Jig Man

UMMMM me thinks you got sumpin dere cart.

There are a few scales which can be certified. One of them is the Boga Scale. If you bought one of them and had it certified you could weigh the fish and if it were record quality then take it for the record verification if you wanted to.

This looks like a reel poll. Am I missing something or is there another place for rods?

I have heard that kind of stuff for years. Just ask yourself if the worlds largest retailer would handle that kind of stuff and even if they did where would a mfg come up with enough rejects to stock as many as Wally World would sell. ;D

I am not trying to justify BPS and their shipping just maybe explain a little to you guys. They sell way more than you can imagine. It is into the hundreds of millions of dollars worth of stuff if not into the billions. Their catalog order dept has 100 telephone operators. The service is going 24/7. A friend of mine who works for UPS told me that they have 5 tractor trailers daily filled with just rods not counting all the other stuff.

Thank you Mike, that's what I ended up getting. The 105 was $170, the 90 was $110. WOW where do you buy your batteries? I get 200 reserve amp batteries for around $80.

I have found that it is very hard to give someone enough specific instructions for them to be able to adequately fish submerged stuff. That is what makes it so hard to catch the other guys fish. We don't all see the same things or thing the same way when we are approaching a spot. For example, I would direct you to something close to the water level as a beginning while one of my fishing buds would have you looking for something way up the hill without saying it wasn't close to the bank. There is also specific ways to position the boat for maximum effectiveness in some spots and that is rarely covered good enough in an instruction.

I use my off hand on spinning reels to supplement the drag but if I did what your dad does with a baitcaster it would be backlash city for me. ;D ;D

You must be moving for any arches to show. If you are still fish will be flat lines. My may want to go to the Lowrance web site and go through the tutorial if you are no familiar with depth finder operation.

Of the three you mentioned, I wouldn't buy any of them. I assume you have a 12v system. If so, they take more amps than a 24v so you need as many as possible. If your present supplier doesn't have batteries with more reserve amps then go somewhere else. You can find 27 series deep cycle batteries in 200 + reserve amps. The general rule of thumb is a trolling motor uses about 1 amp per pound of thrust so you could be in trouble with smaller RAH batteries. The additional cost is not much since a good battery will get you back to the launch with having to paddle.

It could be several different things. The thing I see most often with people in my boat is that they actually drop their rod tips to reel the line. This gives a momentary slack and many times it is bye bye fishie. A couple of them are seasoned fishermen and can't believe that is what they are doing.

Clean the plug really good. That contact may have some corrosion. Also check the wiring for a loose wire.

I normally let the craw jigs fall to the bottom and give them a little twitch like a craw moving. Then I let them drop to the next rock or ledge expecting a strike as the jig settles. Occasionally, I cast to a spot let the jig settle and then drag it off with the boat, especially if I am seeing fish on the depth finder. In brush piles, I cast over them let the jig settle then slowly raise it to the first limb. I then move it over the limb and let it settle back into the pile. I keep working it from limb to limb until I get bit or clear the brush. For brush fishing I use a much smaller jig hook so the life expectancy is more than 1 cast.

Here is a knot list for you so you can choose your knot and practice it. Good luck http://www.animatedknots.com/knotlist.php?LogoImage=LogoGrog.jpg&Website=www.animatedknots.com

Deep open water is about all I get to fish. I use a lot of jigs from 1/4 - 3/4 oz tipped with various plastics and tubes rigged with 1/8, 1/4 and 3/8 oz weedless inserts.

You can buy special trailer hookshttp://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Subclass_10151_-1_10001_100010002_100000000_100010000_image_0_1?CMID=FILN_OS_TERMINALTACKLE_HOOKSHOOKACCESSORIES. I normally use extra spinnerbait hooks from my stash. Lately I have been using dressed treble hooks on my buzz baits because of fish not really making contact. I keep them on with a piece of surgical tubing. When I am using a trailer hook, I rarely use an additional trailer since I don't like the way the stuff comes through the water. There really isn't a right or wrong way to do it. Just experiment and see what you like. I prefer to not use one at all if the fish are agressive.

You will get a lot better ride if you go for something with more of a V bottom. Depending on the age of your kids, it could be a lot safer also. The one thing I would caution you about is undersizing the motor.

On the other side of the coin. I run braid on all of my baitcasters. When I am using a craw or jig I put a couple of feet of fluro leader on. I like the feel that braid gives me.

I like the double bladed terminator. It doesn't have clackers but the blades hit each other. The only problem is Rapala bought them out and they aren't available right now. They have been on back order for 7 months.

I am a big Shimano fan in general. They are the only kind of reels I own. I don't have the 1500 but I do have 6 Symmetrys. They are 7 or 8 years old and get used many many times each year. I do keep them cleaned and lubed. I also have Stradics and the big difference is the extra bearing in the handle shaft unless there is a quality difference that is not apparent to the eye. I have only had to replace a couple of clutch assemblies and 1 bail spring. That is not too bad considering the use and time factor.

Yes charge it before you go out and for extended life, charge it everytime when you get back home. Also check the water regularly and keep the plates covered.

I don't know the price of those boats. If I were looking for an alum. it would be the Xpress. They are the best riding alum I have ever been in. In fact I just heard today that a friend of mine bought a new Ranger and plans to sell his Xpress. It is a 19'/200 Merc EFI.

That all depends on what you mean by deep and what structure you are fishing. I fish a lot of stuff with the boat setting in 50 fow. I use a 3/4 oz jig with a craw trailer for this deep. If I am fishing open water or humps I tend to go with a 1/2 oz jigging spoon. If you mean 15' for deep any jig or tube will do.

As the water starts cooling the fish stay shallow longer. Sometimes they are shallow all day long and will hit my favorite baits in the fall (spinnerbait and buzzbait). Once in a while I will have to go back to the jig but mostly it is the spinnerbait for me.