38 Super Fan

Always liked him. I saw him at a gun show years ago, he was laughing and cussin' up a storm talking to some fans. Rest in peace Gunny.

Good for Knoxville... I didn't figure Tellico/Loudoun would be the choice of lakes though.

That's a foam bath mat that I got at Wal-Mart for $6. I have two bass boats and I wanted a cool foot in both of them, but the cheap skate in me wouldn't allow me to pay $60 for two cool foots. The mat was big enough for two easily, and I used some two sided tape to hold them in place. I wasn't sure that tape would hold up, but after a few trips it's still holding well.

A lot of times having a consistent cadence is important. When I say mix it up, I mean change what you're doing every few casts, but not within the same cast. (Not that just randomly jerking the lure won't work too, but I don't think it's usually ideal) I agree with the others about watching KVD. You'll see what I mean about being aggressive and having cadence.

An aggressive 3-1 retrieve is day in and day out what works best for me. The 2-2 is probably my next best. But you should always mix it up and let the fish tell you.

Thanks! I've avoided hooks, but I did have my partner step on my bare foot once, and he was wearing boots and weighs over 200 lbs. I'd rather step on a treble than have that happen again. It ripped one of my little toenails right off.

You're looking at the length of the bullet...not the diameter. A 5/8" diameter bullet would be a monster.

Other than cold starting difficulties, the XR6 was probably one of the best motors Mercury ever built.

I used to feel the same way, but once I tried it for a while I learned to love it. Now I don't even wear shoes in a boat when it's cold out, I just wear some wool socks.

Tacklewarehouse sells the real coolfoot: http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Coolfoot_Minn_Kota/descpage-CFKOTA.html I just made my own. When you fish barefoot a lot they're nice.

The pan is 17" long.

Turned out well, I like them both.

Don't sell yourself short, you've gotta be a pretty smart shopper. I've looked at quite a few Bullets for sale, and it's rare to find a cheap one.

Tracker boats hold their value surprisingly well around here too. I was looking at an 06 Tracker 190 w115 Merc locally for $11k several months ago. Heck, it wasn't even in very good shape. But that's pretty much the going rate on them around here. You can get a way better deal on a used glass boat. (here anyway) I ended up giving $11k for an 04 Skeeter 190 that was in excellent shape with low hours.

I've seen that on my local lakes, and they're not herring lakes. Last year my Dad was fishing with me and he hooked up (and eventually landed) a 20 pound Striper that was breaking threadfin on top. I immediately casted to the same area and caught a little 10 inch spotted bass.

It's common for them to hang together around here. Here's a LMB SMB double I caught from last year.

3/0 or 4/0 Gamakatsu offset shank worm hooks (round bend). They're excellent around vegetation, and you can fish them several ways. You can rig them with no weight (weightless texas rig) and reel them fast while keeping your rod tip up and they're almost like a topwater. You can also Texas rig them and fish them like any other T-rigged worm. My favorite back when I fished around grass was just T-rigging them and swimming them. It's simple and easy, but can be very effective.

What? You mean there actually is one person out there who is concerned with their etiquette on the lake?

No personal experience, but I know their build quality was excellent.

Sounds like the Triton is the way to go. Very well maintained boats aren't that easy to find, especially when you're talking about a nearly 15 year old model. I'd personally take the old XR6 over the Optimax too.

I guess if I had to choose between those two I'd have to go Ranger... and throw a V-Max SHO on it.

Choke? Look at all the weights from day 3, he wasn't the only angler to have a slow day. Yeah, I'm surprised he couldn't get 5 too, but Hartwell is a very tricky lake and that's been proved time and time again. I've heard some people knocking his choices, but I want to know why does everyone seem to think you just pick up a spinning rod with a wacky rig and immediately start loading the boat with keepers? Christie is one of the best in world, it just wasn't his day.

Harmful chemicals? It's just a dang marker.

Nearly all the lakes I fish are 1.5-2 hours drive. (70-95 miles on these twisty roads here) It's pretty common for me to fish 6-8 times a month, so I spend quite a bit of time towing.

I've bought dozens of items through the years on eBay, and never had a problem. In fact, I've had more trouble with Tacklewarehouse than eBay.