Bankc

Are the waters you're fishing very clear? Because I too was told that I needed a fluorocarbon leader for braid, and used it for quite a while. Then I switched to all braid because I discovered that in the lakes I usually fish, which are all pretty stained, the leader wasn't giving me any advantage, and only presented disadvantages. When I travel to fish in clearer waters (which isn't often), I'll go ahead and tie on a leader on some of my rods. But for most of the time, I'm using straight braid because it works best for me.

Me too. Except I also use a lot of Booyah spinnerbaits as well. I also second the Zoom curly tail grub trailers.

Basically, I don't worry about the lure. I worry about the environment. And when I switch locations, I usually have to switch lures to match the new depth and cover type. If you're stuck in one place and can't really move, then I'd at least choose new lures to fish different depths or new lures that allow you to cast in different areas from your location. But I wouldn't waste too much time fishing the same place over and over with every piece of tackle you own. Fish aren't that picky when it comes to the lure. So you don't need to go through every iteration of a jig to know that they're ignoring jigs right now. Plus, you'll wear the spot out if you throw 100 different lures in there.

I've heard that too. But I never do it. It's too much of a pain. Plus, after you've gotten some experience with using one, as you know, you can make a few casts and tell what needs to be changed and how much. You don't need to follow "rules" or "guidelines". We all set up our reels slightly differently due to our own preferences and habits anyway. I think it's mainly for new comers who probably have the magnetic brakes dialed up really high to counter bad technique. For the rest of us, we probably don't have the brakes turned up very high anyway, so I doubt it would make much of a difference.

It's all just FOMO. Every new lure that comes out that produces one or two fish for an angler is the next chatterbait until proven otherwise. They're not all jumping on the new lure because it's proven better. They're jumping on it because they don't want to get left behind in case it is better. It's fear-based, pack mentality. Much like if you're in a crowd and suddenly you see everyone running in one direction, you're tendency is to follow them even if you don't know why. The fear of getting left behind is stronger than the fear of making an uninformed decision.

You never know. I can say that it doesn't work in the lake I normally fish in. Usually, just before noon, the wave runners come out, and for whatever reason, they love to do doughnuts around me. I fish from a kayak, so it's not only annoying, but it's a bit dangerous for me with the waves. I used to yell at them, but they either can't hear me or don't care. So now, I just pack up and head in. It's almost noon anyway, and the bite has usually been over for a while, so it doesn't bother me as much as it used to. Let them have the lake in the heat of the day. In any case, it definitely scares off the fish, and they don't come back. My lake doesn't have much for vegetation, so that might be part of the reason why. There's nothing to stir up but mud. Lots of experience with this tells me that once they've spun around in an area for a while, the fish head elsewhere and don't come back for several hours. Having said that, I do remember going out with a guide once as young kid, and he pulled up to a sandy bank and grabbed an oar and beat it all around the water. He said that it would scare away the fish, but then they'd come back curious and start biting. He was right. We were fishing for white bass and hybrids though. Don't know if it applies to black bass.

A satellite phone with Mustad treble hooks.

This. And I'll respool my braid once every few months because it tends to loosen up over time. Usually what I'll do is spool it onto a saltwater trolling reel first. Then, I'll spool it off that onto my bass reel, and use the drag on the trolling reel to give it lots of tension. I put enough tension on it to put a good bend in my rod. I don't know how much, but it's probably a couple of pounds of pressure. Do it right, and any brand of braid won't give you problems of digging in. At least not for a while. By the way, I'm not convinced that Spiderwire is as bad as many people say. If you go with Spiderwire, get the 8 strand variety, it's pretty decent stuff. Avoid the EZ Braid. It's junk. And while even the 8 strand stuff doesn't cast as well as something like Suffix 832 right out of the box, after a month of use, they're pretty much the same to me. Close enough that I can't remember which brand is on which reel anymore. Unlike fluoro, where the difference between the cheap stuff and the good stuff is pretty significant.

I live in Oklahoma. Learning how to deal with the extreme weather is our way of life. If it's not heat and humidity, it's crazy high winds, heavy thunderstorms, freezing rain, etc. There are only like 8 nice days a year here, so when we get one, everyone packs into the lakes. So the seasons don't matter much to me. Though I always welcome a change in scenery.

It's either dirt or rust/corrosion. You'll need to tear it down completely and clean it all out. Flush it good with some kind of degreaser. Especially the bearings. The plastic parts you can wash in soap and water. Then relube it when you put everything back together. Letting a reel dry off won't fix the problem. Water isn't going to slow it down. Water is actually a lubricant. It's just not a long lasting one. Whatever caused it to seize up was something else. And you need to remove that something else first, or you risk damaging the reel.

Also, keep in mind that with a lead acid type battery, you don't want to run it down below about 50%. So you'll need double the size of battery of what you plan to use if you go that route. Lithium batteries don't seem to mind being drained deeply as much, so you can get by with a lithium battery with about the 75% the amp-hour rating as what you'd use for a lead acid type under the same conditions. So theoretically, a 60lb, 100AH lead acid battery is going to be about as effective for you as a 25lb 75AH, lithium battery. Personally, I just use a regular 100AH deep-cycle lead-acid. I bought it for about $100 at Autozone. It weighs 60lbs and is huge! I have to launch the kayak into the water first and then install it, because I can't balance it on the cart with that battery loaded. Plus, it puts a lot of weight in the rear of my kayak, and causes the bow to lift about an inch. It's not ideal, but I can live with it. My plan is to run that one into the ground, and then when it's time to replace it, check out the prices on lithium batteries again. Right now, they're too expensive to be worth it for me. In a few years, they will likely be more reasonable. There's even a chance that going this route might actually save me money in the long run. The price of a big lithium battery only has to drop $100 over the next few years for me to break even. With the nature of technology these days, that's not a ridiculous gamble.

I have never been able to afford a new boat, so I have always hooked up the muffs and started up my boat the day before. And if I'm planning a long trip, or the boat has sat for a while, then I usually do it a week or two before to give me time for repairs and/or ordering parts. Every boat I've owned has broken down on me at least once every two years, if not more. Often times it's a minor repair. Sometimes it's major. But it's always easier and a whole lot less frustrating to deal with it at home where the tools are.

In sports, there are things like size, speed, and coordination that can't be taught. But most everything else can be learned. Some people learn quicker than others. And that helps. Some people think more intuitively and less analytically, and that can help in sports where split second decisions are often made. You have to hone your intuition, of course. But I don't think that even that helps much in fishing. I think fishing is something anyone can learn to be great at, if they're willing to put forth the effort. There are no physical demands that lie outside the realm of the average person. There are no mental barriers that Joe Schmo can't overcome. The path might be easier for some than for others due to life circumstances, but I don't seen anything that would prevent the average person from becoming a pro, so long as they have the passion, curiosity, and work ethic to make it happen. It's a bit like drawing. I can draw with near photo realism. I often hear people say things like "Oh, you're so lucky that you can draw well", or "I wish I could draw like that, but I can't". Things like that annoy me. It's not that I was born with a talent that others don't possess. Anyone who can write their name possess the skills to draw well. It's the same mechanics, the same concepts, the same principles. If there's something different about me, it's that I developed a passion that most don't have. As such, I spent decades practicing drawing, and studying it very carefully. I got good, because I put in thousands, if not tens of thousands of hours of hard work. I put in that hard work, because I enjoyed the hard work itself, not because I was trying to get better. Getting better was just a side effect. And saying my accomplishments are due to a natural inclination is insulting, not just to me, but to yourself. Being tall, coordinated, strong, fast, smart, etc. doesn't give you an meaningful edge in fishing. And we all can muster up the courage or the heart to chase down our goals. That's not something only a select few are born with. We just have to want them bad enough and be willing to make the necessary sacrifices. And that's something you learn. Now, whether or not we all learn it, and what we learn about it, that's a different story. If there is something that you can be born with that will help you excel at something like fishing, it's being born into a family that will support you in your quest. If you're family has the financial means to allow you to chase such a goal from a young age and the desire to help you along on something that's seemingly so impractical, that can put a lot of road between you and the wannabe's that follow.

A lot of these jobs that don't require certification have a lot of people like this working in them. And even some that do. I can't tell you how many times I've had a similar conversation with an auto mechanic, utilities repair person, consumer electronics repair person, computer repair person, roofer, etc. I've even talked to a few HVAC, plumbers, and electricians who didn't know what they were talking about, and those jobs are supposed to have certification processes to weed those people out! My house had passed at least 3 inspections before I bought it. In the ten years that I've owned it, I've had to do a lot of electrical work to it due to improvements and remodeling. And every time I do, I am aggravated and appalled at how many code violations I have to correct! Unfortunately, this world is more about what you can convince people you know and who you know than it is about what you actually know and how well you can apply it. There are a lot of mechanics out there that will just start replacing stuff at random until it works. And then they charge you for all of the parts and labor that it took for them to hunt down the actual problem. Their only real skill is sounding convincing when they tell you how many things they found "wrong".

Bring a lure retirever. Preferably one with chains on the front. Otherwise, you should be fine.

Pretty much everything from shallow square bills to deep divers running down to 25 feet. Though, if I had to narrow it down, I'd say 3-10 feet is what I'm looking for. I'm not opposed to using one of my other rods for deeper cranks. They seem to work pretty well. Since I fish from the bank or a kayak, I have to keep my rod selection kind of tight. Four rods at a time is about the most I am willing to deal with. I throw a lot of cranks and jigs, so if I'm gonna have two specialized rods, it would be for them. I can bypass a finesse rod because the waters I fish are so dirty, they're not of much use.

Yeah, it does. The BCLR702M is a 2 piece medium/moderate fast rod. That one is at the top of my list, though I was concerned about if it's ratings are accurate. My concern is that the medium power might be a bit on the wimpy side and/or that the moderate fast might be a bit too fast. It's hard to know until you try them. Even hold one in your hands at a store doesn't tell you as much as using one. At least I can't divine much without a line and lure on it. That, and finding one in a store is not going to be easy. I haven't heard anything about the Amp series. Are they the same as the Lightning, just with EVA grips? I kind of prefer EVA, to be honest. Also, I've heard that the Shock series are a bit slower than their rating. So would a MH/F shock be closer to a MH/M? Though the issues with the reel seats on those kind of scares me a bit. I have a Tutula CT that I like a lot. It's too expensive to get another, which is why I was thinking about the Fuego. Though I've also got my eye out on the Lew's LFS and Abu Revo X. Basically, any metal framed BC would probably work, so long as the ratio isn't too high. Somewhere in the fives to high sixes would be fine. And I prefer magnetic brakes, as I'm always fighting the wind. Dual brakes are great too, but centrifugal only is kind of out for me. I sometimes have to readjust the brakes on every other cast, which is a pain if you have to remove the side plate. Thanks for the reply!

I have a $150 Amazon GC and need a super cheap, 2-piece crankbait rod and reel. I'm more focused on the rod, at this point, as I think I have the reel figured out. For the rod, I'm thinking around 7 foot, give or take 6 inches. It has to be 2 piece. I throw cranks from 1/4 oz. up to a little over 1 oz., though I'm not demanding a rod that covers all of that. 1/4-5/8 oz. is probably fine, as the larger cranks usually get trolled anyway. I've got a pretty hard cap at $50 on this. I might could bend it a few dollars, but then it'll start eating into the money I have set aside for the reel (Diawa Fuego which are currently running a ridiculous $90+ on Amazon). So if you have a $90 rod to suggest, you better follow it up with a $50 reel. I married, and the wife won't let me spend a penny out of pocket, and I need to include tax in all of that. I also understand that nothing is in stock at the moment, but I'm willing to wait around and see what pops up in the next month or two. I basically just looking to narrow my search down. The rods I'm looking at include the Berkley Lightning, Berkley Shock, Berkley Amp, various Ugly Stiks, and the Kastking Brutus. I'm looking for something moderate, to moderate fast action and medium to medium heavy power. I think my preference would be a moderate/medium heavy, but those are hard to come by in this price range. The main reason for this post is that I have no experience with any of these rods. I'm also open to some other rods, if their stated ratings are off in a way that would be beneficial to me. Such as, if a rod is listed as fast, but is really more of a moderate or moderate fast action. I want a slower action rod, but not so slow that it turns out to be really wimpy and hard to cast anything over 3/8 oz. or something like that. And of course, I'm looking for reliability. It doesn't have to be a heirloom quality item. But something that will hold up for about 5-6 years if well taken care of. I figure that's enough time to convince the wife I need an upgrade!

True. But it does show you how long ago they posted it at the top. If it's been posted for a long time, then they're probably asking too much, or it's the wrong season. I just ignore those. And eBay has the "sold" listings. But with big things like boats, it's harder to get an accurate price on because so much can effect what someone is willing to pay, like fees, location, buying sight unseen, and perhaps shipping. There are also other websites like Boat Trader. Basically, if you want an accurate estimate, you're going to have to spend some time doing lots of research on multiple sites trying to find what the range is around. Still, nothing that can't be done on a rainy afternoon.

That's good advice. If you ever want to know what something is worth, just try looking around at what other people are buying it for. The internet is great for stuff like that.

I use the snap swivels too. Well, they're not always swivels, but some kind of snap. I like the Spro Split Snaps pretty well. I keep them on when fishing with crankbaits and some other lures. But for a lot of things, I'll just cut them off when I decide what I want to use, and tie that one directly. I'll often store them in the pocket of my PFD and then reattach them when I'm done for the day. Palomar knots are great for this. Sometimes I'll leave a jig tied up. The single hook with the weed guard doesn't seem to catch anything. Same with a spinnerbait. But most everything else gets cut off. I wish someone would make a snap on line saver that would hold onto the line for this purpose. I've though about using those tiny red and white bobbers, but they take up to much space in the tackle box when not in use.

Ordinarily, yes. Why would someone pay you the same as they'd pay a dealer, when buying direct from the dealer has certain assurances that they can't expect from you. That's worth a bit of a premium. Plus, they have to be suspicious of you if you're turning around and selling something you just bought. What displeased you so much about that boat that made you get rid of it immediately? How much of a discount do you need to put on it to make me quit worrying about that unknown? That's the heart of the immediate hit in value these things take. But at this very moment, it might actually gain value the second you take possession of it. And the reason is because you absorbed the wait time for them. Boats have been hard to come by, and people who want one right away, if there are none left available, will likely pay above retail for your slightly used example. It all depends on supply and demand. If the supply is low enough, and demand high enough, crazy things can happen. So if your particular boat has a lot of people trying to buy it, and hardly anyone has one for sell, then you can understand why you might be able to ask a little more than what the dealership sold it to you for. Of course, the same thing happens to certain cars, even under normal circumstances. Like the first few months after Corvette comes out with a new body style. The first few are usually worth more than what the dealer is supposed to sell them at (though sometimes they mark them up too), and sometimes people will immediately buy and resell them to make a profit. A few months later, and prices stabilize with availability. Some people are willing to pay extra to be the first. And really, the 20% thing people talk about is just a made-up internet number. Each car and each boat is going to be different, just as each market under which it's being sold is going to be different. For instance, 4-door luxury sedans tend to take an enormous hit in value the second you take ownership. Usually much higher than 20%. But something like a Jeep Wrangler? 20% seems really high.

You just caught a big bass on that knot. That's a lucky knot! Don't throw it away!

Those insurance plans almost never make financial sense. Most electronics, if they fail, typically fail within the warranty period. Just make sure you don't do something to void the warranty. Unless you bought a piece of junk to begin with, if it makes it through the warranty, it'll usually last long enough that by the time it eventually does go bad, you'll be ready for an upgrade anyway. The only time I'd recommend getting that plan is if you're in a situation where you're going to be putting much higher than typical abuse on the item. Like my neighbor who mows lawns for a living. He used to go through commercial grade string trimmers, once a year. Now he just buys a cheap one, gets the insurance, and has them replace it once a month or so when he wears them out. When they start to catch wise that he's a professional landscaper and won't honor the return, he just goes to a different store and restarts the process. He's still buying one a year, But they're a fraction of the price of the commercial grade ones.

My father had one installed on his old truck. There were several problems with it. First, the camera wasn't mounted high enough to be of much use, other than hooking the trailer up to the hitch. So it was no good for backing a trailer up. It worked for backing up without a trailer though. Second, the screen was really small and hard to see. The resolution of the screen also makes a huge difference. That's why even if the screen is the size of an iPad, you won't be able to see it as well as you can what's in your mirror. You could get a bigger, higher resolution screen to make it easier to see out of, but where would you put it? You only use it about 1% of the time and the rest of the time, it's in the way. Unlike cars that come with them built in, there's usually not a good place to install one aftermarket. I'd recommend getting some of those side mirrors that extend really far out and have those convex mirrors that lets you see everything below like you see on commercial vehicles. It's not easy to use them at first, but once you get used to them, they actually work pretty well. A lot better than what you may initially think. I mean, it's what semi truck drivers use to back those huge trailers up to crowded docks!