WRB-2.0

Sundown syndrome. Tom

The ABU Swiss mfd Cardinal rear drag was one of the most reliable spinning reels made. Daiwa TD SS 1300 & 1600 rear drag spinning reels changed long casting with the longer spool spinning reel use today. Daiwa TD SS reels are bullet proof is looking for durably, no long in production. Tom

I use line in the .011 to .013 diameter for all my jig fishing in FC Line, primarily 12 lb Tatsu FC. Tom

The simple solution is don’t allow FFS during tournament practice, that will level the field fast! Tom

Telescoping pole lure retriever. Tom

It is used as a standard to establish size. The ball is clipped to the jaw and hangs straight down. Tom

The fish profile doesn’t factor in girth. Without girth the formula can only use an average for girth example 75% of the length, not accurate enough to replace a scale. Tom

Your Calcutta 200 is a good swim bait reel that can also be a good crank bait reel. Suggest considering getting a rod for that Calcutta reel; Irod IRG 754F gen 3 is 7’5” frog rod 1/2-2 oz lures that is very universal for deep diving crank baits, frogs, swim baits etc. Lews reel on the Shimano rod and new reel on the Lews rod. Tom

You do good work! Very functional and balanced. If the OP looks closely the front seat is located where the boat side are straight and wide apart. You don’t want to stand to fish any closer to the bow! Tom PS, PM Kieth Way2Slow for help with Evinrude engine!

IMO the bass that strike quickly are active bass looking for prey and your lure looks like prey. If the bass is a few feet away it takes time for the bass to get to the lure. I have had bass nearly jump in my boat lifting the lure out of the water. Your lure can hit the bass on the nose without any reaction if it’s inactive. You canoe maybe quite but it is displacing water and the basses lateral line feels those pressure waves just isn’t alarmed by them, visually it’s part of the background environment. Tom

What lure do you have the most fun using is the theme of this thread. Tom

Not to be a critic but the spool looks under filled… Tom

Very few deep diving crank baits can reach maximum advertised depth by casting and retrieving. Trolling is another story most crank baits will run close the depth range stated. You can run a deep diver just under the surface like a wake bait or bottom bumping and anywhere in between. Our late mentor Catt would remind us of Paul Elias Neelin n Reelin! Tom

Mention before when a fishing partner tries casting my rod-reel they backlash it badly because I didn’t use brakes. Today’s reels however have different braking systems in lieu of the old centrifugal brakes and can be fine tuned for distance still minimizing braking. I learned to cast reeks without brakes so easy for to cast long distance over 50 yards with 70 years of practice. The one thing I will add is eye dominance, you will never be accurate unless you know your eye dominance because the target may not be where you see it. Excellent video that everyone should look at and learn! Lastly Glenn’s statement about casting is in the wrist is spot on!👍 Tom

Aluminum is less maintenance don’t need to wipe down, you can put aluminum away wet. Heat not an issue with either if the color doesn’t get hot from the sun. Your feet come in contact with carpet or some type of decking, keep it light grey and good to go. It comes down to cost and cost to own. Bass boats have engines that require batteries and electronics regardless of the hull material. I owned both at the same time and used my aluminum boat with small out board engine where my glass bass boat couldn’t go. You have a kayak for smaller waters so I suggest a glass bass boat within your budget. Simply wipe it down before going home and it will last a very long time garaged. Tom

This thread was about fun lures to fish not your favorite lures. My favorite hands down is a hair jig n pig ( real pig). Nothing fun about sitting in wind and rain fishing for days without a strike….but it’s my favorite because of the rush when a strike does occur knowing it is a big bass or possibly a record size bass. Tom

The original J11 Broken back Rapala maybe the best lure made for pond bass. Tom

Lifetime makes a deep cycle LiFePo4 marine battery safe rom exploding.If you have a LiFeP04 your OK. Tom.

Your best bet is fish with a friend / neighbor willing to take you out. Another option is start seeding / chum around the dock. Suggest buying meat worms and night crawlers and chumming those a few times a week, plus canned dog food. In a week or so fish will be drawn to the dock and fishing with unweighted tail hooked night crawlers should get results. When the fish return a unweighted 5” wacky rigged Senko should also work in lieu of the night crawlers. Good luck, we will all 🙏 for you. Tom

What TM are you using and how are the current batteries performing?? Not familiar with your on board charger? Does it have a AGM setting? Tom

Had to sell my 70 TW SV reel because the full spool interfered with my rod reel seat! Removed about 20 yards of the to cast without the line hitting the reel seat. The spool is very narrow compared to the Shimano SLX 70 MGL and issues with this reel. Tom

wooden (balsa) Sammy 100 is fun to work it’s sooo lively unbelievable action and catch lots of bass. Tom

FYI There is a 2004 TR-175 w/115 optimal ( 193 hrs) for sale $9K in FL, great deal and boat looks is good condition. Tom

Triton TR 175 ( older model 17.5’ ) with 115 Optima and trailer loaded weighs less then 2,200 lbs. The replacement for this boat is the TR179 18.5’ w/ 115 4 stroke with trailer loaded weighs 2,600 lbs. There are good fiberglass boats that handle rough water well near or within your vehicle towing specs. I owned several bass boats over the years and the TR 175 w/115 had lots of tackle storage rods to 8’ long wonderful smaller bass boat. Tom

Don Iovino book Finesse Bass Fishing and the Sonar Connection. You have a boat ( sort of) and learning the basics of sonar is helpful. Finesse bass fishing is also helpful. Easy read paperback. I believe the video’s and articles in the BR site is a better resource for you. Tom