Team9nine

For the same amount of strain applied - TRUE; heavier line will stretch less. -T9

Modern hooks take forever to rust out of a fish in freshwater. If you do leave a hook in though, best technique is to leave about 15"-18" of line attached to that hook to help levergae it down against the throat when the bass later tries to eat. Ralph Manns wrote a good article on this that can be found on the net, probably on this site. The suggestions above about cutting and removal techniques are all very good methods. Reality is that despite our best efforts, the newest studies out still show that nearly 1/3 if not more of all bass that are "gut hooked" or hooked down in the esophagus will end up dieing, usually in a matter of several hours. The point has to go somewhere once it punctures the soft tissue back in a bass' throat, and unfortunately there are lots of vital organs (heart, liver, brain) just on the other side of the esophagus that get damaged ultimately leading to death. Still better to try though as at least half or more will make it with good technique. Think glass half full 8-) -T9

Alright, I'll admit to being a back-reeler though I'm obviously in the minority here. And yes, I can still squeek under that century mark ;D Don't care for drags on baitcasters either, I'm a thumb bar spooler there. Obviously it is whatever works for you and I've never had a problem doing it this way. There are a couple issues I see with drags. One being that you are inherently always setting them to slip less than the breaking strength of the line (otherwise you wouldn't need it). So you can only generate so much force with your outfit before it slips, be that a hookset or trying to stop a fish on a run. I want to be able to push my line to the breaking point if need be so that I am getting 100% of what it has to offer, not 60% or 80% or even 90%. I'm just guessing, but I would hazard to say that the majority of you couln't tell me at what pound of pressure your current drag will start working at relative to the line you have on the outfit, at least not without testing it? All you know is that when you pull on it, it slips before the line breaks. Another issue is that due to the physics of drags as relates to spool diameters and such, a fixed drag setting will apply different levels of pressure depending upon how much line is left on your spool. So whatever you have your drag set for, it will be a different amount of pressure applied between say a lower spool level on a hookset after a 60 foot cast versus a fuller spool level such as when a fish makes a run right at the boat. So did you set your drag with enough line out to simulate a cast, or did you just pull it straight off the reel? Either way, you're compromising at one of those different length scenarios. Fortunately we're chasing bass and not bonefish, so most everyone can get by with whatever they are most comfortable with and be perfectly fine. 8-) -T9

Thanks guys...and yes, the middle bench has a 20 gallon livewell that I hooked a 500 gph pump to to fill it. I then attached another pump inside for the recirc capability and wired them both to separate rocker switches on the control panel next to the seat (by the built in tackle shelves). It drains via a plug at the bottom of the well. -T9

I've never been a big fan of plastic worms, but I do believe a guy could take a bag of 7.5" Red Shad Culprits, along with a pack of 2/0 or 3/0 hooks and a few 1/8-oz and 3/16-oz sinkers and go to darn near any lake in the country and catch some bass. -T9

Add me to the list of guys redoing boats. I'm about 98% of the way done on this one. Sold my Triton this spring after getting a great deal on this little jonboat. Wasn't an easy decision but I've pretty much retired from tourney fishing, and most of the lakes closest to me are all small, 500 acres or less with one limited horsepower lake. Here is the "before" pic: Started out as a new Lowe 1648M w/trailer and Yamaha manual start 10hp. Stripped everything out of it (seats, troll motor, dpethfinder) and sold it all on E-Bay to finance the rebuild. After building all the flooring, compartments and such I then added back the nice plush Triton seat a Lowrance X-15 w/GPS in the back, A FishMark 320 on the bow, a new 50# thrust MK Endura ($60 rebate from Johnson Outdoors), MK 3 bank built-in charger, and topped it off with a brand new Mercury 10hp electric start. Added running lights, a livewell pump and a recirc pump as well as a bilge pump and hooked them all up to a rocker switch panel. Even put in a retractable rod strap, a Tackle Rac, a built in Plano box holder, a 12V power tap, and a drink holder at the base of my seat for sipping on a Dr. Pepper when running between honey holes 8-) Been a really fun project building this thing from scratch. Best part about the whole deal is the cost savings. My insurance dropped over $200, my plates and registration dropped over $150, and my gas bill to fill up the tank dropped from $100 down to $5 And I've still managed to catch plenty of bass somehow ;D Here are the "after" shots: -T9

These opinion polls are always so much fun... 8-) Roland Martin is obviously the best bass angler to never win the Classic, and being able to make that irrefutable statement means the best bass angler title has to go to Clunn. Another interesting thing not mentioned yet is that if you read through all those another site profiles of current pros you'll see Rick Clunn listed as 'Angling Hero' to more pros that any other person. I also agree that best all around angler has to be Al Lindner. His drive, knowledge and enthusiasm for catching fish is just incredible. And finally, I think guys are right to say that when all is said and done (at least in most of our lifetimes) KVD will eventually reset the bar. -T9 edit: LMAO - "another site", now that is funny!! ;D

Yep, no such thing as THE best as bass will hit them all at one time or another. As someone else mentioned, look at the different components and match them to the conditions you face. A couple we've used lately with good success not already mentioned are War Eagle and the now discontinued Glamour Shads. -T9

Ahhh, pic or no pic, it will only be a few more weeks up here before they get on it good. Quite possibly my favorite way to bass fish! Thanks for raising the spirits. -T9

For me, a rear drag is more convenient to adjust while fighting. But as already mentioned, the best drags tend to be front drags. We are dealing with bass though and not something like a bonefish or barricuda, so the technical differences probably don't matter quite as much. But if you took to chasing carp... : -T9

You can still buy the original speed worms, just not everyone carries them. Tackle Warehouse stocks them... Very cool!! Around here, everybody stopped carrying them and went to the ultravibe versions. Had to eliminate the old stock before they could carry the new I guess. Hopefully my supply will last a little while. I don't throw them near as much up here as they do on some of those more southerly locales. Just a few months out of the year when they get on 'em good. -T9

Still sitting on about a dozen bags of the original speed worms (before ultravibe) that I only use for special occasions, like when the money is on the line ;D May have to try a bag of the larger ones just for the heck of it though. Thanks for the heads up. -T9

What Wayne said 8-) Another option is to remove or crush down the barb. Makes hook penetration much easier, as well as hook removal. As long as you keep a tight line you won't have any problems. -T9

Part of the fun is trying out all kinds of different baits to see what works best for you. Can't really go wrong with any 3"-5" soft, straight tailed worm, but try other things like little flukes, gobies or reapers. The bass in your lakes will tell you what they like, then you can just buy more of what ever bait they're eating. -T9

Yep, upgrade to a 50 or 60 amp circuit breaker. MinnKota makes a really nice one that you can get through Cabela's. A 70# thrust TM pulls a good bit of amps on high. Can't explain why it didn't blow before, but this should solve your problem once installed. -T9

Another Palomar knot fan here... -T9