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Sounds like one of the gears is out of alignment. It could have gotten stripped in the process. You could try to take it apart and look for the problem. But my guess is, even if you do find the problem, you might have trouble finding the individual parts to fix it. You might be best off just ordering a whole new box (whatever they call that part) and replacing that whole section. If you contact Minn Kota, they'll be able to tell you what part and should be able to ship you one. If not, I've seen those parts online before. Or, you could just replace the entire trolling motor. I'm sure you could cut out the recessed area to accommodate a larger foot controller. Probably not worth it if you're looking to sell the boat soon. So I'd just buy the replacement box thing, install that, and call it good for now.

304 stainless is probably the best balance of corrosion resistance, strength, and cost. 316 if it's going to be in salt water.

Never take your car to a dealership for repairs, unless it's under warranty. I have several mechanic friends. They all started off working at dealerships when they first graduated from tech school because it's usually the only place interested in hiring a kid with no experience (but lots of certificates to hang on the walls in the lobby). Dealerships usually don't pay mechanics well and have high turnover. After a few years of working at a dealership, they take that experience and go work somewhere that pays better, or open their own shop. Plus dealerships have every incentive to make the repair as expensive as possible. Their primary business is to sell new cars, not repair old ones. And if your old car needs new parts, they're incentivized to sell you OEM parts, even in cases where OEM parts aren't as well made AND more expensive. Whereas private auto mechanics have every incentive to make it as cheap as possible. Most of their business is repeat customers and word of mouth. So if they charge too much or don't do a good job, they won't stay in business. Auto repair is how they keep the doors open. So you often pay more for worse work at a dealership. So I'd take your truck in to get a second opinion. The dealership may have been telling the truth. Or they may be doing something shady, or maybe they just don't really know any better and they're telling you the truth as they see it. But I wouldn't trust a word they say without a second opinion.

One of my best friends used to be a locksmith. He always said, a lock doesn't keep a thief from stealing, but it may keep an honest person, honest. In other words, with a battery powered saw and a diamond blade, they can cut through just about any lock or cable in a few seconds. They might just cut your dock up to free it on that end if they need to. If someone wants to steal it, they will. So expensive locks won't do any better than cheap locks. If it'll hold up to a pocket knife, that's all you need. Otherwise if someone wants it bad enough, they will take it. Your best protections are lights, visible security cameras, dogs, and good insurance.

My favorite application for a Lizard is to cut the head off and use it as a jig trailer. Though they also work well for T and C-rigs. I typically cut their heads off for those too.

I go by water clarity. The darker the water, the darker the bait. Though honestly, I think they'll hit anything they can find if they're hungry. My color choice is more for me than the fish. I just went fishing on my lunch break. All I had on me was a Berkley Champ Craw with just a few legs and no pinchers left. It's shape combined with it's color made it look like a goose dropping, of which there were plenty around. I landed a 2-3lber in about 15 minutes of fish time. Did the same thing yesterday, only it was around 1-2lbs. I think it's more important to get the location and action right, than the color.

My summer habits are to fish the topwater bite the first and last hour of light. Maybe more if they're biting it. Then, I switch to jigs, spinnerbaits, or squarbills to fish the shade in the shallows. By around 10:00-11:00, I do deep with deep diving crankbaits, T and C-rigs, drop shots, sometimes jigs, etc until the heat peaks, usually around 4:00-6:00. Basically, I start off shallow and progressively start moving deeper. Then, in the evening, I slowly start moving shallower again. I won't say it's the best method, but unlike spring and fall, it seems to work better for me than just focusing on one depth all day long.

Now you've got no excuse not to spend $450 on new gear to continue doing what you've already done! ?

I haven't had good luck this year with topwaters. It's been an odd year, for sure. Last I was out, the water temp. was 87 and still no thermocline, which should have happened by now. Usually, if they're not biting a buzzbait, I'll go slow. Something like a Spook or Pop-R. That's my thinking anyway.

I'm going to go with Pop-R. It seems to change, almost every two months. And it does always seem like one is vastly outperforming all of the others. The Spook, the Torpedo, and buzzbaits are up there as pretty heavily used. But the Pop-R is probably the one that's ever so slightly ahead of the others in the number of times that it's been effective over the last 30 years.

Fast. Better distance. Better at keeping the fish pinned. And you don't need the control or power of an extra-fast for ned rigs.

You can use your smart phone, or find a fish finder with built in maps. I have a Lowrance Hook2 5 TS that would do what you want in that price range. I paid about $300 for mine and it came with both C-Maps and Navionics. The C-Maps is especially nice because you can download user submitted maps, which come in handy for lesser bodies of water. They have a new model out, the Hook Reveal. But it's more expensive, especially if you get the maps, and might be out of your price range. The "x" models (Hook2 5x, for example) don't come with maps. Also, be sure that the model you get doesn't just have maps, but has a map for the lake you're fishing. Different map models will have different bodies of water available. While you can always trace your way back with a standard GPS, having a map is a lot more helpful. Not only can you find a more direct route back, but you can find new areas to explore more quickly. Usually, you can go to the map makers webpage and view what maps they have available. So it might take a bit of cross referencing and research to figure out which model is best for you.

Agreed. The problem with slower rods is it's possible to "overcast" them. That's where you're whipping them so fast, the rod doesn't have time to fully release before the bait is in the air. I think that's why a lot of people think faster action rods will cast further. A lighter power may also help. Since those are typically crappie lures, it might help to look at crappie rods which are better designed for such things. It's all about getting the balance and timing in sync. Too much lure weight, and you'll overload the rod and it won't rebound in time. Too little, and you won't load the rod properly. Too fast of a cast, and the rod won't have time to fully release before the line starts peeling off the reel. To slow of a cast, and the rod's release will be back on the rebound while you're releasing the bait. I think that's one reason why so many people have different opinions on this subject. You kind of have to tailor the rod to your situation. It's the same reason why serious golfers have custom made clubs to accommodate both their height and swing speed.

My favorite time to fish is in the summer once the thermocline hits. Until the thermocline, deep water bass are basically off limits to me. But once we get a good thermocline, I find it a lot easier to find and catch these fish. That, added with the need for shade in the shallows, and I spend a lot less time looking for bass, and a lot more time catching them. They're more aggressive in the spring and fall, and I'll often catch more fish then. But I'll often spend more time moving around, looking for them, than actually fishing.

I understand why people get upset. And I don't blame them. But I don't let this type of stuff bother me. In my part of the country, bass are almost always introduced into the lakes I fish (as almost all of the lakes are man-made), and despite what my fishing record will tell you, they're not an endangered species. So in the grand scheme of things, it's not really a serious problem. That being said, I don't keep any fish unless I plan on eating it. I never keep fish in a live well, even when I had one. If I catch it, and plan on eating it, I immediately put it on ice. If not, then I usually release it immediately, or if it's a good one, I might take the time to weigh it and snap a photo. It's definitely a problem, and I don't want to be a part of the problem, but I'm much less concerned with the population of bass in this country than most other animals. Now paddlefish is a different story. It infuriates me that people are allowed to catch and keep them in my state. They state will even document, clean, and vacuum pack your meat for free, provided you let them sell their caviar on the Russian market for big money.

You could just lift the front end up into the cradle. Then go around and lift the back up and slide it into place. But you still have to lift the whole kayak, plus the weight of the Hullavator up onto the roof of the car. Of course, it's locked into a hinge, and it's a lot harder lifting a free weight that you have to control, verses something on a rigid pivot.

Don't throw them away. That's unnecessary garbage in the land fill and someone else can make use of it. Option 1: Sell them for parts on that auction site. It'll take forever to photograph and list them individually, so sell them in batches. Just take a picture of something like ten reels, and list them as broken/for parts. Don't go into heavy detail or mess with tons of pictures. Start them off cheap and let the auction determine if they're worth more. Option 2: Find a local reel repair shot to donate them to. If one of your current rods or reels ever needs repair, you now have a friend in the business who might be willing to return the favor. Option 3: List them on Craigslist or Facebook, and list them as broken/for parts in batches or as the whole group. Ask for some money if you want, or give them away for free if you'd rather them be gone quickly.

I use the H2O wall rod holders. They're cheap and they do a great job, though I do wish they were spaced out about an inch more. I have them hanging up on the wall in my garage. I also use reel covers, mainly just to keep the dust off them from being in the garage. I fish from a kayak, so I don't need rod covers. Definitely don't lay your rods up against the corner of a wall. That's a good way to get a permanent bend in them. I've got an old rod that is permanently bent from that. It was really bad, but I took a heat gun to it and re-bent it back and now it's fairly straight. Straight enough to use. But once a rod is bent, it's virtually impossible to make it perfectly straight again. And for the price of a cheap or DIY rod holder, it's worth it to protect your investment.

For topwater, I'm not convinced that color of the lure matters! Let alone color of the line! Maybe in ultra clear water on a calm day. But we don't have either of those here.

In my experience, a properly maintained reel will last longer than it needs to. I retire reels because their technology falls so far behind what's new on the market, that they're no longer worth keeping around. I have a Shimano B-100 Mag from the late 80's/early 90's with a plastic frame that still fishes just like it did when it was new. I actually had two up until I lost one in a lake a few years ago. I also have three old Abu 5000D's from around 1974. Two have been in my family since then, and one was recently purchased as a parts reel to keep the other two running. I've also got a Zebco and Diawa spinning reel from sometime in 90's. Neither were expensive back then, and they both work like new today. And I've got some old Zebco 33's that can't be stopped. If anything, it's the rods that go first. The line guides wear out and the rods themselves become kind of soft and whippy.

With a name like pmaabestnet.top, how could it not be legit? Seriously though, any website that seems to have that much product, yet couldn't be bothered with getting a serious domain name, probably shouldn't be trusted. I mean, with a .top domain, there has to have been a better name available, if they were considering staying around for a while.

This is what I'd do to start off. Just pick one lure and one body of water and get to know them both really well. Eventually you'll start piecing things together and can expand from there. I often try to push myself to learn new things. But it's always a mistake for me to try to learn two new things at once. So if I'm on a new lake, I'll throw my confidence baits. If I'm on my usual lake, I might try a new lure or new technique. Try to keep it as simple as you can. It's easier to find out what works and what doesn't when there's only one thing that's changed.

A lot of people do drop an anchor or drift sock when trying to land a big fish from a kayak. They'll have it pre-rigged, so all they have to do is throw it over. Other people will just let it pull them along, figuring the kayak will act like a drag on a reel, and tire out the fish. It's up to you how you want to approach it.

I wouldn't do that. I'd just feed a tube inside the drain plug and siphon out as much water as you can until you can lift it.

It'll be cheaper in the long run to run two batteries. Deep cycle batteries don't give up much cranking amps. So even if they start off being able to start your engine, they probably won't keep that up for long. And starter batteries don't like to be drained below around 80%. So you'll drastically shorten the life of the battery by running a trolling motor off of it. You can do both with the same battery, and they make batteries especially for that, but you'll likely get less than half their expected lifespan by doing so. It has to do with their internal construction, and there's not really a way to make a single battery do both jobs well. So you'll get more service life from buying two $150 batteries (one starter and one deep cycle) than you will from buying one $400 battery to do both. And you'll save $100 or so up front, plus another $400 down the line when that battery dies a premature death.