Jig Man

The first several years I didn't even paint jig heads. So I don't think the fish care one way or another. That being said I paint eyes on everything because I like the way they look.

Your application will be just fine. I have several Shamano 1000 size reels that I use for white bass and crappie fishing. They are just the right size for me with 4-6# mono or 8/1 braid. The stradic is a great reel but the symmetry or sahara will do you a good job and cost less bones.

I have had mine for about 5 years. I would never go back.

Braided line

I use all of the above. I've even used zip ties but don't like them at all. My wire is the windings out of an old table saw motor. My thread is flat waxed. The collars are from fishing skirts. I don't see a lot of difference in which I use except when using round rubber I have to tie or wire them. I think it is more in the eye of the beholder than the eye of the fish. Collars don't rot like they used to. I have some that have been on for over 3 years and are stil just fine.

I don't see any reason why you can't "get by" as you say with a 24v system. I am running one on a 20.5' boat and do a lot of fishing into the wind. I always have lots of power left at the end of a long day of windy fishing. I have run most flooded cells that are out there and not found much difference in them. I have been using AGM batteries for the last two years and like them a lot because they are cleaner to use.

X2

The poison tail is my jig of choice for swim jigs. For all sizes you'll need two molds.

If you buy a boat from a good dealer they will go over everything you need to know about the boat and all of its functions as well as take you to the lake and teach you how to operate it and teach you ramp and lot etiquette.

I doubt that you can fix it and if it is out of warranty you usually can't get them worked on.

The main thing about lead pouring to consider health wise is do not smoke while you are pouring and be sure to wash your hands well before you eat or drink anything.

I use a Curado G5 with a Daiwa 6.5' medium rod and 10# mono for those baits.

[What temperature does the soft plastic turn liquid? What is the upper reasonable temperature to cast? At the typical casting temperature, how long dies it take to solidify? Is the mold heated? Is a mold release used in casting soft plastic?] The material starts out as liquid and as it heats it gels a bit then turns liquid again. I have never checked the temp when it goes back to liquid. That is when I add colorant and glitter and don't have a lot of time to mess around. As soon as I get the color and glitter mixed in I continue heating. I use an infrared themometer and like to pour at 350°F. It solidifies in a matter of seconds on the first cast. I warm my molds in the winter to 75°-85°F before I begin. I don't use a release agent as such but on some of my baits with inserts like tubes and slab busters I have found that a bit of cooking oil on the mandrels makes the job a whole lot easier.

I've caught bass with mono and hooks hanging out their behinds but never seen them trying to pass any plastic. I have, however, caught a few that threw up plastic in the boat while I was unhooking them. Some of it seemed to be particially decomposed but most of the time it was still in good shape.

Rooster you are correct in keeping the batteries seperate. I run my trolling motor on what ever speed it takes to do the job. Sometimes in current or wind I'll have it cranked up for hours and hours at a time. It has been my experience that you can't harm a good trolling motor by run time. Like stated, the battery will give out before the trolling motor even starts to be over worked.

That is usually a sign of a seal failure. Have you looked to see it from the inside and checked for grease there?

I like the poison tail best. I had arke and football molds. I sold them after I started using poison tail jig heads.

One of my buds insists on a second hook set. I have watched him lots of times. He drops his rod tip a bit before setting. He looses over half of his fish and he can't understand why. I know that a human has a reaction of 3/4 of a second from the time you decide to do something send the message from the brain to muscles and start the job. I read that bass have 1/25 of a second reaction time, so letting them have just an itty bit of slack has to be a no no. I set the hook once and keep pressure on them all the way to the boat.

If you have a repair shop they should be able to fix it way cheaper than a new one. It may just need new brushes.

I run the low hds units. As for finding fish during an outing they aren't much different from other units except on down scan I can tell a lot more than 2d sonar. The real value is finding and marking stuff that I never new existed of saw on 2d and didn't understand. I have located hundreds of spots by scanning, recording, then looking at the recording, and marking wpts. I then can go back and fish the places that I have marked. I would buy them again in a heartbeat.

2 for me

I'd be very cautious buying a boat with out a title. Maybe you should call the mfg and see what they have to offer in the way of info.

Do you know if he is a factory pro staffer or a dealership pro staffer. Does he title the boat or just run it till he sells it so you get a new warranty on everything?

I also fish both. IMO Gloomis is the better rod.