Fishes in trees

A Lowe Stinger 175 isn't that light of a boat. I own a Lowe WF 180 (2002), and my boat is a tank, by aluminum boat standards. I smack into and drive over stumps all the time. That is just a function of the lakes that I mostly fish in. My boat isn't that much lighter than fiberglass boats of a comparable size. I don't think that the newer Stinger 175 is that much lighter. I run an 70-something pound thrust Minn-Kota Maxxum and if I had the room in the compartment to put another battery in it I would. I think the rule of buying the biggest trolling motor that you can afford that will fit is a good rule. It is better to have the power and not need it than it is to not have it. When it comes to trolling motor power, I am a big fan of more power = better.

If you want to buy some new reels, any justification you need to purchase them is ok by me. The difference between Diawa addicts and Shimano addicts is kind of like the difference between Lutherans and Methodists, i.e. there isn't a whole lot of difference and what difference there are are mostly cosmetic. As a Shimano guy ( Most of my reels are Shimano, not ALL) I'd point out that you can't make a fair comparison by buying just one Shimano, you will need to purchase at least half a dozen for a fair comparison. I'm glad I could help.

I say go for it. Keep it authentic where you want to and hi-tech it in other areas (like maybe newer motor and electronics) It is your restoration - restore it to better than new if you want to. A couple of years ago in Bassmaster there was an article about Alex Langer (yeah, that Alex Langer, the inventor of the flying lure) and how he has a collection of old/antique/historically significant bass boats. A cool collection. He has a boat that was used in the first Bassmaster Classic, as well as a couple of other Classic boats. Boys and their toys - again, I say go for it.

What Bruce 424 wrote: i.e. learn roll casting, learn how to pitch. My advice - visualize your target and cast to it - show no fear. Overhanding objects and other obstacles can sense fear and will interrupt your bait - just to mess with you. This being said - I know we've all had days where if the broad side of a barn was the target, we couldn't hit it. Those days happen - just deal.

For the past several years, I've used 14 lb Fireline Crystal. I prefer a shorter, 2 or 3 foot fluorocarbon leader. I'm happy with this system and for my purposes, it is very well thought out. The shorter fluorocarbon leader tends to drop the nose of the Pointer just a little bit, which I think is good. The Fireline Crystal stands out well enough, in the waters that I fish. When the jerk bait is paused, on a semi-slack line, the Fireline serves kind of like a strike indicator. I'll always see the line move before I feel the fish and I think that's an advantage. 14 lb Fireline has the mono equivalent of 6 lb line (according to Berkley) so I find this lure/line/leader combo to work better on spinning gear. So, anyway, that is my current thinking on jerk bait line.

Don't for a moment think that is too much power. The rule for trolling motors on boats is to buy the biggest one that you can afford that will fit. If you have room in your battery storage area for another battery, go with the 101 36 volt. You will not regret it. p.s. Should you do this you will probably also need a 4 bank on board charger. If you go to a 36 volt system, you have to be able to charge all 3 batteries the same at the same time. Of the choices you listed, I'd go with the Fortrex.

I don't have a fortrex , but I recently changed out my Minn Kota Maxxum, which is similar. Here is how I did it. First, get the transducer connected to the unit, with cord straightened out and all the kinks out of it. For me, this involved running the cord through the front panel and up through a hole in the floor where the unit is located on the front deck. Mine is located on the right (starboard?) side, very close to the front edge. After the cord is connected and de-kinked, plot out how the transducer will mount on the trolling motor and the path that the cable will take. Allow enough slack all all the places that are hinged, i.e. the place where the trolling motor steers back and forth and allow for the path of the cable when the unit is stowed. To make sure that the cable isn't crimped, have it lie flat on top of the trolling motor shaft while it s stowed. The Maxxum frame is slightly different from the Fortrex. I drilled a hole every 6 inches or so and used zip ties to snug the transducer cable to the frame. For securing the cable down to the motor head, I used zip ties to position the cable where I wanted it, then I used black electricians tape to secure the cable exactly where I wanted it. Overall, I think I used 3 or 4 layers of tape over the entire shaft of the trolling motor. You can use that self sealing silicone tape, but it is more expensive and really doesn't work any better than electricians tape. When I got finished, the install looked pretty slick, kind of professional, really. For the finishing wrap, I considered using alternate colors of electricians tape, for kind of a barber pole effect, but on second thought doing that seemed, I don't know, ignorant looking I guess. The all black look suits me better, I think. The main thing is to take your time and route the transducer cable so that there are no kinks and so that it won't unduly rub or abrade on anything. It took me about an hour and a half, measuring and checking and allowing for flex and so forth.

That isn't that bad of a rip. My first inclination would be to live with it. Second, I'd try duct tape or gorilla tape. That gorilla tape is seriously heavy duty stuff. Third - get a heavy duty curved canvas stitching needle and some braid and sew it shut. None of these fixes are rocket science - I'd go with my first inclination unless I had some spare time and nothing and I mean nothing else to do.

I live kind out there in the country - black top road, not gravel road. I built a 30 x 40 Barn to keep my fishing toys in. I like being able to pull the truck and boat into the barn plug in the charger and go to the house. Over the years, I've gotten smarter about space management, so now I can fit a few more toys into it than I used to be able to. My utility trailer, lawn cart and 4-wheeler all fit in now and are relatively easy to get out if I need them. Long side walls are totally covered in shelves now and 90% of my stuff now is off the floor and on shelves. In decent weather, this is where I hang out, so sometime this year or next I'd like to upgrade the stereo system, get it to where it will rattle the metal a little bit. Just a mater of throwing money at it. Got to get some spare money - now that I think about it - probably not this year

You;ve got lots of options presented already. I'm assuming you've got a boat. Where I'd start is wacky rigging a senko along the face of the deeper weed lines, starting any place where it is irregular. Deep weed lines on points is a good place to start. Shady side of deep weed lines on points is a prime place. Option B would be to Ned rig similar places. Just my thoughts on the subject.

I have a few of the pointer 100 DD's, but I don't fish them very often. I do think that my regular pointers, the 100 sp work better with one or two suspend dots or one suspend strip. I'm no help on color. Most of the time I reach for Table Rock Shad, which looks like nothing in particular, but more or less everything in general. Other guys say the same think about the MS American Shad, so go figure. For lines, I use 14 lb Fireline Crystal and a short (2' or less) 15 or 20 lb fluorocarbon leader.

The last suggestion was the cheapest solution. Use your current set up and learn how to back troll. Back in the 80's, this was a common tactic until you got enough money to buy a bass boat. If you're going to stay at 12 volts and you need a new transom mount trolling motor - don't skimp. Buy the 55 lb thrust ( which I think is currently the biggest 12 volt set up Minn Kota makes) The difference between the 55 and the 30 you're using now will amaze you. The new transom mount is still roughly half the cost of a new bow mount. If you're going to go bow mount, don't stay at 12 volts - pop for a 24 volt system. Yeah - it costs more and there is an extra battery and new wiring to consider but you're unlikely to be happy with the results of a 12 volt bow mount trolling motor. You will end up using your higher speeds more often and battery power will be affected. Next question - what is your alternate power source? Oars? Paddle? Small gas motor? Another boat control tool you might consider is a drag chain. I had one in olden times, when I fished out of borrowed row boats a lot. It consisted of 5 feet or so of very heavy chain tied to 50 feet or so of 3/8 or 1/2 inch nylon rope. Throw it out and let out enough rope so that it drags on the bottom, tie it off on a boat cleat and that will slow your drift down quite a bit. The only reason to use the thicker rope is that it is easier on your hands when you pull it up. This is a tool that a lot of the Midwest Finesse guys use when they are throwing ned rigs. Eastern Kansas - Western Missouri the wind is often much more than 5 MPH. They're throwing 1/16 and lighter jigs on 4 lb test or so. Slowing down your drift becomes important. So, there's a few options. Hope it helps.

If I'm going to be frogging a lot, I've got a 7'9" Fenwick AETOS Heavy action rod I like for that duty. That rod is a challenge to transport in my fishing truck (I've got to lay it cross wise on top of all the other rods to get it to fit) Last year I experimented some with a couple of different 7' to 7'3" MH and Heavy action rods with mixed results. I liked how they fit in the truck better. I think that they cost me a little bit in distance casting. (this is important, in that I like to hold my boat on the edge of the slop, rather than in it.) I think that they cost me a little bit in hook sets, in that I can't move quite as much line at a distance as I can with the 7'9" rod. On the lakes I fish, there are only a few paddy, mossy sloppy places that are amenable to frog fishing. Most of those spots, distance doesn't matter much. A couple of the spots, it does. My advice would be to go with the longest rod you can get away with.

To echo prior posters - those are two different techniques that would be hard to combine on the same rig. For the carolina rig, I don't see anything wrong with going with braid down to the swivel and then using a fluorocarbon leader. For the A-rigs, I use 65 lb braid, that is coming from buddies who fish Table Rock much more often than I do and tell me that A rigs get stuck from time to time and it is easier to get them back when you're using braid. I've heard from other guys that heavy mono is better, but I wouldn't know. I went with braid and haven't had any issues.

Good luck finding a used one. Most guys who have mid range & up Shimano's don't trade or sell them. Take care of them and they will last forever. My advice would be to save your pennies and pop for a new one. Pop for a new Curado or better. They last forever.

I don't think that the skimmer type transducers will work for a through the hull install. I think that you've got to use a puck style transducer for that application. Call Lowrance and go by what they say.

In the late 70's - early 80's, I missed nearly all of the early buzz bait craze. I just didn't get how a sinking lure worked as a top water lure. My only experience with top water baits at the time was a Jitterbug slowly crawled on top of the water, often at night and it only worked when there wasn't any wind. After reading some article in Bassmaster magazine about how great these lures were, I finally bought one and I've had occasional success with it over the years.

That happens to me all the time, I find a lure and forget what brand it is or where I bought it. How'd it get to the front of your driveway? Blow out of your boat? Fall out of some pals vehicle when he dropped by to pick you up? Be on the lookout at each fishing tackle store you wander into. I've never seen one exactly like that, which leads me to think it is probably a regional brand, close to where you live, as opposed to a nationally distributed brand. It has a lot of details in it for a hand-pour. If you really want to find out, take the lizard with you and visit each tackle shop within 250 miles of you. Somewhere on that quest, you'll probably find that lizard.

I use an older Shimano Calcutta TEGT filled with 65 lb braid for throwing A-Rigs. The same reel & line that I use for throwing frogs. It works ok. Should someday I get some spare money, I'm looking at a Curado 300E, one, for a little more line capacity and two, it would be a little lighter. Overall, I'm happy with how the TEGT performs.

I think that unless you pop for a relatively expensive set of aluminum or titanium pliers, rust is going to happen from time to time. You have to let them set for a long time, unused, before rusting becomes such an issue that they won't work. My issue with pliers is that they are never where I need them in my boat. I've tried to solve that problem by having multiple pliers scattered around my boat. One pair hang on the post in the front deck, one on the front deck. One on the deck by the console, one on the rear deck, one behind the seat and one set on the small shelf next to the throttle. So what is that, 6 pairs? I'm pretty sure that there are a couple of pairs on non-needle nose pliers in the tool kit as well. This seems to solve the problem. Gather up the pliers is an item on the check list as I store gear as I get ready to go home.

I got a pair of mini bolt cutters. I forget the brand, Crescent I think, because I recall a blue handle. I that they cost around $20 at Home Depot or Lowe's. They stay in the boat all the time and I look at them as cheap insurance, i.e. as long as I got a tool that will solve the problem, it might not ever happen. Prior to purchasing this tool, once I ran a treble hook into the meat of my palm, it wouldn't back out and I had to push it through and cut it off. A pain, literally and figuratively. The point about maybe having to use your non-dominant hand is well taken. When I bought this set of pliers, I made sure that they had enough leverage that I could cut stuff with my non-dominant hand.

When it comes to "charity" - feel like I do my part -given my current income level. I do the United Way payroll deduction, slip $20 or so into the red buckets every Christmas. Occasionally I will buy raffle tickets or dinner tickets if approached by someone I know. Stuff like that. "Toys" are different from "charity" And let's be clear, fishing tackle qualifies as "toys". Toys that in some way one has worked for or sacrificed for in some manner are taken care of, respected if you will. Toys that are free - not so much. No "skin in the game" if you will. That's why I don't give away fishing gear any more. It has more meaning to me, even if it is gathering dust in my fishing shed (which I also sacrificed to build) than it would to someone else should I give it away "free". Just my opinion on the subject, but one that is unlikely to change.

I think that Brush Babies were the first incarnation of the Timber Tiger. Timber Tigers are a little more elongated size for size, they still have the "wings" on the side and the lip doesn't have quite the cut that the Brush Baby does. The two baits are so similar, I'd be surprised if they didn't share a designer.

I've found that 17 or 20 lb Iron Silk is a good rattle trap, spinner bait, buzz bait line, because it is abrasion resistant. It has held up well in the areas I fish. Wouldn't know about lighter pound tests.

I have polarized prescription sunglasses. They are the no-line bifocals, so I guess those are the "progressive" lenses you're referring to. My eye glass place - connected to my eye doctor, always called those no-line bifocals, so it took me a while to make the connection. Anyway, I don't/won't go outside without my sunglasses. The polarized feature doesn't give me head aches and regular sunglasses do. The only issue I have with them is sometimes you have to move your head looking down at my depth finder because at some angles it goes totally black, then I move my head slightly and it comes back into focus.