Jig Man

There is no telling what color will work best in any situation. That is why I normally have at least 5 jigs tied on at all times. There is usually a couple of weeks in the summer when you can't beat a red jig on Table Rock.

I have one on my TE82 for those times when I have to use lots of power and don't want torque. I keep the bottom loose until I need it. Then just a thumb screw and 2 seconds and it is any way I want it.

That all has to do with the setup you have on your trailer. The company which makes my hubs feels there is no need to do anything for about 100,000 miles. However, I did pull them about 4 years ago and put in new seals and repack the bearings because I was going on a 700 mile one way fishing trip. As long as I can see the blue ring in the cap I don't touch mine.

I have cut them, thinned them, flared them and done nothing. I have never found any significant difference in any of it except the flared guard is a little more snag resistant. I don't even go for the jerk their heads off hookset because to the tears in the mouth it can cause which makes it easier for them to throw the jig and I don't think it is a necessity as I use only quality hooks on my jigs.

I am strictly a Shimano guy. I didn't go for the E series for a long time because I had supertuned Cs with ceramic bearings. When I finally bought one I found it to be great. Now I have 5 of them.

I run Quick Kleen all the time and if I'm not going for a while I fill up and put Sea Foam in. I run Sea Foam in all my mowers, weedeaters, etc.

It could also be a balance and tire pressure problem. The bumpy sounds like balance. I always keep my trailer tires balanced and have them checked and rotated every 6 months by the pros just to be on the safe side.

I have found that weekend fishing is usually tougher than during the week and the common thing is increased boat traffic. But since fish are reactive predators you never know what they will do a specific time.

You might check out the Fenwick HMG. I like them better than my Avids.

If you don't have a convenient place to put the boat while you do the work, you can put a board under the boat, loosen all the tiedowns and jack up one side at a time to change them out. I have done it both ways and tend to like the parking lot at a lake when the weather is warm and dry.

The year isn't over yet. I'm shootin' for 500 but may not get them.

I use them for everything cause that's all I got.

If you truly know what the strike feels like and you know that fish don't have hands SET THE HOOK when you feel the bite 'cause there is only one place the bait can be. Your reaction time is 3/4 of 1 second while a bass' reaction time is 1/25th of a second. You are already way disadvantaged in that game without waiting.

I do a 1 minute at first on new and old. Then I do 30-45 seconds with a lot of stiring. You also need to get some heat stabilizer to keep the scorching down.

(brown paper bags from the grocery, coffee filters, vaccum cleaner filters) I use them all and they do fine.

Old table saw motor armiture windings.

I use a fluid bed to get a thinner coat of pait. To keep the hook eye clean I hold the jig with a pair of needle nose pliers hanging on to the hook eye so no paint gets on it. After dipping the head I tap it to get most of the paint out of the wg hole. After baking I take a drill and bit and lightly drill out the wg hole so I can glue some in. I used to keep the pins in but did not like to mess with them and did not like the way the hole looked after I too the pins out.

Marine Tex may work for you if you can find it.

I use them instead of grubs all fall and winter.

Guys I have to disagree with the comments about Optimas so far. The reserve numbers had me worried until I did some research on them. I am an old man and have been running boats since the 60s. I have tried most of the flooded cell batteries in this area, except for Wal-Mart, and I normally go for the 200 reserve amps. Like I stated I decided to give Optimas a chance and installed them in my boat. I rarely motor more than 10-15 minutes total on an outing. I do a lot of white bass fishing in the fall and winter an those things only seem to bit when it is windy. I am lugging around a 21' boat with an 82 # thrust trolling motor. The Optimas are strong all day long. I had been hearing about big crappie being caught trolling crankbaits so I decided to give that a try. My 225 Opti idles too fast for trolling so I had to run the tmotor. I ran it on close to high for hours without power loss.

I fish all winter long. Here is my routine: 1. load the boat and pull it out of the way, 2. trim the motor down and wait for all of the water to drain while I pack up everything else, 3. tilt the motor up, wait a few seconds and trim it back down so it can drain some more, 4. tilt it up again, wait a few seconds and trim it back down, 5. tilt it up, put on the transom saver and go home. That may sound like overkill but with the price of a new lower unit I can take an extra 2-3 minutes to keep mine from freezing.

I got tired of having to keep adding water to my flooded cell batteries and opted for agms. I was reluctant to get less reserve capacity than I had been using. However, I went with the Optimas because I could get a better deal at Auto Zone than Bass Pro as well as a third year warranty. I am pulling around a 21' boat with a MG TE 82 trolling motor. So far I haven't been able to touch the strength of the Optimas no matter how long I stay out or how much the wind is blowing. Time may change my mind but right now I am glad I made the switch.

My first suggestion to you is get a long rope and keep it in your boat. I always carry at least 2 40' on board.

Heavy braided line so you can straighten out the hook.

Close or being upside down is not a good thing. Check with the dealer where you plan to buy. I used to be in the business and had over 20 lending agencies with which to work. The better your credit rating the better interest they can get you. However, I'd be surprised if they can beat your credit union.