FloridaFishinFool

Bazoo said: "Mike says in his book that if 2 anglers are coming into the same piece of water, and if one of them has a good shot at winning the tournament and the other not, that the angler that has no chance is supposed to give way to the one that has a chance. Is this right?" Only in his dreams! That is controlling manipulative talk right there. Heck no. That other angler that has no chance does not have to yield and let Mr. Special have his way. Domineering controlling manipulative language right there! Typical Ike. He's Mr. Special all day long every day as he sees it. Get out his way! Roll out the red carpet! The king has arrived! All hail king Ike! If he had his way, everyone would be bowing to him and doing what he says and getting out of his way so he can walk all over everyone else and enjoy it. Personally I don't mind it when that kind of attitude gets an external adjustment from others. 😁 Sounds like Ike just made that BS up for himself. Trying to create some Ike etiquette. I'll probably catch some heat for this one. I bet some tournament guys would also like to enjoy the Ike power trip! Hey loser out of my way! 🤬 I'm inventing a new rule just for YOU! Er, no for ME! ME! ME! ME! I'd tell Ike, if you want me to yield to you that if you win $100,000.00 and there is no hope of me winning at all, then Ike, you gotta pay me $5,000.00 to get out of your $100,000.00 grand way! No, make it $10,000.00 and a nyotaimori sushi dinner. Otherwise go win somewhere else! I wonder if any other anglers would pay me to mess up Ike's day? (Kidding. Don't take me seriously! This is tongue in cheek humor)

One of these?

Nope. Not a bit I guess because I don't mail order lures. Like you mentioned, I buy locally. The only issue I have had was in trying to buy some parts for a reel from UK. I was able to source them elsewhere and now no issues.

Right and wrong aren't the issue. I think in that case it is the "pressure" difference between $100,000.00 in KVD's pocket or losing was prompting it more than anything else. I think in that case it boils down to casting distances. KVD was first on the spot. Ike barged in KNOWING others were catching a limited number of fish on that spot. If Ike can cast towards KVD and KVD can cast towards Ike and their lures can overlap in any way, then Ike is in the wrong. He would be preventing KVD from his casting distance towards Ike if they tangled up lures and line. That is too close by common courtesy etiquette in my opinion. Both fishermen were casting into the same hole as well. KVD was OK with the fishermen on other side when everyone is staying out of everyone else's way. But it can get too crowded and Ike just blew in there like he owned the place and yelled at KVD "community hole bro!" Those are fighting words! Ike was casting into the very same area in that hole KVD was casting into. A central location and Ike wanted a piece of it too, but intruded across etiquette and common courtesy boundaries. When that much money is on the line, both fishermen want the fish in their boats, not the other guy's boat. KVD is basically saying to Ike you are casting into the same place or hole I am and I was here first and its not cool what you are doing. "If you want me to leave bro just be a man and tell me and I'll leave!" OK. LEAVE! I think the other case is also an issue of common courtesy. If I see someone is working their way down a bank fishing it, it would be extremely rude of me to go around him and start fishing the bank directly in front of that fisherman's immediate path or move in and start scaring fish and tearing up the place ahead of that other fisherman. Huge no no for good guys. Part of the problem with tournament pros is they seem to have this mentality that when they are in a tournament on a body of water that locals and non-tournament fishermen should yield and give way to them because they are special or something and more important. It really rubs the locals the wrong way big time. Again, right and wrong is not the issue. It is just common courtesy and etiquette. Some people have it. Some don't. Ike is one of those guys who knows etiquette but when $100,000.00 is on the line he is the first to toss it out the window and intrude without a care in the world to see if others will let him get away with it. KVD and that local took it to him to! And as I see it rightly so too! Bad Ike! He earns a bad reputation by doing things like that. He's like the Bubba Wallace of bass fishing. Intentionally causing trouble everywhere he goes. He seems to thrive on it.

WaskaCrank12 said: " the boat is a 93' LUND (Tyee ll, 16.5 foot) so it very well may be wiring/amperage" I doubt it. Wiring generally works or it don't. Usually if wiring begins to not work somewhere in the chain, if you go to over current, something should be heating up and burning and smoking somewhere like a connection or wire or something that is already in the process of failing, unless you have an auto-resetting circuit breaker in there somewhere. That could do what is described in this thread. But I seriously doubt wiring can work for 30 or 40 amps and then not work at 50 without something smoking. That would be very unusual indeed and unlikely is my point. Bad connections at 50amps are bad connections at 40 and 30 and 20 type of thing. Once bad wiring connections happens it is usually all or nothing and something smoking. Yours is shutting down and no smoke noticed. So that points to something else as I see it. You need some test gear. Multimeters and current meters would help solve this in minutes. One of the devices used in trolling motor shops is this little jewel right here. I custom made mine from an old military grade Triplett 50 amp meter. I simply added the wiring and made sure to use the correct shunt resistor for this model. I can change shunt resistors and recalibrate this meter for alternative scaling and read 100 amps if need be. I have this one set for 50amp as it has been all I need for my own testing and current problem diagnosing. If you took it to a trolling motor shop they might pull one of these out for your boat unless they can diagnose it without test gear. This one cost me $12.95 for the meter and a couple bucks for the wiring. So now I have just the right tool for testing current on just about any trolling motor and wiring in any boat. Less than $20. Anyone can make these. Meters can be found easily online. Just add wiring and shunt and good to go. With this you can insert anywhere in wiring chain and find out real fast where there is or is not current as needed.

A lot of Florida guys don't "connect" well to Ike! When Ike lands on a Florida lake and starts his moving in on "community" spots others are already sitting in within casting range of them, and then begins his yelling and whooping, Ike can clear out an entire lake in minutes as every Florida guy is heading to the boat ramp as fast as they can cursing and wondering where can they go to find some peace and quiet and respect on the water! Anywhere except where Ike is! A general consensus. He don't much like to play by common courtesy rules. Just ask KVD about that! Classic confrontations caught on camera. I can't tell you how many would like to pull an Ish Monroe on him!

Have you ever tried full ceramic bearings run dry? Hybrids still require oil, not for lubrication, but for corrosion control since they still have steel races. Going full ceramic gives you same ceramic balls in the bearings, but now also has full ceramic races. No need for oil ever. The ceramic is its own lubricant really because its so hard the surface contact offers next to nothing in friction resistance. I really enjoy the whine the dry bearings make because I use their noise to help me judge my cast by ear as well as sight. So they are by no means silent, but one can add oil to quieten them down, but that kind of defeats the purpose of using them to add oil which can act like a sticky glue that does nothing but slow them down. All you gotta do is keep them clean in denatured alcohol. The nice thing about going full ceramic is that they are half the weight of steel bearings and so you can use lighter lures to get spool spinning easier and sooner, and they cast a little further too. Less maintenance. All benefits and no drawbacks unless one does not like their whine! But hey we get plenty of that around here as well and oil won't fix that one! Wish it would! I source my bearings from the manufacturers in China. I pay on average $8 to $15 depending on when and how many I purchase. It is cheaper to buy like 10 at a time. But there is a U.S. source for the exact same bearings but I am not going to even mention their name. Everyone knows them and if anyone buys from them are insane or stupidly rich! This same ceramic bearing I can buy on average for $10 each is priced on the U.S. company's website for closer to $250 each! Insane markup. All they do is buy low and sell high and have a good PR game even though they do not make any bearing themselves. Nothing more than a company on paper with huge warehouse. They make a fortune remarketing bearings made by others at astronomical markups and it surely ticks me off how high they go. I will never purchase a bearing from them. But give full ceramics a try sometime! I have used them without fail for years. Love them. Would not use anything else unless they make a better ceramic material. https://www.ebay.com/itm/173405530952

MN Fisher said: "^ Easy way to make sure - every boat in the tournament has to have a tracker and they're monitored (AI maybe) during water time. If they exceed the tournament speed limit, they're immediately disqualified...no 'I slipped', no 'I wasn't paying attention'...no excuses period." Boom! And there we have it. Trackers. And I'm talking crazy talk huh? And that manatee are a personal agenda and have no connection to this subject and lawsuits. Please consider when MLF comes to Florida and is paying fishermen who win a tournament $100,000.00 to fly up and down our lakes and rivers here. In both the St. Johns river and Harris chain of lakes, both locations are infested with manatee populations just trying to move around and feed and reproduce hoping to be left alone. And then here comes the crazy train MLF circus of way over powered boats flying up and down our lakes and rivers endangering our manatee. To date there are no records or instances of any professional bass fisherman having hit or killed a manatee. Yet! We are talking literally hundreds of miles being run at high speeds by MLF pro's. What are the odds? Fortunately, the manatee usually stay along the edges of lakes and rivers feeding in cover while the crazy train circus flying up and down the rivers and lakes is out in deeper water closer to center of channels or lakes so this has kept them apart for now. I can see why biologists are concerned and want change. But if and when that day comes when any bass pro hits, injures and kills a manatee here under tournament conditions compelled by big money, there will be outrage unleashed for them around here. I hope that day never comes, but it is because of events like that that compels change. Tracking devices is a simple solution we already have. Why not implement it before another tragedy happens? Just crazy talk I am told. Not any more! https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article60223771.html FWC: Manatee killed by boater in Fisherman’s Channel By Alex Harris -------------------------------------------------------------------------- https://www.facebook.com/groups/1223524205709948/posts/1366109248118109/ What’s happening Harris Chain Of Lakes · Stephanie Young ·March 25, 2024 · Reminder to slow down and keep an eye out for Manatees on the Harris Chain! Friend filmed one this morning going under his boat in/by the Burrell Lock this morning. Watch to end for good view. Hit one of these at speed could get thrown from your boat, and of course don't want to hurt them either." It is also a danger to the boater who hit them! Keep that in mind as well. Change is good. Change is necessary. That is my whole point to bringing manatee into this discussion. These issues do overlap, and is not a personal agenda. It is an agenda for ALL humanity.

If it is an aftermarket modification then that would blow the whole history of it right out of the water. I hope this is a Cabelas thing. So much cooler that way! But still a one of a kind find so far either way.

Not just a speed limit but also maybe some distance limits as well. I have often thought it is absolutely absurd for a bass pro to travel 20, 40, 60 miles in a boat just to catch a fish! I would never do such a thing. Unheard of for us locals here in Florida. We may drive 60 plus miles to catch a fish, but not in the boats. I always stay within 5 miles of a ramp and usually less than 3 most of the time. There is no need to put so many miles on a boat to fish, and then because of time limits in tournaments have to add wings to a boat just to get there & back at 60, 70+mph. Maybe the lawsuits are correct that MLF was creating a deadly situation by creating the environment that compelled bass fishermen to race as fast as they can to get to their spot. I'd call for speed and distance limitations. Here in Florida the absurdity of it all shows up in the Elite Series at Palatka and Harris chain of lakes. Too many miles to cover in too short of time periods. It seems to me what Boyd Duckett is doing with MLF is using the MLF to sell products. And his rules for MLF revolve around selling those products. Like bigger faster boats. Show them on camera flying up and down rivers as fast as they can to help sell them. Can't have rules limiting the camera view of products to push and sell. MLF = sales pitching through pro bass fishing on camera. Rules shaped to the products to hawk.

I am with you on this Chris. I merely say F&P as a catch all phrase probably incorrectly. I mentioned if I had a rod like his I would need the offset guide on the left side. Since I spiral wrap most rods, mine have this offset guide anyways. Its a really awesome subject. All new to me what his rod is showing me. I am just really interested to find out the how and why this technique was crossed over from fly fishing to that Cabelas rod. There has to be a back story to be found somewhere. I will try and search this one out. Inquiring minds wanna know! And I gotta know. Rods like this one don't come along every day. Does anyone know if any other brands ever did this? If Cabelas is the only one would make it even more rare and unique.

I wanted to do a new thread on James Watson MLF ban for 2025 and decided to search this forum first before creating a new thread and I found this one. I am wondering what James Watson has to say about the tragic accident in Alabama leading to 3 fishermen killed in a boating accident. Since James Watson was banned for voicing his opinions in public, I wonder if this ban is designed to keep him quiet and if he will do so, or continue to voice his opinion, and maybe MLF should consider allowing freedom of speech rather than censorship. Censorship tends to indicate MLF does not want to change, while freedom of speech can often compel such change. The silencing of an opinion by banishment is not the American way. It is the corporate way. I am also interested in catching up on where his banishment stands for his future in pro bass fishing, and if James Watson will ever compete in MLF again? Other pro bass fishermen have been weighing in on this in public. If one man can be banned for simply having a difference of opinion, then why isn't MLF also banning other pro's for bad mouthing MLF? Why just James Watson? Does this simply boil down to Boyd Duckett taking it personally that James Watson targeted him for his bad mouthing and Boyd is now abusing his power over MLF to exact a revenge rather than punishment for actual violations? Was he the whipping boy used as an example to intimidate other pro's into silence? If so, it is clearly not working. The deadly accident in Alabama may have changed the status quo for Boyd Duckett. The following video was posted just days ago. James Watson could reapply to MLF to fish in 2026, but will he? And would they let him back in? James Watson stands accused of: "Yes, James Watson is eligible to reapply to compete in Major League Fishing (MLF) tournaments starting with the 2026 season, following his suspension until December 31, 2025. His suspension stemmed from multiple violations of MLF rules, including malicious acts against leadership and disregard for sportsmanship. Details of the Suspension: Duration: March 29, 2024, through December 31, 2025. Impact: His invitation to the Bass Pro Tour was revoked, and he was prohibited from fishing in any MLF-sanctioned tournaments. Reasons for Suspension: The suspension was based on violations including malicious acts toward MLF leadership, willful disregard for the Bass Pro Tour Sportsmanship rule, and ongoing derogatory statements that harmed the league and its anglers. After listening to so many professional bass fishermen, it is starting to sound like the person who really needs to be banned is Boyd Duckett. The internet is filled with people hating on him now. And Boyd Duckett is now personally being sued for the accident deaths on Smith Lake. Is it time for Boyd Duckett to leave pro bass fishing all together? It seems as if no one is happy with him. Pro fishermen are saying he divided and destroyed professional bass fishing. And then bans fishermen who stand up to him in public. Now it is a tidal wave of dissent rolling over top of Boyd Duckett. This developing story goes straight to the very creation of MLF, and what was he really up to that is now causing the tidal wave coming back on him. I think it goes to the core of the split off back in 2019. I need to do more homework on the split to get a more clear picture of why this is happening today. If Boyd Duckett can be ousted from all pro bass fishing, can pro bass fishing recover? Wouldn't it be sweet irony or justice if Boyd Duckett is ousted from MLF and James Watson takes his place? This is akin to trying to kick Elon Musk out of Tesla. Things are getting interesting out there! Is it not a shame when bass fishing is turned into a hostile angry mud slinging war? And all fingers are pointing to Boyd Duckett one way or another.

This is new to me. Can you explain how this "single haul line take up" is used for flipping and pitching? I did a search on this and it says it is a fly fishing technique with no connection to F&P: "A "single haul" is a fly casting technique used to increase line speed and distance by pulling the fly line with the line hand during the forward cast. In contrast, "flipping" and "pitching" are bass fishing techniques for precision casting to shallow-water targets using a heavy rod and reel setup with fluorocarbon line to deliver a bait to specific structure like brush piles or docks. There is no direct connection between a fly fishing "single haul" and bass fishing "flipping" or "pitching," as they are unrelated techniques from different fishing disciplines." I don't think I have ever even seen a rod designed like yours. Years ago I wrote an article about guide designs and never came across one like yours! Wish I had. I was in contact with a number of authors of a custom rod book that developed a set of rules for custom rod building that I followed religiously for the article and still follow to this day, and what they came up defies what Cabelas did on that rod! The following is from another forum post on it back in 2021: "At the time I was writing the article, I referenced this same set of rules, but did not know their origins until I began digging into this forum's older posts on spiral wrapping rods. Now I know the author is Don Morton of Alabama. I had found his same set of rules published in a book I had found at the rod and reel repair shop I use to work at before this pandemic hit. The book I referenced was compiled in 2007 or 2008. And above in Don Morton's post I find the precise exact same set of rules, written identically, and in the same order as the book would have them some 7 years later, yet in the book they are not credited to Don Morton, but the post above clearly shows he had to be the original source but worked with other custom rod builders like Pat Vin Zant and Terry Cheatham for the final compilation I had come across and used for the article. And here is the text of the rules I used to develop my own way of spiral wrapping bass fishing rods: 1. The line should run as straight as possible from the reel to the tip of the rod. 2. The line should form as small of an angle as possible with each guide. 3. The line should touch only the top or bottom of the guides in any fishing position. 4. The line should pass through the guides with no line chatter or vibration. 5. The line should not touch or pass the rod in any fishing position, casting or retrieving. 6. The rod should be balanced. 7. The rod should be stable in all fishing positions. 8. The rod should track in all fishing positions without experiencing torque or twisting. I think the rules as found in a published custom rod book as published by RodCrafters Guild as I recall show very clearly what the issue is with the Cabelas rod you have. In order to create a rod like yours some of the rules were bent to do it. So my curiosity gets the better of me. Do you do the line haul technique in F&P? If I did it, the offset guides would have to be or should be on the left side of the rod. Did they sell both types at the time this rod was sold in 1986? And I am also curious if anyone else did this? Any other brands of rods incorporate this "line haul" offset guide? If so, I have never seen it. This is indeed a first for me. How common is this line haul technique in F&P? I really appreciate you showing this rod. It seems like a unique bit of rod history that I have never heard of and was not aware of until now. I am sitting on some new rod ideas Don Morton mailed to me. He works with engineering students at colleges and universities in Alabama towards developing new ideas for fishing rods. He is getting really old now and may be fully retired but he was working on new rod ideas up until he was like 86 years old. I was also in touch with the legendary rod builders like Pat Vin Zant and Terry Cheatham were all influencers and great teachers. Terry was even my employer for awhile. So I had close access to some really great custom rod builders at the top of custom rod building for a number of years and this idea on your rod has never come up before. Really awesome bit of rod history right there! I will be looking deeper into this idea of line haul on F&P rods. Why did this idea move from fly rods into F&P rods I can only wonder? Who is behind this idea making an appearance on your rod. Your rod would be a great specimen for the rare rod thread. Do you have any paperwork or documentation on the rod from Cabelas? An interesting side step to this offset guide on your rod is that when constructing a spiral wrapped rod often stripper guides are placed in nearly the same spot as found on your unique rod. This would indicate that a rod can be built in spiral wrapped design that also does what your rod does. Both in one rod. This is fascinating to me. Your rod could be from a blip in rod making history. A tiny window of time when it was built that came and went. Not done before your rod and possibly not done after your rod unless other examples can be found. In 1985 Denny Brauer designed a F&P rod for Daiwa that is today still the standard. A 7'6" H F with extra tip. Other brands copied that same design to quickly cash in on what Denny and Daiwa were doing at the time. Your Cabelas rod by appearance seems to come from that same rush to sell such rods, and that Cabelas was possibly adding in your offset guide as an extra sales trick to try and lift their prominence and standing among buyers. That something different trick no one else has. I would like to track down who at Cabelas was behind this idea crossover. Your rod could be a super rare part of rod history and its story really needs to be told and added into the overall history of U.S. rod manufacturing. I hope you don't mind if I save your photos. I plan on researching this one deeper. Shame most of the guys are all gone now. I will see if Don Morton is still around. I bet he knows! Another side issue to your rod is Gary Loomis told me he and Don Mook when they were partners in the LCI, inc., or Loomis Composites Incorporated company that he sold blanks to everyone including Bass Pro and Browning. The brown color of your blank is nearly identical to the rods Browning was receiving from LCI at around the same time period. There is a possibility that your rod could be a Gary Loomis and Don Mook blank. If I ever see Gary again at ICAST I will be sure to ask him about your rod. Your rod could be more historical than any of us realize. And more valuable as well.

ATA said: "Plus put my info under shrink wrap if I need to prove ownership." That is a great idea. Have you had issues in the past with rods and reels stolen? The one issue I am curious is how do people store their rods? Most of us probably store them in safe ways, but I know some guys who don't and wind up with bent rods down the road. I have considered building rod racks, but have found 5 gallon buckets to be quickest, simplest, cheapest safe way to store rods vertically with no load at tips to cause any bends. A buddy of mine thought he was doing a good thing when he built his rod rack on the ceiling to get them out of the way, and he stored his rods horizontally and with weighted lures hanging off of them. I tried to warn him, but once he built it, it was a done deal. Now some of those rods are all bent out of shape.

Dog_Bone384 said: "Most of my digital music is downloaded @ 96K, which is twice a CD's resolution" Where do you get this high of resolution download from? Any links?

TnRiver46 said: "It’s so wonderful and magical that you’re only allowed to use it a third of the time?" I agree. 1/3 of the time? How does this make sense? Its like saying we are 2/3 of the way to a total ban. Almost there. I am glad they are now reducing the screen sizes in front of the driver though. They were really beginning to block more and more forward view. I bet this will play a large role in the lawsuits. There has got to be a better way. The lawyers and their lawsuits may start looking at boat manufacturers to blame for how the boats are designed that could be considered behind what led to this situation. But MLF did allow it. If they go that route then maybe the brands and manufacturers who made them are also going to be dragged into this before its all over. Clearly change is here and more is to come for sure.

Glenn I just did a search to find out what changes MLF was going to implement and I found this: In the wake of the incident, MLF announced several rule changes to improve safety. These include: Reduced electronics: Boats are now limited to two forward-facing or 360-degree sonar transducers in any combination. Limited screen height: Bow-mounted screens cannot extend vertically more than 18 inches, and console screens cannot extend more than 16 inches. These changes are intended to maximize the driver's visibility while the boat is in motion. In response to concerns that excessive speed and high-tech electronics compromise safety, MLF announced the following changes to limit the use of forward-facing sonar (FFS) and 360-degree transducers: Bass Pro Tour: Anglers are restricted to using FFS for only one of the three periods during a tournament day. Tackle Warehouse Invitationals: FFS is permitted on day one and the final championship day, but it is banned on day two. Anglers must cover their transducers with a high-visibility cap on the non-FFS day. High School Fishing: The use of FFS technology is prohibited entirely during competition. That is all I could find for now. I think a lot of people will be looking to see what changes are coming. I was kind of surprised by some of the lawsuit claims: Key allegations in the lawsuits include: MLF created a culture that encouraged excessive speeds by failing to regulate this "most dangerous and deadliest factor" in its events. MLF did not have adequate safety protocols in place, such as consulting with local marine officials, conducting safety briefings, or verifying that participants had the proper boating licenses. MLF knowingly permitted high-speed boating in conditions of limited visibility, which created a foreseeable and unreasonable risk of death. MLF is vicariously liable for the actions of tournament angler Flint Davis, who is accused of operating his boat at an unsafe speed. Failure to verify proper boating licenses. I was not aware this was something MLF was responsible for?

Sorry Glenn. Not trying to get political. And would it be too much trouble to request doubling the number of likes? I ran out by 10am! Ran out of laughs too!

My photo for today is the old infamous Hell House dock. What happened on this dock changed the world! And now it has been torn down. History destroyed right here! https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=235213 On that dock songs like FreeBird, Simple Man, Tuesday's Gone and many others were written here.

Magnitude you say? Big brother already has a grip on growing numbers of cars coast to coast that far outnumber any boats. And big brother already has GPS grip on all planes, or most. And big brother has a GPS grip on commercial shipping and other vessels. Adding in consumer boats is not a "magnitude" issue for big brother when they come for us! Wanna talk "magnitude"? Take a read on this! And it is NOT me who needs to consider anything. Its ALL of us! "There is no precise total number for GPS-equipped cars in the US, but it is estimated that 78 million cars already have tracking technology, and 80% of new cars sold are equipped with GPS devices, with that number predicted to increase to nearly 98% in the coming years. GPS trackers are integrated into vehicles for various purposes, including stolen vehicle recovery, fleet management, and data collection on driving habits." And: "There isn't a precise number for the total number of bass boats in the U.S., but it's estimated to be a fraction of the approximately 13 million recreational boats registered nationally. To estimate, consider that there are around 30 million bass anglers in America, and a bass boat is a common and popular choice for many of them." "Bass boats represent a small fraction of 13 million recreational boats. SMALL fraction. No magnitude to it! Magnitude does not matter to big brother. Cars outnumber bass boats by over 65 million and growing! All I did here was to point out the direction big brother is heading. And going from 80% to 98% is proof of it. I fully expect the same to begin happening to our boats. So its not such crazy talk jibberish after all! (As I see it.) I'm just a messenger. Don't shoot the messenger!

Use full synthetics! There are numerous synthetic oils you can choose from, but the primary grease used by professional shops and one that is brand approved across many brands of reels and allowed for use under warranty contracts is super lube. One of the best synthetic oils out there is made by corrosion X called ReelX. Great lubricant and corrosion inhibitor. Shops tend to use straight up silicone oil, or reel brand recommended oils for their reels. Without specific model numbers for your reels finding correct videos is not possible with what you posted. And if you get into trouble this forum recommends Delaware Valley Tackle for all rod and reel and tackle repairs.

Well at least it can be interesting jibberish that forums were designed for, and not 100 different photos of the same old rods and reels endlessly posted over and over and over along with PE#. Ha! Two can play that game. This is what Florida is dealing with and no amount of "education" can fix this. Oh and hey, do you see all those boats in the following video the sheriff impounded along with the tow vehicles and trailers? Yeah, their dads are posting on fishing forums! Ha! I'm one but the kids have not gotten the keys to my boat- yet. Big brother is coming!

I thought it did. I considered the GPS tracking could prevent collisions for humans and wildlife. I see no difference. Same technology. Same application. Different purposes are the only difference. I thought one collision was same as any other with the goal to prevent all of them. I just hope we can save lives with it in the future. I'd like to add one more thing. I first heard about this from FWC state of Florida biologists. And when they talk, I listen. This is the direction they are heading in and have been for many years. Technology is just now bringing it all into fruition and bringing it all together into one cohesive system. Big Brother is after boater controls. Make no mistake about that! Boater controls are coming through application of new technologies. And I believe that MLF and others may also be implementing something similar in tournament boats in the future. Step by step it is heading in that direction. This lawsuit and the others already filed may compel it to happen even faster. Give them an inch and they take a mile. Always. "They" big brother already have GPS in hand. Now all they gotta do is use it. I don't know about other states but Florida has implemented your suggestion: "Florida law mandates that all boaters born on or after January 1, 1988, must complete a NASBLA-approved boater safety course and obtain a Boating Safety Education ID Card to operate a vessel powered by 10 horsepower or more. This requirement applies to all operators, including visitors and those who rent boats, who must carry this card along with a valid photo ID while on the water. The law is known as the Boating Safety Act of 2022, and its primary goal is to improve safety by ensuring all operators have basic boater education." Honestly I am not sure it has helped much. We still see a lot of stupid out there. And I mean a LOT! Along with a lot of inconsideration for others.

Hmmm... I just read this thread to catch up. Lots of back and forth on this one. I have studied bass for more than 55 years from my first contact with them back in 1968/69 era. In Florida our environment is different from much of the rest of the country. We don't have a whole lot of really deep lakes except in north Florida they are more common- with being 40 feet or less, but in central and South Florida, this state is basically one big sandbar and so a lot of the lakes I fish there are all very shallow. Dishpan lakes. And when I say shallow I mean like 10 or 12 feet deep for most of the lake or less. I usually fish in 8 feet or less. And with clear water in most of those lakes one thing I have noticed over the years is that the bass tend to avoid the direct overhead bright sunlight especially in the shallows. You can troll through shallow clear water with sun directly overhead and not see one single fish anywhere. I attribute this to bass not having any eyelids and so they don't like bright sun in their eyes any more than we do and I have long thought bass run from it. Tend to go into the shade, cover, and deeper to get away from it. They may also instinctively know that bright sunlight makes them more visible to predators too and may avoid placing themselves in danger because of it. Doug Hannon said the biggest bass are usually caught during the direct overhead sunlight in the hours of 1 to 2pm on average as the time of day those largest bass are caught. So I am wondering if maybe those biggest bass instinctively KNOW the prey they seek for food is also most vulnerable at brightest sunlight and they use this time period to feed on what is most exposed? And this brings into play that not all bass behave the same way. Age and size plays a huge role in how bass behave. I have not seen this issue brought up yet. The larger bass tend to stay deep while younger smaller bass tend to go more shallow and stay closer to shore and cover and food sources. The big bass who hang deep may use the bright sunlight to help increase their chances of finding quick and easy food. Rise up from the depths and go to the nearest shallow water with cover as Denny Brauer always taught. He said one could eliminate 90% of a lake by simply observing this one thing. That is IF you are only after those largest bass. It may not apply to smaller bass. Cracking the code here in Florida may be different than other states, but I would bet some of the same rules apply elsewhere. What bass are you targeting? Only the big ones, or smaller bass? They each behave differently based on age and size I do believe. And this has to be considered I think for successful fishing trips. That said, I also prefer overcast. Here in Florida our sun can be brutal. So I have avoided it from about 11am to 4pm. I won't fish during those hours. My fishing choices are purely based around sunlight first and foremost and I will only go out fishing in early morning or later in afternoon and then head to shade until the sun goes down some. Just how it is. I have noticed in Florida that the bass seem to come out of the shade and begin to move around more as the light diminishes or clouds up. I say bass meaning not the monsters lurking in the deep. I don't target those at all. I gave up chasing only those decades ago. Today I am purely quantity over quality. If a big one bites then fine. But I am not looking for them. I am looking for more fish in an outing than targeting the big one and not getting one while missing all those smaller bass. Now I just go after the more active smaller bass and ignore the largest bass. I'm out to have fun. Not win tournaments and put a lunker on the wall type of thing. Here in Florida as the sun goes down the fish get more active right until dark and then it seems to just shut off. So for me and irrelevant Florida, bright sunlight is to be avoided, lower light is better, overcast is better, rain clouds are better. That's how the code is stacking up for me around here.

Susky River Rat said: "it would seem every vessel would need GPS so they can talk to each other. Kayaks, paddle boards, jet skis, canoes, all commercial and non commercial vessels." You are going way off track. Kayaks don't run people down and kill them. Paddle boards don't run people down and kill them. Canoes don't run people down and kill them. That's crazy talk. Those watercraft are also not running down wildlife either. Why are you doing this? Surely you can see the benefits of GPS monitoring and warning systems? And as a last resort if warnings do not work that POWERED boats can be slowed down or stopped to prevent collisions possibly by remote AI monitoring or other. How do you think autonomous vehicles work? How do you think they are able to avoid hitting things (most of the time)? The technology is there. We have it now. If it had been employed on Smith lake 3 people could still be alive. And since when does coming off plane swamp boats? Seriously? Kind of like how paint has solved the corrosion problem and how old aluminum boats and new aluminum boats are not the same? You go off track sometimes into things that just don't jive with reality. Drivers will be warned first and they will know what is coming if they do not follow the warnings. Down throttling or engine kill may be coming. NOT GPS boat driving. I can't see that one. But surely tracking and collision avoidance are on the table right now. Many commercial vessels do use it now. This is what is real: "Yes, the State of Florida, particularly through the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), monitors wildlife using GPS technology on various animals, including black bears, Florida panthers, manatees, and bobcats, to study their movements, habitat use, and behavior. These GPS collars provide researchers with detailed, real-time data, while smaller, specialized GPS devices are used for sea turtle nesting activity data collection, informing conservation efforts and management practices for these species." Now you combine what is already being done, and simply apply it to boats to be included into it all collectively. GPS tracking is common place now. They are already tracking the animals. And now the time has come or is coming very soon to begin tracking boaters. If this technology is to be applied to boats, more than likely it will be installed in only new boats sold. Old boats may be grandfathered out as they simply allow the cycle to take place. Older boats drop out of service, and new boats with the technology fills in the void. They are cycled in same as we see in cars and trucks on the roads. More and more of this technology is coming into play. Accept it. You can't stop it. You can't do anything about it except sit around and ............... about it. (Pick a word) State biologists want to use it to prevent boaters from running down manatee. That is a long overdue good thing too! We NEED it here. And tournaments should implement it to protect each other from running down others like Smith lake. This is not hard to grasp really: "Yes, airplanes use GPS as a critical component of their navigation systems, which, along with other technologies like Air Traffic Control (ATC), radar, and ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast), helps pilots avoid mid-air collisions. GPS provides precise location information that is crucial for pilots and ATC to maintain safe separation between aircraft, with ADS-B systems specifically broadcasting a GPS-derived position to other nearby equipped aircraft for real-time collision avoidance." And: "Yes, cars can use GPS in their collision avoidance systems, but it's a complex process where GPS data is combined with other sensor technologies like radar, cameras, and LiDAR to detect and react to hazards. While GPS helps systems avoid fixed dangers by using a database of locations, the real-time detection of other vehicles or pedestrians relies more heavily on these other sensors, which track objects directly in the vehicle's path." And: "Yes, boats use GPS in combination with other technologies like Radar and AIS (Automatic Identification System) to avoid collisions. GPS provides location data, while radar detects physical objects and AIS broadcasts information about other vessels, including their speed and course. These systems are integrated into chart plotters, which display this information on a digital map, showing the relative positions of your boat, other boats, and fixed hazards like land, significantly improving situational awareness for mariners." The Smith lake tragedy may be just cause to push this technology deeper into the boat industry namely bass fishing boats. Surely a little foresight and future visionary thinking can show the possibilities? Can we keep it real please? Susky River Rat said: "You'd practically need a water traffic control to handle this and designate on plane areas for boats and fishing areas." We already have that. Presently it is done with water police chasing you down. In future they won't have to do that. You will simply receive your speeding ticket through a manatee no wake zone in the mail. Many boaters do not observe common decency and common courtesies out on the water any longer. I thanked a man just two days ago for slowing down to pass me and my son while fishing. Most people just fly by dangerously. Time for some accountability when the boat traffic police can't be on all bodies of water at the same time. Maybe we DO need more traffic control on lakes. And GPS is one easy way to do it. Combine it with AI traffic police and GPS and boaters are going to have to come around to playing by the rules more and more. Its coming. This is my last comment on this subject. I've said more than enough for my part. If others want to debate it or call it crazy or irrelevant then have at it.