TOXIC

Wishing you all the best on continued success.

I'm gonna be a little controversial here and many will disagree but to "me" finesse fishing is not done with a baitcaster, braided line or anything over 1/4oz weight. I don't have any braid under 35lb test and although I do have it rigged on some spinning rods (WST Wide Spool Technology) I use them for flipping beds and dragging on St Clair. I don't use leaders either. Most of my braid is on baitcasters. Finesse to me is max 8lb line, spinning rod/reel. All the reasons mentioned are why I use spinning plus there's ease of skipping under tree lines and docks. Finesse IMHO requires more skill from the fisherman with less reliance on the gear to overpower the fish although good finesse gear is a must.

Big suprise.......a Senko. Doesn't work everyday but the most consistent producer in most all conditions. Hard bait would have to be a SPRO Little John original. Those 2 and a Yamamoto DShad are ALWAYS rigged whenever I hit the water.

As a guide, I was ALWAYS at the ramp before my clients and had the boat launched and ready to go. I was always solo as well. My advise is to try some different methods and one will feel "right" for you and also you may have to have options depending on the launch. Couple of things that the video didn't cover specific to a bass boat is to make sure your motor toter is off, rear tie downs released, drain plug is in and motor trimmed up!! My procedure is normally one of 2 ways. Prep the boat at the ramp, turn on master and TM switches, remove toter, rear tie downs, plug in and tie my dock line to the front cleat of the boat. Back boat down to the waters edge, truck in park with emergency brake set, get out grab dock line, walk to the proper tie off on the dock where the boat will be in the water and clear the trailer, get back in the truck and float the boat off the trailer, pull up and park the truck. The only other regular difference is if it is windy I will back the boat down until the rear floats but it is still on the bunks, get in the boat (either from the dock or the trailer), start my moter and drive the boat off the trailer, tie off at the dock then go back and park the truck/trailer. If there is no dock, I keep the dock line tied to the trailer with enough slack that the boat will clear the trailer, and pull the boat back up on the launch. I have a KeelShield (everyone should) so there's no scratching of my hull. Now that I have powerpoles I might use them to hold the boat once launched but it is rare.

Hey now !! Don't stereotype. There are a lot of "hills" where I grew up in Omaha. 1 block over from my childhood home were some of the best sledding hills in the city. Actually, Omaha is very hilly aside from the perception that Nebraska is flat as a pancake. No mountain roads but plenty of big hills.

I'm gonna call my Insurance Agent once we get the Police Report. When my wife called the owner of the tree service and told him his crew just hit them, he couldn't speak any English either.............The fact that it was a hit and run and a DUI will pretty much seal their fate.

Searching by throwing baits is not my idea of a productive use of time. I never fish where I don't have a pretty good idea there are fish there. I "search" with all of the things Tom said, I throw different baits to see what they want. If I have to add that I'm throwing baits to find them as well as find what they want to bite, I have just doubled the odds against me. Bank fishing not included. If you are limited to the bank, your search is pretty limited.

Not uncommon on St Clair to be reeling in a 2lb Smallmouth and have a Musky try to inhale it. Likewise with Rock Bass or as we call them Goggle Eyes. Buddy had a true monster Musky take a 3lb Smallie from behind all the way up to the gill plates. Stayed on all the way to the boat but released after we were trying to net it (we didn't have a net big enough). The Smallmouth was pretty chewed up but swam off.

Growing up in Nebraska, I learned to drive in the snow.....deep snow. I never had a 4wd growing up. All rwd cars. The problem where I live now is that folks are not used to snow and do not adjust their driving when it happens. Never fails, every year it's like a repeat performance. I have a standing rule, I take the first couple of snow days off, just to let everyone get the bumper cars mentality out of their system. When I was teaching my daughter how to drive (in my jeep Wrangler) I took her out to snowy parking lots and had her perform maneuvers in both 4wd and 2wd to show the differences. Well, last weekend in the snow she was driving my wife's car (all wheel drive Equinox) with my wife out getting groceries and as they were returning home a tree trimming truck with a chipper in tow lost control on the slippery roads spinning in a 360 and the chipper hit the back end of the Equinox spinning it 180. My daughter was able to regain control (thanks Dad) and the tree service truck went into the ditch flipping the chipper and rolling the truck up on its side, then righting itself. The bad thing is that the 4 "workers" didn't speak english and after they got the chipper off the truck hitch, took off. Sheriff did catch them (all were drunk). Now we get to go through the hassle of working with the tree service....owner doesn't speak very good english either....to get things right.

Seems I read about a company started by some young anglers that paid people for their used plastics (a price per pound) re-poured them and then re-sold them on a website. As has been mentioned, you would have a problem with salt/scent as well as the fact that some plastics don't play well with others. Putting them together doesn't work. Has to do with the chemical makeup of the baits. Finally, you'll never get consistent colors or fleck that so many of us are fixated on, in other words, your pours will never be the same. Seems the company I read about ended up with mostly brown baits because that is what happened when they re-poured them. Some major hurdles but good luck if you decide to give it a shot.

We fished with Ken for the first 10 years of our annual trip to St Clair, even stayed at his house for a few of those years. His son Johnathon fished with us as well. It was devastating to us when he passed. We had just gotten home from our annual trip and had to turn around and fly back for his funeral. Miss him dearly. Just read that Hopkins is closing down. Shame. They had an excellent supply of all things Yamamoto and I did some work in the store for Lance.

How long do you plan to fish in a day? I had a light 2-man PVC Bass Hunter with a rear mounted 12 volt TM (46lb thrust) that would do ok on a small 300 acre lake. The boat you pictured would need some modification for a bow mounted TM and it is a lot heavier than my little pvc boat was. You would be better off with a sit down style seat because if you build in a casting deck, your center of gravity will be too high and it will be very tippy. I would look for a jon that can hold the TM upfront and you can stand and work your TM. With a good sized jon you could step up to a 24v system and never worry about running out of juice. There are some electric only lake jons set up around me that have 3 TM's. 2 in back and 1 in front.

I was late to the game. My first plastics were given to me by Charlie Case himself and I became a master of the "Jacks Worm" named after a friend of his who had passed. Once I threw the Senko, it became my goal to master it beyond the normal uses. Believe it or not, I am still learning and I've been throwing/studying it for 30 years.

Patiently waiting for DT's update but looks like I will be spared. Still getting the truck in for an oil change today and will gas it up just in case.

Depends on how it got cracked. Impact? Flex? And where the "crack" is on the transom. At the mounting bolts? On the top? How deep was the crack? What did the repair involve? Just glassing over the crack? While not a deal breaker, I would put some effort into the history and if in doubt take it to a boat repair specialist to be checked out. Not just a "fiberglass guy". If it was repaired by a reputable outfit, contact them and let them explain the repair.

How deep are you trying to get it to run? 4 to 5 ft is about the max depending on your line choice. What's your retrieve speed? If you are cranking it hard to get it to dive beyond its designed depth, it will roll. Most all flatsides are a slow retrieve and the SPRO is no different. Designed to give a lot of wobble with a slow retrieve = a good cold water bait.

You stated that you need a rig that will handle the Ocean. All of the small tins/jons/v-bottoms that everyone lists as their choices are more than likely out of consideration. First you need to determine what size and type of boat you need to be safe on the water you plan to boat on. Second you need to look at your finances and see what you can afford. I am not anti-financing, if I had to pay cash on everything, I would not have a nice house, newer cars/truck, boat, etc. I financed a good chunk of my 21 foot bassboat at 1.99% through my Credit union. I had the loan set up for 10 years and paid it off in 3. It was nice to know that I could make a normal payment if something else came up in my finances. Your budget is what will tell you what you can spend and factors like financing are part of your budget. I am talking about a good budget not just $$ Earned minus $$ owed = disposable income. There are a LOT of things that go into a good budget. There are a LOT of extra costs that go into boat ownership after the purchase. In the end, if owning a second home is eating a major part of your discretionary spending then you have your answer. Sometimes we just can't have it all on the amount of income we make. A financial planner can be your best friend and help you achieve your goals with money. I would suggest you get one, if you haven't already.

On the last policy for my old NITRO with a 225 efi, the Agent asked what the top speed was. That was a factor in the rate along with other things like replacement value vs agreed value, contents coverage, etc. My current Agent and on my Ranger with a 250 it was all based on agreed value.

Don't forget the "Peckerhead" and the various underwater pipes/cables, Selfridge for example. Ballast piles, wrecks and river mouths like the Salt and the North, South and Middle channels. Actually there's a lot to fish on LSC even though the lake itself is rather featureless. For us its always been the right grasslines in the right depth depending on water temp.

I have never needed anything other than the original SPRO Little Johns. Cell Mate is my preferred color in the colder water. We tear up the smallmouth in the spring on assorted colors.

Seems that the forecast is throttled back somewhat for NOVA and my hometown of Warrenton. I've heard that before and got socked!!

If you cant find a dealer near you with: http://www.gloomis.com/content/gloomis/northamerica/usfly/en/homepage/DEALER_LOCATOR.html Or..... https://stcroixrods.com/pages/dealer-locator Then your best bet is to find one with an individual near you. Personally, if you read enough reviews, you should get a general idea of what the action is like on both rods. Usually, higher end rods are purchased by someone who is looking specifically for them and has a good idea what they want.

Depends on whether it is open water because of the current or the temperature of the water. If it is just current it will be tough. If it is like the Power Plant lake I fish, the discharge is warm water and cools through 3 lagoons with canals. Fishes great in the winter, water never drops below 50 degrees.

Bring it on. I need a few more teleworking days from home!!

Without knowing how serious you are about your fishing, it would be a guess as to what gear to recommend. If you have aspirations about getting serious, I would recommend looking on the swap and sell forums for some higher quality used gear. If you are a weekend warrior or want to work your way up to better gear, I would recommend some middle of the road gear that won't break the bank and will perform well.