Tennessee Boy

When the heat index hits 120 I stay hydrated by sipping large glasses of sweet tea while setting in my recliner. ?

I’m told by the experts that there is no evidence that Asian carp have spawned in the Tennessee river. Kentucky lake is huge and if you removed all the carp the lake would probably drop 3 feet. All of those carp came from the Ohio river and had to lock through Kentucky dam or Barkley dam. That boggles my mind.

Okay, everyone go cut off an inch of fluorocarbon and an inch of nylon mono and drop each in a glass of water. Please report back with your observations on the line visibility of each.

Lew’s doesn’t make their reels and their low end spinning reels start at $39. Can any say for sure that these reels are not made in the same factory as the Piscifun spinning reels that start at $22?

Some people fish maybe once a year. For them it probably doesn’t make sense to spend $100 on a reel when a $50 reel will work fine. They probably haven’t refined their skills enough to tell a difference between the two reels. It’s also hard to wear out a reel if you only use it once a year. We all have different needs and different tastes when it comes to the tackle we use.

The Duck River is special. Caught my first bass out of it a long time ago. I haven’t fished it in decades even though I own land on it.

Humminbird bought LakeMaster a while back and they do not sell chips for other brands. You can use the On-Boat Network app on your phone to view LakeMaster maps. It requires a subscription. You can use the free trial period to see if LakeMaster maps offer any advantages for the lakes you fish.

Yes I have a LakeMaster chip for my Humminbird Solix units. They can share one chip across the network. I prefer LakeMaster for most of the lakes I fish because they are created from more recent surveys. On other lakes they seem to be created from the same data as other brands.

The quality of a map depends on who created it, how it was created, and when. The brand of map has little to do with it. Most maps are created from the same sources. Some are created from newer surveys. I use Navionics, LakeMaster and C-maps on my iPad. I learn from all of them. I use LakeMaster on the water.

@bulldog1935 My main issue with the 2022 Aldebaran is the spool tensioner. I prefer to keep the tension loose enough that there is slight side to side spool movement. When I set it this way on the Aldebaran the tension knob is so far out that the star drag hits it. So I’m forced to tighten it down more than I like. Seems like a horrible design to me but I keep the tension much looser than most people. It’s also the only reel I’ve ever used that I can’t turn the brakes off and thumb to prevent backlash. The brakes work well when I use them but I prefer to keep them very low or off completely. So I’m forced to keep the tension tighter than I like and the brakes higher than I like which kills my distance compared to the other reels I use. The reel is just not made for the way I like to set up a reel. There may be other BFS reels that would work for me.

Somethings definitely ain’t right. I’ve measured the current draw on my 80lb Ultrex. The current draw goes up exponentially as you increase the speed. I draw 41 amps on 10, 8 amps on 5, and 1/2 an amp on 1. You should be able to go for days on a charge under normal fishing conditions. If the problem started with the new batteries then I would return them. If you’ve never gotten good performance then it could be something wrong with the TM or possibly even the wiring. Could also be your charger is not fully charging the batteries.

Here are a couple of good videos on ethanol gas and fuel stabilizer. Watch and make up your own mind. This one was in the thread @A-Jay posted earlier.

With all the hype I ordered a 2022 Alderbaran to see how I like it. I was extremely disappointed with the reel, not necessarily the concept. It will not cast anywhere near as far as my spinning reels and not even as far as my Scorpion DC reels.

I was also inspired by the thread last night. I called Dominos and told them I wanted to order a chain pizza. They said they didn’t know what I was talking about. ?

Sometimes I pick up another rod and make a few cast before I go in to retrieve the lure.

Mercury recommends 87 octane up 10% ethanol. I would consider that to me a minimum but I wouldn’t go any higher unless the gas sets in the tank for long periods. Ethanol turns into a gooey gel as it’s exposed to water in the fuel or moisture in the air. Gooey gel is not good for engines. I loaned my power washer to someone who put ethanol fuel in it. It sat for several months and would not run after that. I had to take the carburetor off and clean the gooey mess out of it and unclog the jets.

Depends on what’s between the cover and the boat.

It does have Bluetooth. Did you check the battery?

I don’t think it makes much difference if you use the gas in a reasonable amount of time. I currently use Stabil but I’m probably gonna stop when I use up what I have. The most important thing is to always use ethanol free gas.

Because McDonald’s does not sell pizza. ?

I’d graph the area and if I see any fish I’d fish where the fish are. ?

I have the same charger and I’ve never considered changing it for the reasons @Bankc has already mentioned. I’ve never needed to charge my batteries quickly. They already recharge must faster than I do.

Any bets on how long it will be before there's a thread asking for recommendations on the best reel to put on a "Ledge Rod".

My estimation is you will lose between 9 and 28 seconds of trolling motor power the next day, depending on the wind. ? The self discharge rate is typically about 5% a month but can vary a lot depending on many factors.

Wrap the line around something you brought for that purpose or find a stick. Line almost always breaks at a knot.