Tennessee Boy

I have changed my bunks by jacking up one side of the boat at a time. I put one of the new bunks under one side and put the jack under it. Jacked it up enough to replace the bunk on that side then did the other side using the old bunk I just removed. That was pretty easy for replacing bunks. I also removed a 17ft Aluminum Tracker from the trailer one time using two long nylon slings and four Come Alongs attached to the crossbeams in a barn.

I'm waiting to see where Humminbird goes next with their 360 Imaging. It's due for an update. Will they go in the direction of LiveScope or will they stick with their 360 approach? I'm hoping they stay with the 360 approach of a side imaging view of what's around you. If they can improve it to the point where it's half as good as their regular side imaging it would be amazing. I'm not expecting anything at this year's iCast in this regard. I think trolling motors will be the big news this year. MotorGuide's web site already has a count down to Icast on it. I think we will see a Garmin and probably a Lowrance trolling motor. It will be very interesting to see how this all plays out in the next few years. Motorguide had never been able to compete with MinnKota even though they have a strong and capable company behind them. How will Garmin and Lowrance fair in this market? It will be interesting.

Hope you don't loose any fishing time because of this. I chuckled at your comment about dogs fighting very well. I've had my share of play fights with dogs that make you think they're not that good. Then when one that's serious get's hold of you you realize just how good they are. They are fast and have very strong jaws.

I have a scar on my right hand from when I tried to break up a dog fight by grabbing one of them. It's one of those mistakes you only make once. I did end up in the ER about 10 hours later and they gave me an antibiotic in an IV. Infections in the hand are very bad news. There are so many bones and tendons in your hand that once an infection gets established it's hard to get rid of it. I would recommend you call your doctor or go to immediate care and get some antibiotics. Better to be safe than sorry.

Welcome to BR

Welcome

When shad are spawning they cause a ruckus close to the bank in early morning. Shad spawn when the water temperature is in the high 60s. Around here that’s in April. What you are describing is very common on Kentucky lake. I would be willing to bet it’s Asian carp. Sounds like they had a successful spawn on Pickwick this year. If you watched the video I posted, they look a lot like shad when they are small.

Over the past 25 years, as electronics have improved and I have gain confidence in them my approach to fishing points and other structure has slowly changed. I try to be more efficient by focusing more on what I consider key spots on the structure instead of fan casting large areas. There are exceptions of course. I will scan the structure and decide if I want to fish it based on what I see. Knowing how to read a map and how to interpret sonar is critical to efficiently fishing structure these days. Lakemaster maps have been a game changer for me. Thanks for starting a great thread @Choporoz

Silver Carp aka Flying Carp one of two species of Asian carp that are making their way up the Tennessee River.

Great information here. I don’t have time right now to dive into this great thread. It’s interesting to me that most of what has been mentioned so far would have applied to fishing points 30 years ago. How has modern electronics changed the way you fish points?

T-rig weightless C-rig Jig & craw Spinnerbait Strawberry pop tarts

I set my drag regularly with a quality spring scale. It doesn't take long. A good rule of thumb is take your line weight or highest line weight rating of your rod which ever is lower and divide that by 4. Like @roadwarrior said, it's almost always around 3-4 lbs unless you're using very light spinning tackle or braid on an extra heavy rod. Your drag is an important tool that you should take advantage of. I used to just lock down my drag and it was never a problem until I had the smallmouth of a lifetime break 15 lb test. That was in the 90s and I've been minding my drag carefully ever since.

Congratulation and good luck with finals.

1) I have 360 and it has changed the way I fish but it has A LOT of room for improvement. It is due for an update and personally I would wait to see where Humminbird goes next with this technology. 2) I would spend it at the console first. Many people say you spend more time at the bow but I'm focused more on fishing when up there and only glance at the screen occasionally. I spend much of my time on the water idling around scanning structure so my console unit is more important to me. 3) Personally, I have a 10in Solix on the bow and wish I had gone with a 12. Both have the same screen resolution so the pixels are pretty small on the 10. At the console I'm very close to the screen and the 10 is fine. I recommend you go to a store and look at each unit from the distance you think you will be viewing it from on the water. Screen size and screen resolution both play a role in how well you can read the screen.

Yeah, never underestimate how much your mind can play tricks on you in the dark. Last fall I stayed up late to watch a football game. When it was over, I turned off the lights and started upstairs in the dark. I got to the top of the stairs and turned towards the bedroom. I could see the bed, nightstand, and lamp in the dim light from the window just as I was expecting. You can imagine my surprise when my head slammed into the bedroom door that my wife had closed. ? If it can happen in the house it can surely happen on the water.

I love I-Pilot link on my Ultrex. I don’t think I would I spend the money to upgrade an existing motor. You can do most of the things you need to do with i-pilot. Personally, I would save my $800 for the next great thing that’s always coming.

Take a look at the results of any major tournament and you’ll learn a lot about the “system” used by the best anglers in the world. Look at the bottom of the results and you will see that for a significant number of the anglers, there system failed them. Look at the leaders and how they caught their fish and you will see that they usually all found different lures/techniques that worked for them. We all have to develop our own “system” based on the skills we’ve developed. Remember that your “system” will fail you often. That’s probably not the answer you were looking for so I’ll add this local tip. Last Friday, I fished Old Hickory and couldn’t get anything going on deeper structure so grabbed my t-rigged worm and caught several fishing the bank. That usually works for me this time of year. ?

Congrats ?

Welcome to the forum!

Don’t forget about the moon phase. It’s dark right now. It’s very different during a full moon. On the Cumberland River I think it’s best to assume you’re gonna hit a log at any time day or night so adjust your speed accordingly.

Been fishing about 54 years, I can’t remember the first time I went but I remember my grandfather hooking them in a farm pond and letting me reel them in. Been bass fishing about 45 years.

Welcome to Bass Resource!

I’m well aware that the definition of the T-Rig has changed in recent years. It’s the responsibility of each new generation to refine the terms passed down to it from the previous generation. It’s the responsibility of the previous generation to complain about the changes of the new generation. I’m firmly established in the previous generation. ?

Very nice SM. Congrats.

Last time I sold a house 13 years ago, you had to fill out a disclosure form that even had questions about bad neighbors. You didn’t have to disclose the stuff in the real estate listing just before the deal closed. I’m sure the law is different in every state.