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I recently had a reel do the same thing after I cleaned it myself (Diawa TD-X 103HSDF). I finally took it to my reel man to find out what it was. I have 5 of these model reels and had never had that problem before after cleaning them. It turned out to be a small groove that was wore into the clutch engage lever (part of the thumb lever action). He said that I had never heard it before because of the dirt that was built up in the groove that I had cleaned out. The part was only a $2 one and now it is as good as new.

I believe that you may get the wrong impression from most of the Southern & Western fishermen. Most of us have the utmost respect for all fishermen from around the globe and the skill they have in catching bass. There are Great fishermen everywhere and in some regions it takes just as much, if not more skill to boat 6 lb -7 lb bass on a regular basis. I for one Salute all of you for setting goals and doing your best to reach them. This isn't a big bass contest. It is a place where fellowship and a common love for fishing brings us all together to share. Again, Great Job to All & God Bless, Dave

Very nice bass & Great job everyone! I didn't get started until the beginning of April this year because of my boat remodel I've only caught 5 between 10 lbs & 11 lbs 6 oz so far, but have caught 24 bass over 8 lbs since April. I won't bore anyone by reposting any pics because most have seen them anyway (Outing and S.E. forums), There will be plenty more before this year is over to post later. Keep up the Great work all! Dave

Maybe you could try placing an ad on craiglist or one of those penny saver type papers for a private party with extra space cheap. That way at least a person would live where your boat is stored, I have heard those storage places are not very safe on average. Boat dealers and fenced local businesses may also be an option if you ask the right person. I'm lucky myself to live on 45 acres. I wish you well.

The V6 4wd option would be less wear & tear on the vehicle overall. It would also allow you to tow heavier loads if you choose to upgrade your boat in the future (or tow a friends boat). I just bought a full size Ford 4wd with a V8 for that same reason (10 mpg). My Grand Cherokee with the 6 cyl (modified to 275 hp) pulls my boat fine in most places. But with the water being low in FL the trailer has to go past the end of the ramps sometimes which makes it a biatch to get out loaded (not anymore).

I haven't tried the Gamma Fluoro line, but the 17# Gamma has cost me 2 bass that were 13+ lbs this month by breaking off in open water, back to XT the old reliable.

I also agree 110%. I can cast 5" Senkos (or even Super Flukes) with any of my TD-X HSDF, TD-Z, or TD-ito reels on 6'10" MH or H G-Blanks rods all with 17lb test Trilene XT all day long with no problems (and do a lot). I have never even owned a spinning rod in my life & at 46 yrs old I don't ever intend to. You know what they say about old dogs and new tricks.................. it's the same with old hicks

The recommended plug is a Champion L77J4 and the gap is 0.040

Very nice pics everyone! One of Florida's native sons out for a cruise on a nice spring day on John's Lake

I have a dual battery Guest on my boat and it works flawless. I just plug it in and leave it on overnight then head out to the lake in the morning. I bought it on sleeze-bay for $50 if I remember right.

If you do anything enough it will build some type of strength & endurance. Casting will only effect certain muscles and have no effect on the rest of the arm/shoulders, etc.. Having stronger arms will help improve your fishing by your body not getting tired as easy and let you concentrate on your fishing techniques more. They sell individual dumbells at Wal-Mart of a lot of different weights cheap and all you need is one. Pick one you can curl atleast 10 times to begin with and do a few sets of ten curls and a couple of sets of ten just lifting it above your head. Do that in the morning or before you go to bed at night. You will notice an improvement in stamina after only a few weeks. Heavy weights build bulk but using & doing more reps with lighter weights will build stamina. I'm kind of small (5'10"/150 lbs) and try to do this everyday with just 25 lb dumbells. It does work and I don't get tired from casting or fishing (except when I don't get enough sleep). Try it and it will make long days much shorter and more enjoyable

Thanks all Avid - Thanks and that invitation is still there anytime. Timistall - I'm sorry you have been replaced by my new friend and she knows how to fish pretty well............ sometimes I may not get many fish but I always get the big ones (really just a pic I found online, I'd never get any fishing done with her in the boat )

Thanks and I went to Wally World and bought one right after I posted because I didn't want to mess with the bumper hitch. Have a Great Weekend, Dave

I was just wondering how many of you tow your boats with the facory bumper and if you have had any problems doing so? I bought a F150XLT 4wd w/V8 the other day just to tow my boat with (to give my Grand Cherokee a break). The factory bumper seems to be heavy duty and it is setup for air brakes. All of my other trucks before have had reese type setups. The former owner said he pulled a trailer with it with no problems. My boat weighs about 1,200 lbs and I'd hate to get stranded with hitch problems one day. Thanks for any replies

I have the CLYMER Evinrude/Johnson 48-235 hp 1973-1990 book (including sea drives). It is not for sale but if you send me a pm and tell me what you are looking for in it. I will scan the pages and e-mail them to you if you are just trying to fix a current problem. Dave

Good Job! I believe the biggest I got was about a pound and a half on them. I gave up on them pretty quick and would gladly give you the rest of the 3 bags I bought (-2 baits) if you were closer You seem to be doing very well with several different baits, Congrats

Chris - I know several people that have caught way more than I have over the years. My total is coming from close to 30 years of only fishing for bass. Which if you break it down is not that many from someone that fishes 150 - 200 days a year. I was a guide on Lake Toho for several years and also wrote weekly columns for area newspapers. I have been around the sport since way before it became a "cool" thing to do. Also there are a bunch of pics floating around here all from just April - now. I have several of your lures and the only thing I've caught here on them is one gar and a truck load of weeds so far. The cover is way too thick in Central Florida for that big of bait to be effective in all but a few places. I will say that your baits are the prettiest I've ever seen. I haven't totally given up on them yet and when someone makes a golden shiner swimbait that looks as good I want on the waiting list. Up until around 10 years ago I used live and artificial baits. For the last 10 yrs just artificials. Also Bass don't live beyond 20' deep because the oxygen level is not sufficient for them for more than a few minutes. I also don't hate anything or anybody. But exotic bass are exotic and deserve to be labeled as such....... if you want to catch real big bass then head to Cuba where you can catch 10 x 10+ lb'ers a day. I guess I'm being a little sarcastic also, but the truth is the truth Also a Big Congrats to Randall then. He must have found the spot to use the swimbaits effectively and knows how to locate big bass (a skill that takes people a lifetime to learn and most people never will). Locating big bass is 90% and the bait is 10% of the equation to catching big bass. I wish you only the best

Truthfuly my pb is a little over 14 lbs (4 times) and best morning was 3 bass in 45 minutes that weighed 36.8 lbs total. I quit logging fish over 10 lbs in 1985 @ 134 and a non-exagerated guess would be a total between 400 - 500 bass I've caught that have weighed over 10 lbs in my life. I'm averaging over 2 bass over 8 lbs a week this year so far and that's fairly good in a state where half the lakes you can't even fish because of the low water levels. I've never claimed to be the best at anything but I do fairly well at finding big bass. Chris - I'm not trying to say that you don't have a great skill at all. It's just all of the hype over CA bass is that the fish are not natural and yes I have been to most of the Southern CA lakes looking around, but didn't try fishing them. I do welcome you to come to FL anytime and fish (not as a challenge - just an adventure). It's a different world here and would be just like me going up north to do the same (hint: your arm would be very sore throwing swimbaits baits before you caught a trophy here if ever). I do wish you well

Therefore should be classified as an exotic the same as the African animals on the Texas ranches. The only real LMB record was caught by Mr. Perry in GA (period).

If I spent some time in CA fishing for those farm bred exotics I would say I'd have a better than average chance. Those bass are not a wild native species from anywhere, they are like transplanted lab rats. The real ? should be if he could catch a trophy fish anywhere else other than CA. I'll invite him down here to FL anytime to try his skill at real wild FL strain bass and take him to any lake in FL for free to do it. He may tear them up or he may not.

Very nice fish and Great job! It would be a Great trophy fish if it was a true FL Strain bass instead of a farm bred super strain export. Non-native species have no place in any kind of record books the same as an African lion shot in Texas.... just my .02

I put a couple of little dots of clear silicone on the inside of the grip before I slide them on. Easy to clean off with alcohol & a rag if you decide to remove them.

^^I agree with RW^^ Big Bass don't get big by hanging around the places smaller bass do for long. They do frequent those places at times but their size gives them the choice of larger prey. They do feed on the smaller forage also so don't give up what you are catching bass on now. Just add a few more baits to your arsenal & expand your choices in habitats that you are searching for them in.

Just for that I will post that pic of you heading out fishing for the day..... (I still think you need a massive wardrobe update ya flea bitten hippie)

Thanks all for kind remarks (Dan that was from that circle of sunken trees we fished on one of my disfunctional senko rigs )