Jig Man

I have tried lots of ways to protect the WG and found none of them to be good. I have devised several plugs to put into the molds and cast them w/o the WG. I paint them, redrill [when necessary] the holes, put on all skirting material, then glue in the WG.

I think you are missing a crankbait rod in the arsenal. The sjpinning will let you fish a lot of plastics and smaller jigs while your mh setup should work for jigs and spinnerbaits. Lots of guys use a baitcaster with a M rod for cranking and you don't have one YET.

I use 30# Power Pro on both spinning and baitcasting reels. I only have mono left on a couple. I like it for the feel and the fact that I don't have to worry about changing it like I always did mono.

I mix petroleum jelly with garlic powder and salt. Smear it on a bait and it will last all day.

Just be sure that you know it is REAL not REEL magic. Some people have used it for reel oil and that is a no no. I keep several cans of it around all the time to slick up stuff. It make old mono cast better and makes braid quieter.

Most tmotor batteries come in 12V. You have to have 2 wired in series to make 24V. Three to make 36.

Remodelers are a good source for soft lead. Old shower stalls have a 40# lead sheet in the floor. Hospitals are also a good source. I once got a 4'X8' sheet of dry wall covered with lead from an X-ray room. Hospitals also get radio active meds in lead containers. I have several of them out in the shop awaiting melting and casting. Don't forget recycle centers and salvage yards. I have bought lead at them for as little as $0.25 per pound. I know of some guys who have recycled lead from berms at shooting ranges.

From that list I would get the Avid.

Leave the charger like it is. It will charge both batteries that are hooked parallel. It will take a lot longer to charge 2 than just the one.

By that time of the year De Gray will be loaded with hydrilla. I like it but hate the hydrilla. I am sending you a PM so you can get some local info.

It would really help to know a little more; like the layout of the land, the size of your boat, the size of your tmotor, the direction you are fishing, and what type of baits you are using. Personally, I like to fish windy areas but my most fav bank on one lake I fish is unfishable in anything more than a 10 mph South wind. It is a deep rocky place and you can't feel your bait or keep good eye contact with a South wind.

You need a small hollow tube and a nail that fits into the tube. Cut the head off the nail and glue it into the tube. I used an aluminum roofing nail and a piece of rabbit ears from a flea market. 1. You put the gizmo into the tube and push it through. 2. Put the weedguard into the gizmo and push the jig head into the tube while you pull the gizmo out. 3. When the weedguard is exposed, pull it through 'till the eye is showing. 4. You're finished I like to lube the inside of the tube with WD40 or petroleum jelly mixed with garlic powder. That makes the process easier.

You can order your molds directly from Do-It. If you have a tax # or know someone who has then use Shorty's Hook Sales for hooks. Otherwise Captain Hooks. Powder Paint is way cheaper directly from the mfg by the pound. Living Rubber can be bought directly if you buy in quanity.

Most of those babies are made within 100 miles of Springfield, MO. There will be a significant charge to ship them 1/2 way across the country. There is also a rigging charge which the dealers add on. Maybe you could negotiate with the BPS in Springfield and drive here to pick it up if you can save money. You could take in some shows at Branson and fish Table Rock while you are here. That might make you a hero with momma if there is one in the house.

You mentioned 4 different types of jigs so that would be $120 for molds. A lead pot is about $50. Powder paint is about $6 for 2 oz. I suggest that you look at Jann's, Barlows, Stamina, and any other places you know for prices of already poured and painted heads. They you can order them and some skirts and assemble them. That would give you an idea of just how deep you want to get into making baits.

Nitro is definitely not in the top 10 of any list of good bass boats. I live in Nitro land and see a bunch. They just plain don't hold up.

If the plates are still covered just add distilled water. If the plates are dry then the battery may be toast. It won't cost much money to put water in and try to recharge.

I went back yesterday and found the bite tougher. Only 9 bass would cooperate. However, 2 of them were smallies. They came about a mile apart. 1 was about 12' deep and the other one was in 18" of water. No others seemed to be in the area.

Thanks for the ideas. I am heading out at 6 am to try again and see if smallies are on the other end of the lake and maybe deeper.

I assume you are talking lead. I clean mine a couple of times each year because of sediment and some rust in the pot. When I get the lead out I take a small wire brush and brush off the side walls and a screwdriver to clean up the bottom. If necessary I heat the pot up to clean off the bottom. Then I use my compressor to blow the junk out of the pot. If you blow a hot pot, be sure to wear safety glasses and gloves, point the pot away from you and reach around with the air because the stuff will spray out everywhere. To keep mine going longer I run an old spinnerbait wire up the spout when needed.

Today I fished one of my fav lakes which has a lot of smallies in it. They were no where to be found. Neither were the spots. We caught 29 largemouth on a lot of different kinds of banks, points, bluff ends and ledges. I thought surely we would get a few smallies. We fished from 15-35' deep with tubes and various jigs. The water temp was 39.6° most places with 40° being the warmest. Should I have fished deeper than 35' for those rascals?

No I do not but sometimes the battery being low in voltage causes depth finders to shut down. Check your battery before you send the df back.

The last I heard Pfleuger had the BPS contract though it may have changed since my info is a year old.

You better rethink this advice.

Take the lids off the cells and see if the plates are covered with liquid. If they are then charge the battery before adding water. If they are exposed then cover them with distilled water before charging. You only want about 1/2" of coverage over the plates.