haggard

I got a line hung up on a dock a couple weeks ago even though I deliberately made the cast away from the dock. Lure was a soft plastic paddle tail on a 1/8 oz light jig head. Couldn't figure it out but went in to unwrap the line, which was being pulled in an unnatural way. I thought the fenders tied to the docks were pulling the line as they bobbed around. Followed down the line and saw the bass under the dock. Just as I freed the line, the knot came undone. I hope the bass didn't gut hook it and could shake it free (barbless) - since I didn't know it was there, I didn't set the hook. I'll never know. The fish must have come out to take the lure and swam back under the dock.

Ha... I knew what you meant

When fishing from the bank it's easier to spot the fish ?

Finesse baitcasting can be done but in general the tradeoff is you spend more money for well tuned or high end reels. I'm a baitcaster fan for all the usual reasons (low profile, accuracy, no line twist, easy to service) but always end up taking one spinning combo (ML/XF) because for light techniques and light lures, it does the job so well with so little fuss. Spinning gear can be very accurate too. One easy solution might be carrying your usual baitcasters plus a single spinning setup for those light duty applications where it excels with very little effort. Right tool / right job thing.

A couple "oh I'm THAT shallow?" moments in the boat when underway were reminders to pay attention, don't get distracted, and constantly watch your depth on the finder. Got lucky twice, and don't want to try a third time.

First thing to check is that you have a good ground. Measure resistance between any two points that should be grounded and make sure there's close to zero resistance on the ohm meter. If you don't have a good ground, really strange things can happen. Then check resistance between each of the 4 wires against all the others and make sure there are no shorts. That's a good starting point and if something doesn't pass it should help guide you to the problem.

I use my CI4+ 2500 on a ML (specifically AVS69MLXF) and find it a near perfect match for light techniques. I like using baitcasters more but this combo works so well I end up using it most of the time. It's usually rigged with a paddle tail worm on a light jig head, or a bitsy bug jig with a paddle tail trailer. Probably would be great for drop shot too, but I don't drop shot much at all.

Eagle sightings and fly-bys on the lake probably top the list but other than that, this up close and personal turtle experience is worthy: @jbmaine and I anchored off the NH side of Great East Lake to take a break for lunch and this guy swam right up to his boat, looking for a handout. He wouldn't go away. It was like it was trained or something. Maybe it was interested in the frog lure, or maybe it was the PB&J sammiches.

I've had the St.C MH/F Mojo Bass in 6'8 for 3 seasons now and feels right at home with a Curado K 201 (or 200 if you want right side retrieve). In terms of size and heft of the Curado K seems a great match for the stout rod. Big workhorse reel with a good amount of spool depth. Until recently this was my go-to "heavy duty" combo. For this season I put a smaller reel on my MH/F only because it fits my hands better.

Looking at the layout of the Lund 1650 XL Sport, even if you've got 5 people not 6, looks like it puts 2 in the rear jump seats, 2 behind the windshield, and leaves 1 at the bow pedestal seat - not the safest place to be while underway. And 16.5 feet gets pretty tight if people start moving around. As one other mentioned, a small pontoon could be worth checking out (or a larger deep V). Though if fitting in the garage is a must, then you may have to settle on 4-5 people. A trailer with a swing-away tongue can buy you some extra garage fit. https://www.lundboats.com/boat-models/1650-rebel-xl/

The problem I've had with original bags is the zip-style locks tear and break quickly and you can't reseal the bag, at least that's the case with my favorite un-named manufacturer of soft plastics ?. Storing soft plastics in other hard plastic containers has had bad melt reactions with those containers. This season I'm trying Ziploc brand freezer bags in pint or quart size. So far so good. Bags are relatively thick and durable, they have offset tabs for opening so you don't have to go fishing to split the seal, double lock seal is very air tight, and so far no chemical reaction issues.Several bags can be thrown into a hollowed out Plano 36xx size box.

I ran a single 12 V deep cycle RV/marine battery with a 55# trolling motor on a 14' jon and it did fine. I think you'll be good with a single 12 V setup. If you find it doesn't last long enough you can always add another later on, in parallel (not series). For now start simple and save the additional weight.

Is it possible there's another fuse in line somewhere? Maybe on the inside of the unit?

Doomsday Turtle in green pumpkin gold, by Doomsday Tackle Co. They still have green pumpkin but no longer with the gold flakes. I swear they made a difference on when the sun was out.

Losing both, just one month apart, must be crushing enough without the added climate of quarantining and distancing. Neighbors @jbmaine and his wife went to great lengths and effort supporting their respective Moms in recent months. If Moms made it to 86 and 93, they did something right. Most important, they're at peace now, no pain. Thank you for all you've done for your Moms.

I tried it one season and it was fun to catch a few fish but I think bedding fish are heavily pressured easy targets so I don't see a lot of sport in that. That, coupled with the bass coming out of a slowed-down winter season it's time to let the bedding fish recover, rejuvenate and reproduce because it will be better for us, and them, in the later months. Not trying to preach, entirely opinion. You know what they say about opinions

And not just from the band saw blades. Bigger issue is all those hooks on the bottom, waiting to get stepped on.

Deflating, inflating, hoisting, that's going to become a major PITA real fast, and it will attract a lot of attention. I know you said you didn't want a kayak but if this is your only storage option, I'd let your living situation dictate the vessel choice. Another option: does your vehicle have a roof rack? Maybe store it full time on the vehicle. Have you considered at 10 ft jon? Looks like they just discontinued this Tracker Topper 1036 for year 2020 but if you can find a 2019 it might be narrower than the RIB (and I bet it costs less too), maybe easier to get it on a roof rack or into a truck bed. https://www.trackerboats.com/boat/?boat=4587

If I'm solo and heading out to the home lake in the morning, I pick up a sandwich at the local mom & pop shop, either turkey or roast beast, with lettuce, onion, tomato, cheese and chipolte mayo on toasted multigrain. Boars Head meats. No pickle or chips please. Half the sammich mysteriously disappears on the way to the ramp but the coffee is still hot in the thermos. The other half sammich is for when I get hungry after fishing for a few hours. For stillwater outings, one and only one beer might be on hand and serves as a reward for landing the first fish. A good amount of ice water in a thermos is always present. If I'm fishing with a buddy, or out of range of the mom & pop shop, nothing beats a simple PB&J.

I grew up on Boston's south shore and now live in southern Maine. Try the Acton/Shapleigh area, easy access to Square, Mousam, Goose, Horn, Great East and several others. Do it and don't look back. Congrats on your retirement.

Congrats!! That's a great boat. I had one similar, a 1448 with no console (built one later). It will really move with the 40. Mine had a really old used 15 and wouldn't do more than 8 mph but you won't have that problem. You're going to love that thing! I really miss mine. Take things slow as you learn and get used to it, and be safe. Oh, and keep an extra drain plug inside the boat, we've all been there

Truck should handle 4,500 lb easily enough but 3.23 is pretty tall for towing. You'd probably want a 3.73 or 3.92 (or whatever's close).

I tie direct with copoly or mono and have never had an issue. Except that time I set the hook on what turned out to not be a strike and had to duck to avoid a broken off whopper zinging past my head. I was disappointed I'd lost the lure and was about to tie a new one on, when I remembered (duh) topwater lures float. Retrieved it and continued fishing Action should be fine tying direct. As others said a swivel might be worth considering but I don't have experience with them.

Great rod and price point for the quality. There's not a lot that rod can't do. If I had to have only one, that might be it.

Lean times ahead but we're a hardy sort. We'll do all right.