PAGreg

Its been mentioned that shower rod cover works too.

Mark Zona's "shark knot". As simple as it gets and strong.

Yes, I use NXT spray wax. It keeps crud from sticking in the first place. I wax my reels too.

Go for the best of both worlds and use braid with a fluoro leader. I pitch docks with 40# smackdown and 22# sniper leader. Works great.

Yes and I bet that those saying no because it changes the feel would be hard pressed to tell the difference in a blindfold test.

I used to use a lot of the Gander Mt brand beavers and Big Bite beavers and did well with them. Then, I gave the Ragetail Structure Bug a try and it took things to a whole other level. It does irritate me that I can catch half as many fish on the structure bug before its destroyed versus the other beavers, but the trade off is well worth it. I manage to prolong their use by utilizing Mend It.

No, not worth that sort of ride. I'd head west into any of finger lakes or Oneida before going to the pack.

There are a few striper fishing guides that post reports on their websites. Thats probably your best bet. The Striper365 forum seems to have recent reports from time to time as well. The USGS site for water conditions at Raystown is down more than its up. So, not very useful.

Got out on my favorite little lake in NEPA and caught 13 fish that included a 5.99, 4.64, 4.45, 4.0. Most of them pretty shallow. Water temps 42-46.

Walker Lake. I was at Raystown two weeks ago and water temp was 36 and it wasn't very dirty.

I was out on a small lake in central PA yesterday. Shallow end still had ice. Water was chocolate milk with a temp of 35º.

I bought several packs to try in place of the standard Ribbit frog. Because they are so thick, I'm rigging them with a 6/0 Beast hook. Should get a lot more hook in the fishes mouth with the big gap on that hook.

Went out today. Tried Snyders Run first and its still frozen. Looked like open water about 300 yards away. So it'll probably open this week. Ended up launching at Seven Points. Did more exploring than fishing since it was my first time on the lake. At least one thing was the same as every other lake I've been on: boat ramps attract morons.

I've been really impressed how they bang through the nastiest stuff and don't hang up. They live up to their name around chunk rock.

I do like above. 25' dock rope hooked to eye and winch hook. Let boat float ofd, pull forward, get out and pull in the boat. Most times I'm out of the truck and unhooking the rope from the winch before all the rope has played out. No need for a shock cord type deal.

Gonna bring this thread back from the dead for a new year. I was at the lake on Saturday and Snyders was frozen solid, but seven points was wide open and watched a steady stream of boats launching. I'm hoping to head down on Sunday with the boat. Could some of you locals chime in if the northern part of the lake opens up? Hoping to launch at Snyders, but will run down to seven points if necessary.

Anything opening up that way? I took a ride down to Raystown lake here in PA today and was surprised to find the majority ice free. The launch was busy with a steady stream of bass boats. It was 67º.

Another Onyx a/m 24 deluxe user. Been wearing mine from the moment I step on the boat until the boat leaves the water for two years now. Totally forget I'm wearing it except for those times I forget to unhook my kill switch and it slingshots into my face. If you get an automatic, get a rearming kit at the same time. The last thing you want is to take a dive in the middle of a tournament or such and then be without a functional vest the rest of the day. I keep a rearming kit in a watertight container on the boat.

Cabelas advanced angler bags would be better.

I just ordered an RT188 and deleted the electronics. When looking at prices online compared to the upgrade charge, the options aren't worth it. Only advantage is being able to finance the electronics as part of the boat. BTW, electronics delete was worth a whole $45. I advise upgrading the tm to a digital model with variable speed. Even though its not listed, I was able to upgrade to the digital MG X3 70# tm for $100 more than the x3 listed.

Texas rigges beaver bait Jig Norman Weedwalker Jerkbait Wakebait/buzz frog Spinnerbait/chatterbait

I've been using the double sided one for a few years now and it works well. My only complaint is that I've had several bags blow out the bottom and they didn't really have much in them. I think it just a random deal where some bags are sealed better at the bottom. For that reason, I recommend buying replacement bags and having them on hand.

I have some and tried a few different hooks and settled on the 6/0 Owner Beast hook. The noisy flapper is pretty thick and the plastic is pretty hard. So, I think the 6/0 Beast was needed to get any sort of hook penetration. I will say I have not been able to fish this setup yet, so I can't say for sure. When I tried out both a 5/0 ewg and a 5/0 flipping hook, I just didn't see enough hook penetrating the body to get into the fish. If the plastic were softer, a 5/0 might work. On Ribbit ftogs I use 5/0 as they are softer.

Its really simple once you open it up. Not a whole lot to do other than grease it up.

That is exactly why god created the Norman Weedwalker.