Vilas15

I dont use it currently because it is more expensive than mono, can be damaged when tying a knot if its not lubricated or using the wrong knot, and gets deformed when you pull on a snag unlike mono that rebounds and doesnt lose strength. Im considering putting 6 lb fluoro on one rod for finesse stuff in clear water because it sinks which would be better for light jigs and is more invisible than mono in water.

You'll be overwhelmed when everything looks like it could hold fish. We would joke that a random rock pile or island with no fish on it there would be the prime spot on a lake back home that every boat would hit. The tough part is determining what sets spots apart. Big steep solid flat rock shorelines did not have any fish when I was there 2 years ago in late june. The smallies loved the broken rock shorelines with rock the size of basketballs. Channel-like areas that could see some current due to winds seemed to have fish of all kinds. We caught mid 30 inch pike on bass baits so be ready for that. Have your pliers and hook cutters ready and learn how to handle big pike/muskies/walleye if you haven't before. Not as simple when you can't lip them like a bass.

Sounds like you need two boats!

Please share a link if you've got one, I'd like to check it out.

Never seen that done with 2 talons and a kicker. Usually two totally different types of fishermen who want talons vs who wants a kicker. Not to say it couldn't be done but you might be on the right track looking custom. Most people on this site have never seen a kicker motor so you may have more luck somewhere like walleyecentral focused on northern fishing especially being in Minnesota.

They're useful for ice fishing as a different option compared to a flasher/sonar for even better detail on when the fish actually bites after staring at your bait for 10 mins.

Id put the very bottom of transducer just below bottom of the boat to guarantee solid contact with water coming off the hull but it would not be low enough for a leading edge to catch and create lots of drag and spray. Like this: https://sportfishingbuddy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Diagram-showin-ideal-transducer-mounting-height.png?ezimgfmt=rs:300x600/rscb2/ng:webp/ngcb2

Transducer looks way too deep to me. Bottom of it should be barely below the hull. You've got the top of transducer set at bottom of hull. Probably throws a big rooster tail now. Also if you do anything with adhesive, 3M 4200 is removable, the 5200 is considered permanent.

Love the rk crawler. Catch everything on them banging them in the rocks.

I was going to mention this as well. I checked my spare in my car one time before a road trip and it was supposed to be at 60 psi but was less than half that.

Nothing like the anticipation of a big trip like that. For me it's been lake of the woods Ontario the last 2 years but family happenings mean I'm sticking to a more local musky trip in september this year. The long drive goes quick on the way there due to excitement, and quick on the way home rehashing all the catches and stories.

Sorry youre right, fish kill. So plenty of big adult bass. Tons of healthy smaller bass. Tons of forage. What exactly are you worried about?

Sounds like they're experiencing a population and growth boom by taking advantage of the lack of competition from older larger bass which don't exist after getting wiped out from the winter kill. They'll keep getting bigger in good numbers until they take out too much of the forage. Then things might turn the other direction in a bust cycle. If it were me I'd keep a few in an attempt to level things out and reach equilibrium faster. But that's all just my amateur opinion. No actual experience with pond management.

New for 2025 from Bass Pro. It appears Johnny Morris might have purchased the company Biobait and are making it their own? I might try the paddle tail bait both for fishing and throw one in some water long term as an experiment to see what happens. "Break down faster than traditional soft plastic baits" is a pretty low bar to clear since traditional baits don't break down at all. I've always thought its strange how comfortable most fishermen are with throwing what is effectively trash into the water. If they catch fish and actually break down like they're supposed to I'd become a customer. Even if it takes a while I bet it could help prevent fish filling up their stomachs with plastics off the bottom of the lake.

Rust isn't contagious. You're not "introducing rust to the new baits". Keep the water out and you'll be fine.