Jig Man

That ratio I would call a medium cranking reel. If you want to go real deep then you need a 3.8:1 so it doesn't work you to death.

For 3/8 I use a Gloomis 6'6" and 1/2 Gloomis 7'.

http://www.springfieldgrp.com/pedestals

Never overlook a jigging spoon. Tubes and jigs are also good for me. How long before you get hard water up that way?

You could use babbitt (tin, copper, antimony) if you can find it. However, it has a higher melting temp than lead and you might not be able to do it in a lee pot.

There used to be problems with the glue a few years ago. I had one come loose. I called them (don't remember if it is Keel Shield or Keel Guard) but I was told that 3M had made a new glue and there was now a lifetime guaranty instead of three years like on mine. I took the old one off and put a new one on. It has been there for 5 years and is in great shape. If you take the product and hold it up to your boat and mark around it with a pencil, take a Scotch Brite pad and rough up the boat, then clean it well with acetone before you install it there is nothing to the job. It should be done in warm weather for a more pliable product and a better initial stick down.

Here you go.

I use both. Sometimes I mix them together. I think rubber moves better on a jig but I still use a lot of silicone. To seperate the rubber make it a it longer than you need. Tie it to the bait. Take a pair of sissors and pull the rubber pretty tight. slowly cut the rubber and each strand will pop of. I'd show you a pic but photo bucket is acting up on my computer.

TT make a fluid bed and it keeps the paint fluffy. I have seen pics of ones guys have made and keep 4 or 5 cups going at a time. I only need one color at a time so that is all mine does but once I get a color floating I don't have to do anything but dip.

Tom a fluid bed will help but won't solve that problem. Try heating them a lot less before you dip to get a thinner coat of paint and holding your pliers over the jig eye.

I heat my jigs in a toaster oven usually a dozen or so at a time. I start trying them after just a few minutes. What I want is the paint to have a dull powdery look after the jig is dipped. That gives me a very thin coat and does not have enough paint to cause runs or drips when cured for 20 minutes at 350°. If the paint is shiny, I open the door and let the cool a bit before I continue dipping. You can also build a pretty cheap fluid bed which will give you a lot thinner coat of pain vs dipping into little jars with paint that settles while you are working. If you want to build one Ted might email you a set of his instructions or I can direct you to some. Mine cost me less than $30 with enough material for 12 cups. To keep the hook eye open I hold on to that portion of the hook with a pair of needlenose pliers or hemostats. That way the opening is covered and can't get any paint on it to begin with. Therefore, with a thin coat and an eye with no paint I rarely have to clean out anything.

Unless you are pretty good you better let someone look at it. If your housing isn't cracked then you probably need new seals at least. I'd rather pay a few bucks to someone who knows what to look for than spring for a new lower unit.

I have been using that mold for a couple of years. I like it so well that I have sold most of my other molds. For the eyes, I take a small dowell and put a dab of white like you have the black then when it dries I use a pointed stick and make the center black.

A real go to around here for the rest of the winter is a 4" single tail grub on a jig head 1/16 or 1/8 depending on the depth.

There should be no problem with three cranks as you stated.

When I called Dual Pro about that very thing as I was planning a long winter vacation. I was told that it was not a good idea to leave it on for an extended time without someone checking the batteries every few weeks to be sure that they weren't low on fluid.

If you are not in a big hurry, you should see a bunch of hds units on sale by guys upgrading to the new hds generation 2.

There are lots of ways to heat the heads for individuals without going to much expense. Some guys do it with a propane torch while others use a heat gun. I use a toaster oven so I can heat up a dozen at a time instead of just one. I keep the paint out of the eye of the hook with the pliers that I use to dip the jig. Just take a cheap pair of needle nose and hold the jig by the eye instead of the hook. Also only heat the jig head to the point that paint goes on and is dull and still powdery. That is a real thin coat and won't run into the eye when you hang it to bake on the finish. My heat gun came from Harbor freight for $10. My toaster oven cost $5 at a garage sale.

I tried every digital I could find and gave up on them because of inconsistent readings. I bought a Boga Grip and haven't looked back.

{Here's the thing, he just bought a new Z-8 (he made the local Nitro team this year), so I assume he's already out that money.} Not necessarily. There are lots of "team deals". The really good ones provide a boat with deferred payment for 1 year. Then the new boat comes and last year's boat is due and payable upon delivery of the new one. There are few people who realistically expect to get the asking price for a boat or car. I'd pick a number and go with cash in hand. Green stuff has a way of making a deal.

All line to terminal tackle ... 16/20 or Pitzen strong, quick, easy, even with gloves on.

If the pings bothered the fish enough to turn off the unit, lots of Table Rock guides would starve because their bread and butter is drop shotting or spooning where they can see the fish and the baits.

I keep mine is size specific and bait specific boxes.

Sometimes I can actually see fish on my unit but down scan instead of 2d sonar. Here are some pics that I have captured. I think this was a big old walleye under a school of shad. These are white bass by some shad. I caught 6 of them. Here is a shot of a paddle fish swimming under the boat. I'm pretty sure this is a big old flathead cat.

That depends on what type of lights you have. If they are not sealed then yes. Mine are sealed and I never unplug them as long as the trailer is hooked to the truck.