Marty

In addition to the stability offered, it's also called a yoke, with the curved part resting on your shoulders for portaging, as others have mentioned. I don't know if they sell seats, but if you sit on one of the seats there are ways to trim (level) the boat by putting weight in the other end.

I hate to be negative, but I wonder if your friend needs to do more homework before making the huge investment of time and money usually required to start a business.

In 40+ years, never more than one.

Some good advice above. But remember, this is not a science, it's art to a large extent. There may be numerous choices for a given situation. For example, consider a situation where you're fishing the tops of weeds that come up to within 2 or 3 feet of the surface. You could use topwaters, shallow cranks, spinnerbaits, soft plastics and perhaps others. We can't predict what will happen on any given day. You can start out using some of the guidelines given above, but if they don't work, then it becomes a matter of trial and error, and if it does, that doesn't mean you've done anything wrong.

I do it this way because I like the trailer hook moving freely rather than rigid.

It seems that sinkholes have been in the news a lot lately.

Link didn't work for me. Your friend must have some very special talent. Many people, including me, often have trouble telling the weight by looking at a real live fish, not to mention a picture.

I've had biteoffs with braid. If I decide to use a leader it's metal; I don't have confidence in any filament. The 6" leaders work well for me, but then, I'm not dealing with lots of double-digit fish either.

I know nothing about the weight of rods, but I suspect the reel weighs more. And I wonder how much weight difference there is between a typical rod and a lightweight one. Are you confident that an ounce or two reduction in rod weight will make a difference with the shoulder? If yes, fine, I hope you will get to enjoy your fishing more. If no, I'd suggest getting your doctor's opinion before plowing money into a rod which may not help your problem. Good luck. I've had some problems and can empathize with your discomfort.

I've used 15# Power Pro on spinning for years. While I don't think it's necessary to wind the line on the same way as mono, I do it anyways on the theory that it can't harm. Whether in the days when I used mono or today with braid, I have always used cheap mono as backing and leave enough room to add 50-60 yards of the line I fish with; that's normally more than adequate for bass fishing. I've only used that Moss Green color and never use leaders. I don't believe the visibility of the line (and all lines are visible to some degree) makes a difference, but not everyone shares this belief. You have to decide what you believe and act accordingly, i.e., do what makes you comfortable and gives you confidence.

There are numerous good brands out there and I've used a number of them based on what the local stores were carrying at any given time. I've used the round bend style without knowing why I preferred them. I've generally used the same sizes as were on the original lures, but lots of folks go up one size.

Bob, I'm a Sr. Citizen too, but your question could be asked by any age group. Power Pro is a good product which I've used for a number of years, but braid has a downside in addition to upside, but the latter exceeds the forrmer for me. However, there's no reason why you shouldn't have been getting good casting distance with your 8# mono. The answer may well lie in what's called "balanced tackle", which basically means using line, rod, reel and lure that are compatible and meant to be used together. Just a few examples of imbalance that could be contributing to the problem: Too stiff a rod for the lure and line. Too light a lure for the rod and line. Too small reel spool diameter for the line I think you get the picture. It's also possible that 8# line is right for your setup but not a spinning-friendly line, such as an extra tough which is too stiff. I really think you'd be well served to determine what the problem has been before changing line and hoping that will cure the problem. Good luck.

Clayton, try going to your profile, then general settings. Select the time zone that says GMT - 5:00 hours and below that check the box that says Automatically detect when my timezone is in DST. At least that's what's working for me.

Trash fish or not, there are few fish I'd rather have on the end of my line than carp. Not only are they large, they're strong on a poud-for-pound basis as well.

I don't know what size reel you have or what line you plan to use. I used to use 10# mono and now it's 15# braid. Rods in medium power and fast action have served me very well as all-purpose sticks, throwing everything from weightless plastics to cranks and other lures up to 5/8 oz. I'd recommend a similar rod of 6-1/2 or 7'.

I see a number of Stink Bugs, as I spend a lot of time outside with a camera. However, I had no idea they were house pests. There are numerous species in a variety of colors, but they all have that same body shape.

New York ain't Arizona, but a friend of mine trout fishes during the parts of late fall-winter-early spring when he isn't bass fishing. His success increased dramatically when he started using the original Floating Rapalas.

I'm glad that you're thankful for your little boat, as I am with mine. I have a canoe and the difference between being shorebound and having a little boat is HUGE. There is potentially outstanding fishing in ponds and protected areas of larger waters.

I realize that you already consider this answered, but I'd just like to add my take on hook size. The guideline that I use is that the hook's gap be at least double the diameter of the lure. That will allow room for the hook to get through the plastic and into the fish's jaw. Using a gap that's too small can result in failure to achieve proper hookups.

They have a narrower taper and I think there are ridges on the body. I've used them for years and had no more or less success that I could notice compared to other brands. I have full confidence and if I weren't allowed to ever use a Senko again, it wouldn't bother me at all to stick with Z-nails.

I never read anything about their financial results. There just seemed to be a lot of buzz about them and I apparently made some misassumptions.

I have fished a number of shallow ponds, weedy with maximum depth of less than 10'. It may just be me, but with a few exceptions, I haven't found reasonably reliable spots. So in the absence of that kind of information, I just try and cover as much water as possible, picking up a fish here and there, and on some days, finding a concentration where I'd least expect one and never again finding a concentration in that same spot.

Did you check this thread on pike lures? http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/113573-pike-lures/

I agree, that guy has a good attitude and sense of humor (doesn't harm that he's probably very rich). Also, I didn't realize that Groupon was struggling.

I don't fish cold water very often, but I have caught a few when the water was in the 30s. I'd say if you want to fish, then do it. We can't accurately predict what might happen on any given day and you have a chance of catching something anytime you cast a lure. I'd try it and see what happens.