J Francho

Baby Don't Ertz Me!

I'm in western NY. My point is that Florida strain are not nearly as widespread as northern strain. Also, smallmouth bass are confusing the discussion, thouhg my thoughts follow the same pattern for them as well. See my comments above about year round feeding, and temperature. Fish eat year round, but eat less in colder temps. They also require less food in colder months. The whole "fatten up for winter" is a bit of a myth, though they certainly do feed up in fall. I don't think this is to endure a period of not eating. If that was the case, why are so many of the early spring catches so healthy? They literally are in their best shape after what most describe as a famine. Cold water, slower metabolism, lower caloric requirement, less feeding. Warmer water, faster metabolism, higher caloric requirement, more feeding. Again, I don't think the length or severity of winter has much to do with aggression. They're aggressive every spring. Let's not forget their aggressive patterns follow large gathering and migrations of forage. It's not a coincidence those two intersect with high activity.

It's total hooy for bass. There might be something to it for salmonids, though there is research steelhead lose it during smoltification.

Northern strain are likely the majority of bass caught.

I'm thinking it's due to the concentrations of fish in smaller areas.

I'm not following the leap from cold temps and aggression I'm seeing in this thread. Is there research that bears this out? I mean if that were true, my bass should be going crazy all the time every spring.

That's Champy.

Trolling motors are sometimes sketchy. The last two used boats I bought, one I had to replace the TM. In both cases, the outboards were flawless. One was a '98 Mercury 115 EPLTO, the other a 2000 Merc Racing Pro Max 2.5L. That Pro Max purred like a kitten, and started with a flick of the key. You gotta really do your homework buying used. If you go that way, start watching videos about it and asking tons of questions, both to the seller and the forums.

I thought the Tower of Power was the 150 hp. But yeah, we didn't have too many Allies or Bullets up here (mine excluded :P) but we'd see them hanging off the back of planty of hydroplanes.

I thought they fed all winter, just that the colder water slowed their metabolism, meaning they needed less food to survive, and ate less. I was under the impression that it didn't get much colder than 32* F under water, so I'm not sure whether they care what the temps are above the water if they're below freezing. I've always just worked under the assumption that warming trends mean an uptick in feeding activity.

I still a lot of those old tower motors around here that still run fine.

$25k for 25 mph/20 mile range on the OB. It's not terrible, but not economical either. The Tracker package is $36K, which would buy you a ton of boat on the used market.

Swim Senko. That's not totally true, though. I did catch fish with them after I bit the swimming tail off, so not all was lost.

That's a classic.

It seems like the Drotto would be a good device to use in tandem with the boards A-Jay installed.

Carson Wentz away, now you Hurtz for QB?

I had two tillers (15 and 17') with this hull design, and they were tanks. As long as that Merc runs smooth, it should serve you well.

We get a big shad kill every year the ice melts in the back bays. Smells bad, but it's kind of cool to see all the channel cats surface feeding on the carnage. Some of those shad are over a foot long.

It's two things I like, really. And that isn't too hard to figure out, is it? If you must delve into semantics in order to debate online, I'm game for the extra posts. I prefer an up locking seat on a spinning rod. It also gets the threads way below the leverage point when a fish is on, making it more comfortable. Unless you hold the rod like a fashion model in a jeans ad, it works better. On all rods, I prefer the threads not be exposed. It's not as bad on an up locking seat, but still annoying. The new Victory rods appear to have addressed both things. I like it. Do a search of my posts in the past 10 years or so, from when I first got a Dobyns Champion Extreme, and I see how much I liked the hidden threads. I've probably posted about it at least 101 times since. I don't think I've made my preference as clear about uplocking seats. As always, make sure you gear matches up nicely, and your purse matches your shoes and belt. This puts more fish in boat. ?

I like the up locking seats. The threads just get in the way and don't feel great on my hands.

I don't know. You go to a music store and you ask before touching a guitar, whether it's a $150 Seagull or $2500 Taylor. Blows my mind what goes on in sporting goods stores. I'll add that it wasn't me skateboarding in the aisles last time I was in walmart. Your coding is weak sauce

I must be the only one that just leaves the old line (fluoro, braid, mono, whatever) that was already on the reel as backer, and spool up the new stuff on top. Obviously, I strip some of the old line.