Jig Man

Sorry I missed this before. I make my own Ned heads. I can make 7 sizes but rarely go heavier than 1/8 oz using aTRD. We typically find our smallmouth in less than 15 fow so 1/16 and 3/32 do most of the work. This is the jig we use. It is Midwest finesse with a Victory hook.

We mostly fish for smallmouth. I have found that color matters on some days and on some days it doesn’t. Last fall if it wasn’t a copper truse worm you might as well have stayed home. This spring it might as well be left at home. You never know what will be best until you try it. That’s why I carry a half dozen colors of jigs and a couple of dozen colors of plastics.

I sent several reels off to be super tuned and the bearings replaced with Bocas. There wasn’t much difference. The noise bothered me so I sold them.

Sorry it didn’t work out for you. They can be a pain to have around but they can also put a bunch of good fish in the boat quickly. A slow reel and heavy rod is my setup. There are always half a dozen in my boat.

These folks might have what you want. https://www.russellmarineproducts.com/?srsltid=AfmBOopeFNbF6fZClKwUwAyjK3lCkgfI6S4YgmRwKGoewb2mPVJn7l5p

Watch the pros = spend more money.

I looks like you can get limited data via Ethernet but not what you want.

Your best bet is the unit manual.

I don’t know what your lakes are like so my info may be worthless. I fish highland man made rocky reservoirs. When I am targeting larger bass I go at night during a waxing gibbous moon and fish channel swings where the rivers cut into bluff ends. I use 1/2 to 1 oz jigs with large trailers. I don’t get hung up on color as long as it is living rubber in black or brown. I keep the boat in at least 50 fow cast to the bank and fish it back. I only plan on getting 5 or 6 bites per night but none will be dinks. I don’t do it often because it is boring and no one else wants to share that experience.

I was looking for a rod to cover shaky, heavier Ned, mid weight jigs, and cranks in a pinch. I went to a local rod builder and explained what I wanted. He ask me questions like type of and poundage of line, the length of the rod, full or split grip and the weight of the reel. A few weeks later he called and said come get your rod. After fishing it the various ways that I wanted I had a second one built just like it. I don’t ever plan to buy another off the rack rod.

It appears that you have made up your mind so just go for it.

Nope. I like thing ama bobs and doodads too much to even consider it.

When we are it has been really good. The last 4 trips to Stockton have produced quite a few bass, respectively 74, 75, 82 and 60. We have caught smallmouth, largemouth, spots and meanmouth. It’s been a good run but since I had a cardiac procedure yesterday they want me to spend the next 3 months doing rehab which is going to put another cramp on my water time.

Twice my former neighbor cast a Curado out and dropped it over the side. I was able to get it back by snagging the line. All of the line spooled off as I was hauling it in. If the line weren’t tied to the spool it would be in Davy Jone’s locker.

The first time I fished with a guy who was using fluorocarbon line (12#) I was using clear mono (10#). We were fishing worms in one of my spots. He was also in the back of the boat. He boated 7 bass before I had a strike. That day lesson learned. I’ve been a straight fluorocarbon guy since.

I’m right there with you. My eye surgery was 15 years ago. Over time I have found more and more need for reading glasses especially in dark restaurants. I probably have a dozen pairs scattered around the house, car, truck boat, and garage workshop. Some are getting cloudy. When they bother me I send them to the land fill and buy a replacement. In my current collection the Optx-2020 Executive are the best ones that I have. I believe they were $6 at Wally World.

Technically I guess I troll. I fish shallow most of the time and keep the boat moving at .3 to .5 mph because we don’t catch many fish from the same spot. When fishing Shaky or Ned the bait tends to swing behind the boat and sometimes I just leave it there for a while which frequently gets me a fish.

The last time out my neighbor and I caught 75. All but 2 were on the Ned 1/16 oz head.

It depends on the body of water that you fish and the characteristics of the fish in it. Where I fish the bottom is so rocky that the heavier heads are hung up all of the time. I carry heads in sizes from 1/16 to 1/4 but rarely use anything heavier than 3/32. You can’t rely on what someone from a different area has to say if it is different from your area.

Most of my shaky worms and Ned baits are several years old as I have walked into places that were closing them out and bought their entire stock. I’ve bought as many as 150 packs at once. I don’t pay attention to their age. I just fish them.

The lake that I fish most of the time is 26,000 acres. Because of the lack of forage it takes 10 years for a smallmouth to reach 15”. In it Ned rigs and small swim baits are the dominant smallmouth lures. A 5# smallie is a monster in this lake.

I just checked. They do have a web site https://marinerepaircenter.com/

2 (5:1) Shimano Curados that I use for Arigs and top water.

Not on line but my electronics guys are Marine Repair in Springfield MO. 417-833-9191. If they don’t have one they should be able to guide you to a source.

That sounds like the micro switch is out. That has always been an issue with MG. When I ran one I always carried a spare in the boat.