Bucks Bass and Bourbon

Alright well I needed to come back and edit this post because I was a MORON. I initially had some feedback that the clips tended to let some plastics slip so only some kinds would hold. Turns out I was wrong and I feel super stupid. Now that I figured out my mistake (and am embarrassed by how stupid a mistake it was) I realize this is a really strong system. I'm going to redo my whole installation tomorrow and organize all my main plastics into drop shot baits and paddle tails and I'm going to be good to go. I'll try to post some pictures when I get it done.

Yes the winds and weather are what I am watching. Unfortunately I am limited to weekends now so I have to watch the five day forecast closely to monitor what the conditions will be when I’m out there.

One of the fun things I had only experienced once before was when one of us was reeling one in we often had one or two chase it up. Our guide always had us drop our line straight down when we brought one close to the boat and I was surprised how often we got another one doing that either from fish we saw or that were too deep but hit it on the drop. That was fun.

Ok understood. Sounds like isolated structure in the depth range they’re relating to is what to look for. Search until you get a bite and focus on the depth range from there.

Thanks guys I appreciate it. A little head start on where to look saves a lot of time especially as I learn smallmouth more. I had to push back a week due to some equipment not arriving in time so I’ll keep a close eye on the water temps. The only time I’ve been out on the lake was earlier this summer. It didn’t seem like there was much structure. Just a few patches of grass. Should I expect to find rock piles, timber or gravel if I spend enough time graphing?

Hey guys, As the title suggests I want to start fishing Lake St Clair. I live in Lansing so it’s only a couple hours drive to Anchor Bay or the metropark. As of this year I have a 19 foot bass boat and am much more comfortable fishing the lake in reasonable conditions and want to start making several trips each year for smallmouth. I’m inexperienced when it comes to smallies but I have started dedicating a lot more effort into targeting them on Michigan lakes that hold them. I’m not asking for spots, just general wisdom on what to look for with the electronics to locate fish and get me started, especially as summer starts to move into fall and much of the material I have found is a little generic. I’m planning a mid September three day trip if the weather holds which I’m thinking might start getting into the fall transition time but if you guys who understand the lake can help me out with how to approach it and what to look for I’d be very grateful. Questions that come to mind are conditions that call for moving baits vs slower baits like drop shots, general depth ranges based on water temp and seasonal patterns, etc. Just a little bit of a starting point so I can start learning without spending a trip or two casting into empty water (i.e. how to think vs what to do or where to go). Any insight is very much appreciated!

Thanks again for the input guys!

The times I would need a 50 foot would be when I’m staying overnight and I need to reach to an outlet which I do frequently enough that it’s a concern. The rest of the time the boat is in the garage and I can use shorter separate cords. The heavy duty 50 foot cords I’m looking at can handle 15 amp/125v/1875 watts so sounds like that would handle it, no?

Nope a 50 ft cord to the 12v that has three 15 amp banks (two used) but the 24v charger is a 20 amp.

For you guys running a separate plug for your 12v onboard charger and a 24 or 36v charger - how do you run your extension cords? Do you run a single extension soon plug with a splitter (or a multi plug cord) or do you run two cords and keep them separate? I would like to keep it to a single heavy duty cord with a splitter if it’s safe.

Kinda what I was thinking. That’s why I was hoping someone has actually used them. The marine environment and bouncing around on a bass boat can be pretty tough on things so durability is a question with those chip clips. I don’t know I might just measure things and take a chance on them. I picked up a couple of those Buzbe Quick Qubes to make sense of my drop shot and ned rig plastics and they actually did a great job but my paddletails and craw packages and stuff are a tragedy right now. I’ll let you guys know if I pick them up and post a few pics so you can see how they work.

Anyone use the Easy View tackle system under your boat comparment lids? Like most of us I make a mess of my soft plastics and swimbait trailers etc in my boat. That looks like a good system to clean it up and maximize storage. Thanks! https://easyviewtackle.com/

Thanks for the input fellas. That helps a lot! I have a pretty good idea what I’ll do with it now. Thanks again!

Ok folks, I need some help. The z519 I got this year is ready to get the dual graphs on the bow wired back to the battery compartment where the dedicated electronics battery will be once it arrives. I will be running a 126 ultra and a 106 ultra from the bow along with the GLS10. I have one 126 ultra flush mounted at the console, currently run to the cranking battery, which will be switched to the new battery when I get it so that one is already run. I am inexperienced and lack knowledge about wiring and can use some advice on how to do the job myself to avoid paying the shop hundreds of dollars to do it. How should I do this? Can I run the wiring for each graph through the conduit straight from the bow past the console to the battery compartment and hook each up with an inline fuse? SHOULD I do that? Should I use a bus bar or a fuse block? Garmin says to use 14 gauge wire for extending it the length I need to go. Do you recommend heavier wire to optimize my signsls and images? Thanks for your help! I would like to get this done right myself but need to borrow some knowledge!

Yeah I figured that. The more I think about it the more I think I’ll give it a go with the single graph for now and give me part of the season to see how I feel. That way I can plan how I want to do it if and when I want to make the change. I’ll have the wiring and battery already in place so if I do it will be a pretty quick plug and play. Thanks!