TOXIC

All I know is that if I can't find it, my wife had to have moved it.

When all else fails, try a Senko.....Seriously........and don't give up!!

When I had no idea where the crappie were when I was in my 2 man boat, I would put the TM on 2 or 3 and drag the freelined curlytails in my post around until I found the school and then stop and start casting to them. I don't see why you couldn't do the same in a Yak.

We fish them a lot of different ways on the potomac. Like a swimbait on a belly weighted hook, nose weighted in the thick grass and weightless over the top of the grass. Very productive bait. Little inside story, Gary Yamamoto came up with the Swim Senko because he saw how many times he had fish following a regular Senko in during a cast.

Here's my float setup starting from bait to pole. 2 inch grub or tube on a 1/16th jig head. 2-3 inches up the line a small lead pinch weight, then a slip float and finally above that I tie a piece of fishing line to act as a bobber stop. I "can" reel the knot through my rod guides but would rather not so I put the knot at the depth I want to fish and only reel it up that far. I use 6lb copoly for that setup. My other setup is the same bait and jighead but just tied straight on to 4lb test and I cast it just like any other lure. Slow retrieve. On my float setup, you can substitute a live minnow but when I use that presentation I use a snelled live bait hooks and put the pinch weight on my main line just above the snell loop. You don't want to cast often with live minnows, it kills them pretty quick and crappie like live minnows. They also like the smallest minnows you can buy. Repeat.....SMALL minnows!!

No one has ever been able to tackle the liability issue on renting a bonifide bass boat would be my guess. In Wisconsin on the chain of lakes I go to every year we rent a pontoon for the week, they have small ski boats with a 90hp outboard, and their fishing boats are 12ft V bottom tin rigs with a 25hp tiller on the back. Thus the reason I haul my bassboat on a 2 day pull up and a 2 day pull home. I do have a friend in Texas who bought a boat with 3 other guys and they all shared maintenance and scheduled outings. As far as I know, it went well but the boat got old and they sold it. Many of the small electric only lakes around me have jon boat rentals with batteries and TM's. I'm too old and fat for that option anymore.

When I took my job with the government 34 years ago, I didn't plan on it as a career. When the opportunity to go from a year to year employment contract to a career status employee arose I bit the bullet and took it even though I had to give up over 40k per year. At that point in time I made a promise to myself that no matter where they sent me, no matter what I was assigned to do, I was taking this job into retirement. I flew to DC, was sworn in, accepted my appointment and it's been my focus to retire with my eye on the golden ring which is now 231 days, 6 hours, 22 minutes and 41 seconds away. I was blessed to make it to the SES ranks and taking advantage to the benefits offered, which will afford me some comfort in retirement. Start young, no matter how little you can put away and forget it. I don't even look at the statements when they come in the mail. I don't get freaked out on the latest market ups and downs because I know I invested for the long haul and have recently redistributed my assets for the short haul.

I have used the LU to trailer style for my 40 years of towing and have never broken one. I have worn them out but never broken one. I trailer from Virginia to Michigan and also to Wisconsin every year. My average trip locally to fish is over an hour. I also have never had any repercussions from attaching it to my LU. Make sure it's snug, use a microfiber rag if you fear scuff marks and always use a bungee around both your motor connection and trailer connection. Newer styles of the motor/trailer style also have a "shock" absorber built in if you choose. On my 225hp I didn't use steering clips but on my 250 I do. You can get some side to side wobble with that type of toter. The biggest draw to the other brands is not having to do the ninja crawl to get under the trailer to bungee the toter to the trailer. I understand that. I have also seen the bracket style both bend and/or fall off while trailering and it's pretty common to have to replace the bushings, so no system is foolproof. The important thing is to use something, no matter your choice.

You're going to have to explain to me how anything that props your motor up with just the 4 bolts holding your motor/plate to the transom relieves any pressure on the transom. It is not physically possible. All any of the motor toters do, no matter what the style, is to stop movement and stabilize your motor. Not a single one of them takes any stress off your transom.

Use what you want but the term "Transom Saver" is a misnomer for both types of "Motor Stabilizer" neither version takes any stress whatsoever off your transom which isn't a big deal since the forces exuded by trailering and hitting pothole, bumps, etc., are well within your transom's strength range. What they do is to keep the motor from bouncing up and down or side to side which wears trim/tilt and steering seals/rods. I use the old fashioned trailer to motor style since Ranger does recommend that style.

I was once told by an old fisherman...."You ain't gonna catch another man's fish".......Which loosely translated means, go find your own fish.

Not to detract from the OP but I would be interested to know how many of the young guns on this site are planning for retirement? I can say I didn't really think about it until I got my Government job 34 years ago and discovered they would match my 5% savings with another 5%. That's free $$ and I was smart enough to take advantage of it. My agency has increased benefits due to the job we do and I will end up with the following sources of income in retirement. 1. Pension (annunity) FERS 2. TSP (Thrift Savings Plan) 3. Social Security (because of FERS and not CSRS) 4. Private Investments (inheritance re-invested) This does not include any of my wife's savings/retirement accounts. It's not that hard to set yourself up for later in life but my wife as a mortgage loan lender tells me that very, very, few of the applicants she sees have any kind of savings or retirement. Even less for the younger generations. It is a very scary thought that they are not setting themselves up for the future.

I'll let you know after June. I have been with the same Federal Agency for 34 years, have been prudent about stocking the retirement accounts and have a few outside investments. I just had my Financial Planner (personal friend as well) fly in and stay with me for 3 days going over my retirement options with my wife and I. The outcome was surprising to say the least. I will make more in retirement than I did while working and that is a welcome relief. We set up a plan early on and I just continued with it throughout my career and not stressing over it. As far as missing my job......let's just say I won't. I chose a career that puts me in highly stressful and sometimes dangerous positions and has moved me around the country a few times. From Omaha, Nebraska, to Kansas City Missouri, to Boston, Massachusetts, then finally to Washing DC area. From DC, I also got sent back to KC for a year and to Florida for 2 years on temporary details all the while my wife and daughter stayed behind. I have accomplished everything I set out to do and the final personal plateau was to leave a legacy in my agency and I have done that. My name is enshrined on a plaque that recognizes only the highest level of achievement. To me that was more important than the pay. I'm very ready to move on to the next phase and will retire in late June or early July at the ripe old age of 62 and with the funds and health to enjoy many more years of fun travel and fishing adventures. I have been offered a position through the Department of the Treasury to do some world wide travel as a consultant but I have not made a decision on that as of yet. I plan on working for some of my sponsors in the fishing industry more since my schedule will be wide open. I am in a very happy place right now and I only expect it to get better.

It most certainly was especially since I hooked it on a 5" Senko and 6lb test mono. As for keeping them in a livewell full of ice, I doubt the ice would last long on a hot summer day but when I do decide to really keep one again, I will take a good portable cooler with Ice to keep them in. They slime more than any other fish I have ever seen and it would probably be hard to clean out the cooler when finished. Here is a more manageable size one from the Rappahonock river here in Virginia. That one was caught on a Yamamoto DShad and 6lb test.

I have had clients who insist on using snap swivels and I have seen them either stress enough to open or break/bend the snap wire. That being said, I don't know which brand snap swivel they were using. I do know that SPRO was the manufacturer of choice for all things swivel long before they got into the lure making business beyond Bucktails.

The last time I had a rod replaced "free" it was a GLoomis that I was given as a gift, custom built on their blank. It broke on a hookset the first time I used it. They had me break it into 4 pieces and return it to them. They returned a new blank with my custom guides included but not attached.

Are you questioning my knot tying ability?

Don't confuse Unlimited Lifetime Warranty with a Limited Lifetime Warranty. Most all rod makers got out of the Unlimited because the replacement costs would be overpowering. Also, read the print. They are only warrantying Manufacturers Defects. That doesn't include you closing the rod in your truck door or busting a tip trying to free a stuck lure. Some of the old time warranties covered everything, that's not the case anymore. Also in a lot of the warranties is language that give them the option to Repair or Replace. Just saying, you have to read every one of them by themselves.

Put me in the rarely use camp. I use a SPRO swivel on a c-rig but I do not use snap swivels for anything. As has been said....2 more failure points and they will alter the action of your bait.

From Autogeek where I get a lot of my top end detailing products. I buy 303 by the gallon. Unbeatable UV protection. 303 Aerospace Protectant has a SPF of 40, the most UV protection offered by any surface protectant. It will prevent drying, cracking, and fading caused by overexposure to the sun. It was originally formulated for aerospace and aviation applications, machines that come much closer to the sun than your vehicle. 303 Aerospace Protectant is the single most effective protectant on the market. Stain resistant. 303 Aerospace Protectant repels water and dirt, and resists stains. Treated surfaces require less cleaning and will remain in like-new condition. It restores the original finish to vinyl, rubber, plastic, acrylic, finished leather, and fiberglass. 303 is never oily or greasy.

I totally agree, I don't eat anything out of the Potomac unless it's Crappie that we catch way up in the creeks or Striper as they migrate in from the bay. As much as I love catfish nuggets, it's not tablefare for me unless they come from clean lakes around me or farm raised. I have had Northern Snakehead once and will try it again but when we go out we stay out all day and since you cannot put them in your livewell alive, it would be pretty rank by the end of the day. My best snakehead to date 14 almost 15lbs.

It is purely opinion. I like the DShads because of the weight and the fact that they are made out of the same material as the Senko. To me it's the perfect fluke style bait. I'm sure others have their favorites as well.

Simple answer.....I go fishing to relax not workout. As a matter of fact, I do everything in my power to be comfortable when I fish. I have always said that if you find my body on a jogging path, you can be sure I was murdered and dumped there!! There was a time I was in great shape but not anymore. My Brother in Law is an avid yak fisherman and for many years he bugged me about giving it a try. So 2 years ago in Wisconsin, I relented and we set off in yaks for the day. I swear he tried to kill me. Did I do it? Yes. Did I enjoy it? Not in the least. As woefully out of shape as I am, I stayed with him and made it back but I have no desire to do it again. My days of being in shape enough to enjoy a yak are over. I have a body built for a 21 foot bassboat. More power to you that enjoy this type of fishing and I am happy to see it as popular as it is but it's just not for me. On the practical side, I make long runs on the bodies of water that I fish that would not be possible in a Yak. I also like to fish in less than stellar conditions.

Did you ever stop to think your problems are a direct result of your first statement? Not putting anything that has moisturizers and UV protection on your seats most definitely shortens the life and also allows the stitching to rot. Ranger recommends 303 for the seats, that's what I use and my seats look brand new in a 2005. You also have to be very careful on what cleaners you use because they will dry out the vinyl. Armor All was responsible for the drying and cracking of many, car seats and dashboards and boat interiors through the years and it will never touch my vehicles or boat. I would hope they have changed their formula and is now safe but I won't take the chance.

In the other brands besides Yamamoto, salt increases the fall rate.