Fishingmickey

Hi Nero, Being a bass head, I know you want to go for them big big'un's that swim in Clearlake! Hiring a guide you are hiring his knowledge of the lake too. With your brother being new to bass fishing and I am suspecting you really want him to have a good time too so he becomes a future bass head too. So maybe splitting your time between numbers and going for lunkers might be a good thing. My first thought is talk to your guide, tell him your thoughts on how you want the trip to go or your goals for the trip. The more you communicate the more likely your trip will be a success. Since your an experienced angler and your brother is not. You might have your guide work with him more then yourself. Good luck and make sure to post a after action report here! Best, Fishingmickey

I have ran the 93sv UHD and in side scan the fish show up as bright suspended dots and there will be a corresponding shadow dot on the bottom. The higher in the water column they are the further away the shadow dot will be. Not sure if it is the same on the Striker Vivid 9sv but I would think it is. Check out some of the you tube videos on using side scan may help. Best, FM

4,094.25 + 60 = 4,154.25

Do they make it in a right hand model? FM

Hi Quake, The one thing I don't like about that spinner bait and others made like it. The Beetle spin comes to mind. It has the rolled wire line tie instead of the "R" bend that is found a most spinner baits. It has the ability for the line to wrap around the line tie eye and get pinched in the rolled eye between the shaft and the rolled ring is. This happens when it helicopters or spins in the air when casting causing it to wrap around the eye and you retrieve it gets caught in that pinch point and damages the line. I hope that makes sense. FM

I have both the 100 and the 150. I really like the performance of the 100 and went and picked up the 150. I haven't fished the 150 yet. I will be test driving it this weekend with Swim jigs, Spinner baits and Chatter baits. FM p.s. the reels are works of art.

Makes me wonder what is going to be in my two hundred dollar Bento.... FM

I gave in to the tackle monkey, 5.6 and a 7.5:1 ordered. FM

Hi Joe, I used to have a Sears 12' aluminum deep vee that had a dead Wizard 9.9 on the back. I left the motor on because it acted as a skeg keeping the boat tracking straight especially if it was windy out. With just a trolling motor on the bow the back end of the boat will go wherever it wants to go. So even if it is a non-working motor it will still help you keep boat position. I'd go lithium on the battery especially if your trolling motor only. If you can swing it, two batteries. Another thing to avoid is running your trolling motor on high for longish period of time (aka anything longer then 15 minutes), Running on high will suck your battery dry very quickly. Fishingmickey PS I used to use a 100 ah deep cycle powering a 5 speed 45# thrust Motorguide. Running it on two or three the battery would last all day. If your boat has oar locks, a pair of oars would be good insurance.

Hello Bandersnatch, River2Sea - Ish Monroe Bling Gold willow leaf blades 3/8 or 1/2 oz no trailer is how I run it. I lean more towards the 1/2 oz. It has some serious thump. Thin blades and wire. They will bend if you're horsing the fish in on tight drag or boat flipping a several pounder. They do re-straighten well and will break after several re-tunings. I've found that if I net or lip my fish and don't try to ski them in they last a long time. They hold up pretty well and they catch fish. I really like the head design with the wire leading down to the bottom of the "nose" and the flat bottom helps with bumping it over wood. Quality blades, hook and swivel. FM

Breaking off at the lure "mid-air" happens because something abruptly stopped the line, snag or backlash, causing the leader to stretch and snap. Flushdraw, I think this is it. My logic is based off of this. You mentioned how tight you run your drag, the "pistol shot" when the line snapped and the fact you're using 30lb braid to leader. Those clue make me think your having "dig in" issues. Your braid has dug into the spool and causes a sudden stop during your cast aka mid-cast. You had a snag earlier at that spot in your spool and with a tight drag your braid "dug into" the braid trying to get it loose or got it loose. When your 5/8 oz lure hit that spot and stopped suddenly it transmits a serious shock load from the momentum of the bomb cast. Your weakest point is the knot where your lure is tied. It wasn't a weak knot or you wouldn't have gotten the "pistol shot" from your line snapping. So if you have to pull hard on the line to free your lure always pull some additional line off past the "snag" point to make sure there is no dig in. I at time will drag my lure behind and let out like 75 yards or more of line and reel back in to prevent dig in. FM

Howdy Goggly, Big difference in size from the 3" to the 4.5". With a 3" Easy Shiner I would go light, smaller wire hook maybe size one to 1/0 and a head weight of no more then 1/8 oz. 4.5" depends on the depth you want to target. Hook size 2/0 - 3/0 and weight 1/8 oz to 1/4 oz. 3/8 oz maybe if your wanting to go deeper then 20'. All of this will also depend on your set up. If your using a bait caster and 15- 20lb line vs spinning tackle with threadline braid and leader, light mono or fluorocarbon main line it will greatly affect how it fishes. Hope that helps, Fishingmickey

I was very pleased to see Takahiro win it! One for the old guard! His first win in seven years. FM

This is spot on! Way to go BigAngus! FIshingmickey

x2

Brings back to good ole days of throwing rocks at dying alewives in Lake Michigan. Back when they had alewive dies offs and about the time they started introducing salmon. Grenade launcher rocks were medium sized for the more distant targets, Depth charges were bigger rocks for the closer in targets and would lift the dead/dying alewife out of the water with the concussion. I didn't throw around fisherman, not that there were many bank fisherman back in the day before Lake Michigan around the Chicagoland area. FM

I checked yes, I do understand the option of de-tuning a crank bait to hit a wall or go under cover/dock. With a out of tune crank bait it doesn't travel the direction you want it to, it doesn't dive as deep. Spinner baits gotta run straight. I am going to talk about blowing out because of speed. I am talking just flat not tracking straight. A hunting bait still follows a fairly straight line, it just may veer to the right or the left for a short period and that is mighty fine too. Best, FM

Blue, I hope you find a way forward, try to live the life your Angel would want you to live, remember the good times, enjoy and love the four creations you made together! I share in the sorrow and pain. Sincerely, Fishingmickey

Fishhead spin or Owner Flashy are my two "go to's". FM

F14, I'd be very leary of sanding the carbon fiber. The dust is extremely bad for your lungs, skin and everything else and there is the chance of damaging the rod or voiding the warranty if you care about that. I like Bulldog's X-wrap solution or grip tape. If the X-wrap or grip tape doesn't work out you can always remove it. Best of luck, FM

x1000 - Me too.

Spot on A-Jay! X2 FM

Alton Jones said six wraps for the improved clinch on the Texas outdoors show. That's what I have been using on my improved clinch. I can't see it being any different for the Trilene knot. Best, FM

Seaguar Tatsu is the gold standard for Fluorocarbon IMHO. SunLine's Shooter and Sniper are good. But personally I like Tatsu better then either of them. This is in the same price range and a little thinner then Tatsu and made by Seaguar. Heck, I'd try a spool, to get me up to that free tee shirt range. FM

Order placed, Mike. FM