Wayne P.

Number one tactic, get away from the bank. Number two tactic, fish slow presentations. Number three tactic, fish the mid-day hours. If you have healthy submerged vegetation, fish that at mid day, that is when it produces the most oxygen. I've been fishing surface water temps from 84 to 92 degrees in depths from 5' to 20'. My catch rate is higher than prespawn. The thermocline is just starting to form and it will be even easier catching. I caught this one Friday in 4'-5' with the surface temp of 89 degrees. The lure is a wacky rigged finesse worm.

FivePoundBluegill, I don't rig Senkos or their knockoffs that way, only the Zoom finesse and Trick worms. If I feel the need ( rarely ) to fish Senkos wacky style, I still use heat shrink tubing but I use a self installed weedguard on an Octopus hook with the hook perpendicular to the bait.

Additionally the Edge has a metal shaft and the Maxxum has a composite flexible shaft. The Maxxum is also available in more powerful models and with a built in sonar transducer.

Frog hooks are usually a heavy wire and with that heavy wire is a large barb. That is a lot of resistance to penetration with any line. A larger diameter mono will work with some success on a short cast, but your chances of landing even a few with less than 17#-20# due to stretch is minimal. The problem is not whether lesser line can handle the fish, it's if you can keep it hooked up and/or extracted from any cover.

Excellent advice Paul. You can add several thousand bass (spots, smallies, and largemouth) for me with no barbs.

The relay contacts are very small and can offer a lot of resistance when the motor is running. Just swap the two relays with each other as a test. If the motor wires a still getting hot, have the motor rebuilt. Finding a source may be dificult but rebuilding is an option.

What I use now. Stren Superbraid, Stren Sonic, Spiderwire UltraCast Ultimate Braid, Spiderwire Stealth, Original Spiderwire, Daiwa Samurai, Fireline, Fireline Braid, The best performing superline is the Daiwa Samurai The worst superlines I have tried is Power Pro and Spiderwire UltraCast InvisiBraid. I have checked the Suffix in a store with the fingernail test and it felt like Power Pro (wasn't interested in trying it)

The higher thread count braided lines have more stretch than the lower thread count braids. All braids have some stretch-it's a result of the weaving process. The fused superlines like Fireline have zero stretch. I can't tell any difference in the sensitivity of any of them. baluga, Stren and Spider wire are not the same brand.

My pattern is slow, small, mid-day, 5' - 20'

10# 6 oz with Zoom finesse worm rigged weedless wacky. So was all the other 10# and 9# class bass.

Nitrofreak, this is from the Seafoam web site: "As a fuel system additive, Sea Foam will clean fuel injectors, clean carbon, gum and varnish deposits, add lubricity to fuel, stabilize fuel for 2 years and control moisture." Will Stabil work that long as a preserver?

This is a Side Imaging creek channel (left side) traveling parallel to it. Standing timber on the right side.

This is a creek channel shown on Side Imaging Sonar:

This is what a creek channel looks like with sonar when crossing from one side to the other:

Read these articles and the tutorial on the Lowrance web site. http://fishinweb.com/messages/messages/13028/13028.html?1258393767

Use Seafoam all the time and you won't need any other treatment or preserver anytime. 1 oz per gallon of fuel.

You can find bottom depth, and bottom changes by using lures that are used on the bottom such as Jigs, Tx rigged worms, Carolina rigs, etc When you catch one, there is a "hot spot".

SoFlaBassAddiict, that is true but there are many, many more that have not had any problems with those units. The same can be stated about any model and make on the market.

The hot weather hasn't affected my catch rate. The most significant thing about this year is the lack of weeds that had the benefit of keeping the water a whole lot clearer. The upper end has looked muddy to very dingy all year even with the infrequent rains. I fished there yesteday and the surface water temp got up to 91 degrees due to the water color and air temp.The thermocline is beginning to form at about the 20' level. That will eliminate a lot of water to try and find the bass. Here is the thermocline at that level in 2D sonar and Down Imaging:

For a gray scale unit, the Humminbird 570 is a great unit in your price range. It uses the highest resolution screen available in a LCR unit.

What does the engine data plate state--model, serial #, etc. ?

endless, I won't go into the idiocy of that organization since Ray Scott sold it. Do your own research of it's history. Pay particular attention to the present ESPN/Disney era and why there is The BASS Federation and the BASS Federation Nation. I don't belong to any fishing organization now (been-there-done-that-got-the-tee-shirts). I get and share fishing knowlege from sites like this. Some fishing publications are useful but I wouldn't recommend any.

Finesse worms-----2/0 Gamakatsu Octopus hook #02412 or 2/0 Owner Mosquito hook Trick worms--------3/0 Gamakatsu Octopus hook #02413 Senkos 5" ---------4/0 or 5/0 Gamakstsu Octopus hook #02414 or #02415 with added weedguard You can wacky any lure with a place to insert the hook midway of the length

I used to be a member a few years ago. I don't approve of their business model and choose not to be associated with them. I got one of those "invitations" this week, it went in the trash with the other junk mail.

I agree with Mr. Snook, the superlines work very well with the bow method. The stretchy mono absords the shock needed to dislodge a hang up easily.