HardcoreBassin

Is it a "contest?" Do they win something if they are out there for a certain period of time, or is it for bragging rights?

Yea I've seen some neat set-ups like that. With the evolution of the electric motors, I'm sure its only a matter of time before the electric only lakes have speed restrictions too...

PA, as well as many other states have lakes with hp restrictions. PA's restriction, on my lake specifically (Nockamixon) is 20hp. I currently own a 2005 Stratos 275 Pro XL with a 90hp on it, which obviously can't be used on the Nock. It's too big of a lake to use just the trolling motor to get from spot to spot. I'm probably going to sell the Stratos and get something specifically for the Nock. I will have an even split of fishing alone and fishing with 1 other person on board, so the boat needs to be stable. I'm not looking to try to win any races, but I want the boat to be able to plane. What type of boat do you fish from on restricted lakes? Aside from a decked out jon boat, what type of boat would you suggest? The budget is $9,000 Thanks in advance for your help guys! - Dale

I just picked up a Diawa Laguna over the winter and fished it a few times this spring. I have it set up on a M/F 6'6 rod with 12lb flouro for jerkbaits. I think its a really smooth reel. It feels a little different in my palm than I'm used to. It is a little more "rectangular" (for lack of a better word) than the Abus I mostly fish. It seems like a great reel to me so far, but I haven't hauled anything substantial in with it yet. Depending on what you are looking to do with the setup, maybe check out the Abu Silver Max, or spend a few more bucks and get the Pro Max. Not many people talk about the Abu "Max" line, but I'm a huge fan of them. - Dale

Good luck on Wednesday Zach. Let us know how ya do! - Dale

Has anyone fished Beltzville recently? I'm thinking about heading up there on Sunday.

This might be a dumb point/question but should the performance really be the concern? I'm not sure how deep the crack is, and I'm not familiar with the construction of the cranks, but with a crack that large my concern would be hooking a large fish and breaking the lure completely, thus losing the fish. Not sure if that makes sense. - Dale

Same thing happened to me this winter. I took a wire brush and brushed off what I could of the rust, then slapped a glob of grease on there. Good as new.

I took my fiance out fishing for the first time last year. I gave her a light spinning set-up and had her fishing a beetlespin. After she felt what a bite feels like, and caught a few sunnies and perch, I switched her to a spinnerbait. This year I'll put her onto crankbaits, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and small paddletail swimbaits. Once she gets better at accuracy and hook-setting, I'll have her try some t-rigs and such.

X2. They definitely aren't a fish that you can horse around like a bass. My setup is a 9ft uglystick and an Okuma reel, the name is slipping my mind right now. I've always fished for steelhead with long, noddle-like rods and really light line. Good luck with them. They are REALLY fun to catch. -Dale

Golf...another expensive hobby.

Thanks for the suggestion. It looks like this boat is a fat girl though. I doubt a 20hp will move it well at all.

So I've been doing a little more research. Since your boat is an '06, I'm assuming it is the Pro Team 170 TX? I'm asking because I found a bunch of 170 TX's for sale, but in all of the pictures I'm seeing, the hull looks really different compared to the new 170. The newer hull looks a bit flatter. I can't find any info online about the deadrise of the older model. I know the new one is 6 degrees. Any input would be helpful! - Dale

x2 In a girlfriend situation, you shouldn't need to explain a d**n thing. In a fiance/wife situation, things change. You share a financial responsibility at that point. My fiance and I are getting married at the end of May and we've been saving for the wedding/honeymoon and house. She sees how hard I work, and I see how hard she works. We agreed on a set value per month that we can each use to spend however we want. She enjoys spending time on the water with me. She isnt wild about fishing, and doesnt understand my obsession with it, but she will sit on the back of the boat and read a book in the sun while I fish. She also knows that the set amount we agreed to is less than what I usually spend on fishing per month, so she bought be a 6 month subscription to MTB starting this month. Like I said though, she doesn't get to inquire about your spending until she takes your last name. - Dale

Is your 20hp a 4stroke or 2? Stock prop, or did you upgrade? Thanks! - Dale

Are you looking for spinning or casting? What type of application are you going to use it for? - Dale

Glad to hear you got out today. What lake in Bucks were you fishing if you don't mind me asking? I'm from Bucks as well. I was thinking about hitting Core Creek today, but I got sidetracked with a few things and didn't have time to get out there. - Dale

Try Progressive, Natiowide and Foremost (Farmers subsidiary). They all have pretty good rates. I'm sure Allstate and State Farm have good rates too, but I don't have experience with them. Travelers is worth a shot too, but their rates have been pretty high recently.

I'm an insurance agent and I deal with boat insurance quite a bit. As mentioned previously, some policies will cover your boat for agreed value, others will be actual cash value. Your form of compensation for a loss should be considered carefully but taking into account items like the purchase price, condition, any customizations, and if it is new or used. Keep receipts for any work that you have done to the boat, motor or trailer. If you have a "total loss" to the boat/trailer or motor, you may be able to get additional reimbursement depending on repairs that you recently had done. For example, as with auto insurance, if you just paid $500 to get new tires put on your car and then you total it after you put 100 miles on the new tires, you can be reimbursed for a percentage of the tires, if you have purchase/installation documentation. The more documentation (pictures, receipts) that you have, the easier the process will be if you have a claim. As with ANY insurance, I always suggest getting options. Sometimes the difference between $100k and $300k in bodily injury is only $20 annually. Some companies want you to purchase the higher limits, so they offer somewhat of a "discount" for taking the higher limits. That being said, if you are looking at getting $300k in liability, get options for $500 and $1M as well. You might be surprised at how inexpensive it can be to upgrade limits. You will want to have an endorsement on the policy that will cover the fishing equipment. Some policies have a sub-limit worked into the policy language already. Others will require an endorsement to be added. Some other things to consider are the bodies of water that you fish. If you have a boat that is sea-worthy and you bring it to a shore point for a few months out of the year, you should list your mooring location on the policy. If you have any specific questions, I'd be glad to try to answer them. - Dale

Awesome fish, awesome story. From the looks of that picture, I'd say its not long before your younger son gets the bug. - Dale

That intro song though... get. out. of. my. HEAD! them good ol' booooys.... nooooooooo

Wow...sounds like a strike of bad luck. Good news is that they "come in 3s" right?? haha I bet the next outing you guys have will be a great one. Try to shake off the funk. I hope you both hook and LAND new PB's on your next outing. Tight lines.....and strong hooks... - Dale

I'm kind of in the same boat as you regarding what line to use for C-rigs/dragging jigs. Everything I am reading says to use flouro because it will sink, causing less bow in your line, which in turn will give you more of a direct contact with your bait. From what I'm reading, mono and braid will both float/cause a bow in the line. Flouro will sink to eliminate that bow. I'm not very familiar with flouro line, but I'm planning on using that for these applications this season and seeing how it goes. - Dale

X2. If you use mono backing you'll be more cost efficient in spooling the braid. - Dale

You can do it 1 of 2 ways. 1) Put it as an endorsement on your homeowners policy. It will most likely be referred to as a "write-in endorsement" in the rating system of whatever company your insurance is though. I think Travelers simply calls it a "Blank Endorsement." You would then put a limit to the amount of coverage. You would want to go with replacement cost for newer lures and "agreed value" for any rare lures. Option 2 would be to put it on your boat policy. Most boat policies have about $500 built into the policy language to cover tackle. For any insurance coverages, this included, always try to keep receipts or photos of your new purchases. It makes it much easier if a claim occurs. Now, if you are making tackle out of your home and using it as a source of income, you'll need to add a "home office" endorsement to your homeowners policy. - Dale