types of long pants that are cooler than jeans. As I always say, there are two kinds of waders. Those that leak, and those that are going to leak. Waders do not hold up. The best choice of waders are light weight, breathables. Most comfortable to wear in summer. If you are going to fish in colder weather, you layer clothing underneath. Wading in ponds is not recommended. The bottoms can be muddy where you might sink in, or the bottom could drop into deep water. Get a wading staff to probe where you want to walk to test the depth. BE CAREFUL!!!!

I don't do short, bank fishing or wading trips anymore. I spent 5 weeks away from home last year on fishing trips. I got out on local lakes and rivers several times and I'd have done more but all the rain we had last year had my favorite rivers in bad shape.

Anybody here might suggest the perfect boat for you but if you can't find a used one, it won't matter. The choice you have to make will come from the list of available boats in your area. Another thing, boats that may be common in the East or South, may be rare in the Northwest.

It’s called spam. Don’t open anything in that email. Click on the senders email address and see who really sent it. It probably is not really from stamps.com. They are phishing for information from you or are trying to put malware on your computer.

Plastic wrap is always such a pain to deal with. I’m not big on color for my plastics so if a few of them bled a little on each other it’s no big deal. Maybe the bass will like the new color better. Who knows?

It’s right next to Lake Nunya.

There are different levels of inflatables. Some are nothing more than pool toys and would not be considered safe to use while fishing. Higher quality inflatables are considerably more durable and are going to cost close to what a hard shell yak will cost. The bladders are covered with very tough vinyl covered fabric that is very safe. I've been using an inflatable pontoon for years with never a concern about safety but again these are higher end watercraft. The inflatables won't paddle as easily but they are easier to transport and store.

Snakes you shouldn't have to worry about. No dangerous snakes. Ticks, those you should worry about. Tall grass and shorts will be the perfect combination to get you covered with ticks. And, they will crawl up your shorts pant legs to get to places you don't want to have them. Those, plus poison ivy are your two biggest threats. Wear long pants and tuck your pant legs into your socks. Cover yourself with insect repellant with DEET. Wear long sleeve shirts also. If you are worried about twisting an ankle, hiking boots that go over your ankles will provide support. If you live in Naperville, you should be wading in the DuPage and Fox Rivers for smallmouth. Get yourself some waders which will protect you from the bugs, poison ivy and bacteria in the rivers. Lots of access to the rivers.

High, fast, muddy, probably very cold, water is not the best conditions to catch river smallmouth. If you are going to give it a try, fish very tight to the bank in eddies, behind rocks or trees, or along concrete walls. A jig and plastic dabbled in the slack water areas or a float-n-fly are what I'd try. Approach carefully and don't make a lot of noise.

The Impala will probably pull the boat but the brakes and transmission won’t hold up very long. If your trips to the lake are just a few miles at low speeds you might get away with it.

Yup, the big one is a sheepshead also known as a drum.

I understand that braid isn't the best with abrasion and if you use heavy line it's hard to break, but how does that effect the action of the lure?

T-H Marine. Cabela's sells them or you can get them other places online. Google "Ranger style trolling motor plug"

My Ranger came with this plug. It has worked perfectly for 30 years so I got one for my new boat. Very heavy duty, will handle 4 wires.

How is the action effected by using a quality mono over other mono lines, FC or braid?