TOXIC

I am pleased with how the season has gone. Trip to St Clair was epic, the weather cooperated and we caught 50-75 fish a day and got on a silly Walleye bite every day that kept us well fed while there. The Potomac has been a mess with all the rain but has given up some good bags of fish and the grass is coming in strong. Overall, no complaints and I may be a little bit of an oddball because I always do better in the dog days of summer. Getting ready for my next trip (to Wisconsin) in August to a chain of lakes that are always fun to fish. Downside is that it's time to shell out some $$ on the boat. I'm due for TM batteries (3) and a set of tires on my dual axle trailer. That's gonna hurt!!

Personally I have found Propel to be a good drink that doesn't leave that nasty slime residue in your mouth that Gatorade does. I also take a lot of straight water. I have not tried the new Gatorade Flow which is "supposed" to be better. If I were addressing cramps though I would stay hydrated and definately eat a bannana. Little tip....I start hydrating the night before a day where I know it's going to be hot. Many times you can't catch up on the water and by the time you are thirsty...it's too late.

One more little bit of sage advice.....Go see your Dermatologist every year. Let a professional tell you what looks good and what looks concerning. They will for sure error on the side of caution when looking at skin issues.

Originally, a shakey head was exactly that....a head design with the hook eye and jig head at the proper angle for standing the bait up. Now it's more of a technique. To me, a shakey head will always be a finesse (I don't ledge fish) technique on a head that stands up when worked on the bottom. I prefer the Spot Sticker style which has a flat front side. Since it has become more popular there have been many variances to the jig head. A Ned rig is finesse but with a different head style and if you look at them, all of the others you mentioned can use the same or similar baits with the only difference being the jig head or how it's attached.

I have a black boat and the sun pretty much boils the wax off it. I wipe down my boat every other time out with a spray type product with UV protection (Lucas Slick Mist/Bass Boat Saver/Eagle One etc.). I apply a coat of wax every 3 months.

I've worked shows and Grand Openings in Bass Pro Shops and Cabela's for 20 years. Believe me, the experienced angler is not their target market. Also remember that for Bass Pro, they are limited to what the corporate buyers order and store in their distribution centers. The stores have a "pecking order" based on things like sales volume. Bigger stores get first "dibs" on what is in the distribution center. Smaller or low volume stores get what's left.

Yamamoto's #1 selling color in the 5" Senko is #297 Green Pumpkin/Black Fleck. I have caught fish in all water colors and from Wisconsin to Florida on that color. It's definitely where I would start.

It wasn't my eyes that took the hit.

One sage piece of advice......stand sideways to the bait. Don't ask me how I know.

Was a solid performer on our trip to St Clair this year. About to do an article for Yamamoto on the results.

I learned my lesson when I lived in Florida. Had a small gator follow a buzzbait to the boat a couple of times. I tempted him 1 to many times and he came right in the back of the boat. I was a nano second away from going off the front when he flipped around and exited. Lesson learned.

Also remember for the older boats/chargers they are not set up to charge AGM's. Newer boats on-board chargers are fine. The reason for SEARS discontinuing the PM1 AGM was the multiple returns mostly due to incorrect charging drasticlly shortening the life of the battery. My 2005 Ranger 4 bank on-board charger has 3 wet cells for the TM and 1 SEARS PM1 for the cranking. When my on-board charger shows all green for the 4 batteries, the wet cells are at 95% or more and the PM1 AGM is at 80%. I use a portable charger with an AGM setting to top it off. It's been in my boat for 4 years and has never failed. I know some chargers can be sent back to the factory and re programmed for AGM as well.

I prefer them. Whole techniques have been centered on the dressed hook. Float-n-Fly comes to mind. Nonetheless, it doesn't hurt anything and I prefer the added pulsing profile.

Plastics ......S-l-o-w d-o-w-n. Fist consideration is the water stained or muddy? Yamamoto makes a few colors of senko that if there is any light penetration in stained water, they will put off an aura and actually appear to glow or have a halo in the water. If it's actually muddy I go with the darkest colors. Another thing to consider is if the water you are fishing is normally clear and discolored because of rain or some other factor, or is it naturally dark like Florida's tannin water? My rule of thumb is that in normally clear water that has been stirred up, the bass may shut down for up to 3 days but then they have to eat.

Lots to choose from and a lot of personal preference. I use Spot Stickers in 1/4 oz the most. I like the screwlock baitkeepers for my 5" pro senkos.

It just goes to show that it can happen to anyone. For those that want smaller HP motors, Just because you can do 70+ doesn't mean you have to run 70+.?

Caps made a lot of hockey fans last night. What a game!!

I will add that I prefer the Wide Spool Technology (WST) reels that ere designed for braid.

I use 35lb test braid on my spinning reels set up for St Clair and dragging baits or pitching baits. No leader.

I have spent a few hours on the lake? As for fishing I imagine the upper part of the lake will be muddy. You could start at the State Park and work your way down lake until you find clean water or you could put in cloer to the dam and be assured of clean water. Boat traffic will be pretty heavy I would imagine. Be careful out there.

Short answer is maybe. Fill it with distilled and charge again. If it takes a charge you should be good. Personally, I have never had good luck with Interstate's but many have. Also remember the batteries are 4 years old.

Yep, that's the common perception but I can offer a situation where that isn't the case. On Lake St Clair when smallie fishing, when the sun is out the smallmouth just tear up a 297 (Green Pumpkin/Black Fleck) Senko. When it is cloudy they prefer a 305 (Baby Bass) which is much lighter than a 297. Just one case where the Smallmouth must not have read the rules!! ?

To me, electronics make you more efficient but not a better fisherman. I had a PVC Bass Hunter that I fished every mud puddle in Virginia. I had a flasher just to show me depth and possibly structure. On my Ranger I have a HDS 9 and 8 both with side imaging and downscan. Can you actually locate fish? Kinda....that is why the last big Lowrance release after all of the advancements was the "Fish Reveal". It's still hard for the average fisherman to tell the difference between a suspended leaf and a fish on graphs. At one time I swore I could put a transducer in my bathtub and it would show fish!! Now side imaging really helps because you get an expanded view and if dialed in you can find grass beds, spawning beds, structure, etc. Electronics are just another tool and an expensive one at that!!

In my guiding experience on the cold side there are a LOT of wolfpacks and in the summer because of all the boat traffic, they pull out and hold on brushpiles and structure. Seems you did just fine!! Traditionally the feeder rivers uplake hold the bigger fish but they are harder to find.

Also remember there are different requirements for different bodies of water for example, an anchor with the appropriate length of line, flares, day and night distress signals, etc. I know that Lake St Clair has some differing requirements from my home waters of the Potomac. Here's where I am going to go a little off track. With all of the boating accidents lately plus the fact that you are a new boater, I would strongly suggest adding an EPIRB to your PFD. Especially if you are going to venture out on big water. As anglers, we need to step up our safety game.