Al Wolbach

Try the Jens-su trolling motor knife, works great. http://www.ospreyproducts.com/productCat53574.ctlg................Al

I believe it was called a "Color C Lector". They are still available at BPS...........Al

All good reels, no doubt. If you want to cast further get a Ardent XS...........Al

BPS will normally replace a rod for 1 year from date of sale. They can tell the approximate age of the rod by looking at it. There is a letter/number after all of the rod info, line weight, lure weight etc. This is a code to identify the age of their rods. For example A6 would mean the rod was made in Jan,06 B7 would mean the rod was made in Feb, 07. C5 would mean Mar 05, etc. Hope this makes sense...........Al

If you live near a BPS or Cabelas they will install all the different cards on a display unit so you can compare the different cards. Some marine dealers will do this also.........Al

Avid, check out the Jen-su weed cutter from www.ospreyproducts.com. I put one of these on my trolling motor a few years ago. No more weed rap. They run about $20...Al

Way2Slow is correct. Take your trailor to a frame shop. One that can straighten a car frame or unibody car. They can fix your problem. Had mine done about three years ago. Cost $100, problem solved and you do not need to remove the boat...........Al

Ardent is the only reel manufacturer ( that I am aware of ) that tells in their advertising what type of bearings they use. They are ABEC 5 bearings and probably explains the additional casting distance........................Al

Lifting fish into the boat is also a good way to overstress a rod..........Al

Magnesium is strong and much lighter. The supreme is only 8 ozs. It is the lightest spinning reel I have ever handled. I see a couple in my future....................Al

I always trim the weed guard near the hook point. I do not believe it effects the weed guard as far as stiffness. Some days I can work a jig thru anything without hanging up and some days I can't work it thru open water without hanging up. On the days that I hang up repeatedly I spread the weed guard and it does seem to help with hang ups. If fishing open water I usually will thin out the weed guard by removing a few strands ( cutting strands off at the head )..............Al

Clean your boat with orange juice????

I was given a spool to try last year. The line behaved well but had more stretch than I care for. No other complaints.....................Al

I take mine to a do-it-yourself car wash and pressure wash it about once a year. When I get home I vacuum the carpet with a wet and dry vacuum to remove additional dirt and water. This does a very good job of cleaning, looks like new..............Al

http://www.ospreyproducts.com/quickdrawrodrack.ivnu

I like to pitch jigs and soft plastics. I use the lightest weight that the wind and water depth will allow. Normally 1/4 oz, occasionally 3/8 and very rarely 1/2 oz.........Al

I have both rods that RW mentioned in his post, both are GLX and both are great rods. That being said, if I could have only 1 rod, it would be an MBR844c. You will find yourself using it for almost everything. For soft plastics/jigs I highly recommend the GLX, you will never be sorry..............Al

You can buy green pumpkin at http://www.barlowstackle.com/

I could not agree more. I sent 3 Team Diawa's to Reelmech, all were returned in the best shape they have been in years and the communication was outstanding. Overall it was a very pleasant experience..............................Al

Fishtank is correct. The Shimano rep will not be present nor will they honor the coupon on Shimano products. This was announced yesterday to employees at the Sevierville store. No details to the ticking contest were given but apparently it is at the corp. level. All other manufacturers are still particapating. Much more to this story than is being told.....................Al

Ditto..................Al

I have always used baking soda and water. There is probably something better, but this has worked for me............Al

Thanks guys, I will order both. Dead sticking the bluegill sounds very interesting. I had always just fished them much like a deep crankbait, chunk and wind. The bluegill may be just what I really need........Thanks again...........Al

Thanks fourbizzle, maybe I shouldn't rule out the Bluegill, just fish slower................Al

I am interested in the Matt lures swimbait. I want to fish humps in 20-30 feet of water. The Bluegill series sinks at 2 feet/sec (according to website) and is not what I'm looking for. I am looking at the Baby Bass series but the website does not tell the sink rate. I want to fish on or very neat the bottom. Will the Baby Bass sink fast and stay in contact with the bottom this deep? Thanks all...............Al