haggard

I got tired of finding out the hard way what soft plastics do or don't react with, and annoyed at trying to cram the original bags into a Plano 3640, so finally just hollowed out a Plano (removed the permanent dividers) and now there's plenty room for a bunch of bags (I know there are other boxes but I already standardized on the 3640).

Last two seasons, plain old Trilene XL 12 lb mono. This season I'm trying YZH 12 lb hybrid/copoly just to see how it works out.

Same here on the opposite coast. Mushroom jig heads for neds were on the list, but not in the store. Going back today to pick up an item that came in so hoping they've restocked.

I'd see these as two different presentations. Weightless (or weighted hook) wacky is more about the action on the fall, while TX (nose) rigged is more focused on the retrieve - hopping or swimming it back to you. When working a TX rigged worm shallow to mid shallow, I prefer: - 1/4 oz tungsten bullet (loon-friendly no lead; not too heavy) - unpegged (less tackle to fiddle with) - 4 inch worm or baby turtle (small enough for smallies, large enough for largies) - colors: natural browns, greens, or black/blue - I wouldn't worry much about the manufacturer. Lure profile is more important. After using this config as my go-to for the first two seasons, I find myself wanting to do the opposite of what you mentioned: trying a weightless wacky Disclaimer: I'm still new at this stuff.

In Maine I usually use 1/4 TX rigged soft plastic for smallies form shallow to 25 ft or so, but this season I'm going to try harder for smallies in deeper water (25 to 40 ft) and for that will start using a 1/2 oz football jig on the bottom, MH/F baitcaster with 40 lb braid. With the 1/4 oz setup and 12 lb test mono I had a hard time feeling the bite deeper than 25 ft. Hoping this will change things.

Agreed. It's also effective from shallow to deep to bottom. Another thing I love about the TX rig is you can swap lures without having to cut and retie, so you can easily add variation: worm, paddle tail, turtle, creature, etc.

Yes in my opinion. I have a CI4+ 1000 on a StC L/F (panfish combo) and a CI4+ on a StC M/F (do-all bass combo). Just got a StC Avid 6'9 ML/XF and was wondering which CI4+ to put on it. Tried them both on and the 2500 felt better balanced. Didn't feel too undersized on the ML. For a StC ML, if you're going with the CI4+ I'd go with the 2500 size.

M/F, especially if you're going StC. With only one exception, all my rods at St. Croix covering UL, L, ML, M and MH. I prefer baitcasters but if I had to pick just one do-all StC it would be a M/F spinner. Very versatile. My rec would be the MJS71MF (or MF2 if you want the 2 piece for portability). AVS66MF would also be good.

Whichever you go with, try to make sure it has a two-piece hinge - fully separate top and bottom halves - not a one piece. The one pieces are more likely to fatigue and split after many cycles. I like the Plano 3640-1. Full hinge, water tight silicon seal, strong latches on three sides, configurable interior, medium size (big enough to hold alot, small enough to not be clumsy).

Forget about math and numbers. Before casting, give the line a tug while imagining a fish of your roughly expected size/weight/force pulling on it. If it's too easy to pull the line (like a fish is going to run away with all your line and you have no 'hand'), tighten the drag. If it's too hard to pull the line (like a big fish might break away), loosen it. Forget about the math, go with your gut, set the drag so it's "just so." And once you have a fish on, adjust it as needed. If you hear drag peeling out, don't reel against it (introduces line twist), tighten the drag instead.

My father in law faced a similar ending. He was the same sort of salt of the earth guy, a hard working yankee family man who loved boating, water and fishing. His dying wish was to just go dip his feet in the ocean one last time. It never happened and I still regret not pushing a little harder on the family to make it happen. Fishing may be a little ambitious in that condition, especially after surgery, but consider just letting him getting his feet wet, or let him watch you land one. He doesn't necessarily have to fish to get a taste of enjoyment. Maybe just ask him what his wishes are.

Not sure if this is what you're saying but putting a second 12 V battery in series with the first won't give you twice the run time; the current rating (and therefore run time, given the same load) stays the same, assuming identical batteries. But yes the 24 V motors seem to draw slightly less current than 12 V motors (for example, MK 55# 12 V draws 50 A max, while 70# 24 V draws 42 A max). But to really double the run time add another two (series) batteries in parallel with the first two series batteries. Bow's getting heavy now so just balance it out with a 250 hp on the back

"Gone in 60 seconds." Spook 'em every time.

The chain is fastened to the top of the armoire, runs along the ceiling to a pulley on the opposite wall, where it takes a turn, runs outside the house and is connected to the stern of Jim's Lund. The boat acts as a counterweight and the whole thing is balanced so when the armoire needs to be moved, it takes almost no force. The only downside is forgetting to disconnect it before going fishing. It's worse than leaving the drain plug out.

What @jbmaine didn't convey in his post (he's a humble guy), and what the photos can't show is the insane amount of precision and attention to detail that went into this project which began just last fall. We'd meet up in his workshop every few weeks to tinker and inevitably end up talking fishing, so I saw the project as it evolved. Let's just say his background involves designing and machining things of ridiculously high tolerances, so whatever happens in the wood workshop is overkill, in a great way. There are functional details hidden within the woodwork that nobody will ever see or fully appreciate, but the resulting quality, they will. This is a quality, hand built piece of the highest order. As Jim says the devil is in the details . And he did this all for his wonderful "The Mrs." I wish you could see this piece in person. Hats off to you Jim.

Home lake here is also clear and this season I want to focus on smallies with light tackle, looking forward to using the ned more. What jig heads are those? I haven't seen that profile before.

First season on the water, just a couple years ago, with Boat 1.0, a 60's Starcraft with a '76 Evinrude 15hp. Got it on the lake early that morning, anchored down in about 30 ft of water and fished (got nothing) and when ready to move I couldn't get the anchor up. Line must have knotted up through the bow eye which I couldn't reach. Climbing over the windshield onto the slippery deck was a recipe for landing in the water (I was solo) so finally had to let the anchor go. It was early, so I moved on. Found a new spot and dropped wife's GoPro into the water on a long line to get some underwater footage while I fished. Wind started picking up and the boat was drifting fast towards shore. Tried to start the motor but it wouldn't. Tried to pull the motor up but it was resisting, couldn't figure out why. Winds were now about 15-20 mph and pushed me right into shore where I jumped out and kept the boat from grounding. That's when I see the GoPro line wrapped around the prop. This is what happens when you forget to pull in the camera before motoring on. Got it untangled from the prop but for some reason couldn't pull it in by the string, so decided to toss the string to the other side of the boat, swing the boat around and pick up the line. Problem was I couldn't find it. Went up and down the bank a bit, while holding the boat in the wind, while trying to find the camera or its tether. By some miracle, did. Camera recovered, motored back out into the chop and found one very nice bass. Keep in mind a nice bass for me is probably a dink for you all but I was very happy with this one. Wind was getting worse so time to cross the lake and get back to the launch. It was a challenging trip in the 16 footer but got there. Headed back to camp at dusk, backed the truck into the site and went to remove the rods from the upright holders, which is when I saw the line heading back towards the truck. Followed it back to the tailgate, with the rod, reeling in line as I went. Now it's getting dark. And it's raining. Followed the line under the truck past the rear axle, to the front, then down the driveway, continued reeling. Soaking wet now. Surely the end of the line was nearby. But no, it took a turn and I followed it back down the road, past several houses, and finally found the lure snagged in a tree. Walked back to camp, now wet and hungry, figured I'd put the rods in the camper on site before heading to the local pub for dinner, which would have been a great plan. Had I not left the keys to the camper at home. Went to the pub, had a great dinner, then slept in the shed on a cot made from a ladder topped with whatever wooden boards I could find in said shed. That one bass made me work for it and it was totally worth it. So far, haven't had a bad day camping and fishing.

If a fuse keeps blowing, it's trying to tell you something. It's tempting to keep replacing it and trying again, but each time you do, you're gambling (damage to equipment, or fire). I'd try to do more isolating, debugging, double checks on connections, etc. You don't necessarily have to have a friend who fishes or boats, just someone with some electrical know-how who can throw a meter on there and help figure it out. Or maybe ask a dealer for a quote or tell them to not spend more than an hour on it etc...who knows, could be a quick fix.

I asked the same question when I started out a couple years ago and ended up with a St.C 6'6 M/F (PC66MF). If I did it again, given your parameters, I'd buy the same thing. Rated 1/4 to 3/4 oz, 10-17#. For even more versatility (portability) it also comes in a 2-pc (PC66MF2) with same specs.

Whooooooz a gooood booooyy??!

I apologize for dwelling on gear but as a St.C fanboy with only St.C rods (excepting one Ugly Stik) and only two years of fishing experience, I have to ask. Based on forum posts: 1. MH/F is a good "if you had to have only one" bass rod. 2. St.C rods are generally a step heavier than others, when comparing equal ratings (for what they're worth) My Mojo Bass MH/F is great but seems a bit stout for "only one rod" role; the M/F feels better (more sensitive, more versatile). Problem is I have no experience with other brands. To those who have owned/tried St.C and other brands I ask... assuming St.C, would your go-to be a M/F or a MH/F? Of course this depends on conditions and techniques. I think a lot of anglers recommending MH/F are flipping, pitching and frog fishing in pads. I rarely do any of that, mostly fish open water for smallies and cast TX rigged plastics near docks and shore. Thanks for any help/comments.

@LadiMopar and I have been having this debate for a while. But she'll come around....

It must be a long winter here in the northeast. My mind's starting to play tricks on me. Everywhere I go, I think I see fish.

14 ft Tracker Grizzly 1448 MVX mod-V hull with matching trailer. Got mine in 2017 (w/factory matched trailer) for 3,500 (MSRP 4,100). That was a leftover on the lot, so you might pay closer to MSRP if it's ordered, but they should be able to order it. Build it up from there. With used 15 hp 2-stroke, used cable/drum steering system, used seating, new trolling motor, new bimini top, came to under $8K plus sweat equity. It's a slug with the 15 hp (couldn't get more than 8 mph on the lake) so 9.9 might be a challenge in the river. Max hp on the boat is 25 hp. It sits low in the water so it's not great in chop. But conditions permitting, you could get on the water with just the boat, trailer and tiller steer motor for short money, and add things on as you go. It's a nice step up from a "shell" of a jon boat in terms of quality yet still small enough to feel nimble and manageable.

I have a M/F spinning, and while it can do the finesse role, I'll probably use it more as a general purpose rod and use a ML/F for finesse (neds, weightless worms, drop shot). As far as L/F goes, I use that only for panfish. It just feels too light for bass.