Wayne P.

This will go well with that rod. I have one if you would want it. http://fishingcollectables.com/images/e971.jpg

You can catch largemouth now, all you have to do is use it. 48 of the 51 largemouth bass I caught today was with a Zoom finesse worm or Zoom Trick worm rigged weedless wacky.

Those props are very popular on weedy bodies of water.

The 383 is a combo sonar/GPS, and the 343 is sonar only.

RobE, thanks for the thumbnail question. I had forgotten about that test. I just did one and the XPS is equal to the Gammys in sharpness. Hopefully the quality of the metal is equal also.

The Eagle Cuda 300 has a higher resolution screen 240 vertical pixels as opposed to the Humminbird 150 that has 160 vertical pixels. I'd pick the Eagle.

Here it comes again, LOL-------All the bass over 9# I have landed have been with a weedless wacky rigged finesse worm.

I've got a package of the XPS hooks but have not used any. They do look similar to the Gammys. The Gamakatsu hooks are made in Japan and the XPS hooks I have are made in Korea. As with a lot of the BPS knockoffs, they may not be the same quality as the ones they look like.

Another take on the Senko. Lures that produce in tournament competition especially professional events are the ones usually copied by several other lure companies. The Senko has certainly been copied a lot.

I had a similar experience two weeks ago, but I did get to see it when it tried to jump about 15' from the boat (10#-12# range). All it could do was a head shake above the surface-pulled off beside the boat as I was reaching for it. I was using a weedless wacky rigged Zoom Trick worm.

The thickness numbers I posted before were in thousands of inches like .125" You can probably find the specifiations for your boat that indicates your hull thickness.

I don't. Some of the best catching in Va. is during this time of year. Tidal bass fishing is at its best now. Bass are easy to pattern and are found in schools. Fish lakes that stratify and its even easier. Ever heard of the thermocline? The middle of the day is best.

Do a web search for "Finesse Jigs" and several of them with look like that. http://talonlures.com/hardballfinessejig.aspx

dodgeguy, I agree, forgot about that snap. It is the strongest in the smaller wire size snaps. The Coastlock snaps are made of a heavier wire and more difficult operate than the thinner wire Crosslock.

Speaking of weedless wacky for Senko type baits, the Weedless Finesse Wide Gap Hook is not bad in the larger sizes like 3/0 and 4/0 but a better weedguard setup is an Octopus hook with a weedguard. Since no one makes them, but you can and very easily. Parts needed are a 4/0 Gammy Octopus Hook #02414, a piece of 1/8" electrical shrink tubing, and some stiff 20#-30# nylon mono or fluorocarbon line. Start with about 4" of fishing line, slip about 3/8" of the electrical shrink tubing on the hook shank, double the line and put it thru the hook eye and into the tubing. Adjust the length of the line loop to bend over and catch under the hook barb. Heat the shrink tubing slowly as not to over heat the line (I use a barbeque lighter) and clip off the excess line. It will look like this--it takes about 30 second to do one: Rig the hook in the Senko perpendicular as it will have a better hookup ratio than parallel with an O ring. Use a short piece of 3/8" electrical shrink tubing where you insert the hook and the Senko will last longer.

Steve, if you want a more secure clip that can handle big hooks and big fish, the coastlock type is the strongest.

Most heavy duty aluminum boats are .100 guage, a lot are .072 guage and 1/8" is .125, so yes it is enough.

I still use the Tacklelogic binders. I have one for Colorado blade spinnerbaits, and another for willow blade spinnerbaits. Each has extra envelopes installed so I may have somewhere around 65 spinnerbaits in those plus trailer hooks, spare skirts, and trailers. I carry some loose also in the boat too.

Line recommendations are not put on reels. The amount of line it will hold of a particular pound test is put on the reel spool.

Better suggestion, go to the sheet metal shop with a cardboard model of the size mounting deck you need and have them cut one out of approx. 1/8" aluminum. You can have it welded on, you can pop-rivet it on, or use screws. You will never have to replace it.

I use Speed Clips with braid, but not on large wire hooks anymore. It seems like the effort to attach the clip to the bigger hooks makes them weaker.

The regular Octopus hook is way better. I use a 2/0 for finesse worms, a 3/0 for Trick worms, and a 3/0 or 4/0 for Senkos. Another is the Owner Mosquito hook which has the same shape but a slightly smaller wire size (largest available is 2/0) The circle hook is not a hook-set type of hook and you will miss most hits if you set the hook. It is a let-them-run-with-it-and-maybe-it-will-catch-them-in-the-jaw type of hook. It is a good hook for tournament practice to avoid catching many. It is also one of the best for keeping them hooked if a hook-up occurs. Its main purpose is for bait fishing to lessen swallowed hooks since the hook will pull out of the gullet and maybe hook the jaw as the fish swims perpendicular to the line of pull. Example of the 2/0 Gammy Octopus #02412 hook with a finesse worm for open water use and weedless use:

Zero here too, sold three boats and paid cash for new one. 2009 Tracker PT170

In the package with the fingernail test, it seemed less desireable to me than the former Superbraid which I like. It seemed more like Power Pro which I don't like.

When I rig the double fluke rig, I use a Super Fluke on the shorter leader and a Fluke on the longer one about 6" apart. The three-way swivel is the least troublesome with the least line tangling. I just use shad patterns. Doubles are common when around schools of bass.