desmobob

The mere fact that you're asking means you really want one and just need others to push you into giving in. ;-) A lot of tackle junkies start out that way. Don't be ashamed. Tight lines, Bob

Great fish! If 'gills grew to ten pounds or so, I don't think I'd fish for anything else! They are some tough little buggers (and a TON of fun on a light fly rod). Tight lines, Bob

I'm with A-Jay... to be safe, shoot alone! That knucklehead could have killed you. You are a lucky man! Tight lines, Bob

That reel is niiiiice! I'm really itching to pick up a DC reel. It appeals to the "gadget freak" in me. Use it in good health! Tight lines, Bob

Depends on your budget, of course. My votes are for the Daiwa Tatula and Lew's BB1. Tight lines, Bob

It's too bad light bass casting tackle is so pricey. I have a Daiwa PX-R on a Majorcraft Volkey and an Alphas SV105 on a Kistler rod and they are FUN, but costly. I still have to have light and ultralight spinning rigs in the rod box to enjoy panfishing opportunities. Tight lines, Bob

I've heard a lot of good things about this rod series. I have the 7' Med and 7'6" MH casting versions on the way and I'm looking forward to being able to keep a couple of rigs in the car. Tight lines, Bob

Shimano Symetre and Sahara; 500 size. They have been great reels for the money and I have no complaints. Tight lines, Bob

That's awful! But funny. Great fish, ww2farmer! I've only caught one bass over 6 lbs.. I'm pretty new to the bass fishing game and I want to break 7 lbs. this season, which I think is reasonably possible on southern Lake Champlain. I was out last weekend and had some good fishing. My first bass was 4-13 and I don't think I caught one that was under two pounds all day. They were all in a couple of feet of water. I was using a big plum-colored T-rigged Megabug with a bobber stop keeping the 1/4 oz. worm weight about a foot above the bait. I also caught the biggest bowfin I've seen. I saw it swimming along the shoreline and landed a cast in the right spot. It thrashed itself off the fish-grippers when I was taking the hook out, so I didn't get to weigh it. Awesome fight! Later in the day, I went through a narrow and deep channel and noticed the bottom six or eight feet was absolutely packed with small fish. I was wondering what they might be, so I stopped a got out my ultralight rig and a small yellow marabou jig. I cast the jig and let it sink. As soon as I tightened up the line, a fish was on. A BIG fish. After a very, very long battle, I landed a large Freshwater Drum. And like the bowfin, it thrashed off the fish-gripper when I was unhooking it so I never got it on the scale. They sure have a tiny mouth for such a big fish. I'm guessing it was at least fifteen pounds. Tight lines, Bob

I have caught my biggest bass on a jig using the largest Pit Boss as a trailer. It's a big fish meal, for sure! Tight lines, Bob

I have that rod as well and it's an excellent tool for the money. I was using mine today and caught two gigantic freshwater drum on a Ned Rig... what a hoot! Tight lines, Bob

I have a Pro170 I bought new in 2014. I love it. The Mercury 40EFI is extremely economical; I am impressed with what little fuel it uses. I usually fish alone and have the boat loaded with lots of gear. It cruises at max economy at about 4250 RPM, which is right around 23 MPH with the Mercury Spitfire prop I have mounted (I think they come as stock now). Top speed is about 32 MPH. Having a second person in the boat was also a surprise; there is little difference in performance. I'm into my third season and though I sometimes wonder how it would perform with a 50HP vs. the 40HP, I'm very pleased with the boat as it is and don't have any regrets. I love the huge rod locker on the boat. The only thing I've been compelled to upgrade is the sonar. I added a Garmin 93SV. That said, you mention wanting to get out on the "bigger" water. How big? The hull of the Pro170 is not really suited for rough water and you may want to consider something with more "V". Tight lines, Bob

The St. Croix Panfish series rods I have are the first affordable UL rods I've ever used that have solid backbone. I liked the 6'9" UL/F so much, I bought a second one. Another rod I really like is the Kistler KLX 6'3" UL/F, but it's about twice the price of the St. Croix. Tight lines, Bob

I was out on the southern end of Champlain last weekend. By Sunday afternoon, water temps were above 55* in a lot of areas and I caught a lot of fish. We had some very warm afternoons this week, but also some nights in the low-to-mid 30's, so I don't know what the temps will be this weekend. Lake George was about 42* at Huletts Landing this past weekend. Tight lines, Bob

About half the time... My transducer is mounted one step up on the starboard of my keel line, so it doesn't look to the port side too well in shallow water. Depending on the wind, I may be fishing/viewing with the shallows to port. Tight lines, Bob

Yessiree... the water has finally started to warm up! Water temps were up to 57* on Sunday afternoon in an area that I fished. I caught a whole bunch of bass and even got a little sunburn on my arms. After that first good day on the water, it sure is hard to go back to work during the week. :-( Tight lines, Bob

+1 on the advice above. I caught a big black crappie on Saturday while bass fishing a Ned Rig... when I went past a downed tree, I lowered the Ned Rig down and held it there for a second. Bam! But my bait of choice is usually a yellow or white chenille/marabou jig or Roadrunner, or sometimes small plastics or tiny crank baits.. Tight lines, Bob

I figure if I need a swivel to prevent line twist, it's going to be a good-quality Sampo ball bearing swivel. I never had a problem with brass swivels, but the good ball bearing type are so much better, I haven't used brass ones since I was a teenager (and that was about forty years ago!). I believe it would be easy to find the pound-test rating of the Sampo swivels on line somewhere... Tight lines, Bob

I start off my day with my Garmin showing side imaging on one half of the screen, and 2D and down imaging stacked on the other half. If I'm searching for structure, I'll motor around with the side imaging on the whole screen. The side and down imaging give great detailed views of the structure, but I find I still use 2D a lot for finding fish in open water. I also keep it in mind not to let the sonar tell me where NOT to fish... I caught most of my fish this weekend in an area that showed no structure and was too shallow to motor over to look for fish without spooking them. Tight lines, Bob

I caught a boatload of bass on the Ned Rig this weekend on a 7' Light/Fast spinning rod (St. Croix Trout and Panfish Series). It was an area free from cover and I had a ball. I could have used an Ultralight and had even more fun. But in most areas, I'd use a Medium Light spinning rod. Let the cover conditions dictate the rod choice. If it's open water, I say use whatever you like and have a blast! Some might say you would be stressing big bass too long by playing them on gear that's too light... Tight lines, Bob

+1 Tight lines, Bob

Check out the Beretta Jetfire (model 950). They are reliable, fun, and, safe and convenient due to the tip-up barrel design. I love mine! Tight lines, Bob

I use 4 lb. on my light spinning set-ups. I think it's around ten+ pounds actual breaking strength. The 6 lb. also works nicely on spinning reels, but it's a bit larger diameter and only a pound or more actual breaking strength, IIRC. Tight lines, Bob

I select Yo-Zuri Hybrid by actual breaking strength rather than advertised pound test. I think it's pretty thin for its actual breaking strength. I used to have a chart saved with the Yo-Zuri line breaking strength, diameter, etc., but I can't find it. It's my favorite non-braided line. Tight lines, Bob

Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats: S.O.B Incredible! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0E83-GA0B0 Tight lines, Bob And if you like that, check this one out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjpGA0hps_A