ElGuapo928

The main time I throw a Neko is as a cleanup bait on open flats when the crankbait bite dies off.

Best jighead cleaner on Earth is available for free - Taco Bell “hot” sauce. Dissolves the rust, and wipes the oxidation right off the lead. When I started buying jigheads in bulk, they had a can of cooking spray on the counter and would give them a shot when they put them in the bag. They’d go all summer without getting the white oxidation on them or the hooks rusting. I’ve done this with them ever since, and it still works.

You’ve got the idea - once it starts loading up on the bottom or hits an obstruction, kill it and let it float up some.

I don’t think there would be too much effect on the action, but the proportion does seem wrong. My favorite trailer on the 1/4 oz is just a 4” straight tail worm, but now I’m thinking of experimenting with something like a FFS minnow.

Ouch!!! Rough way to start the day!!

I put cheap Amazon EVA foam on my trailer fenders. It stays cool and cuts back on the slipperiness - would be a quick and easy way to cover the floor of a tin rig. Plus way less maintenance than carpet.

Here on Roosevelt an average 5 lb sack is about 15 and change. Sacks in the high 20’s to 30+ are becoming a regular thing though.

First off, congratulations on not allowing the cancer stop you. I’m on year 2 of “recovery” myself and still wear down pretty fast. That said, from your description of the water, my first thought would be slow rolling a single blade, black spinnerbait. That can be pretty physically taxing after a while though. My next thought would be a floating worm on a light wire hook, with a #2 splitshot about 15-18” in front of it. Slowly dragging that floating worm picks up fish that nothing else will. And if you’re looking for something faster, of the chuck and wind variety, try throwing a smallish, crappie sized spoon around. I’ve caught a whole lot of bass flinging a little gold Kastmaster. Those are the big ones we use fishing the stock tanks around here, which most are kind of muddy, shallow and devoid of any real cover.

Plopper/Choppo for just pure fun.

I only use a leader on spinning rods, on the one I have with micro guides, 8lb braid/8lb FC leader goes right through with an Alberto knot.

You should like the Dobyns - they are absolute warriors. This one has almost 2 years and a lot of fish on it, and isn’t any worse for the wear.

I’ve got a mix of both. I don’t really commit to any one brand, but I’ve really taken a liking to the gray waterproof ones from Bass Pro just for the latches - they’re secure, but not as hardcore as the Plano and Flambeau waterproof. Makes a quick grab of something easier, especially cooler mornings when my arthritis is reminding me that I’m getting old.

I’ve mentioned before Tom Mann’s “Think like a fish” - really entertaining read, with some good habits to pick up in it. Iaconelli did one on Finesse fishing that has quite a bit of good insight. I like cruising Half Price Books and the local thrift stores - you can virtually always find books related to bass fishing, some that are just completely under the radar.

Back in the 90’s, either Strike King or Stanley (don’t remember which) had a blade with what looked like an anodized blue coating on it - they were absolutely amazing for nights and just before dawn.

According to USTVDB, there was an uptick in viewership, but it fell right back off to normal. Sadly, we are more of a niche market than Hot Dog Eating on ESPN.

The orange blade is mainly tied to ambient light - really overcast days and nights without much moonlight. The REAL deal though is a blue Colorado blade at night.

They dig in pretty hard - I can give GPS coordinates to 2 of them in the river end at Alamo. The design is solid - once that hook loads up, it’s not shaking loose - which is great for fish, bad for salt cedars.

Seeing all that work makes me feel guilty for the 12’ Montgomery Ward’s “Sea King” V hull that’s been sitting untouched in my front yard for the last 20 years.

They are a great spinnerbait in open water or grass, absolutely terrible in brush. Those jointed heads hook brush hard, and don’t come out.

All good now! I can look back and laugh - there’s absolutely no glory in going down fighting with a 98 pound dude carrying a clipboard.

It started in Japan, went completely nuts over here, and now investor groups and financial companies are demanding it worldwide. I walked away from machining after an argument with a 6S consultant turned into a heart “episode” (over a $30 bearing).

Great to see these old warriors given a new life!!

“Lean Six Sigma” happened. What once was a good idea (Kaizen/5S) went completely out of control, and spare parts are now considered a business liability. When I was working in a pump shop, they hired a company to bring everything to this standard, and we’d have days of downtime waiting on basic parts to arrive from a third party warehouse.

I like going to the local used bookstores and picking up old Bassmasters from the days when there was actually some good articles in them. “Think like a Fish” by the late, great Tom Mann is a good read as well.

My guess is that the lower unit is locked up. Could be a big problem, could be a complete nothing-burger. It’s been a minute since I’ve been into an Evinrude, but if I remember right those have a worm drive, which will lock up solid in the absence of free movement in the entire gear train. If you’ve got a Clymer manual, that will give you pretty much all you need to drop the lower unit and rebuild it if needed.