Junk Fisherman

I wouldn't say I am sick of it but I LOVE the Basscat Caracal. I could see myself buying one in 7-8 years.

I paid cash 4K for my first boat when I was in my mid 20s. Used that aluminum boat for 15 years and continually saved for my next boat. Paid cash for my current boat back in 2016. I am already saving for my next one. I do this for my truck as well. The way I have done it is that I never spent more than I could afford and I had no problem using a tin boat and a non-loaded truck when I was in my 20s and 30s. I saved up to pay cash and then continually saved for my next boat. Now I can pretty much buy whatever I want.

So I have a couple of the 90s and they are 1/2 oz. I have only used the 80s on spinning gear and have done well with them. Anyone have any reviews on the 90s? They say they are the baitcaster model. The only reason I got them is because Duo Realis sent them to me since I had the rear hook pull out of an 80 the first time I used it. They sent me an 80 and 2 90s in a nice show of customer service. Thanks for any info.

Depends where and when I am fishing. My #1 all-time big smallie bait is a large profile 4" tube. Swimbaits, dropshot, and a Ned rig are my other main weapons.

Fish smarter and harder. For years my goal was always just to have fun and use fishing as a source of relaxation from the grind of everyday life. But recently I have decided to really up my game and become more analytical of my fishing. Too often I go out and fish based on my past history and if the fish are not that active I will go through the motions until it is time to leave. So one of my major goals is to work harder while fishing. Make more adjustments, try different depths and patterns, try different colors, work baits differently, pay attention to small details, and investigate and fish new spots. All of these are things I know I should do but often I just keep chucking and grinding if the conditions are tough. And because we all like lists here are some other goals: 1) Fish with my dad more. 2) Get my 8-year old daughter into fishing and get her her first smallie out of the boat. 3) Fish with my club more and reconnect with people I have fished with in the past. 4) Go more even when the conditions are not ideal 5) Go to less pressured waters in my kayak to avoid frustration when the local tournament lakes are crazy busy 6) Investigate new water every time out. 7) Fish deeper and use mapping and electronics more effectively. 8)) Fish bigger swimbaits 9) Catch a smallie on a hair jig and an A-Rig

Just curious what your thoughts are on this. I have some ideas but I want to hear from people that both kayak fish and fish traditional tournaments.

I like Flouroclear and I use it for bladed jigs/swimjigs and jerkbaits. It's cheap enough to replace often. It's never let me down. To answer your question, I believe that Flouroclear is flourocarbon coated copolymer line while the CX is not.

So I have made up a few and I don't know if my hook eye is too small or if the swivel is too big but I don't like the range of motion of the hook compared to the VMC rigs. Is anybody happy with their homemade rig? What brand hook are you using and what size swivel? Thanks for any advice.

I agree. As a IL guy that fishes MI and WI, seems that those states plus MN, OH, and IN should be a group. Call it the Big 10 page. (No, Pennsylvania belongs in the eastern forum.)

I don't necessarily prefer the XP in terms of sensitivity. I just said that my 703 Champion compares closely to my 843 GLX. I never did the same type of comparison with those rods as I did with the spinning rods. I will say this, I definitely wouldn't pay the extra $150 or whatever the price difference is to get the GLX. Granted, my Champion is the older model and my GLX is as well so take that into consideration.

A couple years ago I bought a Dobyns Champion 702. This was before they upgraded the the blue label Champion to the XP. It took roughly 5 minutes throwing a shakey head on a gravel bottom while comparing it to my Avid 7 mlxf to realize that the Dobyns was the lighter, more sensitive rod. I had the same exact line and shakey head and I had all the variables the same to have as much of a controlled comparison as possible. Granted, the Dobyns was $50 or so dollars more but the difference in performance was well worth the cost IMO. I now have 5 Dobyns spinning rods and have sold all my Avid spinning rods. I also have several Dobyns casting rods as well and they are excellent. To me, the Champion XP is all the rod I need. I have a couple HP and the $100 extra cost is not worth it. And while you didn't ask for it, my 703 Champion casting rod compares very closely to my 843 GLX in terms of sensitivity and weight. Definitely the better value of the two.

I have a bunch of 4" Keitech swimbaits and most of them have crooked tails. Not sure why this happened since I never even took them out of the package. Anyways, I am wondering if I need to straighten them out by the boiling water method. Will the bent tails affect the action? Has anyone experimented with this? Thanks for any advice.

I have fished GTB often in June in the past for long extended vacations. Based on what I have seen, June 2-9 will be primarily, if not exclusively, prespawn fishing. GTB is the last of the area fisheries to hit the spawn. Charlevoix, Burt, Mullett, and all the smaller lakes spawn before GTB. Usually the 2nd and 3rd week of June is prime spawning time. But it all depends on the type of spring we have. I hit Intermediate if the winds keep me off the Bays. I have fished with Tony before. Nice guy. I enjoyed it. Good luck.

Until I started visiting fishing boards, I never even knew that people considered their truck and boat color and if they matched. Growing up my dad had a red truck and a blue boat. That never came up in all the years we had them. There is a guy in my club with a brown Silverado and a gray/purple Legend which doesn't match. Each of them are high-end but I would definitely chosen different colors. Doesn't matter to the fish since he does very well in our tournaments.

I will always have a silver truck. I would consider white or gray if the deal was right. Those colors go with anything. Here is my boat fresh off the line. I tow it with a silver Tacoma.

Thanks. Already ordered the tool.

What is the easiest way to find out what bearings you need when upgrading? I plan on doing ceramic ABEC 7s for a Daiwa TDX HSD, Daiwa Advantage 153 HSTA, and a Tatula Type R. Any help is appreciated.

So I am a newbie and did my first run of Midwest Finesse jigs. When breaking off the excess lead, many of the keepers and some hooks started to become loose. I am trying to softly break off the excess lead. My dropshot sinkers came out great. Any tips would be appreciated.

I couldn't agree more with you. I work in education yet I don't blindly recommend going to college to everyone. Have you seen the financial analysis of the electrician versus the doctor? There is also one about working for UPS versus becoming a doctor. Lots of great careers out there that do not require a 4-year college degree. And don't even get me started on people that "have to" go to a 4-year university and live away from home and take out loans that they'll be paying off till they're 40. Or the number of people who earned degrees in a field where there are few jobs. When my kids get to that age, we'll be making some wise decisions.

I picked up the 7'10" MH and it is extra fast. It does not feel heavy. This is my first deep diving crankbait rod. I came to post about the XF when I saw this thread. After doing some reading today I saw how most crankbait rods are moderate action. This rod fits my budget since I am not a crankbait guy and don't anticipate this rod getting a lot of use except for a couple trips a year. Do you think I should trust that the BPS guys got the action right or return it? Thanks for any help.

I disagree with this. As long as you are not financing a 25K boat, saving up and buying a modest, used boat is fine. Get the boat, learn how to rig it and do your maintenance and enjoy the time you fish with your grandfather. I bet you look back in 20 years and realize that your fondest memories with your grandfather were the times you spent fishing. You'll have moved on to a 20' fiberglass bassboat with all the bells and whistles but you'll reminisce about catching all those bass out of your 18' tin boat you had. With all that being said, obviously moguy is right about getting a a good education and a good career to afford the boat you want in the future. But saving up and buying a reasonably-priced used boat does not derail that plan. Hell, boats that we are talking about do not significantly lose their value from one year to the next. So you buy a 10-12 year old Tracker or some comparable boat and if needbe you sell it and get back most of your money. This is not a risky idea. Just make sure that you get the motor checked out and don't finance anything. Good luck.

Boat 100% Bought a yak 2 years ago and used it 6 times. Never used it this year. Need to sell it.

There is some excellent advice in this thread. I primarily fish big water but I only fish club tournaments on big water that easily get cancelled or moved if the conditions are sketchy. Guys that only fun fish on big water can always decide not to go out or to drive to a different launch. I have always thought people overestimate what you need on big water. Sure, if you are fishing big tournaments on big water you want a 20' boat but an 18' is fine if you are fishing for fun. But to answer your question, I do think you'll be disappointed inevitably with an 18' boat when you have a tournament on big water when the conditions get rough. So if the big Door County tournaments are what you want to fish, get a 20'er. Since it is your first boat I would definitely go used since you are going to make mistakes and you'd rather do that on a used boat. This is the 2nd year on my Tuffy that I bought new and I have only made a couple minor blemishes and this was after nearly 15 years of owning aluminum boats that I never worried about scuffing up. Hope if helps.

What is your favorite hook for this mold? I see the Owner 5313 is recommended at 1 and 1/0. Most experts say to use 4 and 2 size hooks. How say you?

How many of you guys are making constant bottom contact? Sure, if you are fishing a grass lake and running cranks right above the grass or fishing sandy bottom lakes I understand never losing any. But what about dredging cranks down ledges, through rock, and through brush? Do these big lips really let you deflect off brush and laydowns so you won't get hung very often? Thanks for the replies.