gulfcaptain

I fish in S. Cal, I can tell you from my own experience, 2021 when I put it on my boat, it was fun and easy. You could watch them eat it right under the trolling motor, wouldn't run from it. 2023, I saw more fish move away and avoid it, sink out, disappear. So do I still use it, absolutely. It's more to locate where I saw fish, then fish that piece of structure or cover, locate edges, etc. They are conditioned to it and avoid it. I've seen the same thing with certain baits that are prominent. Throw a 8" swimbait at a bass, doesn't move, pitch a ika close by and its gone. Fish learn and avoid.

I must be one of the ones that aren't the 9. They all got it, it's been out for a decade. Move on. That's just my opinion. They should also ban DC reels, spotlock trolling motors, shallow water anchors as well. All technology used to give the angler an advantage.

I just find it entertaining that those against ffs watch just to complain about how bad it is to watch......yet they watch it🤣

My trolling motor batteries last 3-5yrs. Ran two 27 cranking batteries in series for a couple years, but then went to 2 10" units, a 12", and one of the 9" plus a black box for my livescope......well had to trolling motor back to the ramp 2x. Now have a jump box, installed a 24series size 100ah lithium for my electronics only and my cranking battery only runs pumps, and accessories, no electronics. No issues since with power loss or draw down. This next year putting a 36v 100ah battery in for trolling motor as 2 of the 3 batteries are due to be replaced and would rather just upgrade and be done with it for next 5yrs or so

Gotta use the punching approach with them topwaters.....lol if it doesn't break through, get a heavier bait In honesty with me I pick it up around 55 in the spring and fish it down to about 50 in the fall. I probably could catch all year in S.Cal but our fish don't act normal and when you classify fishing shallow and its 20ft deep.....Haven't seen many bass wanna travel 20ft to the surface to eat a bait in 50 degree water temps, at least not in S. Cal.

I like A Jay's line of thinking and this above one. My skimmer on my old HDS gen 2 I could read up to 60mph. Was it helpful, not in the least. Only thing it ever helped with was let me know me relative depth but at 60, running a flat before running up the river or on the CA delta, it wouldn't do much. You can't get a pic going that fast. Wanna cover water and graph, put it on pad at 20mph, but then that's still not gonna give you the best. Pick an area, graph it. Pull up your lake chart before you get there. Find the area you wanna look at and break it down. 2hrs of graphing @ 5mph will give you more knowledge the running 30mph across the lake . I've never found anything at 30+mph I saw and wanted to fish let alone took my eyes off where I was headed to graph at 30mph let alone at higher speeds. Not the safest practice and an easy way to become a statistic.

Used it on home made a-rigs, and use it on a few as a buffer between the tie and the wires(keeps from wrapping up on wire arms or kinking the mono or fc and have no issues using it.

Matt and Tim go hard. I used to think I could get by on a few jerkbaits, then they didn't produce under certain conditions and had to go to a different one. Again that repeated. So I carry probably 8 different jerkbaits, size, depth, brand, etc. The more you refine your approach and tackle the more you acquire. But yes you can get by on a few, but you talk to someone that fish tournaments, then they are looking for that subtle difference.

Manns manipulator worm in the 5". Gene Larew Salt craw plum/silver claws and black silver flake/chartreuse claws. Those were money. And then the Hales craw worm.....junebug was a killer

30 rods in the lockers, I'm sure there is something they will eat or have. They are always rigged and ready, although some get pulled out at times of the year when I know they aren't going to play. We all have our confidence baits. You should have those rigged, then adjust as needed.

So I'll keep this short, if they are your shinny toys, put them back in their package, store them somewhere so you can look at them and move on. If you wanna fish with them, then step up and fish it. Bottom line here fishing swimbaits, if you are okay with loosing that swimbait, then you'll fish it like you're supposed to. If you worry about it getting scratched, swimbaits aren't for you. Sorry, hook rash isn't an issue for most that fish swimbaits, having another one in the line up ready knowing at some point you're going to loose it. And when they get beat up, chewed up, and have done their job. You hang it up then because it's proven itself and earned that spot. Shinny baits means that they either don't get bit or they don't get fished.

So spring I won't throw a topwater till almost 60 degrees. Fall, I'll throw it some places until low 50s, although not as many fish. The lake will normally tell me what time to quit. But fall is great for topwater with falling Temps and fish on the feed before winter. Can't catch fish on something unless you throw it. Get out there. Good luck

If you're running 2 31's in parallel you shouldn't have issues. I read the post wrong to start on my first response. Somethings not hooked up right. Something is drawing current. This is where understanding how your boat is wired is needed. You need to look at your batteries first, check the jumper wires, they should be regulation battery cables to run them in parallel. Your positive connections should be on one battery and negative on the other one. Not all loaded up on one. Start at your batteries and see how everything is connected.

So I run a completely different battery for my electronics, used to run 2 27 series in parallel for my cranking and electronics. Had a couple times where had to come back to the ramp on trolling motor(now carry a jump box) so this season ran a separate battery for my electronics and ffs(2-10",12", and a 9") and after 9hrs went down to 11.4v. Livescope won't work after 11.6v....lol. thinking I am going to run a 100ah 12.8v lithium for screens and find a 50ah to just power my black box since the black box draws the most. I use 6awg to the fuse panel, then 12awg to each console and black box, 10awg to bow units. Unfortunately newer electronics use more power usage then the older ones ever did. But if I were you I'd add a small lithium 100ah to your set up to run your black box and 10" unit .

Some inexpensive baits work great. But they are inexpensive because the components are cheap. And I know it's hard to justify spending $15 on split rings and hooks to put on a $2.99 lure.....until that 40" musky, 10lb bass, or big striper eats your discounted offering and shows you how cheap that split ring was. We all have extra trebles and split rings, we just need not be lazy when it comes to inexpensive baits and change them out. But then we wouldn't have awesome fishing stories about that one that got away.....lol