bassnleo

I take mine to a local marine shop and have them do it. They go over everything including trailer and bearings. It's good piece of mind for $70.

I'm shocked that no one has mentioned TOPWATER. In a clear water environment a topwater bait such as a shad colored pop-r or walking style bait is deadly, especially in the Fall when the fish are chasing schools of bait. It can be a great search bait also, it will draw fish up that will strike at it, another bait may be more suited once the fish are located. Falling water may pull the fish off shore. Fishing over deeper structure or cover such as brush piles may be something to consider. Let me say this, some have responded for you to try a spinnerbait. I do not like to fish a spinnerbait in a clear, grass-less, lake. I prefer a crankbait worked along the bottom or deflected off rocks or other cover. Most importantly............ What are you strengths????? Do not go into a large tournament with the mindset that you have to fish like everyone else or in a way that you do not normally do. Take your 3 strongest techniques, apply them to the lake you are fishing (and the seasonal movements of bass) and GO WHACK EM.

Well said, only thing I would add is to read, read, read some more about the fish you are after. Knowing the seasonal movements of bass and their behaviors during these times really helped me. A good club definately cuts the learning curve.....

Best wishes.. I'm gonna win mine

Good reply..... We must first understand what we pursue and it's habits before we can capture it............... Those vids are worth far more than you can buy them for.

I bought a lead pot at a flea market, I pour all my own tube jig heads, drop shot weights, ball head jigs. I can buy premium hooks and pour these myself for far less than I can buy them. Gonna start pouring spinnerbaits and jigs this winter too, makes a great winter project.

Man that buck with the split main beam is a bruiser. WHACK EM!

Ranger Z20 w/ Evinrude 225 E-tec.

Try pitching baits into the holes in the shallower weeds.

Joe Thomas is one of my favorite pro anglers, great show, sure would like to see him finally win one.........

ZARA spook, double willow spinnerbait 1/2 oz chartreuse skirt and blades burned just under surface (low light conditions), tubes tubes tubes, Zoom super fluke worked fast and erratic with intermittent pauses like an injured baitfish. The above has produced lunker smallies for me in a variety of situations and on various bodies of water.

Purely a guess.......... Maybe the motor ran until all the gas in the lines was used up? I've noticed in the past that my motors will run for quite a while if the fuel supply is pulled.

I currently have both. I actually prefer Minn Kota. They seem to hold up a little better to the beatings I lay on em. I've bent 3 Motorguide shafts, have yet to bend a Minn Kota.

I use just about everything already mentioned. Tube are my favorite. I rig them with a internal weight that I hand pour and a Eagle Claw HP hook. A bait quickly becoming my second favorite is a Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Craw, rigged on wide gap hook that has weight on the bend (for the life of me I can't think of the name of the hook), 1/16 oz. It falls really nice and slow and it can be kind of buzzed on the surface under the dock, I've had that style of retrieve trigger many bites if fish aren't biting it on the fall. One other dock trick I've learned, if the bite is a little slow, try just letting the bait sit there for 15 or more seconds, then hop it up. Seems to aggravate the bass when something takes up residence in their home and once it moves they nail it.

Ya know, I was thinking I was crazy for also thinking about spawning fish this time of year here in PA, BUT, I too have caught quite a few lately that have bloody tails. Hmmm... I wonder............

I owned an Evinrude tm, it was made by Minn Kota....

Yep, that will drive you nuts. I can't stand to draw a rider who brags about catching numerous HUGE fish the day before and we waste time on thier spots only to be skunked, then they leave all thier friggin junk in my boat from switching lures every other cast trying to match what I'm wackin em on....

The thing that makes me raise an eyebrow is stained and muddy. Have you tried specifically targeting shallow cover? There are ALWAYS some fish shallow. Docks, trees, stumps, logs, weeds? I would target the shallow stuff, but that's just me, I like to do that sort of thing...........

Have the rods, just need the footage!! I'll try to film something this week.

I've never heard that before here in PA. It's quite common to see guys drop their big fiberglass rigs in at a 10 hp lake and only use the trolling motor. I've never seen a WCO even second glance at someone with a larger hp boat as long as that big sucker wasn't running. I'm in NW PA by the way, maybe it's lakes in different part of PA that you refer to?

I have 3 Garmin units, great working sonar for the price. Just read the owner's manual, you'll pick up on operation of the unit pretty quick.

VERY, VERY COOL IDEA! Congrats to our youth winners, I'm impressed, keep up the good work. Yes Glen, this site continues to get better and better each and every day, quite frankly it's amazing how good it is!

Nope, won't waste the money......

One note of caution. I would recommend NOT tightening the drag all the way down. Reason, with a heavy flipping stick and 50 lb braid, I have seen times where you will actually tear the mouth if hooked in a softer area, fish shakes his head and it's off. I had this problem when I started flippin, I'd cross their eyes, get em free of the cover, they shake and next thing they were off. I solved it by loosening up on the drag. When to flip: Flipping is simply a technique to get a bait into heavy cover, quietly, and with little or no commotion. With that being said, the technique is probably most effective when fish are in cover, such as when the sun is up and the sky is bright. Don't forget to try other presentations in the early morning or in the evening, the fish may be a little away from the cover due to light penetraion being low.

I've tried to make my own, tried to have someone make them for me, same result...they broke. Trust me when I tell you, the money you will spend for professionally made guide-ons will be well worth it.