NathanW

Thanks, I really do appreciate your post. It is completely ridiculous what some people think they need spend to have more confidence. Especially beginners. 3ea. Curados/Tatulas > 1ea. Chronarch/Aldebaran/Steez any day of the week.

Yeah. I remember when I first got my boat I had a bad habit of trying to duplicate previous success. I got my boat in the Spring while everything was on shallow rock so think about how much time I wasted on shallow rock once the spawn was over.... Hours and Hours. My advice to you is to focus on learning how to cover water. I would gain confidence in fishing swimjigs, jerkbaits, crankbaits, spinnerbaits, and topwater. These baits catch both smallmouth and largemouth all over the country so don't start thinking your lake is special if you don't fall into immediate success with these lures. Keep moving. You are going to throw the wrong bait at times but the only way to learn you are throwing the wrong bait is to keep throwing it! These tactics will not only help you learn to eliminate water but also help you over time with understand how fish relate to different types conditions and geography. There are also seasonal aspect to consider and sometimes the best way to learn these is to keep a log the first couple of years on where and when you find good fish. If you fish an area for three hours and don't have success you are doing something wrong without a doubt. Guys at all levels go through this.

This is a good point. The above statement is mostly applicable for going heavier and within a certain range. There are certainly a fair amount of casting reels that don't handle finesse the way others do. I have no doubt however that if he got the Chronarch or Aldebaran he would be perfectly happy.

FLW: Had it for 5 years but recently let it expire. I did not care for it because there is so much publication in the magazines that seemed to target people who fish FLWs which I do not. Bassmaster is pretty good. Not as boring as FLW in my opinion. The anglers they showcase are much more established generally than the anglers FLW showcase. Bassin'. I love this magazine. Its got good articles from the best anglers in the business. Lots of big photos. Its cheap when you consider you get it free with a one year MLF subscription. No complaints so far. Bass Quest: I had this for one year and felt that it was not worth the money. Although the magazine is rather thick I think you only get like 4 mags a year. The content in these magazines is very hit and miss. I like photos and I recall that there would be pages and pages of content without any photos. In-Fisherman: I have had this off and on for a number of years. I usually am gifted these subscriptions from people who know I fish. I am not a multi-species guy so I don't particularly care to pay for this magazine but it has great articles, good photos, and good information.

For 5 grand you could get a really nice 17 or 18 foot used Tracker Pro Team with 60HP or better Mercury.... I could list about 100 advantages of a Pro Team Tracker of over that Jon Boat. You buy new you and build it out yourself you will get, without question, the LEAST bang for your buck by a longshot.

This is nothing that I have ever considered because Fish and Game in the Great State of Washington don't check for fishing licences unless you are fishing for salmon. Its part of their strategy to eliminate all other species.

Plus 1 for the mono. I really don't think there is a right/wrong answer here but I personally go 10 pound Mono for topwater plugs.

Can't say much about that larger size but I have no trouble hooking up with medium spinning rod and 10# braid when throwing a SI Fat 3.8" weightless. I rig it on what I think is a 1/0 EWG hook and Paycheck Baits Headcase. Of course when I add weight I will take that opportunity to throw it on heavier gear.

If you are looking for better daytime fishing perhaps go out and find some smaller ponds. There are a few small ponds and lakes that produce fish any time of day throughout the summer for me. If they do not have the option to find deeper water they will usual get under mats, in the reeds, find shade, current, or windblown areas of the pond.

Wiggle Warts. I know they catch fish but I promise you they are over rated when put in comparison with most modern day crankbaits.

The Savy is garbage. I would highly recommend getting your hands on a Tatula before you buy the E6X. The Tatulas in the MH and Heavy range are nasty. Super light, super strong, very very comfortable. Check out the Tackletour review on them. They are like 11 grams lighter than the GLX but just as powerful. Note that they sell for 150.00 on line but ever store that I have seen them at locally has them priced at 119.00.

It can be pretty difficult at times if you are running 12 Volt motor. I know what you mean and I have not discovered a nifty trick or anything to avoid it. By all means fish outside the vegetation and cast into it but more times than not its not a perfect world where that scenario is going to work. When I am frogging or punching and fishing from the outside edge casting in I want to meet larger fish half way and sometimes have to go dig for that fish right where I hooked it. You are going to have to plow through it. Don't be afraid to turn on the big motor to get yourself out once you have gotten yourself in. Otherwise raise your TM motor up a bit, get your big motor out of the way so it doesn't slow you down and power through while untangling your TM prop as needed. Also there is nothing wrong with coasting into a high veg area with the momentum from the big motor. Obviously use common sense when it comes to avoiding other obstructions. I don't have room for a push pole on my boat but my paddle has come in handy a number of times but mostly only when I get stuck on a bar or have to get across a shallow opening where there is lots of rock on the bottom.

I am a big fan of those PFG shirts. Not sure I would consider it a jersey but I bet if its like one of the ones I have and has the big letters down the arm you are catching lots of fish.

Yeah, thats true. I think they still do that. Problem with that is....What are the type of people that watch those shows doing 8am on Saturdays??? Might as well not even put the show on at all. Then they usually have the reruns of those shows in the middle of the night. I guess if you have DVR none of this matters.

A lot of old fishing shows are on Youtube. You should really consider buying a Roku 3 if you enjoy watching fishing on tv. Otherwise you are stuck paying monthly for WFN, Outdoor or Sportsman channel. ESPN 2 also play the bassmasters but they usually play them at like 2am.

I used to trout fish. You look at those fish wrong and they die. I wouldn't be surprised if I lost 1 of every 4 trout I ever caught. Bass however... I think its all a bunch of BS. I take care of my fish in a practical manner. Those that preach impractical fish handling need to practice what they preach by not fishing in the first place. The damage is done my friend. The MLF rules of landing fish while not touching the carpet or your body is absurd. Hanging a fish in mid-air from its hook hole while fumbling around trying to secure the fish without getting spiked or hooked??? 100% chance of tearing a larger hole in the fish. I promise you if you asked the fish they would rather touch the carpet that get their throat and gills torn up. Dipping the bump board is a reasonable practice and makes measuring the fish easier. (:

Strike Zone Pocket Knocker. My experience with the telescopic removers has been awful, usually end up breaking the line before it even make contact with the line. I cannot count how many baits I have gotten back with the pocket knocker. Easily 30-40. But have only lost 1 pocket knocker which tells you it has only failed once.

Couldn't have said it any better.

I prefer to fish with someone but probably spend 95% of the time fishing alone. Fishing with my family isn't really fishing. Its family time and I don't count that because I will be lucky on some days if I get to make 1 cast with my own rod. The key is to find guys that get it. That understand that they aren't going to catch a fish on every cast and that sometimes you need to work for each bite. That understand it may be necessary to run 20 miles to find better fish even though the small keepers are biting like crazy right where we are at. That understand that when we go fishing we are fishing until our wives demand that we come home and not because we are bored, hungry or tiered. I have fished with so many types of people that like to "catch" fish but don't really love fishing. A handful of these guys are past or present tournament anglers who seem to only really love the competition, gambling, or fast boat aspect of tourney fishing and a few others were buddies that probably grew up fishing with a guide doing all the work and didn't realize that bass fishing was difficult and we don't troll. I think I have been pretty fortunate to have a couple of buddies (even though they live on the other side of the state) that can fish all day and love it just like most of us.

To me cork vs. eva is irrelevant. I want the best blank possible for the money and a comfortable reel seat. I don't really concern myself with guide quality either because I can easily replace a broken guide. Lighter and more minimal build the better as long as its comfortable.

True...No sense going JDM for a 6 year old. Honestly though at 6 years old its time to upgrade to a spinning reel. Get a 50 size Abu or something for $30-$40 and put it on an ultra light for the kid. I would probably go with a really whippy rod and lures that don't require much hook set. I would highly recommend to all parents out there the Arkie Turbo Head fished with a T-rigged 4.5" roboworm. The Arkies will need to be purchase directly from the Arkie website but are absolutely a must have for fishing with kids.

True, its more about how you look than what gear you are throwing... I mean if your not wearing a jersey you probably aren't catching any fish. Don't leave the jersey at home guys.

That has happened to me a few time with these Chinook and Steelhead we have in our river while bass fishing. The bass net just wont hold em and there is no hand landing a chrome fish from a boat.

HAHA, yeah first thing I thought when I saw it. As long as its not a FORCE its a good deal. I would say maybe even a great deal because that boat is super clean looking. If it turns over good, sounds right, doesn't bog down at all when you hit the gas hard, shifts in and out of F/R gear crisply, and doesn't have any water in the lower unit I would be willing to bet its a fair deal at that price. If its still got good/great compression its probably a steal.

JMoore when you get good at fishing you are going to look back at this post in embarrassment. What are the advantages of a crankbait? It gets into the strike zone quickly and stays in the strikezone. The faster you reel the better it stays down. At depths greater than like 5 foot a Trap or jig will not stay on the bottom efficiently. A crankbait deflects off of bottom cover and structure much better than a trap and better than a bladed jig in most cases. A crankbait can be fished at depths of up to 20 foot EFFICIENTLY. Yes you can cast out a blade, sew a quilt while while you are waiting it to get to the bottom, and then SLOWLY reel it back to the boat in a way that probably eliminates any action the blade might have. A crankbait is easier to unsnag from rock and most brush then either lure when fishing at depth. A Crankbait stirs up the bottom and attracts fish. I am sure there are other advantages that I am missing but its funny that the one you listed probably is the least relevant to anyone who is any good a cranking.