Krux5506

Use to almost every day after work a couple years ago. That incredibly unique fishery (old rock quarry actually) has since been bought by a private entity who is now developing it for their own private use. I don't think there is another inland body of water anywhere near as diverse as that place. I miss it for sure, and it played a key role in developing my bass fishing since it was NOT an easy place to fish. Even more importantly than the fish was the serenity of that place for reasons like you said.

Did the same thing last year with my Garmin bow mount except I kept pinching it in the trolling motor when deploying. They told me sometimes people can splice them but its hit or miss. I bought a new one and now am quite a bit more careful.

Isn't that just showing the progress of the charge? Have you left it charging for a few hours or overnight yet? Once fully charged all lights will be green, either blinking or staying solid.

Now that you mention it I have tried a Zman minnow type bait for drop shot but it actually didn't last nearly as long as I thought it would for being Elaztech. Forget the name of them but they are pretty similar to the Yamamoto shad shape worm.

It used to bore me until I started catching fish with it. That's how every new to me technique is. Boring until it works. But I still fish it kinda fast, I'm not leaving it in one area for 5+mins as FishDewd said - I don't have that kind of patience. I cast out, give it a couple little twitches, drag it back slowly, let it drop and repeat. Anyone try drop shotting TRD's? After they get a little gnarly after their ned rig lifespan, I've been meaning to try to re-use to drop shot. Because I'm quite a cheap skate.

If I fished more bodies of water I'd be using them a lot more carefully. Typically I'm fishing the same bay/lake every weekend so they aren't absolutely crucial but I've gotten pretty attached to the bow mount unit. At the end of last year I shorted the transducer cable for it so I didn't turn it on at all during late fall, and I just felt like I was kind of missing something... Like many of our modern day electronics, it's easy to become dependent on them even when we don't need them....unfortunately.

For the price point of 2k each, absolutely.

I have one on the port side of my lund. I figured instead of buying two I would at least start with 1. I don't see myself getting a second because 1 has been just fine. If you're in choppy water, anchoring to gravel/rocky bottom with 20mph winds, you will not hold too well. The shallower, the easier it is to hold. But doing that in 10ft of water with a 12' anchor is where I have run into issue. I figure it's kind of expected in those conditions.

True, I barely thought of that since none of mine are integrated either, and I'm on a 2010 Lund.

I think I'm going to get the 7 SV on my console next year. I have the 7DV on the bow and like it. I've never really used side imaging and don't totally get it but I'm well overdue for a console ff upgrade so why not. Do I need to do anything different mounting to an aluminum boat? Thought I read in another thread side imaging can get wonky mounted to aluminum...

I dealt with their customer service once and it was very quick, easy and helpful. I hardly see anyone on the water around me with Garmin electronics, always Lowrance or Humminbird, and I've always wondered why.

When I was a kid I used to pretty much only use worms on Lake Ontario and it would be smallie after smallie, and it was usually on an eagle claw hook with some split shot thrown on somehwere. That lake has changed with the gobie infestation as has my fishing practices though. I fished worms once a couple years ago on my home port just drop shotting them and it did the trick.

There's some good content on youtube mixed in with tons of bad, hard to watch, overly hyper bass fishermen content. I find a lot of these youtube sensation guys hard to watch. I find myself searching for funnier videos though, like pros getting mad and yelling at eachother on the water. Always good for a laugh watching pros act like babies.

I fish 20# power pro on two different bait casters and never had any more issues with backlashing than with other lines. Although I've done this since day 1 not knowing any different, so I guess I just got used to it. I think the biggest thing is getting used to dialing in your reel for different lures/wind conditions, and also maybe not trying to cast as hard/far as humanly possible. Let the rod/reel do the work.

It should work fine and as you catch fish and get use to fishing a ned rig you'll probably make adjustments with your line or maybe end up wanting a different lighter rod. I found the ned rig to be extremely boring at first until I learned that it's a "less is better" fishing technique as in you really don't do much with the bait. Now I always have one tied on. Let it fall and watch the line, give it a pop or twitch to get it off the bottom. Once you get use to fishing it you'll find it's an addicting technique. Give it a try with the gear you have, the 6lb line will do fine and go for the 1/15 oz jigs.

I've never fished one but fish other cheap Abu rods and put them through a beating with no issue. That's why I kinda like cheaper rods like this, I don't have to feel bad being a bit rough on them.

I fish them on a 7' MH with braid/long fluoro leader. I don't know if that's weird or what in the bass world but I like it and I catch fish...well, sometimes.

To the OP, we must be pretty close to each other location wise, and I gotta say fishing the mouth of any of the channels on Lake O during busy boating hours is pretty ballsy in a kayak. There's no doubt I share your frustration with pleasure boaters while I'm out fishing, but I've gotten so used to it that I just come to expect it. Sometimes fellow fishermen can be even worse. This is why I really try to start early and end early, and rarely am I fishing during mid afternoon when all the traffic is out unless I'm out in the lake. Where our cottage is, I notice the traffic dies down significantly around 6-7pm. Then another wave of traffic comes out to try and catch the lake O sunset. I think if I were you, I'd stick to the start early end early rule during peak boating season.

For water spots I use this stuff called Ducky's that I found at West Marine. Seems to do a great job but I think it will take wax off.

I feel your pain man I have a black Lund which is far less mint now than when I bought it! I wouldnt worry much about a sponge scratching it but eventually I swear anything and everything scratches it

I'll say this as someone who works with metal for a living, not as a fisherman...aluminum can do weird things when subjected to something like that. As long as its low pressure I wouldnt worry too much about it but if theres some good PSI coming out of that thing then I'd avoid it.

Amazing how crazy those smallies get when they are hanging out in the bays. They are a good fight either way but for some reason it seems like they get more wild in the bay, and more willing to hit different baits that I don't get them on in the lake. I was planning on sitting this weekend out and staying home to get other stuff done, but now the lake forecast is looking pretty decent for Saturday.

I was on Fair Haven Saturday 6am til 11am or so and it was the total opposite. One of my slowest mornings of the season actually. A few smallies at the north end but nothing too special. Most caught fishing very slow and finessey. J, if you're ever on Fair Haven on the weekends and see a black Lund w/ silver Honda outboard that's me, feel free to say hey.

Where did the owner buy it from? sounds a bit sketchy to me.

I see a fair amount of people in my area fishing off pontoon boats, some with trolling motors too. I always thought it looked pretty goofy seeing them putter along with a trolling motor. I can think of a more functional fishing/leisure boat, which would be a deep-v fish/ski boat. Then again it depends how many people you plan to bring on it regularly.