TOXIC

If they aren't feeding, go after the reaction strike. They can't help it. I had a good day Saturday with water temps 87+, air temps 94, bluebird skies, in 3 foot of water.

I lived on the river in Mandarin almost straight across from Dr's Lake. Many a tournament was won in there. Worth your time to learn it inside and out, it holds some good fish. Fished some of the Whitey's Fish camp TX's and a Sunday series out of Julington. My other favorite area was Black Creek. It's got some real good depth. Lures....SPRO Aruku Shads, nose weighted Senkos and dropshot. Keep at it, it takes time up that far North.

Comes in couple of different sizes. Cheap investment. Plano Line box. You fill right from the box.

Couple of things to remember. Lure/Bait/rod/reel/electronics/Trolling motors/boat companies are in business to make $$. You can't rest on your laurels in the fishing industry so there always something bigger and better. My attitude has always been you can't put a price on happiness, so I buy what makes me happy and what I can afford. I like the comfort ans speed of a big boat for example but won't spend $70k or more on it so I have a used big boat. I am lucky enough to have sponsors so I concentrate on their products and don't get tempted by others. This year on my annual trip to St Clair, we had a friend come in from Australia and I bounced around between a few boats so he could fish with everyone in our group. When he got in my regular partners boat he discovered all of my discarded/used baits in his cup holder (that's where I put them to be thrown away at the end of the day) and he caught fish all day long by re-purposing my throwaways. Cost to him -0-.

The "Pro's" now can relax and not have to learn another skill set.........Keeping you "Co" from catching fish. Many of them were experts at it. Many of them would actually help their Co once they filled a limit. My beef was always that the co-anglers were considered less skilled or apprentices of some sort. While some were, many are very skilled anglers for whatever reason chose not to compete in their own boat. Say for example many of the Yak fishermen right here on these pages. I was set up to write a recurring column for Yamamoto called "From the Back Deck" that targeted those who fish as the co-angler. Tips, techniques etc, from that perspective. I retire from my day job next year and was going to make it a goal to fish in the co position and chronicle the experience. I could still do it but it's lost a little luster if I am relegated to the lower tour events. I may still do it.

I am careful to not discount a lure just because a pro is sponsored by them. There are quite a few sponsored by Yamamoto does that mean Senko's don't catch fish? I evaluate every product the same and with a little research it's not hard to form my own independent opinion.

Really need to define "Finesse".......As has been posted it's different for everyone. For me, it's any presentation on 8lb line or less.

They gotta eat sometime. Be there when they do. Sorry to be so simplistic but it's a fact. They HAVE to eat to survive.

Forgot to mention I do use Ring Free because Yamalube has a habit of running dirty (which isn't a bad thing).

Some of us don't have access to non corn fuel on a regular basis and its a no-no to mix the 2. I have a LOT of $$ tied up in my 250 hp yamaha and it's got close to 500 hours on it. I also know an engineer who religiously studies MSDS sheets for anything he puts in his motor. His opinion is that the additives are all some form of snake oil and he just keeps his fuel fresh and runs 10% corn gas. He has never had a fuel related problem in 40 years of boating. He also is very anal about maintenance. I use what Yamaha recommends and stay up to date on fuel/filters and maintenance and use common sense warm up/cool down and propping my motor correctly. And keep my fingers crossed because at the end of the day that's about all you get as far as whether or not your motor lets go.

Not a fan of the no co-angler rule change. It just goes to show you that the co-anglers are not the amatures they make them out to be. They had to have lost a good revenue stream from that change. Likewise their venues will lose a lot of revenue from the co's booking rooms and traveling in to stay in hotels, food, pre-fish etc. The marshals will be like the elites and just be locals who want to get another perspective on their water. Dangling a carrot to be able to win cash and possibly a boat is no more than selling raffle tickets where you have to be present to win. I've always said that the coanglers were not the newbs they were made out to be and many, many of them could compete from the front as well.

Most of the time it can be attributed to the plastic and the way it's rigged coupled with the way the bass are hitting. Some days I seem to get a lot of lower jaw hooks and then the next 5 times out, I won't hook another one that way using the same plastic and same hook rigged the same way. If it continues, go up in size of hook to a 4.0 and try and set the hook sooner.

Gotcha. And not wearing a PFD. ?

Good report. ?

What rule did he break? Was it a no-wake area? Too close to shore? Speed limit on lake? I understand the no pfd reason on a PWC. Was that the only infraction?

To be honest, I can't think of any Largemouth lure that wouldn't catch a smallmouth???? Throw what ya got!!

Lot of dropshots and spybaits thrown in the FLW TX. They had massive weights. No big weather changes since then so they ought to still be chewing. Wish I could get back up there.

For sure at some point the puzzle comes together but as you get more experienced the puzzle gets bigger because you realize you have more pieces than you thought. That's exactly the way I approached guiding. Every morning after I put the boat in the water and while waiting for clients, I would start putting the "puzzle" together for that day and it was always different every day. ALL the hundreds of factors that go into fishing are like puzzle pieces and you start putting them together to get the best chance of catching fish. Time of year, water clarity, current weather, weather the last week, fish species, lake conditions, moon phase, and on and on....you'll find that the more you fish the more pieces you recognize and add to your personal puzzle to get a bigger picture. He who puts the most pieces together successfully, catches the most fish, or bigger fish depending on which puzzle you want to take out of the box.

An auto bilge pump ought to be standard on every boat but it is not. My old NITRO had a switch for "Auto" or "Manual" but my current Ranger has a fully auto bilge as long as the master power is on. I can also manually pump out with 1 or 2 pumps as needed. Although I have never left the plug out, with my old NITRO, I took a client out who lived on the lake and I would pick him up and drop him off at his dock, then go load my boat at the marina. I dropped him off and my boat was struggling to get on plane so I opened the back hatch and the water was almost over my batteries. I hit the bilge and luckily the motor stayed running. Long story short, the sealant around my transom bolts had broken loose and water would rush in when under power but not just sitting in the water. Took a looooong time to chase that one down.

I'm no bearing expert but is your hub "notched" or bent? Looks bent to me and that would cause a weak seal from the rubber cap. My last boat had those bearings and the rubber caps had a habit of cracking or weathering and leaking. I was replacing them fairly often.

I'm not a brand specific guy and have been exposed to many different manufacturers over the years. It was pretty well known that NITRO had some quality issues in that year time frame. I owned a 2000 929 NITRO with a 225 efi and it was a fine boat but the smaller models were tough to get the setup and prop dialed in. You also didn't state what size bodies of water you are going to fish and if you wanted to use the boat for anything other than fishing (tubing, skiing, etc.). If it were me, I would negotiate hard on the ChampioN. Both of the others with the 75hp would be limited in water size and options. Keeping in mind that the XR6 is a thirsty motor but has a stellar reputation. Any ideas on the hours on any of the motors? All should have a compression test and leakdown performed.

Since I use a fair amount of backing, I would just walk the line off my spool through my yard and then either reverse it or re-spool. As a matter of fact, no matter which way I spool the line, I always strip it off in my yard or down the street so that I can be sure there are no twists. That's the only way I've ever been able to totally eliminate it.

Since they don't have a weed guard and are an exposed hook, I prefer them for weed edges or above them, not in the weeds themselves.

Weightless Senko. But a Ned with a Cali-Roll Yamamoto, just tore up the smallmouth this year on St Clair.

Water will be very warm but it's doable. If you have a boat, head up Elk Creek or down to Pool 3 and it's feeder creeks. That's where the cooler water will be. Depending on boat traffic the ledges in pool 2 should produce. Early morning and dusk will be your best time for a good topwater bite in the coves. Schoolies always working at the pool 2 side of the canal coming out of pool 1.