WVU-SCPA

Two years ago I picked up a 16' jon boat with a 45lb bow mount and 35lb tiller for $500. The kicker was it was lacking the title for both the boat and trailer. It was a spontaneous/not a lot of thought purchase . Still have plans to set it up for electric only lakes but haven't put the time into it. Just personal preference, but I would chose boat over kayak every day of the week and twice on Sundays. Just take your time to find the right boat for what you want to do.

After a solid numbers day in the rain we arrived back at weigh in with a full bag of 6 fish. Well aware it wasn't the winning bag but figured those 6 would put us near the top. Pop open the livewell at the launch to give them one last look before they head to the scales. The green blur was past me before I knew what was happening. Didn't even touch the deck or rail before it gave itself an early release back into the lake. Live and learn.... something I will always be able to look back on and laugh. Amazing creatures.

The amount of bites I've had at dusk the last 2 weeks has been insane. Every cast results in multiple bites....but it has been a struggle to connect. Tried sweeping, gentle lifting, and crossing their eyes...just not sticking many. Spent more time after what was biting me then worrying about what was biting the end of my line Tuesday night. On a side note, I thought it was a good idea to pull my socks up high to cover more leg area. Didn't apply any spray to that area. The majority of the itchy bites are all where my socks covered. Guess I wasn't feeling the bite through them. Waiting for the ramp to clear and get the boat loaded was an all out assault. The lights were basically a big neon sign that said bite me.

78.2??? We were rocking a solid 88 surface temp in PA last night. The forecast of 68 and rainy has me excited for a club tourney Saturday, solely for something different.

There is a lot of good points in this thread. Catt's point of knowing what is going on in body of water is spot on. We have a weekly "lunker" tournament on a 340 acre lake that is very predictable. If you went back and plotted the biggest fish caught each week over the last 3 years you would absolutely see a pattern for location, time of year, and technique. There would be anomalies, but that's why it is still called fishing and all the pros don't have accounting degrees. However you can increase your probability of catching bigger fish by learning the who, what, when, where of the lake.

If it wasn't for the description on the package I wouldn't know there is a difference in many of the plastics. I'm often told my trailer doesn't match the jig.....but they still catch fish. Did have a pair of the Enchroma colorblind glasses, it was crazy seeing the difference in some plastics I thought were very similar.

+1 on local tackle shop. Yes they are more expensive, but if your face becomes familiar there are some perks you can't buy online.

The Costas get the majority of time on the water, but there are quite a few times a year I will take out the Strike Kings. In low light situations I prefer my $15 Strike Kings over the Costas.

A smaller lake I know is on a burner if you show up a squirrel tail on a shaky head. Replace the plastic, catch rate drops drastically. Have taken it elsewhere and haven't saw the same results. Right thing at the right time.

That's the other dilemma. It's a friend of a friend that has reach the age where they haven't been able to use the boat. He isn't actively searching for a buyer, but I feel morally responsible to tell him my plans if I buy the boat.

Heard about a guy that had a non boater start dating his sister a year or two ago. He still threatens to throw me off the boat every now and again.

Thank you for the input, notes taken. I don't see a reason for it not reselling for 9k+, so a grand or two into it might be worth it.

Does anyone have experience on cleaning up a boat for resale? I stumbled across a 2011 bass tracker pro team 175 tf that hasn't left it's garage in over 2 years. Not a boat I really want or need, but for the asking price of $5,500 I'm struggling to pass on it. Boat is in overall good shape and has electronics of value. Am I forgetting any cost other than maintenance and transfer cost? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Never before have I cheered for a fish to break off, can't say that anymore after Ratliff's last fish he caught. Regardless of the results, awesome job Nolan. I'm sure in the not to distant future we will be seeing you on another big stage. Head up and get ready for classes to start. Taking Ichthology this semester? Was by far my favorite course, a final that consists of a bunch of preserved fish in a bucket and all you have to do is identify them is a test to take any day.

Go into meetings when he only had one fish, get out and holy shirts and pants! Let's go Nolan!

Watched over lunch and saw him catch a 20" walleye that he talked about keeping, funny stuff. He followed that fish up with a 2 lb smallie. Awesome job Nolan. Will be tuning in as much as possible tomorrow. Let's Go Mountaineers!

Max scent baits have treated me well this year. Could just be a confidence thing as the fish were biting the first day I fished them. Creature Hawg was the go to in the spring/early summer, now its D-worm on a 1/8 oz. shaky head. Only have have drop shotted with the flatnose once and resulted in a sunfish party. They have held up much better then any gulp bait fished.

Awesome job!

Do they colors change....yep. I've caught many of bass on their stick baits, but in my opinion the same cast with a different brand of stick bait would have worked as well.

Most productive: 1/10 oz. ned. Favorite lure has to be a Baker BDT suspending crank. There was a 2 month period of running out to the lake with the one spinning rod I owned everyday it got above 45 degrees. That lure led me to my "Ah Hah" moment. I can thank it for slimming my wallet, but also creating a lifelong addiction of figuring the bass out. Caught some nice fish as well.

Payara and Dorado. Was lucky enough to spend 2 weeks in a non tourist area of Colombia a few years ago and packed a 5 pcs fly rod in my luggage. Caught some different species, not a Payara or Dorado. The family friend that was the "fisherman" was confused with my methods of using a rod and upset when I released fish. Beautiful country but a completely different fishing culture.

I'm guessing he is on the water this morning, hopefully he has them figured out. I enjoy his write ups on here but also have the WVU connection, only I had never stepped foot in a bass boat at that point in my life. All of my fishing was done in the hollows for trout or the Morgantown bars. Let's Go!

If it wasn't for waking up before the alarm in anticipation of executing the game plan that my mind already created from the bow of the bed, I would be all mornings. I haven't found anything else that gives me the same feeling like coasting into the first spot in twilight hours. So peaceful yet so much possibility.

We were prefishing for a tournament this weekend so after a quick photo she was quickly released to the depths. The next few hours I kept wondering what was all in there....could she really have eggs in July? Did she swallow a plastic and have blockage? If she spent the next few hours in the boat would we be cleaning 8 oz of shad out of the livewell? Hopefully she keeps here eating habits through Saturday.