Jig Man

The 12" tires will rotate faster and get warmer as you tow the boat. I don't run radial "car" tires because they have soft sidewalls and I don't like the way it makes my boat feel behind the truck. I get tires made for trailers with 8 ply sidewalls but I think they are still radials.

You might be able to use a Bac Rac for some rods in the back of the boat but I doubt you can have a 30g. livewell and rod lockers.

If I am not mistaken that is a portable unit. If it powers up $10 ought to be a steal. I think they were originally about $200.

You will have to find out the weight of the motor, boat, trailer, batteries, gasoline, and gear. That boat weighs about 1200 so you are half way to max and you still have to add trailer, motor, etc. What size engine are you going to go with? A 115 will weigh about 350 and a 150 about 400. A trailer for that boat woud be 5-600 on average. So we have to figure gear, gas, and batteries.

Salt Craws for me. This is the one I like best.

There are lots of ways to add storage to a boat but without pics no one can give you much useful help.

I have never been successful at painting with heat after the weedguard is in place. What I have done is to make inserts that fit into my molds that don't accept pins. I use finishing nails, round tooth picks and copper wire. My football mold takes fg12 and I have found that 12g romex stripped is a perfect fit. I have dozens of pieces so I can pour many at a time without removing the pins. After I remove the pins and paint them, I have to drill out the holes so the weedguard fits but it isn't a big deal.

go to www.fishingskirts.com and look at their selection of skirts. Also check out the skirt tool which only costs $4. You can get the bands from them also. Then all you have to do is put the band on the tool, take the hook part and pull a couple of skirt tabs in the cylinder and roll the band off. You will need something to put the skirt on the jig head. I use snap ring pliers. When the skirt is on then trim it with scissors.

On the starboard side of the transom there should either be a plate with a set of numbers or a set of numbers imprinted into the transom itself. On that will be the year of manufacture. The engine will also have a tag on it that gives its age.

20

I use the 16/20 with all lines.

Catt, I have the same weather and can't make myself hit the water when it is still above 90° and doesn't get below 80° until after midnight so my plan is a bit different. I will be leaving home about the time you get home. I'll hit the water as dawn makes it first itty bitty crack. I'll give spinnerbaits and buzzbaits about an hour since the lake is about 2' up and has a few bushes in the water. When bright light is on the water, I'll be throwing jigs, shaky worms, and tubes on and near points. As the heat builds, I'll start thinking about those 3 long bridges that are only a few miles away. When it gets hot, I'll be sitting in the shade of one of those bridges using a spinnerbait, wacky worm or swim jig. If the pier bite is good, I'll fish all three bridges before I fire up the AC in the truck and head home for lunch and a nap. Good luck tonight Catt.

If you don't try to fish in the wind.

First of all, just because you saw fish doesn't mean that they were bass. For me your depth is medium. If I am by myself, I fish that kind of stuff parallel to the bank so my bait stays in the strike zone longer. If the drops are steep, I'll move in shallow and fish deep to shallow. I use jigs and triggs for this type of fishing.

I have a bunch of molds for lead and plastic. The molds for plastic I make myself. That being said, I make my jig trailers and craws. I mold my own jigs, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, and spoons. I skirt and tie all of them myself. I don't make: shaky worms, bass tubes, jerk baits, or Zara spooks and that is about all I use that isn't homemade.

On guard like the fg12 I don't do anything. On the fg30 and 40 I flare them. Makes them better in the bushes and get solid hookups.

Given what you say about the gravel, I recommend that you stay with the alum. boat. Glass and rocks don't mix.

I use the 16/20 with 5 wraps for braid and mono. No slip problems ever.

I'd rather use the Who Daddy than those sissy brush hogs.

I like to kiss the "kitty" but not the fishy because just thinking about JH makes me want to PUKE.

You can hook it to either type of battery but it is best not to hook it up to a battery which is also hooked to a trolling motor. If one of your's is for cranking then put the sonar on it.

Here at the Springfield store they exchanged a fly rod that had been damaged in a house fire. If you send it back you will probably have to pay shipping both ways and that would eat up about 1/2 of the rod.

Hell no. Sitting on the edge of your seat or standing on one foot all day long with every muscle in your body wound up like an 8 day clock is FUN not relaxing. Relaxing is getting home, putting everything away and having a cold beverage and reliving a GOOD day.

If you are not making long trips and keep the boat to the 1500 lbs range you should be fine. I'd drop it down a notch on the gears so there would be less chance of transmission overheat. Like stated the big issue will be stopping quickly. I have a friend who uses 4 and 6 cylinder vehicles to tow 17' aluminum boats. The pulling is fine but I have had to close my eyes a couple of times when he had to romp on the brakes. Once he had to take the ditch because he was unable to stop when a car squatted in front of us with no signal.

Here is a couple of links. Each one shows a different way to tie it.