WIGuide

It really depends on what type of water you fish. If there's an abundance of shallow water, a hydraulic jackplate is an awesome accessory. The way most of them are set, at idle you can jack it up high enough that if you hit something you'll bump the bottom of the boat before you smoke it with the prop. I'm not sure how much of a performance gain you'll see with it on that boat, but there will be some and they also help to economically as it allows you adjust to motor to the best height regardless of how it's loaded. It's up to you weather or not you want one, but I've had one on my last two boats, and don't think I'll have another bass boat without one.

If this was your first year and you were just trying to see what it was like it might be a different story, but it's not. You knew what you were signing up for before the season started and by doing that you gave your commitment to yourself, your school, and your team that you would be participating this season. You owe it to all of them to stand by your word. It builds character and integrity, a few things so many people are lacking these days. Try to look at it as a challenge, like you would a day on the lake right after a front passes through. Try to find a way to motivate yourself to finish strong for the last month and a half of your wrestling career. In the end you'll be glad you did.

Since he's the greatest of all time and he's gonna hire a security team and all that, he might want to consider hiring some wardrobe people before that....

I got a friend who needs to see this. He does catch some decent bass, but he seems to guess at least a pound or two over on most fish. After fishing a big fish tournament earlier this year in which we had some pretty good success, he was telling someone how we wore them out and he was getting annoyed catching 3 pounders all day. I had weighed a bunch of them and they were decent fish but were in the 2 lb range and the ones on the bigger side going 2 1/4 lbs.

Being 6'6" I run into this issue on a lot of boats. A lot of older boats had this issue. I'm lucky to even be able to get my legs under the console. You might be able to add a tilt steering wheel, but you'd have to check to make sure you still have clearance for your torso being that the tilt wheel will stick out farther.

It just looks that way on camera

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I've used both Humminbird and Lowrance locators. I Personally have a HDS 7 touch and I love it. My dad, who I fish with quite often has an 1198 and 898. They are great units too. I feel that as far as basic setup and understanding menus, Humminbird has the edge as well as for the clarity and distance with their SI. I feel Lowrance offers better down imaging/scan and their 2d sonar seems clearer to me. I also feel Lowrance has more ways to fine tune your system but they also nickel and dime you for a lot of stuff. To be quite honest, I'd be happy with either, and like I said I love my touch and am looking to buy another one in the spring hopefully. My best advice is to look at what features you want and find the unit that best matches your list.

The inflatable vests are great! They are more comfortable which allows you to actually wear them all the time instead of just being in the boat. Make sure you check your state relations though as some states only count it as a vest if it's being worn. If it's laying on the deck it's not and you have to have a foam vest somewhere in the boat for each passenger. It makes no sense at all but some states are like that and Wisconsin is one of them.

Sunny and highs in the 60's and you're having to wear a under shirt and a thermal on top? I guess you're right, you wouldn't last long in a real winter. Woke up to come to work this morning and it was 11 below zero. I think the winter bass season started here a while ago haha.

I tried Berkley Trilene 100% Fluoro XL in 6lb test this last year and was really impressed with it. It stretches slightly more than the regular 100% but I had zero problems with it this year and will be respooling a few more reels with it this year.

I'd be guessing it's just for weight reduction and aesthetic value.

The more you use them the easier it is to tell about how deep they'll dive. I've got mine separated by diving depth in different boxes. 0'-5', 6'-12', and everything over that is in one box. I also use a lot of DT cranks so that's kind of cheating haha.

My favorite is the one that happens to be working that day.

I've got the BPS 100mph Parka and love it. You can wear it as is in the summer and it stays cool enough in the heat, yet keeps you fairly warm in the cold. When it gets cold out, you can zip in a liner (I found Columbia liners work as well) you have something that will keep the heat in as well if not better than most winter jackets. I will admit that the zipper sometimes takes a second or two to get started, but once you have it started it works perfectly.

I go with 12lb Berkley 100% Fluoro.

I used to have a Bass Hound 10.2 and it was a very stable boat for the size. It was better suited for 1 person once you put a motor on, but you can still work around that with 2. These boats are still made but the name seems to change every few years. They are now made by Sun Dolphin.and called a Pro 102. I'd give them a look and see if you can find a used one for sale. http://www.sundolphinboats.com/oz/3/com/fish/bt102/bt102.html

It's hard for me to say for sure without a picture of the mount. Depending on the base, you may need a screw in pedestal or you might be able to use a non-threaded one. Either way though, you're looking for a power pedestal. Being that you're 6'2" you'll probably one one in the 22" to 29" range. It will allow you to adjust the height correctly to fit your body. Something like this is what you'll want http://www.basspro.com/Springfield-Kingpin-PowerRise-Pedestals/product/915/

A Booyah Poppin Pad Crasher is a good choice for a popping frog. You can still walk it if you want, but it also allows you to slow it down and chug it too. The best part of it is that they aren't too pricey either.

Never boiled them before. If it's a little bend I could care less. If it's bad enough that it messes with the action of the bait, I'd probably try it.

Are you actually having problems throwing the XCS with a baitcaster? The XCS100's my favorite squarebill and I have no problem throwing that even in gusty winds so even though it may not be super "heavy" it casts just fine.

I try not to buy multiples of the same bait style from different companies. I try to find a specific bait that I like and if it works for me I'll stick with it. The times I buy from a different brand are the times when the ones I like don't have a specific color that I'm looking for. I try to keep it simple, even though trying and actually doing couldn't be farther apart sometimes. lol

Usually with reduced visibility I try to use a bulkier bait. One of my favorites is a Strike King Baby Rodent. It seems to be pretty effective in water down to about a foot to foot and a half of visibility. I think the added bulk moves more water and really helps them to find it, but it's not so much that it loses it's finesse and subtle appeal.

My favorite solution for that problem is the Eco Pro Tungsten Pro Wacky Weights. They add some life to your senko style baits. I use 1/32 oz for 4" baits and 1/16 oz for 5". The other thing I like about them is it adds a little weight so the bait sinks just slightly faster but not so much that it overpowers the bait. I tried them a few years ago and was impressed with them, and now I don't fish without them.

Pretty much every baitcaster I have is spooled with 12 lb flouro. I have 3 exceptions and that's my flippin stick - 50lb braid. Frog rod - 50 lb braid. Topwater rod - 12lb mono.