OnthePotomac

Look, A-Jay, you have to stop showing off that monster, it is really depressing LOL. I would be lost on your water when 99% of the time I am slogging around in 6' or less fighting the spatterdoc, milfoil, elodea, hydrilla and eel grass, which narrows baits to buzz baits, chatterbaits, lipless, spinnerbaits, baby1-,, top waters, frogs, and lots of Senkos, craw and creatures.

I was about to say as Logan S did that the 3' avocado Stingray fished on a 1/8 or 1/4 ball head jig has been a winter favorite in the late fall/winter for the 19 years I have been on the Tidal Potomac river. Outside the family of Potomac anglers this the first time I have ever read a discussion on the bait. It sure works for us.

I also am lovin' the 5/0 hooks on my chatterbaits.

So there you have it. Confused now? As I have posted before, when I retired and got in to bass fishing 19 years ago, before the dizzying world of mono, flouro an braid line choices, every reel I had, but the frog reel, had 14lb green mono on it and the frog reel had 20lb green mono on it. It worked great on the Potomac grass beds with lots of baits and no lost fish. Yes I have changed with everyone else regarding mixing in flouro, but have never liked braid except on my frog reel and still enjoy frog fishing with 20lb mono. So it is what do you like blondes or brunetts?

My lines are really simple: 10/12lb Invizx for cranks 15 Invizx for every thing else except 17lb XL mono for top waters, swim baits, spinner/blade baits 50lb Sufix 832 on the frog rod

I use the Shimano reel covers on all of my bait casters. Appear to be well made and holding up for the last three years. Amazon and other national tackle companies have them. Just be sure you order the right size.

A good way to remove "C" clips: put a dab of grease on them, insert a tiny flat blade screw driver into one of the openings and twist. It will not go anywhere because of the grease.

By older tech do you mean the Citica 200E, which are really fine reels. And they are a 200 size where the SLX is much smaller and the size of the Curado 70 with the same spool capacity, which is a lot less than the Citica 200. I have both and would say the Citica 200E, but I have mine with ABEC bearings and upgraded drag washers. I also like to polish internal componants, so it may not be a totally fair comparison. I do believe overall the Citica is a little sturdier reel, but I have enjoyed worm fishing with the SLX and it has never failed. Personal preference I guess.

Oiling brake tips: Where you brake shoes are mounted to pivot, apply a minisculed drop of bearing oil and if your brake shoes pivot forward to a brass sleeve, put a tiny drop of bearing oil on a Qtip and rub it around the brass surface. When your brakes squeal it is time to lube.

My MGL is two brakes on and the outside dial on "3". Actually, every Shimano I have is two brakes on. It is on a 7' MH Carbonlite and spooled with 15lb Invizx to throw a KVD caffeine shad. A perfect set up.

If you store outdoors like I have to, use a $40 tarp silver from Lowes over your boat cover and it really adds life to your boat cover. I put a new cover on my boat 7 years ago and with the tarp on it, it still looks like new. The Lowes tarp lasts about two years. I do go the storage yard during the winter to remove snow.

Which old girl, the one on wheels, or the one that floats?

I stopped using them for SS, but when I had them I hosed them down with CRC Electronic Cleaner with bearings laying in a small food strainer. The CRC cuts grease fast, dries fast and leaves no residue. Still do this for my SS bearings.

If this will help, I sold one of my 14 years old Curado 100B's for $85 but it had ABEC 7 bearings, up graded drag washers, polished internal components and not a mark on it with the original box and papers. My reels lay on a sponge rubber mat in the boat, so no boat rash. The buyer is begging me for another one, but I love those little jewels and will keep the rest.

Although I am a Shimano fan, several years ago I bought a ProQualifier on one of the sales out of curiosity and was really impressed with the reel. So much so that I put it on my frog rod where it stayed for three years and not a minute of trouble with that reel. I did trade it in at three years of use because I wanted a Chronarch MGL, had gift cards and BPS gave me $50 dollars on a trade in for the MGL. A great little reel.

And put one of these on your frog and you will never lose another fish and just set the hook when it bites....no delay. https://www.cabelas.com/product/LAKE-FORK-TROPHY-FROG-TAIL-HOOK/1754374.uts?slotId=3

Is it safe to say you do not do an annual maintenance of cleaning and lube?

It is called free board and I do not have that boat, but would guess it cannot be higher than 18" . We will see what others have to say. I just checked for you and the transom height is 16.5 inches so the sides will be the same.

Deep cycle as I described. I am on the river for 4-5 hours in an outing. My TM battery is charged on a 10amp charger immediately after each outing, in addition to using a pulse desulfinater and the MG TM is digital, which makes a big difference in battery draw.

Sorry sir, but my Deka 27 deep cycle marine is labeled 575CCA@0 degrees and 720MCA@32 degrees and runs my 55lb MG, digital, variable speed all day on my 17'6" G3 and.that is on a very windy tidal Potomac river. That motor set on "10" will flat move out. I could not see a need for a bigger TM and more batteries. I use an Interstate for a starting battery.

If you get an auto inflate it will no doubt run you more than $100 for a quality vest. Don't go cheap on an auto inflate... it is you life. You can pick up regular PFD's for the boys at a reasonable price and take them with you for a good fit. Mustang is a good product.

Correct. It is a good check for leaking seals and the old oil should clear and not milky. I use a glass jar for my old oil.

A friend of mine is a chemical engineer and offered up this for us. The contents on the Sea Foam MSDS has varied from the 1985 data sheet on isoproponal and as of September 11, 2018 reflects this: Hydrocarbocarbon Blend less than 95% Isoproponal less then 25% But there is a never before qualifier added to the recent sheet, which reads: Note: The exact composition of the listed chemicals are being withheld as a trade secret. He further explained that OSHA is reviewing Data Sheets (MSDS) and they are in the process of revising what is allowable under the trade secret loop hole. Once corrected, OSHA issues the Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) requirements for a hazardous chemical composition used in the product and will require that it be listed. The latest SeaFoam MSDS reflects the use of that loop hole The only other comment he had was that we will be surprised to see what is really in it.

My Yammie is a two stroke and I have never fogged the carbs and as I said, only use Yamaha Ring Free in the gas, always, but never put Stabil, or anything else in the gas. I do also pull the prop, put a heavy layer of Yamaha Blue Marine grease on the shaft and slip a piece of capped PVC pipe over the shaft for the winter. Also do what else has been mentioned above. It always starts right up in the spring. Stabil is mostly deodorized kerosene (according to the MSTS sheet) and Sea Foam is mostly alcohol, which E10 has already.

Curado 200K?