Ratherbfishing

You'll have fewer issues with heavy braid HOWEVER, as has already been said, even the slightest bit of weed or junk between the tail and the body will cause the ENTIRE lure to twist and without a swivel, you'll likely have some problems. I used my WP extensively for the first time last evening and I was not thrilled with this tendency. I had mono on my bait caster and now I'm gonna have to "unravel" the twist the WP imparted on it. A swivel is going to be a permanent addition to this bait from here on out.

The bait monkey hates Henry.

According to Henry David Thoreau, there at Walden, in order to catch bass you should "Simplify, simplify, simplify."

Throw out the trailer and start over. Kidding (sort of). USUALLY the problem is a bad ground and that USUALLY is caused by corrosion. Clean all the connection points thoroughly with a fine wire brush. Also, what has helped me is to use a pliers and crimp the male ends ever so slightly so they are "out of round" just a hair. This helps keep contact in the connection points.

Say what one wants about their being ugly, slimy, bony, etc. but they do fight like mad!

I was out on the County Park lake yesterday evening. Being small(ish), it is strictly a trolling motor (or paddle) only lake. No gas motors whatsoever. I observe (and hear) a boat which is moving at quite a fast clip (for a trolling motor) and I hear what sounds a lot like the "glub glub glub" of a small gas motor. There is a trolling motor on the front but nothing on the back. NOTHING. Yet the back is where the prop wake is coming from. It LOOKS like a standard jon boat but something clearly seemed amiss. Do they make small inboard/outboard motors for jon boats? Could this person have been cheating? Or was I imagining things?

As a front begins to move through, you can have some of the best fishing. HOWEVER, having said that, don't make that opportunity cost you your life. Lightning trumps everything. My suggestion: if it looks at all like it MIGHT becoming threatening, hover near the ramp where you can quickly get off the boat and into a vehicle. If you hear thunder, it means there is lightning. If it's clearly moving AWAY from you (and is already some distance from you), you're probably okay but remember that lightning can travel a long distance. Rain? You won't melt.

I thought they were fun to catch (though a few did cut off my crappie jigs). My friend didn't like them so much but he didn't try to hurt them either. They fought REALLY hard and they rolled at the boat like an alligator might. I don't think they were spawning (yet)-if color is any indication-but none of the bass had spawned yet either (we had a late spring). Anyway, I wouldn't want a lake full of them-to the exclusion of other species-but I don't see that happening.

A buddy and I went to our favorite lake two Friday's in a row. The first Friday we (he) caught one bowfin. It's sort of a novelty in our neck of the woods to catch a bowfin and we thought of it as such. However, last Friday (in addition to many bass) we hooked and/or caught at least 14 of them (They were hanging out in flooded cattails in about 3 feet of water). It became sort of a game to guess what species they were before we saw them. Has anyone else had such a day as this?

Standard bass jigs and Carolina rigs. These are my nemesis.

Without a strong roof rack...In addition to scratching the paint, I'd be concerned about it denting/mishaping the roof. Anything other than a very strong and rigid system is fraught with potential problems. When you cinch it down, and if the boat shifts in transit, it could potentially do some very unpleasant things to your car roof. A short drive to the local pond might be doable but a long trek at highway speeds...not a very good idea IMO.

My foot controlled trolling motor does NOT have a reverse and since it is cable-steer (assuming there is no operator error) it can turn sufficiently fast (180 degrees) to avoid obstacles and keep from getting pinned in. The only trolling motors I've ever seen (and have) with a reverse speed are transom mount models. With those it's pretty much a necessity as it's awkward and hard to reach the handle/switch when it's turned halfway around. Few foot-controlled bow mounted trolling motors will have a reverse speed as you can turn the motor 180 + degrees and because props are designed to run most efficiently and smoothly in the forward direction. Boats with a high draft require a TM shaft which is, accordingly, longer. In addition, on big water (with taller waves) you want the shaft to reach down enough so the motor/prop stays in the water (nothing is worse than having the motor/prop cavitate or spin in the air when you need the power the most). You don't, obviously, want it down too far or it'll hit bottom in shallow water. If you will be mounting it on a John boat, you don't really want or need a long shaft. If you can afford it (they cost a little more) and want a fair amount of power and efficiency at lower speeds, I recommend you at least look into getting a TM with digital controls/speeds. "Normal"/traditional trolling motors regulate their speed through resistors (where power is lost as wasted heat) but digital motors regulate speed through variable length pulses of electricity to their motors. If you use the trolling motor at lower speeds a lot, this will keep you on the water longer.

Assuming the fish are not small and assuming it works, I would remain with the same pattern you begin with UNTIL it stops being "the pattern." Then move down the list and the water column. Don't leave fish to find fish.

Agreed. Just flip the receiver hitch upside down and remount the ball (or get a new one). This shouldn't be a big deal. The hitch on my Pilot sits about 3 or 4 inches (probably more) higher than my friends F-150 and we can tow the same boat equally successfully. I also like the suggestion put forth to put some planks down which raises your truck up. It's a simple solution but a good one.

At first I thought you meant the pain of the tattoo. ; P

50? FIFTY??!!!!!!! Good Lord! I thought one was bad! If I had to experience 50 of them I'd almost be willing to have both kidneys yanked and go on permanent dialysis. I'm kidding, of course, but holy schneikies!!!!

Is it possible? I suppose. Would you really make some people mad by doing so? Yes. Even IF I had my license (I always do), I'd be honked off if I was asked to show proof by a vendor. And there are ENOUGH regulations on the books without more headaches to contend with.

For me it isn't misery but it's close. It still beats a hot, steamy (or cold and windy) day when the fish aren't biting. Last August I took my bro-in-law out fishing on my favorite lake. He had to buy an out of state license. But, of course, it was blue sky weather, a light comfy breeze, and 70 degrees with almost no humidity and he/we caught almost nothing. Oh! The agony of it!

The question IS, in my opinion: Do you enjoy his company? Not everyone has the same interests, desires, aptitudes and your friend is different than you are. So....you can accept him as he is or you can continue to let it bug you. It pretty much comes down to that. Going back to my first sentence/question-if you enjoy his company, just chill (and, occasionally, roll your eyes). If you don't enjoy his company (while fishing), confine your time spent with him to when you do enjoy it. If you feel comfortable with doing so, just be direct with him (in a nice way). In the moment, ask him WHY, when he asks your advice, he doesn't take it. He may never have the same aptitudes/abilities as you but you can shape him (a little).

It's not the size of the boat in the fight. It's the size of the fight in the boat that matters.

Wow! What are the odds? Did you take her to Las Vegas afterwards while her streak was hot?

Oh, if I'm wearing shorts, I definitely wear sunscreen. But it's greasy, makes my hands slick, and rubs off over time and sometimes I'll forget to reapply it and, honestly, even WHEN I have it on pretty thick, I still feel like the tops of my legs are sizzling. I hate that feeling.

I love wearing shorts and usually do when I'm bank fishing but no matter how much sunscreen I put on, especially in my boat, the tops of my legs start to feel like they are sizzling like bacon on a griddle. In addition to potential down-the-road cancer, I want to be more comfortable. Denim jeans are the worst. I have actually taken to wearing my older dress slacks because they are, at least, lighter.

BeWARE of making them too slick. What makes your boat slide easily onto your trailer can also make it slide off too easily. My friend once had to back his trailer/boat down WAY TOO FAST as he saw the boat was sliding off rapidly. Luckily he made it. It would not have been pretty. A-Jay's suggestion is probably the safest/soundest way. Or, perhaps, apply "something" to the back half of the bunk boards but not the front half. Too much of a good thing can be a very bad thing.