Jig Man

I'd move up from a 24 series to the largest one that would fit in the boat. Be sure to get a good amount of CCA and or MCA.

I bass fish 90% of the time. I broke a couple of ribs over a year ago and they did not heal properly. Deploying and stowing my tmotor was a killer. I went for the one that would do that for me (the Ulterra). I started out using the foot pedal but rapidly moved to the fob. In order to get the most from it I bought a Humminbird Solix. I have the I pilot link and my bird and MK are etherneted. Not only can I control it from the foot control and fob, I can also control it from my Solix. The best function for me is to set it on "follow the contour" with a crawl speed and "cruise control" to keep the speed constant as the wind changes. Now I can sit or stand in a comfortable position and fish without all of the contortions of the past. I won't ever go back to cable steering trolling motors. There is a learning curve. Maybe your friend isn't very far along on it. Was he a good boat operator when he had cable steer?

I have used 3 different brands of mapping cards. The Lakemaster on a hummingbird is by far the best I have used.

Too hot and in the oven too long

The first thing I'd try is larger screws unless the holes are all messed up.

I track and record lots of things, air temp, water temp, sky, moon wind, etc. For 2 years I tracked the barometric pressure. At the end of that time I could not find any significant correlation to the number of fish that I caught and the barometric pressure so I quit checking and logging it.

Marine Cranking Amps. The one in the pic is 625 which is not a great amount.

If the one that was there was doing a good job, just get one like it or maybe more MCA.

I fish 5" worms, shaky and T rigged, tubes to 1/4 oz, lizzards, hula grubs etc. I don't like much over a 1/4 oz head. For the heavier ones I use my St. Croix Avid.

I have a 782 IMX. I have had it for years and it is by far my favorite spinning rod.

I have my oven set on 350°. Bass size jigs get painted for 20 minutes. Smaller heads only for about 10-12 because I have had some melt with my $2 garage sale toaster oven but it has been going for 20 years and has painted 10s of 1000s of jig heads.

Braid is better than it used to be but still can get "wind knots". A line conditioner can make it easier to use. I like Real Magic or KVD line conditioner. Try making a cast and having the rod close to the 3'Oclock position when finished. Stop the line by touching the spool with a finger of the off hand. Close the bail by hand. Lift the rod tip as you take up the slack from the cast. See if that eliminates your problem.

Chris if you only heat the heads enough to get a dull coat on them instead of a shiny one you will get a good bake without any runs. If you are not already doing it, hold your jig heads by the hook eye and you will eliminate paint in the eye that will need to be cleaned out.

Sorry I don't use a flame any more. I use a heat gun. With it times vary according to air temp and how long it has been on.

I would not build or buy a fluid bed unless I were making a lot of jigs. You can get by with some bottles of powder paint, and a heat source. If you have an old toaster oven you can bake on the finish. I heated with a propane torch and bottle of paint without baking for several years. The paint isn't as permanent but if you are not selling then it won't matter.

My rods cost more than twice what my reels cost except for the rods that I buy from a major brand rod manufacturer. Those I can get at least 3 for the price of a good reel.

I have a Nitro Z 20. My bow is always a bit low when I load. I have worked out exactly how deep I want my trailer to be and strive for that exact depth every time. I drive the boat up to the front roller, stop it and make sure it has settled correctly. Then with the motor trimmed up a ways I power it into the hauling position on the trailer. Trimming the motor up will lift the bow without much throttle. It is a practice thing until you get it the way you want and get used to loading it. It would be a good thing to take someone with you and go to a ramp that has little use or at a time of little use and practice loading with the trailer at different depths until you find the best one.

My only thought is tape the line after you tie it to the spool so it won't slide around on you when you fill it.

They are very similar but not the same knot. The variation comes after the wraps. The S D Jam goes through the gap in the line next to the hook then back to the loop while the Pitzen just goes back to the loop. That difference is what makes it so fast to tie because you can use the bait as a pendulum and let it swing instead of wrapping the line around and around.

If you haven't tried it yet, you should try the Pitzen or 16/20 knot. It is very similar to the San Diego Jam but way faster to tie and as strong.

Not knowing much about what kind of setup you have, my suggestion would be to start off by lubing your hitch ball.

I think you are seeing part of the living rubber that he has trimmed very short. It looks to be about 1/2" long with the wire tied next to it.

Interference is caused by units running the same kHz. I am not familiar with those transducers but if your units let you choose different frequencies then don't run them on the same kHz.

I think you may learn to like it. 2 of my Ned rods are HMGs only shorter than that because I am shorter and really old so I need shorter and lighter stuff.

Sounds like it might make a perfect Ned rod.