Poolie727

I borrowed a rod from my brother a couple weeks ago which had an E7 on it and I fell in love with it. I've since purchased 2 E7's and 4 Citica 200E's (basically the same reel with less bearings and a few minor other things). The Citica is fine for cranks and spinnerbaits but the smoothness of the Curado really shines with soft plastics.

Weeds are about the only place I don't like a shakey head. A c-rig is probably better there. Like Rolo said, it's really all about the worm and the tail action. A lot of times I'll just t-rig a shakey worm using a bullet weight. The worm probably doesn't stand up quite as good as with a proper jig head, but it works good enough.

I've used an improved clinch since the beginning of time and as long as you use 6-7 loops, wet the line and slowly pull the knot up to avoid excess heat in the line, you've got yourself a good knot. There are probably better knots for Fluoro, but for me it works every time.

My first trip to an emergency room as a teenager was to have a treble hook removed from my finger. One last flip flop after I had my thumb in her mouth sunk one of the hooks from the second set of trebles right up to where the three come together so there was no way to pull the barb back through. That was a memory I'll never forget. My dad wanted t cut it out with a steak knife :-?

What everyone else said. I've had 5+ pounders draw blood out of my thumb before... I guess that says I'm not catching enough big ones to build up a callous, huh. Yea, I'm weird but having a ripped up thumb is a nice reminder that I had a good weekend of fishing.

I just picked one up at http://www.baitnhook.net/ for $159.95. Placed order Wednesday and already have tracking number.

yeah, Northern Tool sells basically the same trailer, however I think theirs is $60 more expensive. As mentioned, keep the pics coming on the restore progress. Nice find! -- Poolie

Thanks guys for all the wisdom. I know you are right and I'll eventually get my boat... hopefully a 42" or 48" because wife is only going to let me do this once :-) It was just a huge let down. I was finally going to get to cast *to* the bank, not stand on it. I think what got under my skin the most is something my grandfather always told me when I was growing up. "A man is only as good as his word". Anyway, thanks for letting me vent and thanks for reminding me that it's just a minor set back. To be P.C. Happy holidays and hope you get some cool fishing gear under the tree. Poolie

Trust me, I do want a 42" or 48" wide jon, but they are rare around here and the couple I did see were not decked the way I would want, so I'd be paying extra for something I would have to rip out and replace. I'm not much for standing all day so am hoping a 36" will be stable enough with just an elevated pedestal seat. The saga continues.

After saving my dollars for almost a year I finally have enough to go jon boat shopping. After a couple months of watching craigslist daily, I finally found a 2 year old 1436 that fit my budget and was in great shape. Made the deal with the guy Tuesday and he tells me he's tied up with work until Friday and to call him back Thursday to get directions and setup a time to pick it up. What excitement. Trying to get the boat now so I can spend the winter getting it setup for spring. Anyway, I called the guy Thursday as soon as I got home from work (yesterday) and he didn't answer. Huh... it's a cell number. Strange he wouldn't have it on him. I left a message that I would call back in an hour. Went to the ATM and pulled out the cash so I wouldn't have to deal with that Friday. I called him back about an hour later an he answers. We exchanged greetings and he says , uh, sorry man, but I just sold that boat. I was helping the guy load it when you called earlier.... cricket, cricket... for a brief second I wanted to start yelling, but all that was going to do was make me more p***ed off than I was and it wasn't going to get me a boat, so I just sighed loudly, told him thanks and hung up. So my search continues. Dang it, I'm off work the last week of the year and wanted to take a maiden voyage in it before putting it in the basement for the winter. *SIGH* Poolie

Personal responsibility and honesty seem to be going the way of the Dodo bird for many people today. I was standing in line behind a guy at REI a couple years ago who was returning a pair of hiking boots that looked like they'd just been round trip on the Appalachian trail. He told the guy behind the counter he wanted to return them because he just bought them and they didn't fit. REI has a pretty much no questions asked return policy but the guy behind the counter gave him a look like, "suuuuure you just bought them" as he started the process of giving the guy his money back. That look must have p!ssed the guy off because he starts ranting that REI makes tons of money and they can afford to give him his money back. I'm not sure what irritates me more, the idea that he honestly though they should give him his money back for a pair of boots that were obviously worn out, or that he could stand there and tell a bold face lie... and get all upset about it. The more I'm around people the more I love my dogs :-)

Thanks guys... that's the reassurance that I needed to go ahead and wait for the perfect boat to come along. With the time change coming up in a couple weeks I won't be seeing daylight after work till spring time anyway. I think I am going to hold out for a 42" or 48" wide. Then I won't need to upgrade for years to come. Poolie

I've finally got a couple a $$ saved up and the search for a 14' Jon Boat that I can fix up over the winter has begun. I've read over and over that wider is better for stability reasons which makes sense... I want to go fishing not swimming :-). So I've go it in my head that at a minimum I want to look for a 1436 boat. Daily I review Craig's List and see plenty of 1434's which I've been passing on. My question to the group is, will 2" in width make that big of a difference in stability? My plans are to build an electric only (well maybe a small gas on the lakes that will allow it) with raised platforms front and back. I figure 95% of the time it will just be me in the boat. I'm paranoid that I'll shell out my boat money for a 34" only to wish I'd held out for that extra width. Is my waiting all for nothing or should I continue to wait for that 36" or wider to come along? Your advise would be much appreciated. Poolie

Thanks for all the input. Since I really need to just take my best guess on the height because I'll be driving somewhere to pickup boat/trailer and won't know the actual height till after the fact. I wandered over to one of the Tacoma website and found that for my Pre-Runner which is basically a 4 wheel drive suspension with 2 wheel drive and sits a little high, most people on that forum say they use a 4" drop hitch for most trailers and is generally the right height. Poolie

Well just D A M N... I live about 4 miles from this store and had no idea it was there. Ohhhh am I in trouble now. I think I hear the bait monkey calling my name :-)

Yep, it's going to be a receive type hitch. I'm just trying to get the right one to begin with. Because if I can possibly buy the wrong one I will... I have a natural talent for that kind of stuff :-)

Been saving my dollars and finally am about ready to start looking for my first (14') jon boat and trailer. Of course before I can get a boat I need to install a trailer hitch on my truck. My question is, is there a general height that the ball mount should be off the ground? I have a Tacoma pre-runner that sits off the ground at bit and I'm wondering if I need to get a ball mount that hangs down a little or not. Man I'm excited to finally have a little cash reserve and hope to pickup an end of season deal on a boat. Thanks,

Surf and turf in one trip.... impressive! Welcome to the forum!!!

Since my initial post, I've have had many opportunities to fish this small pond where I caught my first cat on a spinnerbait. Wondering whether they had a preference or not, I tried willow leaf, Colorado and a tandem with both blades. The Colorado has by far produced the most channel cats. The skirt color didn't seem to matter too much (in stained water). I noticed a lot of short strikes where they would just pull on the skirt so added a trailer hook. That's the ticket! I would prefer a LMB on the end of my line any day, but I tell ya, a 5 lb cat will put a huge grin on your face and beats the heck out of going home skunked.

Once again, I learned something on this great forum. I'm also am close to getting a 14 footer and am starting to look at TM's. I had no idea there was such a thing as electric steer. Splat, you say that some folks don't like them, do you know what it is that they don't like? Looks pretty cool to me. PS: $250 sounds like a GREAT deal! Wish I could find one for that.

Welcome! As you've already discovered, this is a great resource for anything bass fishing related. Lots of nice, knowledgeable folks here. Glad you joined.

I'm in the same situation and have looked at the smaller boats too. However, I know sooner rather than later I'll want something a little more comfortable. The boat section of the forum has many posts with details of guys taking a reasonably cheap 14' jon boat and turning it into a nice little mini-bass boat for little more than what you are looking to spend at Dicks. I've been watching Craigs list daily for a couple months and have seen many good deals. Some are just basic jon boats for $300 to $400 that can you could then add your own decking, seats etc too as the money is available, and other boats I seen listed have already been 'accessorized' going for $1000 to $1200 range. Now I just need some cash :-) That's just my 2 cents. Money not being a issue, I would also like to have one of the small boats that I could toss in the back of the truck and hit some of the small 1 or so acre ponds close to the house. But since one boat is it for me, I'm going for something that I'll be happy with for years.

Welcome Ted, I agree with your philosophy about fishing. I enjoy the whole experience. Glad your here!

Welcome! This is a great place to expand your bass'n knowledge. And a fun place to burn through several hours of your day.

fishing with my dad many years ago when he got his line hung up. He of course grabbed the line and pulled on it as hard as he could. When the line broke, a split shot rocketed back and embedded itself in his ear lobe. After that I've always tried to shield my face.