Michigander

Isn't that the truth.

Anyone tried putting CBD on their bait?

I could print a hard body about 7-8 inches long if I wanted to angle it so no worries there, but I can't print a new dashboard for my console without it being like 15 pieces. My Elegoo Mars is a good machine though so far. Using flexible filament for a frog is a great idea! You could create a whole modular frog system with different leg, head, and rattle chamber attachments. You could print in metal and make some really rad jigging spoons and blade baits too. I'm going to get some of the high temp resin for soft plastics. BioSpawn started their company using 3D printed prototypes and I like their design workflow.

All I ever get is free stickers. How much do you have to spend to get free clothes?

I have a resin printer so my build plate is limited for boat parts until I get an FDM. I've been trying to learn Blender but that software is beast mode and the progress has been slower than I would prefer, Meshmixer is coming more quickly to me. Haven't tried Solidworks yet. I have been using Chitubox for slicing and it works pretty well. Supporting interior geometry is a pain though. Which printer did you get?

If only it worked like that... A man can dream...

Keep a little bottle of hand sanitizer within reach, I clip mine to my life jacket. If you break your skin out on the water, especially in a kayak or canoe, you can get all sorts of bacteria and microbes in the wound which goes straight to your bloodstream. It stings to slather a fresh cut in alcohol gel but it beats going to the ER for an IV full of antibiotics (speaking from experience). You can also use super glue to seal the wound until you get to dry land to help protect against further contamination.

Could use some foam earplugs and living rubber to balance out the the weight and add some bucktail to increase surface area.

US Army 2003-2013

Is anyone integrating 3D printing into their tackle making? I've seen some STL files for swimbaits, cranks, and other hard body lures that I might try out. Also, I plan to design and print some injection molds for soft plastics. I'm trying to think of some other neat ideas to make... Have any?

My Xi5 has an internal transducer. I tried an externally mounted one on the Fortrex I had previously and I destroyed it after a few trips on some rocks. So never again. Yes, I am quite happy with the Xi5 overall. It has some quirks but money well spent regardless, it has resulted in a noticeable increase in how many fish I can catch in a tournament because I can actually pick a spot apart in wind and/or current. Getting a two blade prop and a Ninja Blade for this year because the stock three blade prop can't handle weeds, like at all.

I run an Echomap 73cv on the front with my Motorguide Xi5 and an Echomap 73sv at the console. Works well for me. Last year was my first year with a GPS anchor and I would choose that over sonar up front every day of the week. I can never go back.

For sure there's going to be a few solid deals in there, I have benefitted from them in the past, and I will be checking again this year like always. I just generally find the actual deals aren't on what I want to buy.

This. Usually a BPS sale is just taking an extra chunk off of their house brand stuff which I'm usually not interested in (a few soft plastic exceptions) or putting a trivial discount on something that is probably still cheaper somewhere else anyway.

I'm not interested in pouring my own so I just buy heads I like from companies or do custom orders from guys working out of their garage. But I do really enjoy tying my own skirts. I have optimized colors, weights, and styles for the lakes I fish most often. And if I think I need something odd to handle a unique situation, I can just make it. Where this hobby really comes into it's own for me is being able to make tackle that I can't buy off the shelf. So to me, it isn't about saving money, rather it's about spending my money on jigs that are as perfectly paired to my style, preferences, and waters as possible.

A paddle tail swimbait like a Keitech is what I toss when we're out mapping. It'll pull up some weeds occasionally so you can see if they are green or not and what type they are.

The bait's behavior is a mixture between the head and the bait. Your bathtub test might have given you a false impression because there's no traction for the head to grip onto. This is compounded if the head you are testing with is less stable (ball head) compared to what that Megastrike has going on.

What was the bait behavior you expected?

1/8 oz Tungsten homemade finesse jig with a TRD craw trailer. Got a 5.59lb Largemouth, which is a solid fish for central Michigan.

TW Classic Sale starting March 6th at 8am PT.

Oh, they can eat it... I'm just trying to figure out how to get a hook into them after they bite it. Doesn't seem to be enough room left in their mouth for a hook point, lol. The 10.5" Mightyworm is also a legit offering. I fish them like a fluke for pike and catch a lot of bass in the process.

I started tying my own jigs, lest I go broke. Looks like I will have to start shooting my own plastics too if my beloved Rage Craws' price spikes.

Ok, that actually makes a lot of sense about a quicker hookset and also explains why I got a ball of plastic back instead of a fish. Given this revelation about total bait volume vs available space in the fish's mouth I think I will move the 13" versions to my musky box and pick up some of those 7" for normal fishing and the 9.5" for when I need a kicker. Thanks, Tom!

I have plenty of 10" worms like Powerworms and Jelly worms, and they are fine. But the shape and glide that the Zipper worms have is what gets my interest going. So are you saying that the volume of the 7" Zipper would be most appropriate for my size fish?

Ok, I can deal if I have to move these into my musky box, their mouths are plenty big enough. What size should I switch to for 4-6 pound largemouth? Is the 10 inch still to big? Or must I go down to the 7"?