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It was my last cast tonight from the bank, 30 minutes past sunset. She was 6.4 pounds, nailed via my trusty blue-back Rage Menace grub, Texas-rigged on a 4-0 EWG with an unpegged 1/8 bullet weight. Yahoo!

Antares DC with the Diablo Spec-R

Hey it floats! Almost a week and I finally got it out on the water. I'm following the break-in instructions for the engine, so I couldn't open it up. I got the first hour out of the way. I went to a local lake with a speed limit of 10 mph . I'm going to have to go farther to go faster for the rest of the break-in. So far so good. Starts, runs, handles nice. The stock trolling motor seemed to work fine for me. I had about a 10 mph wind and some current and I was able to power through that no problem. The live well worked fine and I had no water in the boat when I was done. I made a few rookie mistakes. One, I forgot to lift the trolling motor when I went on the main engine. That should count as charging the TM battery! Also that blasted kill switch cord!! I forgot about it every time I got up . I had the lake to myself so I didn't have to worry about anyone else, or hurry when I launched and recovered the boat. They are calling for more "Seasonal" temperatures starting tomorrow, so I figured I better get out while the getting is good. Overall a successful shake down cruise .

Hello Kevin and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ Are you an experienced angler yourself or more of a novice ? Perhaps you've never been fishing and would like to learn ? How long did it take to invent independence ? Could you please be a little more vague ? A-Jay

Are you having problems with abrasion/break offs/or fishing new water that would require heavier line? - if no, then there's not really a great reason to change unless it's for presentation/performance. Anymore, I only use FC for clear water finesse presentations and use either Sniper or Seaguar Inviz ranging from 6lb-12lb. Generally, 8- 12lb Hybrid is my go-to leader material 80% of the time. Unless there's a real good reason to go heavier, I'm confident that 12lb Hybrid will hold up to just about anything. Also, just because someone has a fishing channel on Youtube, it doesn't necessarily mean that they have any idea what they're actually talking about.

I fish all the time for the giant Bluegills and Redears that we have here near me in Southern California. I bought a 7 ft ultralight rod to use with 2 lb test, and for me it is just too long. You can cast a little bit farther with the longer rod, but with the 7 footer, I keep hitting the tip on everything in my garage and house. It's hard to go thru doorways with it. I still have several short 5 and 5 1/2 foot ultralights that I've had for a long time, but just in the past couple of years, I've bought longer rods because we do a lot of slow trolling and it's easier to see your line and keeping it away from the boat, plus being able to cast the little jigs out farther.

Went fishing with my girlfriend Saturday and tried fluorocarbon 8lb test Spiderwire, got it cheap, didn't care for it. It sucked really bad with my spinnining rod and just not good at all on my baitcaster either. Spent most of my time dealing with birdsnests and backlash. Didn't catch nothing, I was so disappointed in how my luck has gone trying to catch a bass this year. Guess I could be trying too hard. I don't know. While I was dealing with my mess, my girlfriend was catching a couple. She caught 2 mud cats in about 30 mins or so. Nothing to really brag about, other than she's only went fishing one time(this year) and caught more fish than I have all year...lol! I shoulda catfished. Oh well I wanna catch a bass! ?

Caught a chunk today. 4.6lbs, t rigged junebug Yum Dinger. She tried to wrap me around a stump and I had to go in after her.

know, in the middle of the winter and we’re about to hit 90º down here ..... cya ! ......

Here's my PA12 with a nice Bowfin I caught out of Toledo Bend!

add me to the list. I put a deposit in last week, was told june/July. was also told that they started back up an old shut down plant in order to kick out more product. that didn't give me the warm fuzzies. What would they be doing at the other plant, hand welding the boats?! yikes!! it' not a bad thing, as thats the way they used to do it but a guarantee the pro welders retired a decade ago. Anyway, since it's so long out, I may cancel my order and pick dealer stock up before then, and hopefully it will be a well manufactured boat. growing up in the 70s, I remember the first trackers of Virgil Ward...he was my best buddy on Saturdays. I was an avid fisherman, just always did my fishing from shore or a friend's boat. I've been ill with Lyme disease for the last 8 years and finally starting to feel a bit better.... lost a lot of good time with my young sons...not so young anymore. Want to fish again and take my boys out before it's too late.... my little one (10) loves it and always asks if we can go. No more shore fishing for me tho...unless from a dock or rocks. anyway, I was thinking about possibly a higher end boat but I love the vintage look. plus, it's aluminum so it will hold up and at the 10k price range I won't feel bad about running into stuff a bit...or scuffing it up. I am concerned about my rods and reels however, as I have some high end rods and reels so would like more rod storage as Id like to bring at least 3 or 4 polls myself not including the kids stuff. also would like to replace the cheap fish finder with something with GPS/map overlay. I really want to get out and use this... I've been away from fishing for far too long. it used to be my only passion from 6 to 35 YO. time to make it so again.

Get Well Soon Blue ~ A-Jay

I'm a river rat that fishes pretty light compared to many of you guys. 6-8-10 lb. fluoro. is all I go. My braid diameter and sizes are small also. It's relative to the surroundings. Sorry about my font size and bold, not screaming, not sure what I've done.

HMMM Interesting topics and replies . #1- Cost- averages about half a penny per application- Considering some costs of plastic baits out there today I believe that is a deal. #2 For a half penny per application-each application lasting approximately 15 minutes and it helps fish hold on longer putting more fish in the livewell especially in a tournament-Its a no brainier. #3-Fish are sight feeders first--olfaction and chemoreception- (smell and taste) second -vibration through lateral lines third-so if I can use it for their second most used sense -I'm in- #4 You wont believe how many Pros call me and order Mega on the slide and they dont tell anyone- Not good for sales but we know they swear by it-Any advantage they can take -they take-dont be a fool -Tournaments are won by ounces-no one remembers who finishes in second place-Thus Megastrikes Slogan from day one WHEN EVERY FISH COUNTS !! #5 So years ago I figured if I can stimulate their feeding chemically -Which I know I can -then get them to hold on to the baits through taste -which I can and now adding a UV enhancer for sight which I do-I have got the ultimate GOO. Here is the New Mega with the UV additive on the tail-- And you guys think I just sit around and do nothing LOL ALWAYS EVOLVING -

Caught 11 today in some muddy water. The lake is usually very clear but it has been raining for a week. This girl was the biggest one of the day. The water was way up from a week ago and they were stacked in the stick ups. Caught some of them on a brush hog (south African special) and most on a jig green pumpkin with a orange craw on it.

Haven't been sick all winter, that took a big turn yesterday. Aches, congestion, nausea, lightheadedness, bad chills, and a really low temp (95.7). Went to the doctor today, it's the flu. First time I've ever got the flu shot was this year, probably the last too. Doctor said no work this week. Wife called on the way home and said our oldest has it too, going to be a rough week.

Or get one if these and you'll have a wide variety of options. I love mine!

After my test run yesterday the spare tire I ordered was leaning up against the house as I rolled in. After looking around at different U-bolts and ways to lock it, I think I'm just going to go with two 6" stainless carriage bolts. I'm going to drill a hole at the end of one, to slide a lock in. All of the ready made bolts are galvanized steel which is going to bind up eventually. There is not a lot of room between the boat and tire to play around if you have a flat.

Thanks guys. I'm gonna put some oil on the bearings and grease the gear via the lube port and see if that helps if it don't I'll be sending it back to TW for another

This is my first post, so I don't have a ton of input but from a flyfishing background color is second to the action / profile I think.

This has to be one of the most ignorant statements that gets posted over and over. You don't know what you're talking about at all. I use both lefty and righty reels. I always use a two handed cast, except when flipping and pitching. My hand is on the reel handles before the bait touches down. Watch someone cast, like KVD. Learn what's going on before you insult other anglers. Because really, it's you that hasn't been taught correctly. Both how to cast, and manners. I'm sure you're only kidding, but seriously. What you're spewing is nonsense when it comes to switching hands, and most anglers do the cast correctly, avoiding the pitfall you describe. Mine aren't, but I feel the need to course correct.

The other factor that Must be addressed when fighting a fish from most any small craft (insert, canoe, kayak, or car topper) is that while a fish is trying to pull away from the angler, and the angler is trying to pull the fish towards the boat, the vessel is almost always being pulled towards the fish. This causes immediate slack in the line and if not recovered quickly can often earn the fish it's freedom in short order. A-Jay

Being close to someone else on the path between "A-Ha!" and 'in stores', I can empathize with you and those frustrated by your questions. I'm guessing that if a problem does need solving, it may not be huge among bass fishermen. At least not yet. Most of the stuff we buy, we didn't know we needed it until someone told us we do. Good luck, Kevin.

I'm not getting caught up in it .

Oh here we go again!

Drags....Set it and forget it!

"I am not a fan of adjusting the drag on any reel while fighting a fish nor do I back reel. I set my drag to match my line not the fish. I very rarely break off especially with today's modern drag systems on both baitcasters and spinning reels." Good advice!

As seen by HUMAN eyes.... Also @scaleface, I dig that hammered copper blade thumper in the background. That dog hunts, I bet.

I dont know how much color matters . I catch lots of bass from 15 to 23 foot with Fire tiger and others patterns with chartreuse in it from stained water .

Not sure what you have in mind, but "landing" a fish can mean a bunch of different things depending on the angler, the fish and the location. But to answer your question, taking a hand off the reel (or rod for that matter) isn't the cause of not landing fish in any significant way.

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Don't forget that the rod and reel act together to fight and ultimately land a fish. There should be enough bend in the rod to take your free hand and land the fish. If not, then there is no tension on the line hence loosing the fish. I generally use a net but I don't recall loosing too many fish due to having my hand off the reel. Don't take this wrong, but you may have room for improvements regarding technique or you have a solution looking for a problem. If you are loosing line tension due to adjusting your drag then something is off. Maybe you turned the drag too low or maybe the fish turned towards you, allowing slack in the line. Keep the bend in the rod, use the drag of the reel to tire the fish out and protect the line from breaking, and reel the handle to keep the line tight.

Makes that just about the last place in North America that I'd care to be.

I consider March 1 the first day of spring .

Finally got the call today! Picking her up tomorrow, thing is we are going to get a log of rain starting tonight and I believe through the weekend. That's ok, I need some alone time with the boat in the garage. I have a ton of stuff to install. I will be posting videos on my youtube... Same name as on the forum. I will be sending pics and updating you all. I just want to adhere to the rules, I am not advertising for my youtube, and I don't even put ads on my videos unless i am making a video for one of my supporters. I still need to finish the garage.

Great Bass ~ Huge Head ! (The bass I mean) Congrats A-Jay

I recommend a prescription of Theraflu, whiskey, and fishing. Ol' lady got sick about 4 weeks ago. I caught it and was sick for 2 weeks. Escaped the flu, no fever but a bad respiratory thing. I'm ok now but she has been sick going on 4 weeks, some days better than others and has gotten worse the past 2 days. She got the flu shot, I didn't. She eats healthy, I don't. She doesn't drink, I do. See where I'm going???

I use 15lb 100% of the time, but I do not have any vegetation in my home lakes. Literally zero. I have absolutely hammered into a hookset several times with zero breakoffs. I even use it for my Musky rods most of the time and zero issues. If it can take the ferocity of a 45" Musky hitting a 2 oz bucktail followed by a massive hookset I am not worried about a Bass doing anything. If I was fishing weeds I would more inclined to upsize a bit. My brother fishes a lake in MI and sometimes you end up with 15lb of salad on your lure by the time you get to the fish. He uses 65lb braid most of the time.....

So I take my neighbor fishing with me and we are fishing plastic worms and catching a few bass along up a creek channel. I had kept offering him one of bass reels, but he said no. He was happy with his {Zebco 33 with 10lb Trilene line}. So I start to hit the trolling motor and I heard him say "there he is" So I watch him for a minute and see his Rhino Rod is bent double and his reel drag is screaming, so I grab the net. This fight lasted for about 20 minutes in which the boat did i don't know how many circles" while we waited for this fish to surface. When it finally come to the surface. I threw the net down and said "this ain't going to happen" so I jumped down and bear hugged this fish and got it in the boat. when I got back to the trolling motor, I was so disoriented from the boat going in circles that I started trolling the wrong direction. LoL; I was completely turned around. According to his bathroom scale sitting on gravel it weighed 38lbs. It sure seemed bigger as it took up the whole live well in my tracker boat. Needless to say I have a new fishing buddy! This was last fall.

You might want to edit that....you add and "h" and you'll be all by yourself in that boat. ?

LOL never thought about it but yup you're nesting for sure! Hopefully the delivery goes smooth and isn't too painful. Who's going to be your delivery coach? Have you practiced your breathing exercises?

Tell me about it. My friends at work were laughing saying that I am "nesting". All I did was get up at 4am Saturday to clean out the garage in preparation for the boat. I have of this gesr in boxes just waiting for that phone call any day now.

Went by Wally World in Minden Saturday and picked up a Plano 3600 lure box(as you can see I've done packed it with all my jigs, chatterbaits, spinnerbaits and buzzbaits in it...lol) for $2.88 on clearance, also got some Spiderwire EZ Fluoro 100% fluorocarbon 8lb 200 yards for $5.00 on clearance(figured I'd try it as a leader for that price, I don't care for it really) and some Eagle Claw Laser 1/8oz brass bullet weights on clearance for $2.88. Then Sunday on my way home from Minden stopped by work and picked up my new 6'6" MHF Lew's Laser TXS Speed Stick and Spool baitcaster(had my eye on it since before I started working there), some 40lb Sufix 832(already spooled on my new Lew's Laser TXS), a pack of Zoom junebug Ol' Monsters and an H2O Express Ultimate Jerk Shad in ghost shad color. My Lord I've seen and stocked a ton of tackle and baits. It's like being a kid in a candy store...lol. It takes a ton of strength to keep from spending all my check there ? I'm hoping to get to go fishing in the morning. I'm off tomorrow. Really wanna cast my new rod and reel and catch me a big un. I'll settle for a dink. Still looking for my first bass of the year. Sorry this was kinda long. Tight lines everyone! ?

It's fake. Everyone knows you can't catch trophy's from shore.

That's exactly what I said, but you made it sound smarter so naturally you'll get more likes. Or is it because you're not as disliked as we previously thought? ?

The LED's are water-proof. The rest of the housing is not water-proof and will fill with water. Well here is my solution for stowage of the stern light. I had some EPP foam from a shipping box and I laminated three pieces together, it comes to about 2" thick. I cut the foam to an approximate shape of the inside hull. Measured for the hole that the light will fit in, and pushed the foam in between the counsel and the hull. Now the light is off the floor, hopefully enough to stay away from my feet.

Low 40s and mist. Don't mind the cold, but when the hands get wet and cold, that's a little different story Been catching everything on blade baits. Was getting them out of the deeper holes when things were cold and clear, but now that the rain has really stained the water, the fish have moved a bit shallower and I'm catching them with a slow steady retrieve in 1 to 3 feet of water. Managed ten more today, but water was even more stained and most of the fish were smaller, though I did get a couple nice keepers. Got dumped on again tonight, so things will probably deteriorate even more. But it's February, so it's all good

This is it! soon to be home.

Only lasts about 3 weeks if you use it to brush your teeth.