Scott F

Ah to be young and healthy. I have a hard time standing long enough to pee... Don’t get me started about how long THAT takes these days.

No seats?

My bad. I wasn't aware that the transducers for CHIRP were different. If it were me, I'd put the CHIRP unit on the dash because I almost never fish in very deep water. The place you'll see differences between CHIRP and non-chirp is mainly in deep water.

Because they both use the same connectors and mounting brackets, it really doesn't make any difference which one you put where. You probably will not see much difference between them. But, after you mount them, It would only take a couple of minutes to unplug them and switch them. Then you can decide which way you prefer.

I'm headed up to the Minocqua area next week. I usually fish up there that second week in October every year. I can't say that I do great, but I have a good time.

If they allowed you to use bluegill as bait, people would catch the gills in one lake, and fish with them in another lake. Introducing those gills can also introduce disease, or parasites into lakes where they can spread and infect a whole new population. It’s easier to enforce if they just say no gills for bait. That, plus the DNR just wants to make life difficult for you.

For the size of the battery you are using, I think 5-6 hours is about right. If you want to have longer battery life, you'll need a bigger battery.

Which one do you have, the 2.4 amp hour or 9?

How long did you charge the battery before you used it? Do you have a volt meter to check the battery?

When braid first came out many years ago, it caused issues. But that was resolved a long time ago. Today it will not damage your rods or reels.

I use braided line which for the most part will lay on the surface. I keep most of the slack out of the line and watch for the line to twitch that causes a disturbance on the surface. That tells me when a fish has picked up the bait. If I'd waited to feel him before setting the hook, he'd have swallowed it.

It's that easy.

With the barb pinched down, hooks bury deeper, more easily so they often are hooked better with no barb. Yes, you might lose a fish or two without a barb, but you generally don't land every fish even with a barb so if you keep good tension on the line, you shouldn't notice any more fish lost. Besides, the hooks come out so much more easily, you won't be killing any bass.

I’ve bent and broken plenty of the shroomz jigs. None of them on fish, all while trying to get them unsnagged from rocks and wood while using 10lb braid.

There is a review of the new mushroom jig head and it says the Elaztech plastics stay on very well. Of all that posted here saying the plastics won’t go on the jig, has anyone actually tried it?

During the course of a season, I’ll catch pike, musky, walleyes, and on occasion, the odd panfish or two. But these are all accidental catches as I almost never target anything but bass, smallmouth mostly, and largemouth sometimes.

Another fluke style bait that sinks but is cheaper and more durable is the Case Sinking Shad and the Case Sinking Minnow.

I use senko type baits as one of my go to baits and I NEVER wacky rig them.

One thing to remember, back in 1980, glass boats were much lighter than they are today. While I'm sure the boat the OP has is underpowered, the 50 he has now which would not get a modern boat on plane, probably has been there a long time. Repowering a boat that will be 40 years old soon is probably not a good investment compared to a $50 hydrofoil.

I don't know about a four blade prop, but a hydrofoil should help you get on plane faster and stay on plane at slower speeds. It may cost you a mile or two of top end, but it will also help save on gas.

Why don't you call Minn Kota to get the answer?

So do fillet knives.

Do you want to know what works best for me and what I fish for or what will be best for you and how you fish? I have to assume you want to know what's best for you. Because you gave no information about where you are, what kind of water you'll be fishing or even what rod and reel you have, nobody here can tell you what's best for you. The answers you will get is what works best for everyone else. And, because there really isn't a lot of difference fundamentally between various braided lines, you will also not get a single answer that will help you choose the "best" line. Provide some more info that might help people give you answers that will help narrow down your choices.

My Ranger will be 30 years old next spring and the horn (which came standard) still works. I think the only time I have ever used it was to wake up snoozing boat partners!

Columbia