HPBB

I have 3 F/P rigs, what you are concidering sound ok. I would go with a H, not a MH. My set ups are 1. St. Croix Avid AC710H (7'10" heavy power, fast action) Team Daiwa-S 103HSDL 50# spiderwire, 25# Yozuri Hybrid leader 2. Gander Mountain Guide Series flippin stick 7'6" Heavy power Pinnacle Vision L Metal 40# Spiderwire stealth, 20# yozuri Hybrid leader I just picked up another St. Croix, same as above looking to get another TD-S 103HSDL , but think I'll try one of my TD Viento this year till I can find another 103HSDL I am right handed and throw all right handed reels, but started using left handed reels for F/P a few years go and love it. I like the idea of the burner reel 7.1 to 1, but I like the way the TD feels its a 6.2 to 1 The TD-S 103HSDL is set up a little different than most BC reels It just feels better to me for F/P.

Jig are funny, some guys love them other hate them or have to use them. I fished them years ago without much luck. I started fishing tournaments 7 years ago and noticed that most of the big fish came from a guy using a jig. I made my self learn how to use a jig. I would take nothing out in the boat with me but a jig. I have found out that (like other mentioned) I prefer to use a lighter jig, 1/8 or 1/4 oz. I feel that using the heavy ones (1/2 and 3/4oz) just don't feel right for me. I love jigs now. Infact in my club I am known for catching fish on jigs. I have one tied up all times, sometime several. make it simple. start out with one color. I like blue/black, try a few different brands to you find one you like. Once you find a brand you like, then branch out to other colors and sizes. try different trailers. You will lose some jigs. Heavy line and heavy rods help bring them out, but when you cast into cover you are going to lose a few. My buddies call it "expensive water", but if your afraid to lose a lure or 10, then jig fishing might not be for you. my best retrieve is flipping/pitching or casting a jig to wood cover and slowly craw the jig over the limbs. make several cast to the same cover from different angles. My jig of choice is a Bass Stalker 1/8 oz black/blue with a Zoom Big salty chunk black/blue flake, Rod: St Croix 7'10" flippin stick (Avid/AC710H, heavy power, fast action) Reel:Team Daiwa-S 103HSDL) line: 50# spiderwire with a 25# Yozuri Hybrid leadrer Take your time and learn the jig. You will catch some of the biggest fish on a jig, they are a big fish bait.

Kinami baits are not made by GYCB ( Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits), they are made by Yamamoto enterprises(Derek Yamamoto) They are the closest thing I have found to a senko, but still not the same. I would take the senko any day over the flash. and they are not any cheeper either most people think they are, but they are packaged different. 5 inch senko is $6.49 for 10 (65 cents each) 5 inch Flash is $4.49 for 7 (65 cents each) infact if you do the math the flash is 1/2 cent more per each

"TORPEDOES" my favorate top water bait. I love Torpedoes. Have about 50+. all colors and sizes. That being said I use the baby (bigger one) 99% of the time in Nat frog. I have a rod reel set up that is a Torpedo only rod. Has "torp rod" written on it. I have used the littler ones, but have way more luck with the baby ones. tried the magum yet? have not caught a fish on them yet. I have caught many many fish on torpedoes right out of the box, but over the years I have modified them a little. now as soon as I buy one I mod it some to my specs. LM & SM just smash them, have caught a lot of Muskies and Pike on them to while fishing for bass

check out http://www.smalloutboards.com/ they have some nice ones don't over look those old Johnso 5-6hp. I have a mid 60's model that runs like a top. never needs anything. can sit for a few years and start right up. the are good old motors. this place has a few of them.

I like the pinnacle reels. I have several. The platum plus is the low end so you will get what you pay for. their upper end reels are nice. They are good reels for the money. I have several and they have lasted me for years. i do like the models with the metal body over the plastic bodied ones. I will take my Team daiwa's and shimano over them. On ebay you can pick one of their better reels up for about the same price. If you do buy the reel, remember one thing. your local reel shop can clean them, but not repair them. Pinnacle doesn't send out parts. so if they need fixed you have to send them into pinnacle. that being said. the 2 that I need fix. I send to them and they replaced one with newer upgraded one& fixed the other one good. The turn around was about 2 weeks.

if they are that hard to move, get them replaced. I had mine done about 3 years ago and it was the best thing I ever did. you can't get the whole cable lubed so once it starts sticking it gone. replace it.

If your motor has a tiller steer (the handle) use it. There is no problem with it and it will be easy to see. They make boats up to 20 feet long that you can get a tiller steer on it, so seeing is not a problem also your only in 15 foot boat, adding a steering wheel and console to house it will take up a lot of room. I have a 15 footer and its a tiller steer and its nice, very easy to use. my buddy has the same boat with the steering wheel and the boat is cramped for space.

thanks RW just sent them an e-mail

Hi. does anyone know how I can get in contact with Lucky Craft? I was looking on their web site and they have no contact info. I would like to find a e-mail or mailing address. I have a question for them about a lure. I have a LV500 that worked great for two outings. Caught some nice fish. then noticed that the lure was splitting right down the seam, and the line tie ended up coming off. So now I have a $15+ lure I used twice and it is junk. I have several other lucky craft lures and they work great and last. just a problem with this one. I don't remember where I bought it and don't have a receipt. I think I got it at sportsman's warehouse, but sure. Any help would be great.

I work in the shipping business. Not UPS but a LTL trucking co. You would not believe what happen to some stuff. But it all comes down to the mighty $. people ship with what ever is the cheapest To make it cheep companies try to put as much on a truck as they can. putting things on top of other thing. Smashing things in. "Make it fit" is heard all the time. The companies that do not cram as much in as they can, don't stack anything, are falling away. They cannot compete since they are more expensive. I bought two use outboards from a guy in VA, I live in Pittsburgh. He said he would "strap them to a skid" and ship them to me. I would have gotten free shipping from the company I work for. I said "no." I would drive down there myself and pick them up. I can just imagine what they would have looked like after being shipped. You get what you paid for. Atleast you were smart enough to get insurance.

I have a Merc, Johnson and a Suzuki Suzuki was not on the list to pick from and its not as popular in the bass fishing market, But I would say that it was a better motor than any of the johnson or merc's I have had. It ran stronger and harder, and was the easiest to maintaine. That being said, If I was buying a "new" motor not a used one. I would buy a Merc. Just because I do not want a 4stroke and all the new suzuki's are 4 strokes. But those old 2 stroke Suzuki are hard to beat. That is why I just bought two older ones.

I use the Quick-cull sysytem http://quik-cull.com/ and have had no problems. Have been using the same set for 4 years now, and they work great. don't slide off the fish. I put them on the lower jaw in the middle. even with 5 fish, LM or SM, in the live well, I have never had a fish throw one of these. what is nice about them, when using my culling beam. the beam will hook up to the quick-cull clip nicely so you don't have to peirce the fish mouth.

Yes you need it for tournamets anyway, why wouldn't you have it? not just for tournaments, but for your own safety. I know you said your boat isn't worth much, but liability insurance isn't to replace your boat, but other peoples boats or stuff if your in an accident. What if you out in you "cheep" boat and you hit a expensive boat. Who pays? you. with out insurance its out of your pocket. I know BASS req. a $300,000 min liability insurance. it was $100,000 a few years ago and they upped it to $300,000. alot of guys in my club compained at first that this would "hurt them" and make it "to expensive" to fish. then they found out it only raised their rate $20 or so a year. Mine went up $12 you wouldn't drive a car with out atleast liablility insurance, why would you run a boat without it? your only protecting yourself.

first off. when was the last time the plugs were chaged? you may need new ones. I have an 1990 Merc 9.9hp and we had this problem a lot. I was choking the motor when starting it. well, I now found out it works alot better if you choke it for the "first" start up of the day. after that I don't use th choke and it starts fine.

check to make sure you have power to the unit. If you do and it stiil doesn't power on. well either fix it or replace it if you want to get it fixed call or email humminbird they are really good about fixing their product. I have a 300tx on a small boat that broke a few years ago and they fixed it. If you plan on replacing it, don't get rid of it. I am not sure if they stiil do, but 3 years ago they did. check into it. Humminbird has a returning customer offer. you can trade in an old unit (doesn't need to work, and only the head unit not anything else) and you get a really good discount when you buy your new unit from them. I got a Matrix 87c 3 years ago from them. traded in an old LCD unit that was sitting in a box in my grage for years. I got a couple hundered $$ of the Matrix 87c

I think you had a bad battery. The GPS running all day doesn't draw that much power. Even a group 24 won't feel it. i did install an extra battery to run all my accessories too Not because my 2 fishfinder/GPS were draining a lot. I just run a lot of stuff and didn't want to be without starting power. summer tournaments when you have pumps running all day will kill a battery, ( I know, you can put the pumps on a timer. I used to do that. But I fish Lake Erie alot and had too many fish die in the livewells in the summer. Started running my recirc pumps all day as soon as a fish is put in the well, and have not had one die since) I run a group 24 duralast, small and cheep $55. The GPS and recirculation pumps run all day i run: 2 fishfinder/GPS 2 live well pump-in pumps (500gph each) 2 reciculation pumps (500gph each) 2 bilge pumps (one auto & one manual, both 750gph) stereo marine radio running lights int lights

What kind of Minkota is it? If its a power drive/autopilot I would bet it is the petal. That is why I got rid of my minkota, I was replacing the foot petal almost every year if not twice a season.

throw it out and get a new rod.

First off what kind of waters will you be fishing? are they TM only lake or ar outboards aloud? also what is the HP limit or not? What is the max HP for the boat? It this a car topper or do you have a trailer? The TM do you want a bow or transom mount? I would say buy both and outboard and a TM. On the TM buy the biggest you can afford. If you can hold two batteries onboard I would go for a 24 volt On the outboard I would say a 9.9hp to a 25hp would be good depending on what you can run.

If it snows at either tournament, I will throw a Buzzbait and/or Spinnerbaits while it snows. If its a white out the buzz will be flying Is that because of the pressure falling so quickly when it is snowing, making the fish more active? Wayne Wayne, not sure if its the pressure falling, but everytime I have been fishing when it was snowing the fish seem to hit faster moving lures better. I have caught a lot of fish when its snowing. Now the whiteout question. I have fished it three whiteouts, where you couldn't see 5 feet. 2 at Raystown and one at the Yough. During the first one I just tried a Buzzbait because I remembered reading a story that Rick Clunn would fish a Buzzbait in a snow storm. tried it and caught several nice SM. So the next 2 time I was out and it was a whiteout conditions I remember the first one. Started throwing a buzz bait and caught nice SM both times

first off I hate the wind when fishing, but it seems that its windy every time i go fishing. firts off I alway point the boat into the wind and I work against the wind or current. I have more control over the boat than letting it blow me around. Now if the bite is slow I'll find a point or hump in deeper water, and drift over the point/hump dragging a tube. This works great up at Erie for SM, but I have tried it many times at other lakes and its worked great. I catch more SM, but do get some nice LM doing this too. I will drag anywhere from a 1/8 oz to 1/2oz wieghted tube. It all depends of the speed of the wind and if there is any cover on the points /humps. If there is cover on them the better, then I go lighter so the bait can glide through the cover without getting hungup. I also have done good dragging a C-rig over humps

Well, up here in Pa. the water is still hard, its 25 degree and snowing, but first spring outing is a month away. My first tournament is March 24, Ice should be off and water in the 40's range. Hopefully high 40's. START TIME: would be first safe light. So morning here we come. LURES: 1/8oz black/blue & black/red Bass Stalker jig & pigs and 3 & 4 inch T-rigged tubes 1/8-1/4oz weights AREA: I will be targeting lawdowns on steeper banks near or in deep water on the north side of the lake down to 20 feet Second Tournament will be April 1. water still in the 40's maybe low 50's START TIME: again start at first safe light LURES: at that Lake I'll be using the same lures If heavy current weights will increase, and add in a War eagle screaming eagle spinnerbaits & Manns Baby 1-. AREA: I will be targeting the main creek that comes into the lake hitting any and all wood that will be breaking current. Once the sun comes out(maybe) and the water warms alittle I hit the shallow flats with the spinnerbaits and baby 1- most water shallower than 7 feet, the flats less than 3 feet If it snows at either tournament, I will throw a Buzzbait and/or Spinnerbait while it snows. If its a white out the buzz will be flying

I catch fish as shallow as 6 inches or less with Jig & pigs. If there is any wood around , no matter how shallow, pitch a jig right up on it. Infact most of my Jig fish come from water shallower than 5 feet

Yes C-rig the tubes. I do it al the time. Its something the fish don't se much of. everybody C-rigs a lizard or worm, give them something different. Yes you can put something in them to float them up. I have used the soft ear plugs. You can make them small slide up in the tube then they will enlarge and float nicely. However, I have notice that C-rigged tube works better on the bottom than floating up.