Jig Man

Check some of the online order companies like: Jann's Netcraft Barlows Tackle Stamina Inc Ztackle Fishing skirts.com Do It

1. Weedguards can be any lenght you want. I use to cutt the off down to the height of the bend of the hook. I got hung up a lot so I quit cutting them off. I don't do anything to them except when in brush I spread them. 2. Starter kit for jig tying. I don't really think there is one. You have to decide what you want to make and then get it. If you don't want to make a big plunge then buy some precast jigheads (painted or unpainted) and skirts and then put them together. If you are going to go hole hog you will need a way to melt the lead, some lead, some hooks, and a mold. Do-It probably can fix you up with what you want. 3. Kit for powder painting. It can be as simple or as complicated as you want it to get. I started out with a candle and 1 2oz jar of white paint. I'd heat the head and swish it in the paint. Over time I have built a fluid bed, collected 20 some colors of paint and heat and cure the heads in a toaster oven. So what I think is you will have to decide what type of plunge you want to make and how much you want to spend getting into this venture. It can be for a few bucks buying precast heads or you can spend several hundred getting all the stuff for a first class operation. Good luck to you. It is a very fun pastime and way down the road you can save some money but that first jig sometimes costs you over $100.

Thread is way more time consuming than wire. I use the windings out of an old table saw motor.

I have heard good and bad about both brands. What I do know is who has the most of the market share and therefore more techs in more places who know how to work on them. That alone would make me go for a Merc.

I chose Low because I know how to use them and can barely turn a Bird on. Consider your placement. You are a lot closer to the console than you will be to the bow unit. A 5" screen on side scan from 4' away is not going to be very eye friendly when you are looking for specifics.

Yes that would be worse. Wally world has some for around $80. The one I got at O'Reilly's was $84. I am not sure what the 3 year warranty one at Wally sells for but it is worth checking out.

When you get that run in the paint you are getting too much paint on the head because the head is too hot. The powder should be like flour and very dull when it goes on the head. Then you are much less apt to have the run. And yes if you are going to paint very many a fluid bed would make life much easier.

Randy don't be looking at reserve capacity. That is for deep cycles. You want to look at Cold Cranking Amps (CCA). IMO batteries are not the items to look for a good deal. Pay what you have to and get the best you can afford so you won't be paddling home some dark stormy night way up James trying to make it back to Aunt's Creek.

I did that way also. I did add golf clube tubes cut off and slipped into the front part.

Randy what you need to consider is the stuff you are running off your battery. You need a good CCA so you can run your electronics, pumps, and accessories and still leave enough to start your engine late on a cold day. I am running an 875 CCA (white marine crank) from O'Reilly Auto Parts. I power a 225 Optimax (needs lots of juice to start as it cranks over about 4 times before firing), 2 Low hds units with 2 lss 1 components and it keeps me going. I will have to wait and see how it does when I run the aerator for a long time.

You can get a good starting point by looking it up on the NADA guides. Then go from there depending on how much you think your accessories are worth.

If you are using silicone skirt tabs you can hold them in place with a bread tie. Just wrap it around the stuff a few times then put your wire on then unwrap the tie.

Check your pm.

I fix them as long as I can with my Power Zap then I melt them down and make something else.

I'm not familiar with that one but have been hearing a lot about the Rhino lately.

I want both. I use side when I am looking at a bank and marking stuff. I use down when I am fishing.

What do those blades do in the water?

"What made you want to try Jig/Pig/trailer" I got tired of getting my butt kicked.

I agree with you guys but take a look at anything else you own. Try buying a replacement part for something else that you have had for a year of two. It is almost impossible in this world of planned obsolescence that we now have. I have recently gone through that with battery chargers and dehydraters just to mention a couple.

The age of your motor may have a bearing on whether or not you can do this. I saw something similar to this on a different forum and they told the guy his opti was too old to work with the hds stuff. He was advised to get a smart craft gauge. I put one of them on my opti. It was a simple plug and play after I installed it and snaked the wires.

One of my favorite banks is a 1/2 mile long stretch of rip rap leading to a dam. When I am doing the top water, crank bait, etc. I fish it with the boat in less than 20 fow and run the bait at about a 10° angle back to the boat. That gives me several feet of variance in depth on each cast. When I use jigs or plastics I set the boat a cast away from the bank and fish back to what ever depth it takes working the bait up and over the rocks. On my rip rap bank a cast away puts me in 40-50 fow. I use worms, jigs, and tubes in the lightest weights possible to minimize hangups. I have found that the lighter weights come home better than the heavier ones and I don't go after hung up baits and plan to lose 6 or more on each pass.

Most of your questions were answered by R520. One he seemed to miss is the xducer selection. You can choose either one off the menu when the units are etherneted. You also can look at the down/side scan at either unit when they are etherneted to the LSS1. If you spend more time in the front seat than behind the wheel, you may want to consider using the larger unit up front. Check your pm for a possible better deal than the one you have seen.

We have been doing a double rig with a jig/wacky worm for many many years, way before the term drop shot came into being. It is effective and sometimes produces a double. With the advent of better electroincs, man Table Rock guides make a living dropshotting for spots and smallies. Many of them run a weight, a worm 10-12" up and another 10-12" up they add a second worm. That gives the client twice as many chances for a hook up.

Here in MO the conservation department accepts fishing stuff. The have special kids fishing days on stocked ponds and supply everything.

Melon pepper tube for me.