ElGuapo928

My Ranger is an ‘88 and I wouldn’t trade it for a new one. (I do threaten to repower it from time to time, since big 2 strokes and fuel efficient don’t belong in the same sentence.) Look it over, nitpick a little bit, and if it’s good enough for you with a good price, go for it.

My wife bought me a pair of those fake sheepskin lined Crocs a couple of years ago and I tossed them in the closet with the intention of forgetting the ugly things’ existence…….I recently decided to give them a chance (based on her telling me to give them a chance), and I think I have now revolutionized my winter attire. I am now primed to get out there on a cold day!

Thanks for the help! I ordered some of the BPS worms last night (best price I’ve seen since the days of the “worm bar”), and working on a list for Mayo. I didn’t know there were any commercial custom pours anymore, I thought they went the way of the dodo.

I’ll check out the BPS one. The Chompers’ color is dead on…..but I can’t stand the bag full of garlic slime. This has been one of my go to colors for years, I’d kill to get firecracker, smoke sparkle, and a decent smoke/purple as well.

I like the Deathadder, but prefer a slimmer profile. One of these days I’m just going to have to learn to do handpours, and specialize in forgotten/no longer trendy colors.

I’m usually barefoot until December/January, then switch into tennis shoes.

I’ll check out the Big Bite, thanks!! I’ve never had any luck with any of the 40,000 green pumpkin variations, and never had much love for Junebug either.

Does anyone know of someone who still makes a decent 4” dropshot worm in a Rootbeer/Green? I was cleaning out the boat this morning and noticed I’m down to 5 whole kut tails, and the nitwits who bought Yamamoto have discontinued it (Discontinued confidence colors are a theme of my life). All I can find are Chompers, which are a decent worm, but I loathe swimming through the garlic butter to get to them. Is there another manufacturer out there that anyone knows of?

I run Fireline on most of my “bottom contact” rods. Good sensitivity, better abrasion resistance than most braids, and not having the built in failure point of the leader knot.

Rod

I’ve used my paddle a few times to push off the bank, but that’s about it.

Most days I never even get into the tackle lockers, I’ve got 6-8 rods on the deck rigged with what I need. I’ve got a 3600 with T-rig and dropshot hooks/weights that lives on the dash, and a worm bag that stays on the deck. When I’m on the bank or backseating, it’s pretty much the same story….only open the bag up for breakoffs.

I really like the Yozuri 3DB as an alternative to the Shad Rap - especially when the wind isn’t working with me. The action is pretty similar, and not a bad price point either. The “real gizzard” color is a killer!

I usually do it about once a year…..auto pump starts running almost instantly and lets me know to pull it back out and give the dock denizens something to laugh at.

I’ve had really good luck with the Ozark Trail ones from Wally World…I put them through all sorts of abuse and they still last a good while. As long as I preheat with boiling water, my lunch will be warm for 6-7 hours.

I rarely use a leader on my dropshot rods, just straight braid. Only one I typically run a leader on is when I’m Mojo rigging- the braid doesn’t hold the peg worth a darn.

Pulled in this bruiser today. Dang near smoked the drag🤣

Most of what I owned in the Suspending Spot were chrome/black or chrome/blue. I use a lot of lipless in bluegill color with good success.

I used to fish the old Cordell “Suspending Spot”, they would sink slowly and then suspend at around 4’-5’. Things would get hammered on the pause. The 6th Sense look pretty good, I might add a couple to the arsenal.

I liked my Tracker (‘96 Pro 17) It got squirrely when the whitecaps started and the 40 was too slow for words, but I was happy with it overall.

I still always carry a 5’6” rod in the locker - current one is a BPS “Power Plus” medium. Bust it out for pinpoint work, and when everything else is failing. I will go to my grave convinced that a shorter rod lends itself to a gentler finesse presentation than a longer one.

I haven’t tried the Meta yet, but am very happy with the Muse, Fate and Blackouts that I have. IMO the 13 rods punch well above their price point.

Was awful enough this morning that I had to switch from flip flops to actual shoes with socks…..hoping this cold snap gets gone soon.

Only success I’ve really had with the LVR has been early fall, when we were chasing suspended fish on points. They’ve got a really nice wobble when dropping on a slack line.

I’ve owned a Tracker, a Cajun and 2 Rangers. For my money, an old Ranger is where it’s at - built to last forever. If I were buying a new boat, I’d probably lean towards a Z518, but I’d take a hard look at the Vexus AVX1880 - d**n nice rig for the price.