Kirtley Howe

I have had great luck using Storm Wild Eye pre-rigged swimbaits. The 3", 3.5" and 4" sizes work great for both Smallmouth and Largemouth Bass, and also catch a lot of Walleye. I only buy them when I find them on sale, or on Ebay or Amazon. Not as cheap as buying non-rigged swimbaits and rigging them up myself (I do that also), but they are handy and work great. I have also caught some Musky and large Pike on them...

I would not trust those spindles to get me anywhere. My vote is to replace them now.

As mentioned earlier, the possibility of sparks when jumping from a battery make that a little risky for both you and the motor electronics....and any other electronics on board.

They cannot produce more than 12 volts. They can, however produce a bunch of amps...but see my answer to Way2Slo about this.

Understood. I just find it more convenient having the 100 or so of my international friends available in one place, and being able, with just a click of a button, check in on what is happening in their lives. No, I don't want to see pictures of their meals, or hear the latest dating drama...but my friends are functional adults, and don't tend to post stuff like that. I love seeing pictures of their families, their pets, their hobbies, and such. Anyway, we seem to be wandering far afield with this discussion. Just be careful about fraud sites, on facebook or elsewhere. Have a good night.

I am not supporting running a questionable starting battery....but things can happen, and a battery can get discharged, or unexpectedly fail while on the water. In that case having a jump box is a life saver. As AJ pointed out, the jump boxes are not energized (turned on) until AFTER they are connected, and are turned off before they are disconnected, so there is NO chance of an arc, or spark. I strongly recommend against jump-starting a boat battery with jumper cables, due to the possibility of a spark, which can not only damage electronics, but can cause an explosion.

I still have Facebook, as I have friends in many different countries, and having them as Facebook Friends makes it easy to stay in contact with them. I have also found Facebook Marketplace to be a good source for many things I am looking for. There are many things that about Facebook I don't like, but for now I will continue to subscribe. To each their own.

I keep hearing...even on this forum.....about people being worried about a dead starting battery. I guess I am dense, but I just don't get it. As long as the battery is not seriously damaged (like with a hole in it), and it is able to take a charge (it does not even have to be able to "hold" a charge...it just needs to accept and pass voltage and amps), and you have access to the battery terminals, it really should not be a big problem. I just carry a jump box with me. You can find them at any auto store, most big stores like Walmart, Target, and on line. You can get them in whatever power level you need. I have one I paid about $49.00 for at a True Value hardware store (it is labeled as a "Peak" brand (like the antifreeze). I have used it to jump start a Mercury 150hp motor. It will jump start that motor several times before it runs out of power, even in 35 degree weather. It is about the size of a large lunch box, so it does not take up much room. There are smaller and larger units available, depending on how much you want to spend. For around $100, you can get a unit that is about a third that size, with even more starting power, or get a unit the same size with at least twice the starting power of the one I use. And they are not very heavy (15 lbs max for one that would start just about any boat motor). And they have the advantage of being portable, so you can take them out of the boat and put it in your car or truck if you wish. You just have to remember to plug it in and let it charge up after use or if it has been sitting for a week or two.. Mine can also be recharged by leaving it attached to the battery while the engine is running (make sure it is safely tied down so it cannot short out!), as long as the engine charging system works. Just my thoughts on the matter....feel free to tell me I am incorrect and why, if you think I am wrong.

On facebook and other sites there is a company claiming to represent Cabalas, and offering expensive fish finders and other expensive items for low prices....most at $79 or $89. The website address shows up as http:/www.layards.com, or something similar. I checked with Cabalas, and as I suspected, this is a totally bogus site that will rip you off. Cabalas is working to get the sites shut down, but it may take a while. Be careful out there.

Thanks to everyone. That was pretty much my take on the reels and the company. They may be totally above board, but until I see some "reel" (see what I did there?) reviews on both the reel and the company, I think I will stay away from them.

Cayuga Lake where I fish a lot is only less than 40 miles long, and about 2 miles wide at the widest point. But, the max depth is 425 feet. It never really warms up much if you get down a few feet.

I keep getting ads a baitcasting reel from a company called Obalus. The price is $49.99 with free shipping for an 8.1:1 shallow spool carbon drag reel. On the website, they have tons of positive reviews and no negative reviews, which makes me more than a little suspicious. I just wonder if anyone had tried these reels, and what their opinion is. To me it sounds a little "too good to be true", but I am always looking for a bargin.

Never. Going. To. Happen. At least for me. If I used and lost one of those I would have to kill myself.

"Only" 48-50 degrees? That is summertime water temps around here (except for very shallow rivers and ponds). OK,,,that is a slight exaggeration, but surface temps of local lakes can read 70+ degrees, but get down a few feet, and the water is always much colder.,,,often in the mid 50 to low 60 range even in summer.

A lot depends on your needs and expectations. For example, I have one of those no name made in China 8.6:1 gear ratio reels that claims to have 16 bearings. I paid $27.00 including shipping for it. I bought it to have a high retrieve rate reel to use occasionally for very specific presentations. Does it really have 16 bearings? Who knows. What I do know is the stupid cheap thing works great. It is very light, has a quick release side plate, 10 magnet and centrical cast control, 18lbs carbon fiber drag (yeah, I actually tested that), casts like a dream, and is easy to palm. I have had it for over 2 years, and have used it more than 30 days of fishing. I find that I am using it more and more as time goes on. So far it has been foolproof. Will it last as long as a $100 reel? I doubt it, but for the price, who cares? It does everything I wanted it to do, and meets my needs.

You got that right.

Agreed. but note I said on natural lakes (ie: no dam that releases water). If I have the good fortune to be on a river when the water STARTS rising due to heavy rainfall, I do find that the fishing is usually great, but only for a very short period of time. After that, it turns into a major chore to find the fish. On most of the lakes I fish it takes several days of heavy rain to make much difference in water levels, and that is usually accompanied by cold, muddy water, which is not normally conducive to good fishing.

I keep hearing the pros say that rising water is always better than falling water....and on tidal waters I totally agree. Fish in tidal waters are programmed to eat on a rising tide. BUT (you knew that was coming)...in non-tidal rivers, and most natural lakes I often find that fishing is better when they are falling or have fallen and have stabilized. My reasoning on this is that falling (or low) water levels concentrate the fish into specific and predictable places where as rising or high stabile water conditions tend to scatter fish over wider areas, making them harder to locate. With falling or low water levels, I just look for deep areas within the shallow surroundings. But deep is a relative term. A 16" trough or channel in an area of 6" water is "deep". Likewise, a 10' hole in an area of average depth of 3' is also "deep". Anyway, I just look for deep spots and find the fish. Yes, other things bear on this also. Oxygen levels, baitfish concentrations, cover, structure, etc all play a part, but the low or falling water reduces the necessary search areas. Your thoughts?

Everyone seems to be ignoring my questions. I didn't want brand names, though I do appreciate the answers and suggestions. I wanted to know what material was best for braid and why. I did get some good answers about number of strands (let us not argue about semantics), but still not much on my other questions. Any more thoughts out there? Thanks.

My thoughts are 1) I like both, so I watch both when I can, especially in the winter when it is 0 degrees F outside. 2) I actually prefer MLF because it is more like how I often fish....new lake, no practice, minimal knowledge of the body of water, and I want to catch as many as I can most of the time. 3) I think MLF treat the fish better over-all, and most likely have lower delayed mortality. I also like that MLF has (overall) lower entry fees for the anglers, and a better (again, my opinion) pay out system.

I admit to having limited experience with braided line. So far, I am not very fond of it. The braids I have used have been 4 strand. I see some brands have more (6, or even 8 strands), and a couple are advertised as being "fused". My questions are 1) Are more strands better? 2) What is the best material for a braid to be made from, and why? 3) Are "fused" braided lines better than regular stranded braided lines, and if so, how and why? I am not really looking for advice on what brand to buy. I am really looking for advice on the type of braid to buy, and why you recommend that type. Assume, for the sake of argument that money is no object (yeah, like that is really a thing). Thanks!

I like skirts that are short and tight....on my wife. (Pease don't delete my account!)

A fresh set of sparkpugs for my outboard motor. A jump box for if my starting battery dies.

I bring a bag and clean up my trash. I bring a large garbage bag to clean up all the other trash. Seriously....it only takes a few minutes of my time to clean up an area, and often if others see me cleaning stuff up, they do too. That is a win in my book.

Hello and welcome from Owego, NY. I have fished Sacandaga Lake several times. My sister and her husband have cottage on the lake (it belongs to his family but they have use of it) and I have been there during summer months. Love the lake and would fish it more but it is about 4 hours from where I live, and I only have access when they are there. Anyway, welcome aboard.