Preytorien

I'm going to check this out when I get home from work. I don't think I have line or anything but who knows, that stuff is almost invisible in the water, might've gotten into some and never known it.

Is this something to be alarmed about, needing fixed? How would I fix it?

When I get done using my Minn Kota Endura Max 40, I always clean and dry it as best I can, then I run out of the water it for a few minutes to make sure everything is smooth and ready to go for next time and so it can throw off any water inside the prop area. Lately (the past 2 times), I've noticed that when it runs, you can hear a very faint ticking sound coming from around the prop area. No weeds are on it that I can see, and the ticking doesn't happen each rotation of the blade, it happens probably 2-3 times per second. It's a very faint tick, almost indescernible. Other than that, the motor runs perfectly, no issues whatsoever. Any ideas what it might be?

So today's conditions were "horrible" for bass fishing.... - Just had a cold front move in - Wind from the north about 15-20mph (always heard south or west is best) - Clear skies - High pressure All things that make the bite shut off.... No one told the bass where I was today though. They seemed to hone in on my Spro Bronzeye Popper Jr. Now I get to go buy another one since they literally destroyed my other one. I like it when they don't read the forecast

I'd think so too....especially for my area that's pretty clear. But I'm not getting any hits on this thing. I just want to eliminate all the variables I can.

I've been trying out a spybait lately, and I've had fun "practicing" the method. But I wondered, does the water have to be absolutely gin-clear for it to work? I only ask because I've only tried it in a lake that is probably 4-6ft visibility, and had no strikes. Is that "too murky" for it to work?

What's an easy way to flip braid? I thought spooling it onto another reel would do the trick, then I realized it would just spool back onto the original reel the same way. What do you guys do?

There are some big fish in there, keep at it. Great fish! Nothing like froggin!

That's true, the phrase "fishing deep" is pretty subjective based on how deep the water is. I know for me, like you, 6-12ft is deep, but maybe other areas its 20+ft. I know for me fishing shallow is pretty much 3ft or less, anything deeper than that I don't seem to have a great deal of success this time of year. They're all piled up onshore.

I read article after article on how warm water summer bass fishing is done generally offshore, with a pretty heavy emphasis on deep water techniques or suspended bass techniques. But darned if the lakes I fish seem to not allow bass to read these articles. I'll be a good fisherman at first and do my deep water techniques, but I find myself gradually working shallower and shallower then I start catching more. Maybe it's the smaller lakes I fish, they're not super deep or anything, but these fish haven't read these articles about going deep or maybe they would've by now. These dudes are right up on the shoreline in most cases. Make a cast as close to the bank as possible with just about any creature style bait and you're pretty much guaranteed to hook up. I'm pretty sure bass are illiterate

This would be a good rig. I'm fishing a lot from the bank too, and 7ft is about the longest rod I would want since I'm often casting with trees and bushes very near or behind me. The Shimano is also a pretty good bet. I have a Sahara and even though these reels can all be had under $80, they're very smooth and withstand my seemingly constant abuse.

I like fishing a senko when the tough summer bite is on. Usually I use the Yum F2 Dinger or a Yamamoto Senko, but lately I've been using the Ocho. I've noticed a couple things..... 1. They're a bit less durable than other worms I've tried.....think the Yamamoto. While the action is great, the durability isn't as much, which if I'm reading correct tends to be the trade-off, the Yum or SK Shim-e-stick's seem to be a bit more long-lived 2. They fall a bit faster than other senkos (weightless) that I've tried. The difference isn't huge, but if you're fishing them a bit deeper than normal, it's nice to have them fall through the column a bit faster 3. Whether the shimmer of the flat sides or shimmy action from thereof is a gimmick or not, they seem to catch fish as well or even better than other senkos I've used Might give em' a try. I was in the need of a pack of senkos, grabbed them off the KVD display at the store, and was pleasantly surprised that they're pretty darn good.

That's a great video.

As far as the website says (unless they're changing Loomis too) they're still offering the lifetime warranty. Strange though that they're owned by Shimano, but the warranty isn't the same. Who knows..... But hey, my Shimano has a lifetime, so until it breaks I'm fine.

I'm a Shimano fan, but I think if you spend above a certain price point you also should be buying at least a 5-yr warranty. Kind of disappointing. I guess this will just mean I switch to a Dobyns or G. Loomis next time around huh?

I usually only have great success with buzzbaits just after the sun's come up. Especially on shallow points, edges of weedlines, and around riprap. I have several kinds, including the Booyah Clackin' Buzz, which might be the one you've got too. Along with my Cavitrons, they're pretty decent producers, you just gotta see what area they're in and hope you're throwing what they want. In the dead heat of the summer though I tend to get more bites in the very early morning rather than throughout the rest of the day.

I'm hooked on my new fishing buddy. She's still pretty young, only a year old, but we had a blast! She wasn't all too interested in the larger fish I caught, but she loved watching the little bluegills up near the shoreline. We threw some sticks in the water, to which she loved seeing the little fish dart around. She's already eying the little Snow White fishing kits at Wal-Mart, however, she seemed to like my Crucial/Curado combo in the picture. Her momma and I have had many fishing adventures together, but this was the first outing to a little nearby pond that my lil' gal came along. It was a great time. This is what it's about, enjoying nature with my bride and wonderful little girl. God's blessed me. The next trip will be out in my little fishing boat, for a family picnic and fishing trip down a little creek near here.

It sounds like that for my budget it won't benefit me enough to justify the cost. I'll stick to my current methods for the time being. Thanks for the input guys, I knew you'd have the answers.

Really it would be more used to see the contour/cover on the bottom - checking the depth - checking the temp of the water. Other than that, it wouldn't be doing much more. Like I said, almost no bodies of water I'll be using this boat on will be any deeper than 15ft or less. I'm not comfortably familiar with them since I've not been able to ever see depth changes and pieces of cover.

I've got a small inflatable, which is perfect for how I want to fish, and my current vehicle capability. A Sea Eagle SE8 I've got it nicely outfitted with a motor, seats, and the bottom is a hard surface for standing. Its excellent for what I use it for. The only thing I've been investigating is a fishfinder. Now, I've read that fish finders (especially in my low-end price range), aren't well suited for shallow water, mostly what I've read is water less than 8ft, due to the diminishing area from the cone shape of the scanning area. I've been looking around the $100 price range, I don't want to get into several hundred bucks for a finder, I really only want to find out depth, temp, and bottom contour/cover. I even looked at the Humminbird 140 which has a type of side imaging. So...... Are my efforts in vain? For my mostly shallow to super shallow fishing is a fish finder generally a waste of money? I almost never fish anything deeper than 15ft due to the types of small lakes/ponds I fish this boat in. I would appreciate your thoughts and advice......

This one.....super strong, and easy to tie on any lure. Sometimes on larger lures, especially spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, large cranks, you have to make a big loop in the palomar to get it "over" the lure, which wastes a lot of line. The SDJ knot uses very little like, and it's very very strong. Give it a try, you'll be......(wait for it)......hooked! BAM

My thoughts exactly, when they wouldn't take anything but a jig, and in a certain spot no less, my immediate thought was that these bass were acting like nesting fish. I tried senkos and weightless craws dropped right on top of them, nothin'.....it was only when my jig entered into an area about the size of a dinner plate that they started getting real interested. That sounds like nesting fish to me. Who knows, they may be spawning, I dunno. Bass are weird..... On a side note, the ones I caught were on a Siebert Dredge Brush head, which has an Owner hook. The hook is so fine that it barely required a hookset, and stayed put. I love those jigs man, they're awesome.

I've used Power Pro in the past.....but darned if I don't always find myself coming back to Sufix 832

I have a little Trion that I use with a Berkley rod for my ultralight bass-panfish rod. I love that reel. It was my first "serious" reel back when I started, and its worked like a champ ever since.

I went to Dicks Sporting goods and exchanged my Crucial without any issues. They didn't even need my receipt, which I had already lost anyways. But now I've kept the receipt and hope that if anything bad would ever happen again they'd treat me the same way.