Further North

Would love to know what retailer would charge a $20 shipping/handling fee for defective merchandise so I know not to buy anything from them.

Thanks Taylor. I was 2nd guessing myself. Agree that I'd be nervous as heck about tripping a 15 or 20 amp breaker.

I need help understanding this. The insides of the charger are insulated from the outside...the part that gets mounted to the boat...regardless of the outsides of the charger are metal, or plastic. It seems to me, that should we have a situation where mounting the charger to a non metal part makes any difference...we're already in a world of hurt because something inside the charer is shorting to the outside of the charger...and that's not gonna end well... Unless I'm missing something?

That's what I'd check first, before getting a new charger.

While I will not say the flogger is unethical (I'm ambivalent) any one who puts winning in front of ethics, regardless of the sport, is unworthy of the position/title "professional". Same for business or anything thing else, IMO. Exploiting a gap in the rules (been happening in racing since day one) isn't unethical, and it seems the flogger currently fits that description.

I catch both large mouth and smallies on Texas rigged soft plastics all the time...with a leader. My last musky of 2017 was a 40" fish on a 7" Senko , Texas rigged on an 8/0 Trokar tied to the end of about a foot of 30# Tyger Leader...now you've got me wondering if I can pull that off on a 5" Senko and a bass...hmmmm...experiment in play... Pike...particularly smaller ones...Will hit anything. Often with ferocity that makes by think you've got a decent fish...only to find out it's another 18" hammer handle. It really is. It's also fun to have a discussion on a place like Bass Resource where there are open minds and every one doesn't get defensive about things.

From another post @AJ Polley made, it looks like he's fishing the Flint River in MI. They have pike there, and that's probably why he was running a steel leader. I would have because you never know when a pike will show up, and when they do, it you're not running a leader, you will lose lures. Some folks are OK with that, they consider it the price of admission. I like catching the pike, and I catch all kinds of smallies (in very clear water) with leader rigged lures and baits.

Doesn't matter, in the long run. Looking back over the last several years, I can't recall the last time I paid retail for a rod or reel (and that includes fly rod set-ups). I buy on sale. I buy one generation old. I buy with credit card points. I buy gently used. I have no burning need to buy the "latest and greatest" because at the end of the day it'll have zero impact on my fishing. I do the same with vehicles, boats, clothing, pretty much anything I can.

Medium rod seems heavy for a weightless worm. Consider a ML.

Short answer: earlier release point, and upgrade to a rod appropriate to the weights you are trying to throw as soon as you can.

My BFS rig throws Senkos better than my spinning rig...it's not even close...leaving my spinning rig for Ned Rigs, small jigs, etc...

Well said.

The Alberto is a great knot...I really don't have any criticism of it. I gravitated to the FG because I almost always fish leaders and the FG is smaller.

You're not an idiot...most people don't know they can get spools that big. They go bigger, but with 300 yards of green and 300 yards of yellow...I'm good for a while...

I buy 832 30# in 600 yard spools. Easier to only use what I need and no incentive to try to over fill the spool to get "that last little bit" on there.

Yep. That's how we all learn it... ? Give some thought to bumping up to heavier line.

What lb. Test is the line? I am not a fan of any braid under 30# as it all seems to have the problem more than the heavier weights. I think that's a good call on your part. Make a cast with an over-filled spool and watch what's going on there....it can cause problems...

Interesting...I've got lime green 30# on my BFS rig and it's still got plenty color after a season and a half...and that rod gets used every time I'm on the water. ...I'd say it looks good as new...but I can't prove that... Again, there is no "best". Go with what you like. I've got mostly Sufix 832 and PowerPro, with a couple other "tests-in-progress", but like most things, the top brands are all really good and it really comes down to preference.

Glad you got it worked out...and hope you can make your move to the Ultrex soon. You won't regret it!

I run an Ulterra 60" shaft on a boat that'd be fine with a 48"...but wouldn't quite get it done with 45"...and it's just fine. Do I smack it now and then? Yup. But I also fly fish from up there and if I can manage that chucking gear with an extra 15" is not really a problem. ...The Ulterra does have power trim so I can drop it to the deck with the touch of a button if I need a strong side arm cast across the bow.

I've landed pretty squarely in the FG knot fan club as well. I have 50# braid to 30# wire leader set ups that are over a year old and show no sign of knot failure. I've cut the wire back on most of them, but the knot is still goot and goes through the guides better than anything else I've tried. I still use the Alberto on very fine wire like Knot-2-Kinky and for tying fly leaders. I've never been a Uni-to-Uni fan...too many moving parts on two different lines that have to be held just so for me to wrap my head around...holding one side while wrapping the other... ...but for perspective, I don't like tying Palomar knots either and that's about the simplest knot out there...I hate trying to roll a bigger bait, a big hook or even worse, a big fly through the loop...so take my preference for the FG with a grain of salt or three.

The one you like it the best one for you. ...otherwise, there ain't no "best". They all work just fine.

I went with Kumho 857s, great tires, higher speed rating than most trailer tires (which translates to better quality to get the higher rating). On the third season, zero issues...but I'm kind of a nut about tire maintenance...

Si likes constant speed...that would be the only drawback I can think of, and I'm pretty sure you can learn to compensate for that. Images will stretch out a bit, and get shorter as you speed up and slow down, respectively. That is really cool, and very well done! My only worry about that would be banging it on rocks and such. It's a bit more exposed to side impacts than on a boat's transom.

Doesn't sonar travel at the speed of sound in water? Call it 1480 meters/second in round numbers, so 4,855 feet per second. Call it 0.006 seconds in 30 feet of water, at the above 3 MPH and 4.4 fps, that's put the return back in just a hair more than 5/16 of an inch of boat movement. ...so unless you're in really deep water, the return is pretty much instantaneous. ...after that, it's kind of a function of chart speed...