MontanaBasser

Is the whole lower unit supposed to be underwater? I have a deep V and if my engine was that close to the waterline it'd mean I was sinking. But, Suzuki does make a nice engine. I've heard they're as reliable as the OG Mariners and a much better value than the Merc that came on my boat.

Are the dams on opposite sides of the reservoirs? The dam side is the deep side and all that extra water acts like a heat sink. The ratio between energy added and temperature gained is fixed(4.184j/kg/degree c). But, surface area plays a large part in the rate at which energy can be gained or lost. So more surface area relative to volume means faster to heat and cool. Finally, I'm guessing the reservoir in Texas was an earthen embankment with a relatively long and low dam face. The Idaho dam on the other hand is probably concrete arch or concrete gravity plug. It likely has a much shorter and taller dam face. So, my guess is the dams are on different sides of the water bodies and the water bodies are classic upland vs lowland reservoirs. Texas's big wide flat water body can gain and lose heat faster than the narrow deep water body in Idaho.

Cute!

It's cheap and probably not as permanent as you'd like, but the collapsible grocery box things like this are roughly the same dimensions as a 3700. I stack 3700s vertically in them and label the ends of the trays. When they are full, you can stack them.

Not a chance in hell. A rod shipping tube is not a standard mail tube. The side walls are double or more thicker than a standard Uline tube. I couldn't even find a comparable product on uline.com. I'll reach out to my wholesale suppliers tomorrow but I bet an 8' rod tube with caps @ wholesale volume is at least 4$/tube. But, the real killer and reason everyone hates shipping rods recently is the oversized package surcharges. UPS and FE used to be fairly lax about oversized items. Even items that were significantly larger than the stated max would be hauled all the time. If it was feasible, they'd charge you the max rate plus a $50 penalty and call it a day. The explosion of online shopping around COVID put an end to that. Too many people were trying to buy giant **** and drivers started to get hurt. So, a few rounds of UPS contract negotiations back, the teamsters and big brown agreed to change the max dimensional inches from 165 to 130. They also increased the top tier oversized surcharge to $200 minimum per package. Tl;dr: even with a $40 upcharge the retailers are likely spending more than that. Source: I'm like Thor but instead of a hammer, it's a tape gun.

Sure, some are and others aren't. Either way, I can disagree with someone on something without hating them. Hate is a very extreme position that no one should arrive at lightly. I can count the things I truly hate on one hand and none of them are people. I, like a lot of others in this thread, think that the way BASS uses polygraphs is ridiculous. I also think the major sponsors have too much sway and that all the money is having a negative impact on the sport. I know it may seem crazy, but I can do all that and still actually like people.

No. And I don't know how you would reach that conclusion from what I said.

I stand by what I said. There are other creative ways to make professional bass fishing feel competitive and compelling. They have done none of it. They try to please everyone and in doing so, fail to please anyone. It's not like the issues facing BASS are unique. Every professional sport has to deal with cheating and the influence of money on the game. A salary/spending cap would go a long way. Or, some version of motorsport style homologation maybe. They're failing at being the arbiter of the sport and that's their first responsibility.

Every time I see a headline about a polygraph at a BASS event I just shake my head. What an embarrassment of an organization.

Ethanol free is $4.69 a gallon in my neck of the woods. You're a mechanic so you know how much those little engines like E10 and they're talking about flexing to E15 do to the cluster in the middle east. I know you like wrenching, but probably not when you're supposed to be fishing. I know which way I'd go.

I bought a Newport Marine transom mount trolling motor for a kayak build a few years ago. It is a nice unit at a nice price.

The ponds I fish have more rainbows and panfish than bass. I try to fish things that will appeal to all.

Are there others on here running a Merc Verado? I have a 250 that's pretty new to me but so far I love it. The AMS mount is amazing. The boat is so quiet and vibration free. Do you run 87 octane E10? I started to at the end of last season. I still put in a fuel stabilizer/ethanol shield with every tank though. Have you figured out where your efficiency peak is? Do you use the NEMA2000 connection? What prop are you using? I have the Vensura which came on it and I'm very happy. I could probably go faster with a 3 blade, but with an aluminum hull, I worry that I'd break free in turns with a 3 blade.

You and I must fish different ponds. If I threw baits that big, I'd scare away most of the fish in my ponds. Yes, there are some bass that would hit a full sized lure, but the rest of the fish in the pond won't. It's rare that I'm throwing anything heavier that 3/16.

If there's a silver lining to the heat wave we have been having in the West, it's the fishing. Everything is open and warm enough that the fish are active. I might try to put the boat in soon, but I pulled a trout and a bass out in short order on Wednesday -- both on a finesse T-rig.

Northland jig heads are B2G1 at FishUS I know a lot of you like the smeltinator jig heads.

I personally don't always apply "tool rule" to my fishing equipment because so often it's about the whole aesthetic experience for me. But, at work and when trying something new I will. It says you start by purchasing the cheapest tool that gets the job done and use it until it breaks. If it never breaks then you spend the least amount possible. If it does break, you've proved to yourself that you will use the replacement enough to warrant the extra spend. Obviously it's just a guideline, but if it's a technique/species that you're in love with, keep the nice stuff. If you want to maintain the ability to fish a particular way, but only do it once in a while, keep a cheap/mid tier setup. And, if you bought it thinking you'd use it but more than year has passed and you haven't, sell it.

I agree. I I've seen rigging diagrams for surf casting 3 way rigs and it sounds like snarle city to me. I think they may be using a thick enough line to avoid it. Even when trolling I have to be careful to let out line slowly or your bait can foul. You don't see the ability to back reel on many spinning reels these days, but one of the OG uses of the back reel function on a spinning reel was for letting out trolling line.

After watching lots of underwater footage, this isn't something I worry about anymore. From what I've seen, the bass REALLY want to strike the head of the bait -- especially if it's a larger moving bait. It makes sense if you think about it. I've seen bass on the surface with a bluegill stuck in its mouth. They're risking a lot when they go after a big meal.

We troll them. As in two lines per angler out the back of the boat. Lots of guys have switched to doing this with their trolling motor but historically people would have a smaller outboard kicker they would use. The real trick is getting your bait at the right depth. The guys who get really into it will have computer controlled down riggers, planer boards, dipsy divers, bottom bouncers and more to put the baits in different parts of the water column. I only troll a little so all that stuff is too much for me. I use the guideline of 1oz@1mph=10 ft.

The quick clip goes on your line above your bait. Then you clip your DS weight to the clip.

I've never been able to round the eye without feeling like I've compromised the metal. I have used a split ring before. What I prefer is something like the Great Lakes finesse quick shot clip and leaving the line tie alone.

Do you think the scientist is a bass fisherman? https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/crawfish-micro-ct-scan

But then I wouldn't get to talk to you. This site is the only social media I allow myself. It was a kind of rough weekend so I'm placating myself a bit. Have you ever heard the expression "if you're the smartest person in the room, you're in the wrong room"? It also applies in this situation. I want to learn from the members here and sometimes these little questions open into a larger discussion. Finally... I was also hoping it would lead to a conversation where someone would send me a few feet. I don't really want 300yds of big game saltwater mono.

Scheels is having a "Spring Classic" fishing sale to compete with BPS. Great deals on all Scheels brand rods, reels, combos, and lures. MAP priced rods have a gift certificate attached. Last gen reels have some bargains if you hunt. And there's 20% off of a lot of other merchandise. I have 3 Scheels brand rods and they're all good relative to their price point. The Scheels/Daiwa spinning reel is a dressed up Fuego at below Fuego price. I have one and and it's a great reel. It's feel is not as floaty/finessey as a Stratic or an Okuma X-series, but more on the power side. Butter smooth and feels very competent on larger fish.