Reel

Vanford 2500 is my favorite spinning reel.

With water temperature at 71 degrees, I doubt these are smallmouth. Where I fish, (another province) the water is at that temperature and most of the smallmouth are between 4 and 10 feet deep.

I've got the same reel mounted on a Shimano Expride rod and it doesn't feel heavy at all. It's my best combo for jerkbaits.

I don't know if it can be considered an I Cast release, but I like the Shimano World Minnow. Looking forward to using one.

Met is my favorite reel.

Same here: cable

Zodias and metanium

You can ''tune'' a ball bearing swivel by putting a doubling a piece of wire around one split ring, putting the two ends of the wire in an electric drill chuck. Then you hold the other split ring with pliers and you turn on the drill. At that time, a bit of WD40 on the bearings can sometimes bring them back.

Power Pro 30 lb - no leader

I use a CURADO DC for jerkbaits and crankbaits and it never does what you describe. You have to be careful the first cast after putting it down a while because the system needs to build up electricity to feed the DC but otherwise it's great. I use the same settings you do. I have other DC reel (some very old) and they all work well and have been very reliable. When it happens, do you hear the DC system working ?

I like a lower gear ratio. I use a Shimano Conquest 100 because of that.

Ned Rig ''green pumkin''

It's funny how backreelers praise the technique when it's about spinning equipment and how backreeling with this kind of reel really never caught on.

Using something like 50 or 65 pound Power Pro is the way to go. I like yellow line so you can more easily see where your frog is. Also line with a bigger diameter ''floats'' higher and, I think, gives your frog a better action. It also doesn't get caught up in the pads V as easily. If you have the proper rod and reel you don't sacrifice distance because bigger line winds more evenly on a spool. No dig in .

A Texas rigged Senko behaves better in current in a river or in wind induced current in a lake.

Yes Johnny Ray

Another vote for the Shimano Metanium

Following the manufacturer's instructions for break-in is capital. A variation of RPM during the first 10 to 20 hours is what I use. The first 3 hours are the most important, but after breaking in 3 four strokes, it takes much more time than for 2 strokes and performance gets better with time. Still your results are not what I would expect from your boat.

Make sure you are getting 100 % throttle. ( Dealer and computer) . I have a similar set-up ( not the same boat but aluminium and 18 1/2 feet V bottom ) and exactly the same motor and prop and I'm getting 5700 rpm and 56 mph GPS speed. Motor is in same hole. I've got a Verado lower end with a 1,75 ratio. Also check to see if sonar transducers are in the right spot ( not to low). Be patient also. It takes a while to break in a four stroke motor.

Power Pro

We are not talking only about color here. When you put nail polish on a blade you change the weight of the blade. You change the flash and you change the vibration. These are all things that make or break a spinnerbait.

Shimano Zodias 7' 2'' Med-Heavy for jigs and creatures

Actually no. Some people store their mono in a freezer saying that the cold preserves it. I've got some mono that dates back 15 years, stored in the basement out of the light, and I don't see any difference. Usually you get a white coating on the line when it begins to deteriorate.

There should be an overflow in the side of livewell that wil drain the water out of the boat. Some livewell of this type also use a lenght of pipe that you can insert where the plug goes and that drains the water when it get high enough.

5 power usually means HEAVY- A rod that could be used for deeper diving crankbaits.