WRB-2.0

Derek who? It’s time to know when to fold them. Tom

If you have access to the battery terminals check the battery with a load tester to determine its health. Key fobsI change the coin battery every year. Tom PS, Habor Freight has a good battery load tester.

For Roboworms or finesse worms I use Owner # 5133 size 1/0 or 2/0 down shot hook, light and very strong when weedless hooking drop shot and slip shot rigs. Tom

Top water prop lure like a Whooper Plopper you cast and retrieve without a lot of rod action. As long as you can effectively cast the lure no reason your combo wouldn’t work well. With braid set the drag about 3 lbs so the treble hooks don’t tear out. Tom

To put this into perspective the original reels with a flipping switch didn’t have instant AR bearing, it was a dog and gear requiring the reel handle to turn to engage. Todays reels have instant AR when you bump the reel handle don’t a 1/4 turn anymore. Tom

The Heli Coil 1/4-20 insert OD is .291 so use .291 use letter L drill and thin wall 1/4-20 stainless steel insert. The coating is needed to form a barrier between the aluminum and SST insert to prevent corrosion not strength. Depth of hole needs to be determined before you start based on original bolt length and thread insert. You don’t want to drill any deeper the original hole. You may want to practice on a piece of aluminum before working on the lower unit. Tom

Line counter works for the backing so fill the same amount on each reel to create a shallow spool. Spool the small diameter to the level you like by counting reel handle turns is close enough to determine yards needed to divide filler spools. Tom

I fish my 7/16 oz buck tail hair jigs year around. If the bass want something falling slower or smaller I down to 1/4 oz with 2” - 2 1/2” trailers. It’s easier to work lighter jigs in cover than heavy jigs because they snag less often. My 2 favorite 1/4 jigs are Skinny Bear Pro series and lefty’s Puff ball living rubber. When? Year around! Tom

Skinny Bear jigs have been popular for decades out west. I don’t consider a 1/4 bass jig being tiny. Turner Jones 1/64 oz micro jig is tiny. Tom

Walleye and LMB/SMB generally don’t share the same locations and spawn earlier when water temps in the mid 40’s or 20 degrees before bass. Bass are not egg eaters, fry yes. Can’t imagine the DNR managing a lake by letting anglers do their job. Tom

I am only 80 and didn’t start bass fishing until early 50’s or 25 years after the photo was taken. Excellent photo 👍. Boats when I was a youngster were wooden including the rental boats at the landings where I lived. Aluminum boats were not common until about the 60’s replacing the wooden row boats of my youth. The old 1920/1930 OB’s were very noisy, heavy and maybe 5 hp. Still around back in the 50’s until being replaced by the more modern recoil rope start engines with under water exhaust still a 25 hp OB was rare until the late 50’s when aluminum boats became popular. HP and boats evolved very fast in the 60’s. I grew up casting a knuckle buster Langley reel Dacron line and tubular glass rod. All that changed in the early 60’s with ABU Ambassador reels and mono line. I enjoyed the evolution of bass boats and electronics and don’t miss rowing a heavy wooden boat and the antique tackle. Remote wilderness areas still exist you just need to seek them out, can’t drive and go fishing unless you live in a wilderness area. Good memories, thank you for posting the photo. Tom

Wow a bass of a lifetime👍 Tom

This thread is long in the tooth now and the OP probably moved on. I cautioning anyone looking at Google Sat seeing lakes in SoCal suggesting they are open to the public, most are not. The MWD water storage system owns several nice lakes closed to entry. These lakes are water storage reservoirs serving local cites a few are privately owned. I know of no lakes in the Santa Monica mountains open to the public including lakes Sherwood and West Lake. As noted Western Outdoor News is weekly published with a listing of all SoCal lakes fishing reports is a good resource. Tom

I give credit to the late Dick Trask who was an expert catching deeper suspended bass using a dart head jig/worm presentation. Tom

Mend It soft plastic glue

4 Rushmore bass pro goats; Rick Clunn KVD Roland Martin Larry Nixon None of the above had a direct influence on my bass fishing. Jig anglers would be Hackney and Bauer. Tom

Can’t think of 4 major influencers who helped me regarding bass fishing. Jason Lucas was my mentor via Sports Afield magazine and he became my pen pal suggesting rod and reel to use. Jerry “Red” Cowan Pleasure Point boat landing manager took the time to teach me how to cast, tie knots and bass fish using a Hawaiian Wiggler #3 weedless spoon. Didn’t have any other adults that had the time to mentor me as a pre teen. Observing other anglers bass fish and trial & error was how I learned, too shy to ask questions. 70 years later still learning, love this sport! Tom

When I had my own boat with lots of rod/reel combo’s I may have tied on a clip to the crank bait rod and rigged spinning rod with slip and drop shot the night before. Mostly I would string the rods with a loop at the end attached to the reel handle ready to rig when fun fishing. My habit was to launch the boat and let the current realtime conditions guide my lure choices. I trust fresh knots more than knots tied hours before. Tournament fishing I have a good idea what going on before rigging and re-tie every pre rigged outfit before using it, again fresh knots. Tom

Spro Micro swivel. Tom

Largemouth try Lake Fork Taxidermy. Tom

Try calling 562/375.6800 and ask Daiwa US. Tom

No free launching or use public lakes in SoCal. Pay entry for vehicle and boat. Annual fee’s are available, daily use avg about $25 vehicle and boat. Tom

Just keep a 6” wooden dowel to wrap the line around like a handle to break braid or pull the lure free. Tom

How I managed to survive my youth is a mystery. It stared with a ladder fell on me at age 3 scalping my skin off the back of my head still have a 5” scar. I was a diver and gymnasts in high school. Practice a dive someone jumped into the water while I was in the air and hit him knocking out. I remember laying on the pool bottom looking up when the light went out. The life guard saved me woke up covered with a blanket people standing looking at me. I loved to race everything from boats, cars, motorcycles etc. few high speed accidents that managed to survive. Deer hunting we would use army pack frame to carry out the dressed deer tied to the pack board. I was carry out a deer when hearing bullets buzzing passed me. Realizing some ass was shooting at me when a bullet hit the frame knocking me down. I thought of shooting back but couldn't locate the shooter. Last time I deer hunted! When I was in high school a few friends decided to hike up to Mt Luken’s. I was at the rear when the trail going up a cliff broke away and fell into a pine top breaking branch’s until hitting the rocky ground knocking me out. Back then we didn’t have phones so my friends carried me out and to the hospital. Brushed brain but no bleed and chipped the tail bone other than that was OK. Last year I fell off a 8’ ladder last in our 14’ high entry, birds in the nest flew into my face and stepped back falling. Managed to turn to land face and chest down knocking me out. I woke up in the ER and lucky to have my gymnastic skills. Tom

Fill it with 25# Berkley Big Game mono, Dropper rig with 2 iz sinker baited with shrimp or fresh fish chunk. Be aware that rays and sharks are nocturnal so make sure your rod is secured, Tom