WIGuide

That's insane dude! Good thing nobody got that on video otherwise that would be one of those launch ramp fail video's! Did you get it back?

How'd you manage to do that?

When you tie it and cinch it down, does the tag end or main line look kind of like a curly cue? If it does there's too much heat in the knot meaning your cinching it down to fast and/or it's not lubricated enough. Honestly though, it sounds like you may have just got a bad spool of it as even a poorly tied palomar should give you more strength than that. You can successfully tie a palomar knot with fluoro. I do all the time and haven't had any issues with it. I use all the way down to 6lb test too and haven't had an issue with break-offs. In response to OP: I keep it simple. Fluorocarbon = Trilene 100% for baitcasters 100% XL for spinning Mono = Trilene XT for baitcasters and XL for spinning Braid = haven't settled on one yet

I'd look into getting a tag. I've fished two Oakley Big Bass events though and didn't see any boats get checked. Since you take off from whatever ramp you choose there's really nothing that distinguishes you from any other boat on the lake that day. You should be fine without one. I'm thinking they put that in there so they can inspect your boat if needed, for example if you pull up to weigh in with a 16' boat with a 200hp motor on it.

I'd check out a St. Croix Legend Tournament Xtreme. They are absolutely amazing rods. The 7' MH/F would be a great all around rod.

If you're getting a rooster tail off the transducer, it's too deep in the water. I'm not sure you can change the ping speed in the settings on that unit, but if you can turn it all the way up and that should help as well. The transducer will work with some of the smaller units like those that you have. Once you move up the ladder as far as fish finders go, you will have a different transducer. If adjusted correctly you should be able to read with some speed. I'm not sure you'll get it to work at full throttle, but you should be able to get something at cruising speed.

He would have been fishing had it been a Ranger too. This one is worth watching too: http://media2.pbhmarinegroup.com/index.php/extwidget/openGraph/wid/0_le5gahyt

Make sure it's mounted at the correct depth. About half the transducer needs to be below the boat hull so it skims the water while on plane. If it's too high you'll lose reading because it won't be in the water anymore and if it's too low it can just plow and can make turbulence again not allowing it it read right. The angle also has to be correct. If it's tipped back too far it will be shooting behind your current location which makes it easier to over-run the sonar return. You'll also want to check your hull and make sure there's nothing in front of your transducer that will create turbulence. Lastly, make sure your sensitivity is turned up as that can play a part as well.

As a guide, I do fish and there are a few reasons that I do. First and foremost is that a lot of people who hire a guide have limited fishing experience. Yes you can tell them what to do and how they should work a bait, but a lot of times it's still really hard to tell if you're around fish. I can only do so much instructing, so I feel I need to fish to be able to figure out the pattern for the day. Secondly, some people are just better visual learners. If they watch you for a while they might have a better understanding of what you're doing or trying to accomplish. I will say though that I do only fish to establish a pattern, and once I do I'll stop with the exception of panfishing. There I fish all the time so the customer can get extra fish out of it, and also so there's an extra pole ready to go when one needs to be re-baited or gets tangled. I can just hand it to them and they can stay fishing the whole time while I take care of any problems. I don't think a guide should just fish the whole time though, and the focus should definitely be on the clients.

Alright, because I was also thinking of trying that as well since if the insert was liquefied it would lose it's grip too.haha

Have not had many, to the point where they need to be cut out, but I have had a few like that!

No, the components are the same. At BPS, during their sale events they will often times have combos in the store that are similar but have cheaper components. For an example, at one time they had some sort of PQ combo that was being sold for slightly more than the rod. The reel used the same body components as the PQ reel, but didn't have as many bearings and was painted a different color. Those were in-store only purchases. If you order the combo's from the catalog or online the PQ combo or Carbonlight combo it's exactly the same products as buying them separate.

The higher the salt content the FASTER the sink rate. I would pick the Yum Dingers. They catch just as many fish and hold up quite a bit better. They are also cheaper which is a plus! I use them both wacky and T-rigged.

You have to do this with all trolling motors. They don't come with plugs because there are multiple varieties out there. Just cut the plug off the old one and wire it up. If you want to skip the plug entirely, you could run the wires direct with the addition of a power block added on the end of the boat wires.

Did you heat it enough to melt the insert?

Being that they're both the same specs, it's up to you on the length. If you like shorter rods get the 6'8" and vise versa. Given your setup though, I'd probably go for the 7'1".

He had a good idea with the alligator clips. You can leave the positive terminal bolted on, but on the negative, cut it off and put on an alligator clip. In the side the wire doesn't come from, drill a small hole towards the top. Go to Walmart and pick up a 2 pack of the carabiner type key chain type clips (look like this http://www.budgetkeychains.com/Personalized-Carabiner-With-Split-Keyring?gclid=Cj0KEQjwm6CgBRC0zOmrydrqmosBEiQA_xoLRkvCPIHjn76G6ae3mcOXXTfUTkRwp_otZlACP_6WOhAaAtZD8P8HAQ and you can get a 2 pack for $0.96) and then some sort of rope. A few foot piece of paracord would do the trick. Tie each of the carabiners to each end of the rope and hook one to the alligator clip and the other to the kill switch D-ring on your vest and you're good to go.

Yeah, I'd like to avoid that if at all possible, since that would mean cutting the carpet that's in good shape. If worst comes to worst that's what I'll do.

I've got some PB Blaster soaking on it right now. I sprayed it last night and I'll spray it tonight again when I get home from work and let it sit a bit before taking the pipe wrench to it. Fingers crossed that it comes out! Thanks for the advice guys, I really appreciate it.

I got the back one out by using WD40 and finally got it to spin a little until I could work it out. After it came out I sanded the nylon insert with some course grit sand paper for a while and got the seat to go back in and only be snug but not rock. Plus I'm thinking with it being roughed up now it won't be as likely to stick to the metal. Unfortunately for me though, I have yet to make any headway on the front one. I tried WD40 and a pipe wrench. I tried using a really small drill bit to drill into the nylon to help the WD get down in as well and even leaning with my full weight on the pipe wrench it wouldn't budge. I really hope I can get that out soon, I'm sick of my butt seat being in the back of my knees lol.

As far as I know there aren't any cons. As long as it's the right fit for your boat, you're golden.

I'd go with the Avid.

I'd say it's in that 3.5 to 4 lb range.

I say go for it! There's no reason not to. There might be a few jerks out there no doubt but don't let that spoil it. Also, if the guy in the front is catching, there's a great opportunity to learn. Watch him and what he is doing differently than you to catch them. Make sure you pitch in for gas/oil/wear & tear/etc. You also want to treat his boat with respect. Don't leave line clippings everywhere and soft plastics thrown all over. Give it a year or two and if you feel you have what it takes, become a boater. Then you only have to worry about those in the back of your boat that will most likely be going through the same thing you are now.

Wacky rigs are deadly!!They do pick up a little more grass and get hung up slightly more than a Texas Rig, but the setup I use is pretty good with that though. I use a 2/0 Trokar Weedless Wacky Worm Hook if I'm using a 4" or 5" bait. 98% of the time I Wacky Rig with a 4" Yum Dinger. With the 4" Dinger, I use a 1/32 oz. Eco Pro Tungsten Pro Wacky Weight. It really helps to increase the durability of the bait, keeps it a nice tight package, and also allows me to fish it a little faster than weightless. When I throw the 5" Dinger, I'll bump the weight up to the 1/16 oz version. I'm not afraid to fish it around heavy cover or very grassy areas.