Jig Man

I have been using Symmetrys for years. I have 7 or 8 of them in sizes 1000, 2000, and 2500. They are very close to the Stradics that I have. I think it is one of the best buys for the money.

I'd check the seals on the box lids. That is the most likely place. Laquer thinner is a good product to make the old carpet turn loose.

Shop vac for the inside and Bass Boat Saver for everything else (seats, fiberglass, trailer, tires, windshields, motor)

I have tried them all and the Alberto's knot is what works best for me.

I have one and wouldn't be without it. But having one depends on the boat and how it is used. I launch a lot by myself and have to park the fiberglass boat on concrete ramps. A keel guard is a must for me. If you beach a boat in campgrounds, etc. it has little use since you are only protecting a small portion of your hull.

I have been using jigging spoons since way before you were born. Any line be it mono, fluro, braid, etc will work. The key is watching the line as the bait falls and having a good enough rod to detect a strike. I am currently using Power Pro braid with a fluro or mono leader. I never go on the water without at least one jigging spoon tied on.

Build yourself a jig to hold the blade then drill what ever size holes you want. Use a file to smooth the back side then give it a try. If it doesn't work there is always JB Weld.

Check the line to see if there might be a small nick in it. That can cause all kinds of trouble.

My rods never come out of the boat. They are either in a horizontal rod rack in one locker or in rod sleves in the bottom of the other locker. Some of them are 10 years old and I have seen on adverse effects from their method of storage. I wouldn't be afraid to take the reels off and put the rods under the bed for the winter.

I hose mine down really good than use a shop vac. It gets a lot of gunk that the hosing didn't take care of.

I am not sure of the proper key strokes for that unit so check your manual and try a soft reset. If that doesn't work then try a hard reset. Back up your waypoints on an SD card before you do the resets.

The thing to do when looking for trolling motor batteries is to make sure that you are getting a DEEP CYCLE trolling motor battery with lots of RESERVE AMPS not cca. Get 185-200 reserve amps and they will last all day. Treate them properly and they will last for several years. I buy from marine dealers or boat accessory shops because they have knowledgeable people who work there. Many discount store workers and auto parts guys know nothing about what a trolling motor battery is.

I use a modified SDJ for everything. It is not as good as the palomar for fluro but works fine as long as the knot is spit sloppy to keep it from burning. I use it because I can tie it in 10-12 seconds and be back in the water.

I read Gman's link. He covered all the basics. Check with Do-It for molds and good prices on components like Bakudan Dropshot swivels. They have a price break at like 500.

I buy 4" tubes by the hundred and they don't have any name on the packages, but they work.

My wife used her Ford Winstar van to pull her 19' deck boat and also my 20.5' Champion all over the midwest.

When I bank fish I put plastic boxes in a 5 gallon bucket along with pliers and other necessities. That way I even have a chair if I want to sit down.

I have been using it for years. I keep a can in the boat, one in the shop and another in the camper. Anytime I need a little spray silicone that is what I use. It helps castability of mono and quietens that noisy braid.

More important to me than towing is stopping. Be sure that what ever boat you get has a trailer that is equipped with brakes.

I use 7" salt craws as jig trailers quite a bit. That keeps most of the dinks away.

The best that I have ever used is Bass Pro 100 mph gortex. It is the only stuff I have ever been able to keep dry wearing. It is not for warm weather wear by the way. They must be changing styles because I saw some in the catalog store at 1/2 price yesterday.

Since I bought a Terminator double buzz I can't make myself use a single any more. Rapala bought them out and stopped making it though. I called around to G. Mtn. stores and found one that had some left on the shelf. I had them send all of them to me in case Rapala doesn't put it back on the market.

Brown football head rubber skirt tied by me in sizes 1/4-3/4. I'll take it over all other colors on a regular basis.

If they won't hit the jig on the bottom, try swimming and twitching it in the water column.

Ammonia is the thing to avoid like the plague. I use a 50/50 mixture of isoprophyl alcohol and distilled water like Lowrance recommends. Spray it on and use the cloth that came with the unit. After a few times throw the cloth in the washing machine. I don't use any fabric softner in that load as it inhibits water pickup by the cloth.