Cael B

I bought my first boat this summer. It’s a 1995 Alweld 17 foot Jon Boat with a 95’ 70HP Yamaha 2 Stroke Engine. I live in North Arkansas. We have very mixed weather, with little to no snow but we still have a relatively cold winter. I plan on fishing this winter a decent amount. At least twice a month. What steps can I take to protect my boat. I can’t fully winterize it. But I don’t want any problems, ESPECIALLY with my engine. Any and all advice is appreciated.

Would it be crazy to use my Medium Heavy Ugly Stik Cat Combo for froggin and fishing. I a lot of overgrown areas I can fish from the bank and I know they say get a heavy Bass rod and an 8:1 Baitcasting reel and the works. But could this be a solid setup for your everyday budget fisherman? 50-65 lbs braid on it.

I want a rod and reel that I can leave 65 lbs braid on and fish frogs and punch with Strike King rage bugs. I bought a 7.2:1 (I know an 8:1 would be better for getting the fish out quick, but if I can get by with what I already have I will. Kast King Royale Legend II Baitcasting reel a while back and haven't used it. It holds 40-65 lbs braid. When I go on Bass Pro, I type in the filter "Heavy" "1 Piece" and 14-65lbs braid," when looking for a casting rod. Lew's and St. Croix have rods from $120 to about $200. The Lew's LFS rod, St. Croix Bass X, St. Croix Black Bass, Team Lew's Signature, etc. I fish heavy vegetation ponds, and I bank fish some lakes with nice, thick lily pad and stalks of aquatic vegetation growing. Will a $120 St. Croix Bass X and my Kast King reel take care of me? Thank you.

What frogs would you suggest for your basic bank fisherman who fishes ponds and small lakes? I fish in North Central Arkansas. Right now I have a booyah popping frog in black and a natural brown color with white belly (I know top color doesn't matter since the fish mainly sees the bottom, but I still wanted a natural looking frog vs bone white), and I have the same natural color in booyah pad crasher meant for "walking the dog." They are all 1/2 oz, 2 1/4 inch frogs, and I cut about an inch off of the tail. I'll get one walking frog in black but I'm really focusing on getting popping down right now. When I threw my poppin frogs today on a small lake near me I got 8 straight bites in like a 30-minute span with no hookups. I waited a moment after the blowup each time to help the fish get the lure but still didn't get a hookup. Should I buy one of those 1 and a half inch frogs for when smaller bass bite (1-2 lbs)? I also tried fishing some heavy padded areas and would get hung up from time to time. Should I get a heavy frog like the Scum Frog Trophy frog? Am I overthinking it? I'm a simple angler at the end of the day. I don't want all the bells and whistles. I just want what I need. And I would really appreciate yall's thoughts.

I already have a Pflueger President in size 3000 that I love, but I want a spin reel that will hold 12 lbs line. The Daiwa is a bit cheaper, and I have heard great anything Daiwa. Thoughts?

What size line can handle basic bass fishing? I have 8 lbs mono on my reel. I know you probably need heavier line for frogging and other topwaters. Speaking of which. What size line should I use for basic topwater like plugs, poppers, and buzzbaits? Do I have to run 50+ braid of frogs if cover isn't awful. I only want to use mono on this setup. I currently have 8 lbs mono on my Pfleuger President reel. I probably should have gotten a bigger reel.

What bass fishing lures would ya'll say are most essential for a bass angler to master. I'm thinking jigs, cranks, jerkbaits, soft plastics (like worms, craws, flukes, paddle tail swimbaits), spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, topwaters (plugs, frogs, poppers, whopper ploppers). But I'm not the most avid angler, so I would like yall's opinion.

What are the key factors to becoming a strong bass angler in your opinion?

I have a 6'6'' medium spinning Ugly Stik with a size 3000 Pflueger President spinning reel with 12 lbs fluorocarbon. I also have a Abu Garcia Max X Baitcast Combo with 15 lbs mono. I have spinnerbaits, crankbaits, a single buzzbait, jigs, a whopper plopper, a frog, some small poppers, crankbaits (small and regular sized) squarebills and medium divers, some big and small jerkbaits, plenty of softplastics (5'' inch worms, 4-5 inch swimbaits, 3-4 inch flukes). I also have a trout/panfish rod that I can throw all my little inline spinners, and spoons, and small swimbaits, etc. I know you want a strong rod with 50+ lbs of braid for froggin but i really won't be doing that much. Can I realistically fish solidly for bass with those two first rods and reel combos I've mentioned. I can use my mono baitcaster for my topwater and other lures (I know fluoro is better for cranks and such but mono can still do it if I'm not mistaken). I can use my spinning setup for finnesse, cranks, or whatever beside topwater. What do ya'll think? I'm a low maintenance guy. I'm not gonna go try to become a tournament fisherman. I plan on using worms on the river, and small creeks in the Ozarks where I live. I plan on doing catfishing out the white river. I plan on going on small creek fishing adventures. I've got other rods and reels for that. Point is, I'm no big shot fisherman. I just want to know that what I am using WILL DO THE JOB. Thank you.

I have a simple spinning setup that I plan to throw texas rigs, spinnerbaits, cranks and jerks, chatterbaits, jigs, and some lighter topwater lures on. I put 20 lbs braided mainline on it. I decided beforehand that braid to a fluoro leader would be great but now I'm having second thoughts. I wanted braid for it's castability and I knew I could switch around mono and fluoro leaders with ease due to its strength. But now I'm about whether or not this was a good idea due to the braids visibility. I don't fish in the clearest water ever but it's not really dirty. If I tie a 1-2 foot leader I am afraid I will lose potential strikes. and I am afraid that if I go to about 6 foot (to keep the knot out of the reel) fish will still see the braid and avoid my lures. Any tips or knowledgable points backed by experience would be much appreciated.

I use a Medium 6'6 Ugly Stik spinning combo. I know it's not the greatest. but I am able to catch bass on it out of ponds using inline spinners, Texas rig senkos, crankbaits, and jerkbaits so far. I got some new lures to try as well. I just really want a MH I can put braid (and mono leaders as needed) for poppers, walking baits, frogs, and whopper ploppers.

I really only need this rod for small ponds. I am just a new angler who does his work from the bank. I want a topwater setup and it doesn't need to be the best, it just needs to catch fish in a pond. I was thinking about doing the ugly stik 7'3'' Medium Heavy carbon baitcasting combo (or just getting the rod and buying a $40-$60 reel) and using the 50 lbs braid I already have for catfishing, as well as 15 lbs mono leaders as needed. This will cost me about $150 dollars in all. What are yall's thoughts. I want to be able to pull a bass out of cover obviously but listen, at the end of the day, I am not an elite angler and I'm not rich. I've already spent too much on gear and I just want something that'll get er done in the pond. If ya'll have a better rod reel combo that is $150 dollars (or less preferably!) please let me know. But my main question is will a setup like this get it done with frogs, whopper ploppers, poppers, walking baits, etc.

So if I stepped up my power to a medium, do you think I could throw my general crankbait size and go up to frogs without any issues. I can cut out the small spinners, I already have a rod that can fish those type of lures. My real concern is will braid to a mono leader sink my topwaters because of the braid? Or is the leader enough to get the job done?

I chose a medium light rod by the way because it has the versatility to throw bigger lures like crankbaits and frogs, but can still throw a small inline spinner type of lure.

I am generally new to fishing but I had an idea that I would like some thoughts on. You take a medium light rod (spinning or baitcaster) and you put on a simple braided line (around 15 lb braid), but you can attach any leader necessary. 6 lb fluoro or less for your trout. 10-12 for bass. etc. I realize you may need a stronger rod or heavier line for different scenarios like pulling bass out of heavy cover or catfishing, etc. But I'm just talking about a general use setup. with this setup can you still fish topwaters with a mono leader and not have the action messed up from sinking line since the mono will float well? and then switch another day to a fluoro leader for some trout or fishing a crankbait? My main concern is the action of my lures being negatively affected. Another positive I can think of would be the castability of the braid whilst keeping the benefits of the other lines. And at the end of the day if I just want to run straight braid I can do so. Maybe a heavier braid would be even better for rough situations and I can tie a double uni knot for some more braid or simply use the leaders. What are yall's thoughts?