WRB-2.0

Consider changing the post title or starting a new thread on how to modify my Z17. FYI the Bob Cat holds 8’ rods and wired the way you want the Z17..... Tom

Zel Rowland modified the original Pop-R so the lure would spit more and could be worked faster to replicate panicked bait fish, his lures are still available. The Japanese redesigned the Pop-R improving Zel’s modified lures. The 1st of the Japanese lures was the Micheal with others to follow. Rick Clunn signature Rico, Iovino’s Splash-it, etc. Megabass came out with a realistic bait fish looking popper with open mouth that had open gills, really cool looking lure in the early 90’s. The problem was the lure was fragile but caught lots bass until a striper ate it destroying the lure. Tom

Blue moon on the horizon? Tom

Top water bite is usually better at dusk before darkness. It take bass about an hour to adjust to darkness, after that it’s usually a jig or worm bite for me. Tom

The hot 6” Trash Fish Hitch bite has slowed down but it’s still very good bass fishing at Clear Lake. Tom

Shimano Vamford 2500 is $178 used on Didiraka. Convert Canadian dollar to Yen: 26,000 Yen. Tom

The size 3000 wasn’t listed but serveral Asian Sites have excellent reputations and 50% less isn’t that unusual, plus very fast delivery. Check them out, very popular. Tom

No reason to remove the barb on Owner Light Mutu or Gamakatsu Light Octopus circle hooks. The hook ends up in the corner of the fish mouth and easy to remove with the small barb that helps keep the hook in place. Longer shank Weedless worm hooks flattening or removing the barb does help in hook removal. The down side is the hook can penetrate deeper into organs with fatal results; tongue bleeds out the bass quickly and Brain is more obvious. Tom

Iovino Splash-It Owner hooks and chicken feathers both 1/4 & 3/8 oz work for me. Tom

Wag wild arash guess only thread. Most lakes over the Holiday weekend will be trashed by lake lice boaters and wakes. Apparently the OP knows the thermocline is around 10’ and like green. I wouldn’t try to guess without knowing more about the lake, the clarity and temperature or without surveying the marina to determine the life zone/ thermocline and depth the bait and bass are at. Greenish color water my go to color is purple like MMIII or black grape with purple neon soft plastics. Shad color top water or white frogs if weed mats are available. Probability focus on deeper weed edges and mud line points, back of any creeks with running water. Tom

Wash in warm water using Simple Green, rinse and dry. Tom

Take a look at the Found Lure thread in this forum. Tom

Is the motor still under warranty? The shim sleeve needs to be replaced. Tom

Spectra fibers does not break down from age, wear yes. Tom

The issue isn’t rust, it’s the copper under strike showing through the bright nickel plating. Buffing will only make it worse by removing more plating. Rinse in 1 part white vinegar to 1 part warm water. Try rubbing with aluminum foil to brighten what nickel remains. Tom

Easier to list the disadvantage of FC line in general. 1. lower knot strength vs mono- copoly line. Leader requires 2 knots, lower knot strength x 2. Advantage FC is heavier then mono- copoly line and sinks, less bow in the line. FC has the same light refraction as water making it harder for fish to see line the same diameters. Stretch is very similar between FC, mono and copoly lines of = diameter, not a factor. Tom

Earth worm and Red worms are too small and attract pan fish. Canadian Night Crawlers medium size are between 4” to 5” and 1/4” in diameter, large size run between 6” to 7” and 3/8” diameter. These are the live “worms” I am discussing. The medium use size 4 # Gamakatsu or Owner light Circle Hook, the larger size 2# circle hook. You can split shot rig night crawlers and tail hook or wacky hook. I prefer fly line with no weight on 6 to 8 lb mono line to slow the sink rate and stay off the bottom to reduce snags. Haven’t fished night crawlers in decades but they are very effective. The circle hook reduces gut hooking. Tom

Lake Havasu on the Colorado River is a good example of preferred habitats between Largemouth and Smallmouth bass. Havasu is a Canyon lake and the lower 3/4 of the lake is steep rocky walls with a few shallow bays with reeds. The upper 1/4 is shallow with sand bars and flats covered with reeds. Very few Smallmouth bass are caught in the upper 1/4 of Havasu, they dominate the lower 3/4’s. A few LMB are caught in the lower 3/4’s around reed cover. I believe this behavior repeats around the county where both Smallmouth and LMB exist. When lake like our local lakes are deep rocky structure with sparse cove we catch both Smallmouth and LMB in the same locations on the same finesse lures and presentations. The difference I can single out is Smallmouth usually prefer brighter colors but not always. Tom

Now you are into finesse C-rig and jig. Same reel will be OK just don’t need the extra line capacity. What is the custom rod specs? Tom

Surfing the boat onto the trailer is an E ticket?

Back in the day draw partners had the option to operate the front of the boat as if you were the owner half the fishing hours. We used a coin toss to determine who got the 1st half of the day. The other rule was 1/2 the circle from the driver seat 180 degrees belonged to the front seater operating the boat. The back seater had the second 1/2 circle to the rear. You could cast forward if the front seater agreed. May need to revise the rules or fish a different circuit otherwise you are simply observing not competitive fishing. Tom

Do you recall the color of the book cover? Was the book on bass fishing? or General fishing? Lots of books published in the 50’s To early 60’s and have most of them. Red Cover could be Lucas on Bass by Jason Lucas for example. Tom

My average casting distance with 7/16 oz jig is 40 yards. Occasional a 50 yard cast is needed to reach the bass. The skill needed to make long casts under fishing conditions take a lot of practice and balanced rod, reel and line. My jig rod is a 6’10” MH+F not ideal for casting 50 yards but the reels are tuned with zero breaking and using both FC or Nylon mono .012D; 12# Tatsu FC and 13# Defier Mono. Mono is generally easier line to cast long distances. The other option to increase line capacity is using braid, good for traditional C-rigs; line floats and cuts though grass/weeds. I reel set with rod sweep so the rod length isn’t as important as the reels IPT. Tom PS Zillion HD 8:1, line capacity and high IPT.

You will ever know the difference where the production soft plastics are made, same brand and packaging. The Southern Plastics employees who lost their jobs will know. Tom

The world of fishing knots when it comes to Fluorocarbon line is amazing and growing daily. The simple blood knot joins all sizes and types of line together and been around for decades. Like all knot the blood knot needs to be tied correctly. Another old timer that works good is the Lefty Kreh leader knot, now called the Seaguar knot. Alberto, Albright, are similar and can be tied on the water. Double Uni knot is popular simple to tie. I can’t tie the FG knot on the water so will not use any knot that can’t be tied correctly while fishing. Go online and watch the videos step by step and practice. Tom