SCJW

Thanks, I will give it a try.

The OP is talking about MLF where every scoreable bass counts. Those dinks would really add up as long as they measure.

I see you fish Hartwell. I've had decent luck on Hartwell in the Spring and early Summer with the Alabama rig. I've never tried it in the Winter, but I hope to this weekend. Water temp is low 50s to high 40s right now, so slower is better. Try to keep it off the bottom as much as you can, because it snags on EVERYTHING.

I have a Lowrance Elite 4 HDI at my console and couldn't be happier. It has sonar, down imaging and chart plotter and since the new Chirp has taken it's place you should be able to find one in the $150 range. Academy and Gander Mtn has the Elite 5 HDI, which has a slightly larger screen, for $299.

I killed my biggest buck to date, this past season. I hunted him all season and finally got my opportunity on 12/19/14. He scored 162-3/8" gross and 154-4/8" net b&c. He made top 100 typical all time, in the SC State Record Buck.

I have an Elite 4hdi and it does great in the daytime. At night it seems to pick up a lot of trash and is unusable. I don't know much about fish finders. Does anyone know what could be wrong?

Where are you fishing? It doesn't sound like you are fishing where the catfish are. If you are lake fishing, try fishing creek channels and shallow flats near the creek channels at night.

I agree with Power-Pro Slick 8.

I love going to BPS, but the closest one is 1.5 hrs away. We have a Cabela's about 45 minutes away, but it sucks compared to BPS. A lot of my tackle comes from Walmart as it is only 15 minutes away and surprisingly they have a good selection of lures and soft plastics.

That is a spot.

Caught my personal best spot 4.5lbs.

I caught a gar on a zara spook last year.

I took your advice and ordered an Elite 4 hdi. It should be here by Friday. I can't wait to try it out.

I don't mean to hijack, but I have to ask. What do you mean by "slowing down"? Do you leave it on the bottom longer, drag it slower? Define "fishing slower" for me.