WaskaCrank12

My big purchase was a MB Orochi XX Ronin for $199 (usually $299) from The Hook Up Tackle....a few needed terminal/storage/fishing line items from Tackle Warehouse....and a random assortment of lures/plastics from The Hook Up Tackle 40/50% off sale - figured it's worth a try to sample some of them at 40/50% off (at least that is what the bait monkey whispered in my ear)

Due to an engine issue (30 plus year old Evinrude) I was not able to get on the water until mid-August in 2024 - so a goal for 2025 is to be in the water by early May (or earlier if the ice is off the lakes here in MN). 2025 will be my third year with a boat so I hope to continue to learn my 2 local lakes and perhaps branch out to a third. In 2024 I caught a few PB bass (19.8" LMB, 18.5" SMB - these lakes are managed for walleye, so any bass 18" or longer is considered a good size) - so in 2025 I would like to catch more bass in this size range (I only have a measuring mat). I have never used a scale to weight a "bag" for the day yet maybe I will do that ? My best day, using the measuring mat, in 2024 was - (in inches) 18.5/18.5/17.5/16/15.5 - so I will see if I can better that in 2025. I have done very little jerk bait fishing (110/95 size) yet have recently purchased a MB Orochi XX Ronin as a jerk bait rod and will look to use that while learning/increasing my skill with jerk baits. As aways my number one goal is to fully enjoy my time on the water !

Looks like The Hook Up Tackle is having a unique Black Friday/Saturday bulk/bundles sale....not sure what will be in it - but it is advertised as 50% to 80% off some items

This past summer, looking at my records/journal - I found that green pumpkin/green pumpkin variations, sun gill/shiner and to my surprise - mood ring/morning dawn (purple/pinkish combination) were the colors in soft plastics that caught the most fish for me - The mood ring/morning dawn color is not one that I would normally purchase yet there were several packs of baits in this color in a variety pack box of baits I purchased and they started catching fish for me - so I will look to expand the baits I purchase in the future to include this color - I have no idea why the fish seemed to go after this color of bait

I had the same question as the OP - and after a full year of looking at videos, talking with people at the ramp, reading info. here on Bass Resource and trying rods - I recently purchased a Megabass Orochi XX - Ronin (6'8" spinning rod, Med/Fast) for $199 (The Hook Up Tackle sale plus I had a $50 gift card, so $149 out of pocket for me - it's usually a $299 rod) - I would not have purchased it at $299 (too much for the budget) yet at the sale price combined with my gift card it seemed worth the investment - here in MN it's 14 degrees and the boat is winterized, so I hope to give it a go and have some success with it in the spring throwing some jerk baits ! Up to this point I had been throwing jerk baits on a 7'1" MH/Mod-Fast Evergreen Combat Stick with mixed results - so I felt it was the right time to try a more dedicated jerk bait rod

Probably the last day out today - caught a very healthy/aggressive/4 times jumping out of the water 17.5 inch smallie (Megabass BFS Griffon/Baby Bass) and an 18 inch plus smallie (Megabass Griffon/Gillko) here on Lake Minnewaska.....will try and post pics soon....temps are supposed to drop hard (rain/wind/sleet on the way) so will look to winterize the boat on Sunday or sometime this week.....would love to keep the boat active but temps are dropping and there were actually small chunks of ice floating around on the lake today....

Hello @gimruis I caught the large mouth bass on Lake Reno on Saturday I caught the small mouth bass on Sunday on Lake Minnewaska

I was able to get out on Saturday and today (Sunday) for about 4 hours each day - Saturday on Lake Reno I only caught one fish - but it was a PB for me - a slightly over 19 inch large mouth with some girth (I have a measuring pad but no scale) - caught it in about 10 feet of water around a dying grass line ----- then today on Lake Minnewaska I caught a number of 15/16 inch small mouth -- then another PB for me with a 19 inch small mouth -- caught it in about 6 feet of water in a rocky/sandy bottom section near a shade/sun line ---- this is only my second year of fishing so it is pretty exciting to catch 2 PB's (one large mouth, one small mouth) on 2 different lakes on back to back days with different gear (rod/reel) and different lures -- hoping to get out next weekend and then will probably winterize the boat

@Hawkeye21 - I hope you will have great weather and fun fishing on your visit to MN ! I spoke with someone from Alexandria today and they said Elk Lake in Hoffman, MN (about 20 miles south west of Alexandria) is a small lake (200 or so acres) that they have had success catching some decent sized large mouth bass and some Walleye on (they said they have never caught a small mouth there) - I have not fished it so I am not sure - yet you had mentioned you enjoy fishing some of the smaller lakes, so it might be worth a look (you many have already fished it in previous years). My hope is that the wind settles down for your visit - Monday and today (Tuesday) were windy here and Wednesday/Thursday are supposed to be a bit breezy - yet Fri/Sat/Sun should be very nice weather. I have not traveled up to or fished at Pelican Lake - yet I have heard many good things about it - and with you having your greatest day of fishing on it I will have to make a plan to get there at some point (most likely not this year, but hopefully next year). Safe travels and enjoy you time in MN !

@roadwarrior - wishing you all the best ! Thank you for making me feel part of this wonderful community, answering my naive questions, and sharing your wisdom with everyone

EDGE Rods are having a Labor Day sale - discount code is LABOR35

Hello @Hawkeye21 - which of the lakes in Alexandria will you be fishing at ? I live a bit south of Alex and primarily (this is only my second year of fishing) I fish at Lake Minnewaska (Glenwood) and Lake Reno (just south of Alex) In the past two weeks I have caught several 17/18 inch largemouth (at Lake Reno) and 16/17 inch small mouth (at Lake Minnewaska) - and oddly, I caught a 33 plus inch Carp yesterday (at Lake Minnewaska, I had never caught a Carp, didn't want to catch a Carp, it put up quite a big fight) I have not gone out on any of the lakes right in Alex so I cannot help with that right now - I did go out on Lake Miltona but caught mostly 14/15 inch small mouth - it seemed most of the people out on that lake were looking for musky/walleye (as do many people in this area) Alex is a beautiful area - I hope you have safe travels, a relaxing time and catch some big ones ! PS - I will ask around and see if anyone has heard of a good bite on any of the Alex lakes -- Christopherson's Bait and Tackle in Alex may be a place that can give you some up to date information, all of the people that work there seem nice and helpful and in to fishing (although some of them are really in to walleye/musky, only a few seem in to bass fishing)

I recently had to use my 8 inch Harbor Freight bolt/wire cutters to cut the stems off of the two treble hooks that had been driven in to my thumb by a feisty 18 inch bass (so I could release the fish and release myself from the lure and eventually head to Urgent Care) - I was happy I had them on deck and within reach - they cut thru the hooks/stems easily - I believe they were $10 to $12 at HF (I have only had them for a year so cannot speak to their longer term durability, hopefully I do not have to use them very often) - yet if I were musky fishing or using larger wire hooks I most likely would invest in the Knipex as others have recommended

Thank you to everyone for their feedback and information - yet I still have a few questions: @bulldog1935 mentioned that a moderate action would be important for him in regard to using a spinning rod for jerk bait fishing - when I took a look at the recommended St. Croix rod (6'8" spinning rod, looks to be a very nice rod) it appears to be offered with an extra fast action ---- I am newer to fishing (only my second year) so I am learning by the minute - last summer I used some old yard sale rods - and am still using a few of them - yet I did purchase a couple of nicer rods for this summer (one from @NorthernBasser, a 7'1" MH/Fast spinning - Evergreen Combat stick, it has been a really good rod for many baits -- a 6'10" ML/XFast - St. Croix Mojo Bass spinning rod which has been good for lighter stuff and a 7' Hvy/Moderate - Daiwa Rebellion which has been good for deeper crank baits) --- and I am looking to potentially add a spinning rod to be used mostly for jerkbaits (110/110Jr. type baits) Would it be most important to have the moderate action when it comes to the jerkbaits ? Or would the extra fast action be fine for throwing/retrieving (hopefully with a fish on the line !) jerkbaits ? It seems something in the 6'6" to 7' length and a medium or medium/heavy power is the best for jerkbaits - How important is the action when it comes to jerkbaits ?

First and foremost I enjoy being on the water - every. minute. of. it. I really enjoy my tango with the small but mighties - they dart, dive, jump, repeat - and challenge me to keep up and endlessly try and guess (virtually always incorrectly) what their next move will be - I love it when they give it their all out effort ! With that said I do my best to be a good steward in the process and return them to the water as quickly and efficiently as I am able to - yet this week I got two of the three treble hooks driven in to my thumb by a small but mighty who continued to thrash and fight once in the net/boat - I actually had to put my hand/the fish/the net in to the water again because I was struggling to get at my bolt/wire cutters and didn't want the fish to die - I eventually got the bolt/wire cutters and cut the stems of the treble hooks and then got the other trebles out of the fishes mouth and released the fish (the fish has a little smirk on it's face and I think she said "You, You got me --- but I GOT YOU !!) - the two hooks from the treble were driven deep in to my thumb - and as much as I would like to tell a story of ripping them out he-man style I ended up going back to the dock (and waiting for 45 minutes - due to a Weds. night fishing tournament starting) and eventually to the Urgent Care - the doc had to make small incisions to then get at the barbs and then cut the barbs and get the hooks out - got back out today, thumb all wrapped up - and caught two more small but mighties !

If you were limited to using a spinning rod for your jerk bait fishing (MB 110, MB 110JR+1 type jerk baits)- -What rod would you choose ? (in the $200 or less category) -What length/power/action would you choose ? Thank you in advance for sharing

I have an Abu Garcia Veritas Winch 7' M/Mod and it has been a fine rod - paired with a Shimano NASCI - I do fish from a boat, I am newer to fishing and learning as I go - When I was looking for a spinning rod in that price range there were many favorable reviews for the Daiwa Tatula XT 7' M/F, I chose the Abu Garcia because I had been given a gift card to a local shop and they had that rod in stock (otherwise I probably would have gone with the Daiwa XT) - I do not have any experience with any of the other rods you mentioned - all the best in your search

Sunday I was on the lake and trolling along and thought I saw two beavers/otters bobbing in the water - but as I got closer I saw that it was a big log/branch bobbing in the water (part of it out of the water part of it submerged well under the water) - I thought I might be able to pull it out of the water and on to the boat - I tried but it was slippery, waterlogged, very heavy, over 12 feet in length and some real girth to it - there were tons of boats and PWC's on the lake and I was surprised no one had hit it - it was certainly a hazard and would damage a prop/boat/PWC - I tried multiple times to get a tow rope around it and it kept slipping out and sinking into the water before bobbing back up - yet I did finally succeed in securing it so I could tow it behind the boat - I got it as shallow as I could and got about half of it up on a steep bank yet that was the best I could do (I hope it stays out of the water). My questions are - What is the proper protocol with something like this ? What would you do ?

I finally got out this weekend - I had been battling engine issues since prior to the opener (1992 Evinrude V4 90hp) , I chose to take on the challenge and do the work myself, had to wait for parts, figure out what I was doing, buy tools, got great advice from some Bass Resource people, watched many hours of YouTube - and now it is running (fingers crossed that will continue) - caught low numbers but was grateful to finally be on the water ! -- two SMB -- 16.5 and 20 inch both on a Megabass Griffon near weed lines -- then three toothy pike -- 17, 22, 24.5 inches on crankbaits -- they were about 20/30 yards out from the weed lines

Hello @Way2slow Thank you for the info. and expertise - yes, I had a friend guide me though doing a compression test - and the numbers for the 4 cylinders were all within 5% to 8% of each other (we did have to do it one at a time) - I took the boat out yesterday and it went pretty well - some puffs of smoke at start up but then it settled in - it started much easier than it had prior to the work done on it (the previous owner had said it was "cold blooded and sometimes hard to start"), I think replacing the throttle/carb rollers helped it start easier as I did not have to crank the throttle forward nearly as far as I had prior to replacing the rollers - I went out relatively slowly at first and stayed somewhat close to the ramp as I didn't want to be too far away if the engine didn't work well (it was again a pretty windy day at 20mph) - ran it for 15 minutes at medium throttle, turned it off, started again and repeated that cycle a few times - I checked the hoses (did not see any leaks) and wires - it seemed good so I then got it up on plane and took it on a longer run - there was a very slight hesitation at about 3500rpm, yet it was very slight, and then it ran well - It was the first time out and I certainly will check everything again and keep and eye on things when I take it out again tomorrow - Thank you again for all of your time/knowledge/expertise ----- Yes, your friend needs to listen to you !

Hello @Way2slow @WRB Update - 08/9/24 My journey with the motor has continued - yet I took your advice and looked at the symptoms (collapsing primer bulb was not happening - took someone on the boat with me to pump the bulb to see if it would help - ect...) - and in the end I narrowed it down to the VRO pump (I have only had the boat a short period of time so I don't know the history of the engine/VRO pump yet at 32 years old all indications were that the pump was failing) - getting the parts was not as straight forward as I thought it would be (given your thoughts on it I sought out and bought a Johnson/Evinrude fuel pump and as many Johnson/Evinrude parts as I could -- more expensive than aftermarket yet it is too important to skimp on) -- I bought all new fuel lines -- the most difficult piece to source was the manifold (the VRO manifold is oriented differently than what is needed for the fuel pump) as it seems that specific manifold was discontinued years ago, yet I was able to source one from a salvage yard -- I also purchased new throttle/carb rollers as those were worn/broken ----- and with the help of many YouTube videos/the Johnson/Evinrude manual and may favorite music motivating me -- I took out the VRO, replaced it with the new fuel pump, all new fuel lines, new rollers, new fuel filter, filled the tank with gas (so I know it has 20 gallons in it) and added the appropriate amount of oil and I am sure I am missing some things -- it was many hours, I made mistakes/had to re-do things, I learned a ton, I built confidence and the motor is now up and running -- I had it on the water only about 15 minutes yesterday (winds were 25 mph plus) -- and it started/idled/accelerated -- this afternoon I will look to give it more of a run on the water (yet I will have my batteries charged and trolling motor ready if needed) ----- thank you again for providing me with information/sharing your knowledge and expertise !

Hello @Way2slow -Thank you for the information and advice -- I will go to Harbor Freight and purchase the vacuum/pressure gauge and give it a try -- yes, excellent advice to take the trouble shooting one step at a time vs. guessing (which I have been doing) -- parts for a 1992 engine can be harder to find and expensive. I will update once I purchase the gauge and check things -- yes, I have read that the pulse valve can go bad (and it seems might push too much oil into the system ?). Thank you !

Hello @Way2slow @WRB Thank you for the excellent information. Yes, I have been guilty of the shotgun approach.... Next week I will have a chance to have someone come out on the boat with me so they can pump the bulb -- and I will also bring a remote tank with a few gallons of gas in it so we can try that as well to see if it makes any difference if the gas is coming from the built in tank or the remote tank. I did look into a new VRO pump set-up ($700) and a similar "gas only" pump ($693). Pricey. I will look into Carter Vein pump -- thank you for the link. I did not know about the anti-syphon valve - so I will take a look at that as well. It makes sense that it could be the anti-syphon value/ball getting stuck/malfunctioning -- because I can accelerate, start to get up on plane and then the engine bogs out (maybe I am using the wrong term, the engine just stops, it does not sputter or surge or buck) it just stops, as if the gas supply has been cut off -- I timed this multiple times and it is happening between 10 and 12 seconds of acceleration, consistently in that window of time. Ok -- I am going to take one step at a time. Thank you !

Hello @Way2slow @WRB @Woody B Update as of 07/24/24 -I had a few life events take place that I had to prioritize so the boat fixes got put on hold - yet the past few days I have been able to get back to it. --I watched a number of videos/read the manual and have "linked and synched" the carbs -- I did it with the engine in the lake (I used the trolling motor to get about 100 yards from the dock so I didn't interfere with people loading/unloading) -- I don't think it is perfect YET, but I will continue to work on it -- what I found is that the roller pin on the upper carb arm is worn down and the cam roller (I believe that is what it is called) is also worn down -- so I have ordered those (thru MarineEngine.com) and will look to put them on when they arrive --To this point it appears the water pump repair is working and the pump is doing it's job -- the engine pees water much better than it did prior to the fix -- but only time will tell how long it will keep working -- thank you again for all of your expertise in supporting me in making that repair ! ---A new issue has come up -- and if you have any thoughts on it I am open to hearing them ---when I accelerate/throttle up -- the engine responds and I get up on plane -- and then the engine bogs out (almost as if the fuel has been shut off -- it does not sputter/surge/buck -- the engine just stops) -- oddly the VRO alarm goes off AFTER the engine has already bogged out/stopped ----I have done the following: -new fuel line/bulb/connector (from the inboard tank/external nipple to the engine) -- new fuel filter -- I have checked the VRO tank (seems fine) -- checked the VRO bulb (rock hard) and the VRO connections (all seem good) Thank you again for all of your time/expertise !

The Hook Up Tackle has a BOGO sale (on certain items, you can click on the link on their website home page) for the next 48 hours -- They also have a 25% Off 4th of July Sale (not sure when that ends)