Jig Man

Most any kind of plastic bait should catch you some fish. Get some and spend some time learning to use them. Brush hogs, senkos, tubes, worms just to name a few should do the trick. Colors vary with different waters so I'd start with some shades of brown/ green/ and some black.

It sounds like you are way down the road to getting what you need. The main thing I'd be looking for in the boat is one that doesn't leak.

With that budget you will need to determine the size of the bodies of water you are going to fish. Once you have made that determination, you will have to decide how big or little of a boat you will require for safety and comfort. Then you can start looking around to see what is on the market.

fc line=long piece fc leader= same line short piece

I dont use glue, and i cinch it very tight with lots of saliva. Make sure the wraps dont cross, and I trim the tag ends extremely close (<1/32"). For the flyfishermen out there this is a VERY handy knot for leader construction and such. Avid put me on that knot last year. It is all I use for joining 2 lines. I use it on all my braid setups. It is the smallest knot I have found and holds the best.

Round trip airfare and a week in a condo in Las Vegas along with tickets to a show while there.

Now IB if you spread that over time and amortize it you will find that it is nearly free. I have some on reels that has been there for 6 or 7 years. When it looks like I need to replace it, I am going to turn it around and respool it.

Some patience and a propane torch can make most hooks fit it most molds.

X2

I only use HiVis Yellow because it is easier to see on windy days which it when I fish mostly.

Why did the population of smallmouth explode? Does anybody know? A buddy of mine went out looking for them and he said he saw a small pod of them about 5 and he got a few hits but no hook ups. On Table Rock lake about 5 years ago they had a big kill with largemouth viris. That allowed spots and smallies to prosper. On Stockton lake no one seems to know but they sure are doing well. However, 30 miles from Stockton lake is Pomme de Terre lake which has very few smallmouth and is the same age as Stockton.

I don't know why they wouldn't make it. They are scattered from TX to Canada. We have smallmouth in our lakes in SWMO. They have been there since the lakes were built over 40 years ago. Smallmouth catches were rare until just a few years ago, then the populations exploded so that today we catch as many smallies as we do lmb and spots.

Do you have an old Green Curado? I have a new set of 3:8-1 gears for one.

If that doesn't work and the tmotor is a tiller, you might run the boat the other way and use reverse to slow down. I used to do that with a jon.

I think it will do just fine. The trouble I see with braid is when guys set the hook too hard. On your crank setup you probably won't even have to set the hook or if you do then, lightly.

That is very sound advice IMO.

Good quality spinning reels don't inherently twist line. Go with the Symmetry since it has a roller bearing instead of a roller bushing. I have several Symmetrys and Stradics and don't have any line twist problems unless I am using tubes and drop shot which will twist any line because of the way the come in when retrieved quickly.

I know a guy who used JB Weld on an alum jon and kept it going for 25 years. Give it a try for a few bucks it might be great.

I don't know how you are getting line twist with spinnerbaits. If you want you can take a pair of pliers and make that R bend into an eye so you won't have any sliding if you keep using swivels.

There are lots of different ways to fish in the winter. Technically it is still fall but the water is in the mid 40s and the fish are about 25' deep here. Yesterday jigs and tubes got my pard and I 10 keepers out of 15 bass. Vertical fishing with tubes, jigs, drop shot and spoons also work on some days as well as jerk baits but I prefer the jig.

I like the Alberto's knot for combining the two. http://www.stripersonline.com/Pages/Articles/article_arby_albertos_knot.shtml

The jig worked well today in MO. We had 10 keepers from 2.5-5#.

They come with batteries when the dealer sells the boat to an individual, but they are put in at the factory. The dealer should not be expected to pay for them unless he is making some money on the deal.

If I'm seein' what I think I'm seein' (inside a box lid) then the white must be glue the black part of the lid lining and the brownish orangish raw fiberglass.

Generally a piece of 2X4 and a hammer will pop an xducer out. Be sure to sand or grind all of the old glue away before you make the install of the new one. BTW: Be sure to tie a cord onto the old wire when you pull it out then you can pull the new one right back up the same path.