FD.

I have built several of the MHX kits in the last few months. About 100 for what you want. I have added split grips to mine which don't come in a kit at this time. PM me if you want one built. FD

My nephew, Nick, who you have seen consistently out fish me on my boat, turned 14 last week. His grandfather and father decided he should have his own fishing boat. I completely agreed. 16' Aluma Craft with a 40 4 stroke. They brought it out to the lake on Saturday. The first splashdown Nick at the helm. His boat is prettier than mine, but, uncle Lee is still "king of the lake"

The short, light rod is most likely your issue. A longer, stiffer rod will allow for better hook penetration. I guarantee you will have more hook ups.

First of all, the fish missed the frog, you did not miss the fish. Your rod should be at 1 o'clock on the retrieve. When you see the strike, drop your rod tip and watch your line. If your line moves, reel up the slack and set the hook hard with an overhead set. If your line does not move the fish does not have the frog, YET. Wait for a second, then twitch the frog, wait, then start your retrieve again. Many times the fish will swat at the frog to stun it or just flat miss it, and then come back to finish it off. Also, make sure your rod is stiff enough. 7 ft MH at a minimum and 65 lb braid.

First, check your connection on the tow vehicle with a volt meter or test light to make sure you have signal coming back to the pigtail. If that is good, check your ground wire to the trailer. If that is good, hook up the trailer and disconnect one light at a time and check with either a volt meter or a test light. Make sure you have a good ground connection all the way back to the tow vehicle. If all your lights are not working then you have a blown fuse you don't have a ground connection back to the battery If that still does not do it, then PM me and I will walk you through the rewire. It is not as hard as you think. FD

I fish whenever I can but I do pay attention to where the moon is.

Most of my relatives.

I'm on my second pair of Jakes. WX replaced the first pair at no cost after they broke. They have a wide are and the rubber inserts for running in the wind or sight fishing. I will never wear anything else.

Taylor decided she wanted to go and we wound up at our local 100 acre mudhole. See pics

Surge brakes are built into the trailer tongue and do not require any connection to the tow vehicle.

Here is what I use for heavy hydrilla, pads, grass 7-9 elite tech swimbait rod Revo 7.1-1 65 lb power pro bobber stop 1.5 oz tungsten punch skirt 4/0 ewg superline hook Ugly Otter/beaver/fluke/megabug

Once the bait monkey robs you of 3 times your annual salary then you are no longer a beginner. I have a 73 year old part time employee that I take fishing when he is not up to taking his own boat. He has a couple of hooks and weights in his shirt pocket along with a crusty bag of lizards that look 10 years old. Uses an ancient spinning rig and beats the crap out of me most of the time.

So Taylor says, Dad I want to learn to crankbait fish today. OK, take this and sling it and wind. Her first one 4.5 lbs Then this one 6 lbs I think she has the hang of it.

Most of my time on the water is spent with my 14 year old daughter or my wife. For me it means family time and relaxation with a sprinkling of puzzle solving thrown in for fun.

I have two pair. One for work and one for fishing. They are lightweight, cool and keep me dry even in the Florida thunderstorms. I would not buy anything else.

Megabug by Megastrike and the Ugly Otter

Bait colors are designed to attract fishermen.

I always throw black/blue. Thanks to Rolo I now know WHY it works so well.

Neither one of the girls want to go tomorrow and warmer (regular fishing partner) may not get permission to go. Probably going out of Grape Hammock about 7 ish. Anybody want to go?

FLAG!!!!!!!!!!! Unsportsmanlike conduct. Rubbing our pathetic abilities in our face. 15 point penalty and loss of down. Dwight's current score is now 60.74.

I think for me it is the puzzle solving. You are kind of playing detective every time you go out. Solve the mystery = catching fish.

I was out on Friday for a couple of hours before the storm. 25 mph winds but managed a few bites just inside of the outside lines. I would fish on warmer's advise (as long as he is not in the boat with you). Fish the cuts in the morning and settle in to flippin the outside lines. The north side of Philadelphia, Big grassy, east side of Brahma, all seem to have a lot of boats on them this time of year. One thing I did notice is that there are tons of bait everywhere. It seems the drawdown has been a good thing. Skinny dipper or swim jig would be my search bait of choice.

BINGO Go with the 7-6 MH fast and the SX HS Revo. I have 2 of these setups with vendettas. I use one for a frog and one for skinny dipper/heavy worm rod. I fish them in the thickest heaviest crap you can think of and have no problem dragging them out of it. The longer medium heavy will give you greater casting distances, takes up the slack in the line faster on hooksets, and gives you more leverage to keep their head up to get them out. The HS Revo also helps to get them out quicker.

The beds you can see from the shore are most likely tilapia. If it is perfectly round, huge and looks like a crater then they are tilapia. Bass beds are typically harder to see and not as large. What area are you in?

Should be a great boat. It has the same color scheme as my 91 201 pro. I would clean the fuel and oil tanks, replace the fuel primer bulb, and tighten the transom bolts. Just a few things I found on my older boat.