Big Rick

Got to go for a few hours yesterday with my oldest son. We kept 12 of the smaller ones for a fish fry Friday to celebrate my baby boys birthday. Biggest fish is 7 pounds even and next is 5 pounds even. Now we got flash flood, tornado, and severe weather watches for the next 24-48 hours. Glad we got to go yesterday!

A-Jay, I got to go for a few hours yesterday. This was my big fish. 7# even. Next one was a 5#. Had a great time with my oldest son. We caught 20 or so. Kept enough smaller ones for a fry Friday to celebrate my baby boys birthday. Ended up with 5 pounds of filet. Hang tight, my brother, ice out is coming! Incidentally, we are under severe weather watches right now. Lots of rain, wind, possible tornadoes, and flooding for the next 24-48 hours. We all have our crosses to bear.....

One of the toughest reels ever built. Mine are relegated to my kids and co-fishers that don't have enough proper gear.

Don't forget you can use braid TWICE. When it starts to fade you can spool it back up backward and have the fresh line on the outside with the old line inside. Braid has no memory...

I don't have that option. With 3 divisions of dealers looking to me to help close deals I have to be on my phone constantly. However, they never know I helped them close that sale while skipping a jig under the dock. I will admit to losing focus when my bait gets slammed.....

You forgot to include the Graco BOAT seat, lol!!!

IMO, the best all around lipless crank for the least amount of cash is the Strike King Redeye Shad. It has an enticing shimmy on the fall that others don't.

Prepare yourself for an onslaught from fanboys of every brand out there. The biggest thing is this, you get what you pay for. None of them are cheap. You can lessen the costs but not without losing features and benefits. You really need to watch some guys using and demonstrating different units to best determine what features you're wanting. At that point you can best decide what brand, size, and sonar type you are in the market for. I bought a Humminbird Helix 7 SI and am amazed at it's capability in such a compact unit. But, money was a big factor for me. I would have loved to upgrade to one of the units with I comma in the price, but I couldn't justify it.

Bandit Footloose. And they're on sale at TW. Keep in mind these aren't big baits.

Save some $$ by buying during the off-season. Come spring the market will be full of buyers and fewer sellers.

? TMI, bro.......?

Open your photo on your MacBook. Select TOOLS in the top toolbar. Then resize the image. You should be able to choose the largest option and still stay below 1 mb. The resized image should save to you desktop. Drag it to you post and you're done.

I doubt you'll get a response. Kingpin hasn't been on this forum since March 2014.

I want that jack plate!! No telling what that jewel costs!

And the deck boards allow for easier water draining. Plywood will often hold water in spots. Plus, if you damage a place on your trailer you can replace the deck board that's damaged much cheaper than replacing the whole sheet of plywood.

Nearly all the 6# puts bass I have caught have been in less than 6ft of water. The first 6 pounder I caught was while I was bank fishing...

Daiwa Tatula - because of the SV spool that totally changed my ability to skip and cast lighter baits with much more accuracy. Lew Tourney Pros - because I seldom fish alone and co-anglers that need an extra can't hurt them. They're built like a tank and cast reasonably well. Shimano Curado K - because it's the smoothest reel for the money I have ever held in my hand. Technological advances in reels is almost as wild and fast as computer technology. You barely get a reel broken in and the next best thing has come out and all the pros are gaga over it. However, these 3 I listed have proven themselves to me to be real and not hype.

Marketing Availability Value All the basics of volume sales......

The famous Zorro Aggravator!! You can also wake it. Avery so often the blade will break the surface and "plops" a few turns. Bass can't stand it!

Grab an old spinnerbait, break the hook off, and let him have at it! Then go to a smaller jig, and finally a T-rig.

Tweety hasn't visited this forum since July 25. His stay was very short. Just 16 days....

You're gonna end up experimenting until you get it clean. But, moving forward, use a towel dipped in lake water to wipe the boat down as soon as you pull it out. The scum is still wet at that point and the vast majority will win right off. Then, when you get home, if the boat is still dirty you can hit it with a carwash brush and some soap. However, I thing you'll find the towel at the ramp will do the trick for the most part.

I would definitely try a popper. Not too much action. POP, POP, then pause for about 3 Mississippi and start again! I've caught good fish on a popper in mid-50 water. Especially on rip-rap. That Tampa water is probably warmer than that. You just might end up with a very memorable trip.

No sir. As stated by Toxic, you definitely need the MARINE battery.