BrianSnat

One thing that can cut down on casting distance is using a bait casting rod with a spinning reel, but that doesn't account for the dramatic reduction in distance. Is it possible that the bail isn't opening fully?

One of my trolling motor batteries had a leak and the acid mixed with water that accumulates in the stern. I noticed a good deal of corrosion when I took the boat out for the first time this year. I replaced the battery but should I be concerned about the corrosion continuing if there is any acid residue? If so is there any way to stop it? I was thinking of simply sanding the corroded metal. My wife, a former chemist, suggested cleaning it with a paste of baking soda to neutralize the acid. Any other ideas?

Last week I was at Walmart and there was a $1.50 bin full of Hula Poppers, Lazy Ikes and small Strike King and Rebel crankbaits and other old classics. I half filled a shopping bag. Yesterday I received a package from BPS. 6 packs of Rage Thumpers, three 7" and three 10". 4 packs of Berkley Havoc Sick Fish and 2 packs of Sick Fish Jr and 2 packs of Zoom Tiny Flukes.

In another recent thread someone mentioned his Lund Predator 2010. I took a look at the boat online and it seems to have every feature a bass fisherman could want. I put it on my wish list for when I hit the lottery. Yet someone mentioned in the thread that the Predator is not really a bass boat, it's a "multi species boat". Huh? So it got me wondering, are there specific features that a boat needs to have for it to qualify as a "bass boat" and why wouldn't a Lund Predator or similar boat qualify? What exactly makes a boat a pure bass boat? I mean besides marketing.

Tough decision. If you get the bigger boat you're locked out of all but a handful of NJ lakes because you can't use the motor. Some won't let you on with a motor even if you aren't using it. Maybe your ultimate goal should be to have 2 boats, one for tournaments and something you can use in NJ, perhaps with a 9.9 HP on the back so you can use it on the lakes that have HP limits.

I don't think my car's fuel injectors would like the 50:1 mix.

I have 3/4 of a 6 gallon tank of fuel mixture for my outboard left. I doubt I'll be using the motor again until the spring. The mixture was treated with Seafoam. I also have a bottle of StarTron and Stabil sitting around. Anyone see a downside to adding a little of one or both to the fuel while I store it for the winter? I realize it probably won't help much, but can it hurt?

Those happen to be my go to colors.

Jitterbugs, traditional Rapalas and Heddon Torpedoes

All things being equal I'd prefer the Senko. They seem to have a bit more action and sink faster. But all things aren't equal. Yums are about half the price of Senkos and are far more durable. If the bass are biting I can go through $16 worth of Senkos in a few hours. I can rarely re-use a Senko after catching a fish. It comes to about a fish per Senko. The Yumdingers last a lot longer. I can usually land 2-3 fish before having to change out a Yumdinger. So I fish about 80 percent Yumdingers. I save the Senkos for deeper water or if the Yums ain't working.

Yamamoto Kut Tail. Rage Thumper, Zoom Trick

Took the boat out crabbing a few weeks ago. I was expecting at best the 12-13 MPH I was doing when camping. The boat was back to normal doing around 20 MPH. I had added Seafoam to the tank. Could that really have made all that difference? Another possibility, the motor was sitting on my deck on its rack and was knocked over. Maybe that jarred something loose in the carb? Either way, I'm a happy camper now!

I have a Mad River Explorer that I fish from sometimes. There is a local lake with great fishing that doesn't have a ramp and the carry to the water is about 100 yards so a regular boat is out. I fish on the Explorer there. I also go canoe camping several times a year in the Adirondacks and fish out of the canoe. There are pluses and minuses. If there is a breeze I can get blown around quite a bit and I need to put down the rod and use the paddle to reposition myself. It's all a bit awkward and a PITA. It's also not very good for trolling. Standing up and casting is not a good idea either. But I like that it's quiet and I can go places I can't get to in my regular fishing boat. I wouldn't mind a tricked out canoe like Goose52's for that lake near my house, but there isn't much room for camping gear there so I still need to use the Explorer when I'm camping and fishing.

It would work with any of your favorite plastics. Try it with a Rage Anaconda, or Yamamoto Kut Tail, or maybe a Yamamoto Kreature.

I do much of my fishing at night. In the summer I hit the local lake after dinner, about 7 and fish until 10, 11 and sometimes midnight if it's a particularly nice night. I catch bass in the same places after sunset that I was catching them just before. I usually continue using the same lure and techniques I was using before sunset, which 90 percent of the time is a watermelon or green pumpkin Senko, unweighted and T rigged. This seems to do well for about an hour after sunset then the bite drops off and I go to topwater. Jitterbugs, Skitterpops, Heddon Torpedoes and my new favorite, Rebel Frog R. I work 'em real slow. If that doesn't work I speed things up.

I like light and ML action rods for fishing spinners and light balsa plugs like Rapalas. I've landed some good sized bass on a light action rod. I recall my dad landing an 8 pounder on a light action glass rod.

That's what I have. Does the job quite well.

I've been doing well lately on West and South Fayson Lakes. Bagging bass in the shallows in bunches. Mostly on a pumpkin Senko or Yumdinger, T rigged and weightless, but one night I was killing them on a Yamoto Kreature with a keel weighted 4/0 worm hook (also pumpkin). When I ran out of the Kreatures that night the bite slowed down a lot. In the past two weeks bagged 2 four pounders, several three pounders and a lot of bass in the 12 - 15 inch range. A few pickerel too. Been getting between 6 and 9 fish in only a couple hours of fishing after work.

Good start. Some things I might add. Jitterbug Original floating Rapala in 4-3/8" and/or 3 1/2" Some football head jigs 3/8 to 1/2 oz Senkos or Yumdingers A few Mepps spinners and maybe some Dardelve spoons.

I set made a portable setup for my depthfinder using a 1"x 1" deck rail baluster and some plywood. I attach it to the boat with C clamps. Works great. I've used it on friends boats too. I'll try to post a pic.

If you want real light, check out Hornbeck Adirondack style canoes. A bit pricy but a Hornbeck 10 weighs 16 lbs. Some other ideas: Nova Craft Trapper solo is 29 -48 lbs depending on material Mad River Angler is 45 lbs Wenonah Wee Lassie weighs 29 to 37 lbs depending on material Wenonah Argosy is 43 - 47 lbs Bell Dragonfly is 23 lbs Swift Adirondack Pack is 23 lbs Swift Osprey is 27 - 42 lbs depending on material But if you want advice about canoes, you are best off going to the experts www.paddling.net

When I remember to, I back off the drag when storing them for the winter, which means rarely. In season, never. As some of my reels are 20+ years old, they don't seem to have suffered from not doing it.

How long as Lews been around. Never heard of Lews unti recently.

Oops, didn't see this before my post above. I assume you mean spinning when you say open face. I use mostly Shimano reels that were in the $25 to $40 range and they are fine reels. In fact I only own one freshwater reel that cost me over $40. You can get yourself a $300 reel and still encounter tangles. They happen for a number of reasons. #1 is line twist. If you are using spinners (or any rotating lure) it will twist your line and make tangles a near certainty.For lures that rotate get some good quality, ball bearing swivels. That will cut down on line twist. Also if when you first loaded the line on your spinning reel, if you did it wrong you had line twist before you even made your first cast. Make sure you spool your line properly (see Youtube for videos). Even with these precautions you are still going to get line twist. It's one of the negatives of spinning reels. At the end of a day of fishing, cut off any terminal tackle and let the line out behind your boat as if you are trolling. This will help get out the twist. If you don't have a boat, let it out in to the current of the stream. #2 major reason for tangles is slack line. This is a technique issue. Do everything you can to avoid extra slack in your line. A third reason for tangles is that you are using the wrong line for your reel. If your reel says it is for 4-12 test line don't spool it with 15 lb test line as it will want to jump off the spool. Another is too much line on your spool. This will cause tangles. But don't use too little line either or it will cut down you your casting distance (see below) When you say it "doesn't cast very well" it isn't necessarily the equipment. My $25 Berkley Lightning Rod, purchased at WalMart, casts every bit as well as my $150 Shimano rods. I can cast quite well with the $15 Wally world rod I bought for my wife. When you say it doesn't cast well, I assume you mean distance. This could happen for a number of reasons. 1. Unbalanced tackle. Line, rod or reel are not compatible. if you are casting 20 lb test line with a rod that is rated for 12 lb test it will effect your distance. If your reel is too large for the rod it will also impact your distance. 2. Rod/reel/line not appropriate for the bait you are using. Don't try to toss 3/8 oz baits using a rod that is rated for 1/2 oz. plus. Similarly, don't use a 1 oz jig on a rod that is meant for lures up to 1/2 oz. Nor are you going to get much distance using a balsa Rapala with a MH rod and 15 lb test line. 3. Not enough line on your spool. If your spool is not full, there will be friction from get go that will cut down on your casting distance. Be sure your spool is full (but not too full, see above). 4. Unmatched rod and reel. I wish I had a buck for every person I saw fishing with a spinning reel on a bait casting rod. The guides on a spinning rod are wider toward the bottom than they are on a casting rod. They act to funnel the line as it comes off the spool in a wide arc. If you use a bait casting rod with its more narrow lower guides it's just going to create friction and cut down on your casting distance. Note: if you have a bait caster rather than a spinning reel, some, but not all of the above applies. Don't think better equpment will be a panacea for your issues. Unless you address the root causes you can shell out $200 or $300 for a high end outfit and still wind up with the same problems.

True. One can buy a Shimano Sahara w/ a Berkley Lightning Rod at Wal-mart and that would be a darn nice outifit. If we know where his frustration lies, we'd be better able to help. Maybe it's the type of equipment rather than the quality. Maybe it's user error. A little of both, or something else.