Woody B

I've seen some Bizz bait decals around but never knew anything about them. Does anyone remember the Fish Getter lure company, and "Fish Finders"? It was a local(for me) company when I was a kid. A couple of my high school class mates worked there. I think the company has moved, but it still in business. I'll have to look into it. The original owner passed away years ago.

I'm with you. I hate a skunk. My goal is first, a fish, second, a bass, then....multiple big bass.

Batteries aren't what they used to be. We replace agms all the time at work that are weeks of months old. (automotive technician) There aren't that many flooded automotive batteries now, but they drop like flies too. I haven't looked up the specs on the batteries you're looking at but I suspect the AGM's are a pound or 2 heavier, and have a slight bit less power. I understand the no maintenance and non spilling for AGM's. If that's worth the money for you go with the AGM's. If that's not a big deal go with flooded batteries. I suspect the 100ah lithiums mentioned are group 31 size. I use 2 Ionic 50ah batteries for my trolling motor. They're tiny. They're $350 each, but I saw some "refurbished" ones of the bay for 1/2 that. (I don't know if that's legit though) My Noco 5x2 charger was ~$140.

5G isn't killing bass, it's killing us.

Forward Facing Sonar is going to kill off all the bass. All you have to do it turn it on, and they jump in the boat. (yes I'm kidding, and I never call if forward facing sonar)

I cut one out of my arm last year. I cut the hook off, made a small cut near the point, and pushed it through. This was an Owner ST58, size 4 buried to the shank. I'm pretty tough, but I needed some deadening to cut that deep. I "should" get a discount. The Dr (probably PA) at the urgent care was shaking like a leaf trying to get it out, after deadening it. I talked her into handing me the blade. They didn't prescribe anything. I had my tetanus shot last year. I'm a mechanic, always getting cuts and such. I keep my tetanus shot current. I'm curious about the cost. This place is really slow to bill. I went there last November with an ear infection. I didn't get a bill until April. I've got really good insurance. The last visit cost me $35.

White Perch are considered invasive here. People love to use them for Catfish bait. When I catch one I put it in my livewell then give it to the next boat I see catfishing.

There's probably a fuse in an inline fuse holder under/inside the console.

I love fishing in the rain, as long as there's no lightening.

Be careful around bees. If you get stung pay attention to your body. A co workers Uncle got stung a couple weeks ago, went into anaphylactic shock and died. He had been stung a month or so ago and felt really bad, took benedryl and got better. This time he was working alone when he got stung. He called his Wife and was barely able to tell her he couldn't breathe. If something like this happens to any of you call 911 quick.

Look at the guides real good. The noise may have been one starting to come loose. Spinning rod? Mrs B's spinning rod made a crack sound last year when she was landing a 27 pound Blue Cat. I found a guide starting to come loose. I had a friend fix it.

"Citizens Arrest" isn't legal in NC. I've fished (in my boat) in rain so bad my inflatable life jacked inflated. No problems with any of my sonar equipment.

Perhaps you should consider a bigger boat.

I got up a midnight:30. I didn't catch anything until Sunrise. I guess the bass were sleeping. I ended up with a hook in my finger. It was after Sunrise so I can't blame it on darkness. Decades ago I night fished all the time. Since I started back fishing (Dec 2021) my night fishing has mostly been going at 4AM or later.

I don't read books or watch videos. (I'm not saying I shouldn't, I just don't) For me at least where I fish there's 3 groups of Bass. 1. The dock bass. Self explanatory. Mostly small spotted bass where I fish. If you want numbers docks are a good place to fish. IMHO docks are "cover". Docks near other structure mentioned will hold more/bigger fish. I think the dock bass move around less than my other 2 types. By this time every year their mouths are all full of hook holes. I mostly stay away from docks, at least during warm weather. They're visible. Pretty much everyone fishes them. 2. The ledge bass. Mostly Largemouth where I fish. They'll hang around ledges and channels. They move up onto flats, and points to feed. Channel swings, both near the bank and offshore as well as the flats nearby can be productive with the right cover. I believe these bass move around more than the "dock bass" but less than the "deep bass". 3. The deep bass. Mostly decent size spotted bass where I fish. I don't think they go shallow much at all. Where I fish I consider 15 feet or more "deep". They hold near many types of structure previously mentioned (by many people). Brush piles, rock piles ect are a plus. I think they probably eat crawdads a bunch, but also ambush baitfish when they swim by. I've had some success just watching and following baitfish on sonar near these areas, not casting until something attacks the bait fish. Channel intersections, where creek channels intersect the main river channel are usually hot spots. I supposed there's some overlap between my "deep bass" and "ledge bass" but I don't think the "deep bass" come up on flats or points to feel shallow. FWIW, I'm not an expert. I didn't even stay at whatever kind of hotel makes you smart last night. I am a "Pro"......but I'm a professional automotive technician, not a professional fisherman.

FWIW I carry a firearm every where it's legal (and a few places it isn't legal). I'd never use it, or even hint at using it to defend a fishing spot. I would "bluff" if someone was stealing my truck of boat, but I wouldn't pull the trigger for property either. Become an active threat to my family.....all bets are off. Being armed should not change your demeanor when dealing with idiots.

The front panel on my 2022 Classic XL goes under the gunwales a little. You have to kinda flex it and pull one end toward the rear of the boat to get it out.

I didn't know that "HIT" meant. My BPS inflatable inflated sitting on my rear deck behind my drivers seat in heavy rain. It was pouring rain. I didn't hear it inflate. I don't know if it was spectacular or not. I take mine out of the boat and put it in my truck when I load my boat.

Yep, you've got to have enough flex in the rod to keep pressure on them. I think stretchy mono line helps too but many others disagree. You catch way more bass than I do, but I don't lose many. Most of the ones I use are really small. It's my belief that small bass are harder to get good hook penetration. I don't fish around any weeds or much heavy cover. My PB spotted bass got tangled up in a sunken dock. I remember Tom talking about "leading" a bass out of cover, instead of forcing it. I positioned my boat in a way I could keep some pressure on it, and it came swimming out. I'm sure having a full size boat and trolling motor helps too. I suspect the canoe makes it hard to keep pressure on them. Have you considered a Kayak with pedals, or would that not work? When I have a decent sized bass (or a huge Catfish) on my line I'm constantly moving the boat. I learned that decades ago. I lost a huge bass 30+ years ago that ran toward the boat. When it was right next to the boat, (but not tired) it decided to run again. It easily broke my line. Had I kept the boat further away from it there would have been more cushion. A couple months later I landed my PB (and only DD). It ran toward the boat so I ran the boat away from it. Hooks make a BIG difference too. An Owner STX 58 is almost impossible to remove from a finger. They stay stuck in bass pretty good too.

My night fishing didn't work out as planned. I fished from 1:30 until 6:30. I caught a couple Perch, 1 decent Largemouth, and a 205 pound 69 inch long sucker. I caught the bass on a DT6. When I lipped it and pulled it into the boat it flipped. I dropped it but ended up with the bass on one hook, with my thumb and index finger on the other. I cut the hook off the lure to get me loose from the bass. I got it loose from my thumb but the hook was buried all the way up to the shank in my right index finger. It was buried too deep to work it on through. I ended up going to an Urgent Care to get it cut out. I've got a couple pictures of the hook in my finger, but I don't want to look at it so I figure no one else does either. I cropped it out of the Bass picture.

I caught a couple spots this morning in a shortened trip. My Nieces husband had open heart surgery late Thursday. He was having trouble this morning early. My Niece was at the hospital alone. On the lake I was 30 minutes closer than anyone else, and already up and dressed. I loaded my boat and rushed to the hospital to comfort her. She was freaking out, and happy to see a familiar face. He's in a different hospital now, doing much better. I'm going to sleep right now, for a few hours and going back to the lake tonight around midnight or so.

Some Rapala DT's suspend perfectly. Some, rise and a few fall. The ones that suspect are the fish catchers.

Glad you were able to help her. I've got a Nephew? (Nieces husband) in the hospital right now fighting for his life. He didn't have any of the "man" symptoms. He was dizzy, sweating really bad, especially on his head, and out of breath. The urgent care his Wife took him to said he had pneumonia. After several days of worsening symptoms he ended up at a hospital......they sent him to a different hospital. He had quadruple bypass surgery late Thursday. He seemed OK yesterday but "flatlined" (the word my niece used) early this morning. I was on the lake, but closer to the hospital than anyone. I left the lake and went so my niece wasn't alone until some more people got there. They have him on a ventilator, and are sending him to yet another hospital. One of the bypasses is kinked. The put a stent in the kinked bypass. He's in his early 40's.

It's been hot lately pretty much nationwide. I believe "we" get used to "normal" heat for our area but when it's hotter than normal it takes a while to adapt. I was planning on going tonight about midnight, but tomorrow is supposed to be cloudy and mid to upper 80's. (It's been 90's here for a while) I'm going at my "normal" whenever I wake up time. When I was younger I could stay up several days and nights in a row. I'm 59 and it takes me longer to recover. I don't mind the heat that much while fishing. When it's HOT and sunny the lake gets really crowded. When it's hot like that the bass I can catch are offshore. I'm scared to spot lock way far off the bank when the lake is full of....drunks.

Your set up looks great. I love my CZ firearms. I'm not up on Humminbird stuff, but I'm pretty sure your units are capable to have Mega Live added.