MA_Bass

Plano 777 hard box and a large (EMT/ski patrol size) waist pack for soft plastics. An added bonus of the 777 is that its very easy to pull out all of the compartments and fit them into an average size back pack. Great for shore fishing.

I would take the head apart and see if the switch was fried. If the switch is dead you can get a new one for $26. A friend fried the switch on his 50# a couple of years ago. No way of telling if your problem is with the switch or the motor, but a new switch might cost less than the minimum charge to have the motor looked at.

I think that #3 is the answer to #2. After discussing this thread with my 2 best fishin' buddies as well as when we caught fish and where, we reached the conclusion that (at least where we fish) when the weather gets hot, water temperature trumps structure. We've found that once the water gets warm, the bass will leave their traditional grounds and head for the deeper/colder channels. Areas that aren't worth fishing when conditions are ideal.

Thanks, I'll have to check that out (Wal-Mart brand). I'm a "medium burner" so I usually end up choosing to deal with a mild burn and not risk getting oil on my bait. Good to know that you can get spray too. Sounds like it would be better for the legs and arms. But check out the stuff I mentioned. Its great for putting on your face and other areas where you need to worry about overspray.

Those Mattlures look amazing. I bought some cheap 5" Storm swim baits to use as minimal pike lures to put on my bass rods. My friends and I will troll for pike when moving btwn bass spots. One day I decided to cast it and the water exploded as soon as it hit. Things haven't slowed down much. I've been surprised at how slowly they sink for how heavy they are. A super slow retrieve very similar to how you work a weigtless/light weight worm seems to work best: do what you can to allow the bait to swim. The name "swim bait" pretty much says it all.

Very interested thread. My roommate has a ~100 gallon tank that we've been talking about putting bass in. I feel like I need to say that we would never think of acquiring them illegally and that we would eat them when they get big rather than release them! But my roommate knows how to maintain a tank. Its set up but empty. It sits below one of the 3 horizontal six-rod wall-mount racks we so it would really complete the bachelor redneck pad motif. We already know that its a significant endeavor which is why we haven't set it up already.

For night fishing, do you guys changes up your lures or presentation much from what you use during the day? The majority of night fishing that I have done has been with shiners. Based on what I've read in this thread I'm feeling like kind of an idiot! Clothing: wide brim hat, synthetic shirt with collar, long/baggy synthetic shorts that cover my knees while I sit. I use as little suntan lotion as possible b/c I'm guessing bass don't like the taste of it. EMS sells suntan lotion in a tube that works kind of like a deodorant stick so you don't have to rub it in with your hands. I'm lucky that my favorite spot is a river that fishes well in the summer, at least once the water level drops. When the water is at its normal level the fish have access to un-fishable marshland. Perfect for little fish to grow. When the water drops everything is forced into the channel. Its a slow-moving river with easily identifiable undercuts so the fishing is incredible through July and August. Yamamoto's, weightless soft plastics and split-shotted soft plastics all work well. It depends on the depth and current. The goal is to go as light as possible.

Thats sweet. I have a soft spot for collapsable catamarans. One of these days I am going to post pics of the cat I built with 2 friends. Its based on 2 17' Coleman canoes. It has 3 swivel chairs, 2 motors and a table that covers over the gap btwn the hulls. The whole thing takes ~20 minutes to fully set up or take apart. We have about as much fishing area as a bass boat.

Does your canoe have a keel? That will make a big difference in how well the canoe tracks. I started with a 50# motor on a 17" Coleman with a transom mount and it worked very well. Have a larger setup now. I recomend getting an extension cord for the battery so you can place it in the center of the canoe to better distribute the weight. You can get kits online or buy wire at a marine store to make a custom length cord.

I caught a 6.5 last Summer. I have 2 friends that I fish with all the time (we share a 3-person electirc boat) and between us we have 2 6+ LMB's and a bunch of 5 #ers since we started to get serious in '04. Not much comparred to you who live in warmer climates but up here a 10+ would make you a near-legend.

I think that this post has broght me luck. Last night I found an old pair of polarized Oakley Straight Jackets that I haden't seen for over a year. The lenses have a few pin-head sized chips which is why I retired them. I've been wanting to use them as my fishing glasses so that I don't have to jeopardize my new glasses. I used to work for an Oakley dealer which had its perks. One other benefit of polarized glasses is that it makes it easier to spot boat hazzards. As the water level of my favortie fishing area drops over the course of the summer many rocks come within prop range.

I would say go with anything other than an inflatable or a canoe. I fished form a canoe for many years but now have a 17' catamaran (2 coleman canoes, 2 50# electric motors, stable enough for 3 people to stand). The only drawback of a canoe is that they will kill your back if you plan on staying out for any amount of time. Swivel seats are key. I've kayaked before but never fished from one. They look like highly versatile boats but I like the extra space of a larger boat. Plus its nice to have enough room to invite a friend. As for the motor, I say why not go for the biggest motor and biggest battery that you can find? The weight won't be much different. I bought my 55# Minn-Kota transom mount on sale for ~$280 last spring. A large deep-cycle battery from Wal-Mart was ~$70 and the charger was ~$50.

I use braid with a leader. Only draw back of braid is the visability. Well worth the effort to tie on a leader though. My catch rate with all of my finese baits went up once I switched to a clear mono or floro leader. 5" Senko's are one of the heavier soft plastics I fish and I don't think that line type has a significant effect on the way the bait sinks.

Whatever you do, spend the extra money and get polarized glasses. When sunlight reflects off of water, the light is scattered in all directions. Polarized glasses work by only allowing light through on one axis, greatly reducing glare. This will allow you to better see through water. As an added benefit, polarized glasses need far less tint to deliver the same amount of eye-strain as non-polarized glasses.

My roomate and I have 18 rods on display in the front hall. Sometimes (often) I just can't resist. I keep a practice plug handy for those momments.