Daniel My Brother

I suppose any fast moving bait like a chatterbait or a spinnerbait would work ok, but you'll have a tough time with soft plastics, jigs or any other bait you might fish with with a little slack in the line. Just too tough to get a good hookset. You'd be better off to fish crankbaits on a worm rod, than fishing plastics on a crankbait rod.

Paint a school of shad on the bottom of your boat. The fish will try to attack the school, then knock themselves out on the bottom of your boat. Then just scoop up the big ones.

Tipp, I don't know your financial situation, so forgive me if I cross a line, BUT...I don't think I could ever recommend that a student spends $40 grand on a boat that probably won't help you catch any more fish than a $300 jon. Even top brands like Ranger depreciate in value over time, until they are eventually worth nothing. Invest that same 40 grand now, then retire early and fish all you want! Just a thought. DMB

They really aren't all that hard to learn. A couple of hours in the backyard and you'll be ready to give it a shot at the lake. Yes, you'll backlash and curse, but you'll get better over time. The biggest benefit I see over spinning reels is that your line doesn't twist as much, which means it doesn't break as much. Also much easier to control the distance of your cast or pitch using your thumb. That said, plenty of good fisherman choose to only use spinning gear and do just fine.

If you're set on a line that's heavier test, but more manageable and castable for a spinning reel, you might consider Trilene XL. The only downside is that it just isn't very strong.

Horny toads are primarily topwater, but i like to fish them in heavy cover and let them fall when I get 'em over a hole in the slop. Those legs wiggle great on the fall and will trigger strikes.

I use 6# cxx on my spinning reels, and I liked it so much that I bought a large spool of 12# test for my baitcasters. I agree with everything you say. 12# cxx is incredibly strong, but coils up like a telephone cord. I'll stick with the 6# on my spinning reels, but I'll never buy another spool of 12#.

I like to be able to move around the bank, that means one rod, and a 3600 size tackle box in an over the shoulder bag, plus a camera and a pair of plyers. that's about it. Sometimes I bring a spare rod and tackle, but usually leave it in the car for emergencies. I'd also avoid deep diving crankbaits for the reasons already stated, though I like to have a rat-l-trap to work around rip-rap...Otherwise, jigs and soft plastics should work great year-round.

Congratulations! A new PB for sure.

littlefisher, If you guys can make it happen, you will have a great trip with Dave. I was in Orlando last year and he did the same favor for me. The coolest part of the trip was that he wasn't trying to outfish me, instead he spent the trip trying to put me on a good fish, offering his gear, his bait, his best spots, and his advice. Excellent trip, and a great guy. Good luck, Dan

I may be able to help you. PM sent.

30# should be fine. It doesn't take much power to push a small jon around.

lunch

Very cool! I'd love to see more ice fishing posts here.

One other thing I heard the other day that makes sense. A guy was saying he liked the heavier jig heads (1/16 to 1/8) with a smaller hook. The reason? Crappie suck in thier prey like a vacuum. If the jig head is heavy and the hook is light, the hook will spin around and enter the crappie's mouth first. Makes sense to me.

1st choice: crappie jigs, I like 1/16 oz marabou tails fished with a slip bobber. 3 favorite colors are: white, chartruese, and pink. You don't have to move these baits much at all to entice a strike. In fact, the marabou tails are almost impossible to hold steady in the water. A couple local crappie guys did a season long test to figure out if crappie jigs with painted on eyes performed better than plain colored ones...The eyes won. 2nd choice: Live minnows, I use 1/0 Eagle Claw crappie hooks, split shot and a bobber. 3rd choice: Beetlespin Gear: 7' medium light spinning rod, with a pflueger president, and 6lb pline cxx. Good luck and have fun!

It was some odd fraction that was between 5/8" and 3/4" I coated it with several layers of Helmsman poly. I don't remember the cuts being too difficult and I'm no carpener. We'll see how long it holds up.

The only thing I might have done differently is use 1/2" plywood...although as small as the deck is, I don't know how much weight difference it would have made. Here's a pic from the bottom...

Mine's a 1436. I sunk a floor in the front and I feel plenty stable fishing alone, though I wouldn't put a floor any higher. I've never tipped while fishing with a partner...but I am careful. Good luck.

Don't forget the original...Starring Avid and LBH

The wii is the first video game system I've ever owned. I like it. The kids love it. My 10 year old was playing the boxing game the other day and accidentally punched the TV pretty hard. Funny kid... ;D ;D I like the tennis, and can actually work up a pretty good sweat. I'm all for any video game that forces you to get up and move.

nice paint...keep the pictures coming as you go. I love good jon boat mod.

Perfect time to stock up...things are gonna heat up pretty quick.

Great fish...funny sideburns.

You caught me off guard! Very funny... ;D ;D ;D