rodnreel11

That's the name of the game. Well put! I have found that most of the time, the rate of fall is the most important factor of this technique. The fall rate can be changed by not only changing the size of the jig head, but also the size of the worm, or both. Experiment until the fish tell you which is the right combination.

That's a class act right there. If I were you NewAngler, I wouldn't even think twice about taking him up on that offer...

3000 lbs on a bumper hitch? :-? yes, and it it had a 300lb tongue load limit. i pulled it pretty well but now i have an expedition and i cant tell its behind me. That sounds about right. I have an Explorer Sport that I use to tow my 18' 6" glass rig and it works just fine.

I'm Tim from Jamestown, about 30 minutes east of Dayton. I fish a private lake called Shawnee Lake. Got my first boat a couple of months ago, so I'm currently trying to learn those ropes.

BassCast is a camera that ESPN puts on the back of 2 Elite anglers' boats so folks can follow them online and watch them fish. It's a pretty cool deal, really, that is if the video works. The Martens video wasn't working for me. I'd be able to watch 5-10 minutes or so of him fishing and then it would switch to Hackney from the day before. IMO ESPN does a crappy job of keeping up with the tournaments. With the resources they have they should be able to get a simple live stream working pretty easily.

I used to use the rapala knot all the time on my cranks and jerkbaits. I have since switched to a palomar mainly because it's just easier and quicker to tie. Never had a problem, though, using the rapala knot.

I know what you mean. This has just been a terrible year for me. Me, too

As far as some to try out, I'd recommend Koppers Live Target crankbaits. The first ones they ever came out with were there craw colored ones. I would choose a depth that will allow you to drudge the bottom, so if you're fishing in 5 feet of water use a crank that will dive 8-10 and really bang the bottom hard.

Best buzzbait on the market and the only brand I use. Judging from all the other comments, you should use them too! ;D ;D

I've only been able to take it out once since I got it, but it sure does handle nice! It's one of those boats that has been "babied" for the past 15 years. It was owned by recreational fishermen, not tournament guys who usually run their rigs a little harder than most. I was most surprised that it still had the original seats!! That is definitely rare for a 15 year old boat. Here are a few pics of it when I first got it home, bout halfway down the page: http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1213554116/180

I just bought a 1995 Champion with the original 150 Mariner Magnum EFI. It runs great. I made darn sure that the engine was in tip top shape before I bought it though. I got lucky, too, because the 2 previous owners took very good care of it. I would not consider a 2000 to be too old at all. If it has had regular maintenance and been well taken care of it should last for years. The best money you can spend would be to pay a certified mechanic to look the boat and motor up and down with a fine toothed comb before making any decisions.

If Champion wasn't in jeopardy I would pick them, otherwise I would be in a BassCat

LC Pointer 100 in chartreuse shad

I use Pro-Tec products and they do an amazing job. They have a product called Wash 'n Gloss for washing the boat. After washing use the Sealant Polish to seal up all the pores and add a nice shine to the gel coat. These 2 also do a good job of keeping dirt/dust from sticking to the boat. In between washes, BBS is the best I've found for keeping the water/scum line off the boat.

x2 Great jerkbait rod right there. I prefer a much shorter rod for this application and something with a soft tip so you don't rip the trebles out.

You are right, just use a voltmeter on the one of the charger's bank outputs. My charger ramps up to 14.6 volts during the charging stage, holds steady at 14.6V during the conditioning stage, and then drops down to 13.3V when it enters the maintenance/float stage.

When its a 30 year old boat already exhibiting problems, yes. Not what i wanted to hear but thanks I was in your shoes a couple of months ago. I know all these "negative" comments are probably discouraging you from buying your first boat, but they should be seriously considered. What's the point in forking over $1k if you have to spend another $2-3k fixing a rotten floor and transom? Why not just save that money and buy a nicer/newer rig? This is definitely not a decision you want to rush. There are a ton of boats out there, plenty have been added to this thread for you to see. Make sure to consider what these guys are talking about because so far everything I've read is very sound advice. If I were you, I'd spend some time and save a little bit more back so your starting point is higher. All of the rigs Francho posted up look 10x better than the 2 you're considering. Trust me, you do NOT want to be stuck with a black hole for your first rig. Keep looking around and you'll eventually find the right one. Good luck finding one!

Because he added the under 10$ just now : Buy used is my advice. He's trying to trick us... ;D

Hmmm...seems all of our recommendations are missing a prerequisite! :-/ You asked for the best...in your price point I'd say you are doing the best you can with Bandit and Bomber. Try the Bandit Flat Maxx and Bomber Flat A. Traditionally the tighter wobbles of flat cranks work better in cold conditions.

Best cold water crankbait for me is a Lucky Craft Flat Mini in Original Tennessee Shad. The signature Skeet Reese series baits are also worth looking at.

I would say start with a 3/8 oz. white spinnerbait. I think those are the most common and can be applied to most situations. I also prefer gold blades. You can fish it literally however you want. Experiment to find what works best for the bass in your lake.

I really like both the peg board and plastic shoe box ideas. I just wish I had that many plastics so I could do the same... :'( Right now I use extra large freezer bags with labels. I group similar baits or if I have a lot of one brand/bait (like Zoom Speed Craws) I group them together. Works OK so far, but as they build up I'll switch to either the plastic bins or a big piece of peg board in the garage.

I got lucky, the BPS in Cincinnati had one Stradic CI4 in store. Apparently someone called a couple weeks ago and asked if they could get one in for him. The sales rep said it took him 2-3 weeks to find one, finally got it in the store, and the buyer backed out on the sale! I don't know, but spending all that time trying to find a product for 1 customer sounds like pretty good service to me. As far as keeping product in stock, I know of a member on another forum who placed an order from BPS for 20 of the new Stradic CI4s. He received all 20 reels, probably the majority of one shipment. And a lot of folks wait for this spring classic sale to buy highly sought after items like a Carbonlite or LC RC cranks on sale, then turn around and try to sell them online for full price to make a profit.

If the main forage is bluegill, you should definitely consider the Koppers Live Target baits. They are the best I've seen at mimicking color, size, and action.

The tackle storage system is the easiest way to go IMO.