WIGuide

I tried to downsize a few years ago, well at least I had the idea in my mind....then I saw a sale somewhere and that idea went right out the window!

I'd suggest getting a packet or two of Zerust Tabs or Plastabs by Flambeau. If you already have Flambeau boxes, they make the Zerust dividers as well. They work great for preventing rust.

You'd have slightly more because there would be a little more spool speed, which in turn means more braking pressure applied by the 1 shoe that is out.

I would think with just one you'd have more wear than normal.

From what I've been told the only way to truly tell the difference between the two is by the number of dorsal spines they have. A white crappie will have between 4-6 hard spines and a black crappie will have 7 or 8. I could have miscounted due to the blurry picture, but it looks like it only has 6.

Your crappie is a white crappie.

If you're going to keep bass, keep them as close to the legal size limit. Up by me the legal size is 14" and I'll rarely keep one over 16". Bass populations are like pyramids with the biggest fish being at the top and and smallest at the bottom. With the chances of a bass reaching trophy size being close to astronomical, leave them be to reproduce and make fry that are genetically more inclined to reach that same size or bigger. Doing so will help manage our waters to produce a bigger population. I haven't noticed any difference in taste between larger or smaller fish of any species. If you are, chances are something is wrong with it.

Congrats on making it to such a milestone! Wishing you many more years together. Happy Anniversary!

I've forgot it a handful of times but have never been caught doing so. My dad did get stopped on our dock though and his wallet was in the house. They just took down his name and address and checked in the system when they got back to see if he had one. One other time when I was little my dad had also forgot his. We could see the DNR boat working its way towards the back of the creek we were in stopping to check the few boats that were in there. At this point while looking for his wallet, my dad remembers he left it at the cabin. So we put the rods down and take off of some skinny water. We weren't going all that fast due to all the stumps in that area and when we slowed down to idle through the tiny bridge to get back to the main lake the DNR boat was pouring it on trying to catch up. Unfortunately for them they had no lights or any sort of megaphone to tell us to stop, so dad opened it up on the other side of the bridge and they were left to eat our rooster tail lol. We got back to our dock, dad ran inside the cabin and told me to say that he had to go to the bathroom if they stopped. By the time he was coming back out the other boat had finally reached our bay but were on the other side of the lake and didn't even bother coming over to check us.

I use 12 lb Berkley 100% Fluorocarbon for all my cranking.

They play just fine as long as you don't go all crazy on them!

Rods - St. Croix Reels - Abu & BPS Line - Berkley Trilene

Balanced is better, but you should be ok with just the one.

Given that it was on the chunky side, I'd have to say a little over 2 lbs

That'd be your common largemouth.

You don't have to put on a jackplate to raise your engine. They provide the best adjustment because you can adjust them in smaller increments and overall they adjust a lot farther. However, the motor height can be adjusted on the transom based on how it's mounted. If you look on the mid section of the motor you'll notice there are different holes in it. These are there so you can adjust the height. I'm guessing that yours are in the top holes which means the motor is mounted as low on the transom as possible. This will create the most drag and if there is too much drag it won't allow for bow lift. That'd be the first thing I'd look at. It's quick and easy to adjust some may be able to do it at home.

Have you had your running in the 60+ range before? If not it's probably a setup issue. I'm guessing the motor is too low and is creating excess drag and also hindering bow lift. Find out how far the prop shaft is below the hull and get back to us.

I would say stupid bait monkey, but I'm thinking you didn't mind it too much after you got your LTB. I love those blue sticks!

A heavy power rod is probably going to be a bit much for what it sounds like what you are doing with it. Both of my senko rods are medium power and I fish around the same type of cover you do. If you want a little extra backbone, you could go with the MH.

I'd look at the St. Croix Avid lineup. If you're looking for a great all around rod I'd pick up either a M power/fast action or MH/F. Pick the rod that closest relates to the baits you throw the most. If they are on the lighter side go with the Medium power and if they are a little heavier go for the MH. As far as length goes, pick a length that feels right to you.

Like pap said generally the colder the water the longer the pause. I've also found that a lot of times when the water gets really cold and the bass are lethargic that a pull-pause retrieve works better than a jerk-pause retrieve. It's all about figuring out what a fish wants that day.

As poor of a reputation that the company has now, you might want to consider changing the name at least a little bit so people know it's not the the same ownership.

It's super sketchy to try to return stuff to a store where you didn't buy it. It doesn't matter that they sell the product, it's still dishonest and should not be done. You should sell it yourself and use the cash as a "store credit".

A Blakemore Road Runner head is similar and you can pick those up at Walmart or pretty much any tackle shop.

I'd take a look at the St. Croix Avids. Either the 6'9" ML/XF or the 6'8" M/XF.