along99999

I will be in Amarillo in early April. My understanding is that Meredith is nearly dried up. Can anyone tell me if you can still launch on Meredith and if the bass fishing is worthwhile? How about Greenbelt? Thanks for the help!

Just a thought- If you bought it from a reputable dealer that's in your area, take it back. If it's a brand new boat, it's got warranty and that's part of why you paid so much extra for that new boat smell. If it was a used boat, he should still stand behind it - the dealer may have installed the charger, batteries, etc. and may stand behind the workmanship or parts he installed. Just a simple phone call. Unless you bought it privately or from a dealer a couple hours or more away, it's worth a call just in case that thing needs a new charger - he should have extras in his parts department for this exact scenario. Good luck.

x2

I have spent hours looking for a very, very specific set up: 6' 3" Medium action Fast tip Micro guides split foam grip the most important feature is the overall weight of the rod - under 4 oz. if possible. I really want to go off-the-rack but I can't find exactly what I'm looking for, so I went the custom route and emailed ALX. After my initial contact I have heard nothing back after two inquiries. Can you guys recommend a good custom rod builder that won't gouge me or a good quality rod meeting the above specs that I have overlooked? Thanks for the help!

Has anyone personally used one of these and, if so, what were your impressions and would it be worth $450 if someone hypothetically had a connection who found him one? Along that same line, what should someone expect to pay for a TD-Z Type R Plus in near-mint condition these days? I never see the plus models on ebay anymore or even on the usual JDM sites. The d**n monkey has got me again.

I only use powder, but I believe if you use water-based paint, you need to finish it off with an epoxy coat. Am I correct on that, guys?

For LM I love the Arky, poison tail, and flipping jigs from Do-It.

If you're patient, you can usually pick up a used motor in the 150-hp range for $1500 - $2000 and get it put on for a couple hundred more. Just keep scouring the internet. You may have to bring home the boat that's attached to it, too, but you can sell that out on ebay for a few hundred to some poor schmo who put a tree through his boat. Blown power heads usually result from repeated long full-throttle runs combined with poor cooling - either a bad impeller, clogged inlets, motor too high on jack plate, etc., which may not always trigger a pressure alarm until it's too late. 95% of blown motors are operator error either in maintenance or just running it harder than necessary. Not making judgments on you, but that's been my experience. I would probably avoid rebuilding as it usually ends up in countless trips back to the shop for adjustments, etc. Just ask the shop where is a good place in your area to start looking for motors and start hitting the net.

LC Wake Tail

TURN AROUND - YOUR BOAT IS FLOATING AWAY!

Most states require the boat and trailer to have their own separate titles and they be licensed separately as well. Reasoning is that boats are taxed differently as they are not considered road-going vehicles whereas trailers most certainly are. Some states, I believe Missouri is one, require that the motor carry its own title as well. Just check with your local DMV, and block out about six hours to be on hold >

Anybody been out on the Hayward area lakes yet?

I used to have a sign on the wall of my office in the car dealership I worked at: "The car you looked at today and want to 'sleep on' until tomorrow is the same car someone looked at yesterday and 'slept on' last night." It wasn't a selling tool so much as a reminder to customers that if you've done your research, the car (boat) is right and the finances are ready, the time to buy is now. NOT tomorrow. You'll find another one. Just be ready to set the hook when you do!

Practice, practice, practice. Don't be afraid to look like a fool, either. Warn the owner when he hands you his keys that you've never backed up a trailer until now and he'll understand. He'll laugh at you, but if he's not a dick, he'll remember what it was like the first time he backed up a trailer in front of a couple hundred other guys. Some guys are mirror guys, others are over-the-shoulder guys. My father-in-law literally gets upset that I will not use the mirrors to back up at the ramp, but I refuse to change it up after 20 years. Even still, I have to pull forward and straighten her out once in a while.

mr pikey says differently. noway in hell am i going to lose a nearly $30.00 topwater to a pike. maybe if there weren't any around, possibly then i would get one. otherwise a $8.99 SP09 skitterpop will suffice & has proven itself time & time again. Ahh, didn't think about hammer handles. Stupid pikes ruin everything. I've been pretty lucky and not many toothy critters hit those expensive ones - I think they can sense the wrath they will incur if they do! I'd also have to throw a vote to the Iovino Splash It poppers. Very high quality baits in the $10 range, with patience.

I've used speed clips for several years on nearly everything. they can be a pain on R bend spinner/buzz baits, as mentioned. I've never had a problem with using them on any bait, although I do remove the split rings from everything except crankbaits. I also check the line every once in a while for damage, depending on where I'm fishing. The speed clips have never cost me a fish or a lure - a bad knot has, but not the clip.

Viva Bug Eye Popper in Pearl yellow head or bull frog. Great bait for culling - it only catches bigger bass. http://dannyjoeslures.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=5&pos=15 Don't think, just buy. You can't lose floating baits! Unless you suck at tying knots, of course.

I always wondered that myself. I finally asked one of the locals when I was up there and it's just a difference of terminology - kinda like we call it "pop" while others call it "soda" and some call it "coke." They call 'em "flowage" while in the sane parts of the world, we call 'em "reservoirs." Same diff. Except for some reason, Chippewa Flowage has some creepy red tint to the water that really freaks me out for some reason.

uhh...no comment.

That's what you get, bear, for throwing back all the brown ones and being so d**n friendly when we invade your part of the world. I'll never get over the old lady at <unnamed bar> telling us, "Okay, boys. It's closing time," then emptying our freshly opened beers into a foam cup and asking us if we needed any for the road. Or, earlier in the evening, when the local at the end of the bar passed out and she declared, "Okay, no more shots for you, only beer."

I shouldn't tell you, but for numbers AND size, head to Hayward, Wisconsin. Specifically, Round and Grindstone lakes. Clear water, smaller lakes and the locals only care about the walleye and musky and leave the bass to the tourists.

Favorite = topwater. Prop baits especially. Most success = 3/8 oz spinnerbait

I have used this bait since its *** and have found it to be absolutely deadly on any type of lake be it clear, stained, muddy or other. It casts a mile, rarely foul-hooks itself, even on PE, and is simple to work. Those who refuse to spend the money for it will never understand!

The 2 ton seems to work best for me. For painting lead, I'd use the stuff that cures quickly. If you hang your jigs, the longer-cure time stuff can slide down the head.

Not that anybody cares, but... I finally got to test my first custom-painted lure: a lucky craft Wander 80. My buddies made fun of me for "destroying" a $15 bait with my first shot at painting. I used a pearl silver/pearl white combo for the body and purple color along the back, replaced the factory hooks with red VMC trebles and replaced the factory eyes with red eyes. My sanding job was a little rough, but oh well. so I epoxy'ed the dude and took it to Wisconsin on my annual smallmouth hunt. We catch a lot of fish on Wanders, but this year we had no luck on them at all for the first day (water temp was mid-70's, kinda killed the jerkbait bite). by the middle of day 2, I decided I would try my first custom painted lure. No kidding, on the first cast, WHAMMO. Something large and toothy hit it and bit clean through 15# braided line. All I was was what looked like a tree swimming away from where I had cast my first creation. No moral to the story - I only wanted to echo all the posts I've read on this forum that say "there's nothing quite as satisfying as catching that first fish on your own creation." Too bad I didn't take a picture of the bait before surrendering it back to the bait monkey. May my little guy rest in peace. :'( Thanks for reading.