tcbass

Not a bad problem to have. I don't have that many set ups though. lol.

O. Good to know they run under the surface a few inches. I would have assumed mine was defective. lol.

Cool. So it's sort of a subtle buzzbait? Like a Ragetail Toad or Zoom Horny Toad?

Don't they make the threadlock series in adjustable heights? I thought they did. I did not like my swivel Eze I tried and went to a Springfield and am very happy. This is the seat I went with. I like it a lot. I can sit on it any way it is positioned vs. the kind where you sort of have to sit a certain way. It's also on sale for $39 vs. $54. http://www.cabelas.com/product/Bargain-Cave/New-This-Week/Boating-Fishing%7C/pc/105591780/c/105633180/sc/105638580/Cabelas-Signature-Series-Pro-Seats/737431.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Fboating-fishing%2F_%2FN-1102644%2FNs-CATEGORY_SEQ_105638580%3Fcatid%3D1%2BSQL%26WTz_l%3DSBC%253Bcat105591780%253Bcat105633180&WTz_l=SBC%3Bcat105591780%3Bcat105633180%3Bcat105638580

I wasn't planning on buying the one I did, but I needed to order something in the $11 range to make my total $100 to get $25 off at American Legacy Fishing. I ordered a new Ego 2 Slider net. I hope the Biovex Wake Bait I ordered works well. I didn't know Arashi made wake baits. I used one of my new Arashi's this weekend and did pretty good with it. I was really pleased with it.

Yep. That's why I like the foot pedal. I only use the remote to turn spot lock on and the new Ulterra has that feature on the foot pedal.

I sit and stand equally.

I have one. I think it's Strike King. I think D & S or D & M makes one too.

I see that many bass boats have recessed foot pedal areas for the trolling motors foot pedal because the pedal sits so high it would be hard to use if it wasn't recessed. However, when I fish I move my Terrova's foot pedal around. If I'm fishing to the right side of the boat I put the pedal on the right side deck, if I'm fishing to the center I put it in the center of the deck, and if I'm fishing from the left side of the boat I put the pedal on the left side of the deck. If I didn't do this I'd be twisting my body and it would be uncomfortable. I also sit a lot when I fish and not being able to move the pedal would also be hard. I watched a youtube video of pro fisherman Gerald Swindle fishing down a shoreline and he was casting to the left while using his foot to control the boat's trolling motor pedal from it's center recessed area and you could see he was really twisting his body and he looked very uncomfortable. This is what I'm talking about. So, how do you guys fish with a recessed pedal and not twist your body into uncomfortable positions? I know a lot of people have cable driven trolling motors that have high pedals, I know the Minn Kota Terrova is electronic and uses a lower pedal.

I thought #1 and #2's might be too small for me but maybe perfect for you. At least it's a cheap option if it doesn't work out for you. Just a few bucks.

To be reliable and perform the best.

Well, this has nothing to do with KVD. lol. If they were just Mustad Fastach Clips I'd still be using them. If you asked most fisherman who KVD is they most likely wouldn't know. They might even look at KVD and not know it's a person.

As the title states: What's the best proven Baitcasting reel with 7:0:1 or higher gear ratio in the $200-$300 range?

If you go into the store there is no minimum. They have great deals too. I got Storm Arashis, Rapala Scatter Raps, Senkos, and others on that deal. They had the same deal on Power Pro and Sufix lne for awhile also.

So, I should have just wrenched on the fish in an attempt to get him to come my way and pull him away from the bottom? I also worried about ripping the hook from his mouth.

Seals and bearings? I've never heard of that as part of the wheel/rim? I thought that was part of the hub assembly?

I was fishing this weekend with a KVD Sexy Dawg with a Cabelas Tournament ZX bass heavy topwater rod, Abu Garcia Revo Rocket and Power Pro 40lbs. braid and a big fish hit it. I've caught northern up to 3lbs on it and bass over 3lbs on it this set up. Both are good fighters. The northerns seem to take off in one straight horizontal line with long runs while bass seem to dig deep toward the bottom looking for weeds. This lake has northern, musky, bass, and walleye in it. Well, this fish acted like a big bass and started digging deep. It was stripping line off of my Revo Rocket which was set at about 3/4 drag on. Not huge runs, but it was pulling short burts of line out as it went away 3 times. I felt really big and I started pulling on it and believed I got it headed my way when it swam into some deep, bottom weeds. I then lost it. I reeled in a bunch of weeds. Never saw it. Usually with it's 3 treble hooks, fish don't get away from the Sexy Dawg. From the way it fought I figured it was a big bass. We had caught bass over 3lbs. this weekend in that lake and I know there are some bigger ones out there. I know some people have caught at least 5lbs. largemouth in this lake. It didn't make runs like a northern or musky. I really regret losing it and was if with the set up I had that I should have attempted to horse it more and get it to the surface or higher water column first that way ensuring that it couldn't get to the bottom and weeds. Did it seem like a big enough fish to break my rod? I don't think so. It's a pretty stout rod and I've had 40" muskies on i. So, I was wondering, is that what I should of done, attempted to horse it to the top? Could I have done that without worrying about breaking my rod?

You'd think that until you use them. It actually takes a bit of effort to twist them on and off. I worried about losing lures too. 3 guys fishing and changing out lures numerous times over the course of 3 full days of fishing and not one lost lure. And I've used them for 3 trips prior and no lost lures. Fish didn't break them and they didn't lose any lures on their own. Try them out. I think you'd be pleasantly surprised.

I read the reviews on the Norman's and some people said they lost lures with them. I didn't want to risk that.

I use snap swivels on all of my rods because I switch baits a lot. It may cost me a fish or two, but with the high speed movement of most bass lures I don't think it's a detriment. I use spooks, frogs, senkos, buzzbaits, spinnerbaits, jigs, and other bass lures. I think bass just aren't as picky as a fish like a walleye so you can get away with it. Well, I lost 2 big fish to swivel snaps breaking at the O-Ring. I don't know if they were northern, musky, or large bass that broke them. I don't need a swivel type, but that's just what I've always had. I've used many brands but they are usually expensive and usually rated for 35lbs breaking strength in the size I use. I bought a 20 pack (I believe) from Cabelas and it was like $17. Yikes. My friend said a swivels o-ring will get caught on a northern or muskies teeth will be popped open, even if it's not a big fish. That makes sense. I know one of them was big though because it bit my Ragetail Toad right at the boat and floated next to the boat until I realized he was hooked and he started to swim away. With one swish of his tail he was gone, blowing the O-Ring apart on my swivel snap. He appeared to be a 40"+ inch musky. That puts him roughly in the 12-20lbs. range I believe. Well, I was looking for a substitute and I found Mustad KVD Fastach Clips. They come in 2 types, one with a swivel and one without. I've only tried the non-swivel version. The swivel version's o-ring is welded, which is nice, so far less chance of a fish breaking it. What's also nice is that you can find them at Walmart for cheap. They are $2.86 for a 12 pack. Oddly enough I haven't been able to find them on Cabelas or Bass Pros websites. Tackle Warehouse does sell both versions though. They appear to come in stainless and black. I assume the black is just stainless with a black coating. Added benefit is that they seem to attract far less weeds then swivel snaps do. So that was a nice surprise. My brother, my friend, and I all used them last weekend with great results. No lost fish and we caught about 8 northern in the 2lbs-5lbs range and over 80 bass, with one being 3.1lbs. Most of the bass were in the 1-2.5lbs. range. Didn't have one failure with the Fastach's. I'm sold. I've also used them on 3 previous trips and haven't had one failure. They are easy to swap out lures and unlike snaps you don't open and close them which can bend the metal and weaken it. They are cheap and don't break. If you need a quick change terminal tackle, this is what I'd get. We used the #3 size which is a 75lbs. breaking strength. I also have the #1's, but they are fairly small and hard to use with bigger hooks. We used the #3 with our wacky rigged Senkos and had no problems. Since they don't break, I think 1 pack would last you quite awhile. Score: 10 out of 10. I believe the Break Ratings is this: #0 - 15lbs #1 - 25lbs. #2 - 50lbs. #3 - 75lbs. http://www.***.com/Mustad_Fastach_Clip_12pk/descpage-KVFC.html

Biovex Amp Wake

We all use braid but I've been using a 1/0 Offset Shank Worm EWG hook with great results. All types of hooksets. I think the braid helps as does the thin hook.

Just reading about Wake Baits and they seem to do the same thing that a spook type bait would do. Are they worth it?

That's crazy for a lure. lol. Won't a regular popper or spook type bait work just as well?

I don't usually fish them but my bro's gf does. Use a Gamakatsu Twistlock with no problems over the course of 3 trips and many fish. I can't take credit for this.