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I do on Smith Mountain if I am fishing for Stripers. Live bait will catch stripers hands down better than artificial. As for LM I dont use live bait.

Smith Mountain Lake is owned by the electric company and a public lake. The Dept of game and fisheries has done test studies with these idea's on the lake and have that they have been productive so they have started a permit program where shorline landowners can apply for a permit to set them out right off their own shorline/dock. but without the permit its illeagle.

Woho the second list has my home lake as #25 moving on up from #63. There is a public ramp for #25 4 miles from my house and a private ramp less than a mile.

Trick worms on shakey head was the ticket for me October and November.

are you using pedal or co-piolit or I-Piolit? If so do you have the off buttin pushed in by accident? When I first got mine and was learning what all the buttons did on the remote. I had some how hit the off button and didnt even realize it existed and thought my Tm was shot. I could turn it but could not get the prop to come on.

Christmas came a little early, what can I say I can get impatient Wife ordered me a ComforTroll. I couldn't wait till Christmas to install so here's my install: First thing first. Cut out the template and tape it to the deck where you want it. But be careful when cutting the template that you cut the correct lines. Cut the wrong lines and you could have a hole to big for the tray to fit in. Once the template was in place I took an exacto knife and cut the carpet using the template as a guide then peeled the carpet up. This way I had permanent template in case the paper one ripped with cutting out the deck. Drilled out the corners big enough to give the blade room to make the turn. Used a Jig Saw to cut out the deck. On one note blades designed for wood do not last long in fiberglass, but hey that's what I had on hand, burned up 3 blades on one side. Picked up a couple of blades made for metal which worked a whole lot better. The way my boat is designed I had a couple of obstical's I had to deal with. Right under where I was putting the tray was the end of one of my comparments, a tube that runs the length of the boat to run wiring to the front that is PVC encased in fiberglass, and a ton of floatation foam. Had to cut all that out of the way. One thing with Ranger Boats is that there is flotation foam in the whole boat. One of the things that makes Ranger's so safe. You can cut the boat in half and it wont sink. Just makes a mess when you have to cut it out to make room. All cut out and cleaned up and test fit complete. You want to make sure its a tight fit to give maximum support. Tray in place and mounted. Pedal in place. The pedal needs to be secured in some fashion so it does not slide around, not that it can do much sliding as its designed to be a tight fit. Some drill holes in the tray and bolt the pedal directly to the tray. I did not like that idea as if I ever have to remove my TM then you have to take the tray out to unbolt it. So I used industrial strength all weather velcro on the feet of the pedal and then secured the other side to the tray. This way it holds it in place but can easily come out if I want it to. Sure made a mess. A lot of material had to be removed to get the tray to fist. Still pulling fiberglass splinters out of my hand > should of worn gloves, oh well Cant wait to get it out and try it out. Looking forward to pain free fishing

I have the WS Ride 115. I love it for the most part. The only thing I dont like about it is the weight of it. At 80 pounds for a 11.5' kayak is a lot. I have been eyeing a different kayak that comes in a 13' and 15' with the 13' only weighing 56 pounds. The weight difference might not seem like a big deal but for me I car top mine on a thule rack ontop the cab of a chevy 2500hd 4x4. In order for me to load it I have to get up on a step stool while holding the yak above my head and roll it up onto the cradels. Was a big deal when I first started kayaking. But as I get older my sholder isn't liking it more and more. So one thing to keep in mind is if its a yak you plan on keeping for a long time, yes right now might be fine for you to car top it, but as years go on you might think again about the weight. This also goes for hauling your kayak from car to launch spot. I fish the beach from time to time and have to park about 300 yards from the water line. The weight of the Ride 115 plus my fishing gear was more than what most kayak carts can handle in fact mine failed halfway on the first trip even though it was rated for 140#'s My father in law was running laps around me with his yak which weights considerably less. The ride is a super stable yak though. I've had my Ride 115 a couple miles off shore in some nasty swells and was just fine, did make for a long slow paddle back in though.

Thats how mine is setup. Charger is wired directly to the batteries. Main power lead to the boat has a main breaker right at the battery.

For me the only time I use a scale really is if I am tournament Fishing to help keep track of fish to make culling easier. Long as the scale is consistant I dont really care if it weights 3 oz lighter or heavier long as it does it consistantly.

Rod biulding can be addictive. Once you start you will want to build more and more. Just take your time and be patient when building. Rushing tends to leave a less then desireable result. And like papajoe said once you catch one on a rod you made is just that more awsome.

I personally use Pflueger President and love them. Best spinning reel for the money in my opinion.

Another question is there that big of a difference between 70# and 80#? Im not sure what I have on there now as it is what was on it when i bought it.

Im toying with changing out my 10 year old wore out Minn Kota Maxxum on the front of my ranger 185. Its become sloppy, noisy, and peddal/direction is off. Been toying with the idea of one of the electric steer versions as the co-piolit sounds kinda nice since I also troll for stripers from time to time. What is the difference between the Power Drive V2 and the Terrova other than the pedal setup and price?

Check out this site. Can help get you started in the right direction http://www.mercurymarine.com/propellers/prop-selector/

All great advise. Our Club tournaments are run where the non boater draws a boaters name and they try to make it so you do not fish with the same person more than once thoruhgout the year. Its also set up so the non boater pays the entry fee for both himself and the his boater. There was some problems a while back, before i joined, that a lot of the boaters were complaining that the non boaters were not pitching in on gas money so to resolve it the non boat pays the boaters entry fee and there is no expectaion then for gas money. When It comes to my boat nothing bannan related rule goes for my boat as well. If its someone I know and trust I will let them run the TM and fish from the front when I am retieing. I keep one of my rear compartments empty for the non boater to use for what ever they want. Bring as many rods as you want just be able to keep them neat in the non boater rod storage and not waste time fumbling with them. As for spots to fish I have my spots I like to check out but will also ask my non boater if they have a place they want to check and if its resonable I will make every effort to check it out. I have found some great spots from some of my non boaters

All great advise. Our Club tournaments are run where the non boater draws a boaters name and they try to make it so you do not fish with the same person more than once thoruhgout the year. Its also set up so the non boater pays the entry fee for both himself and the his boater. There was some problems a while back, before i joined, that a lot of the boaters were complaining that the non boaters were not pitching in on gas money so to resolve it the non boat pays the boaters entry fee and there is no expectaion then for gas money. When It comes to my boat nothing bannan related rule goes for my boat as well. If its someone I know and trust I will let them run the TM and fish from the front when I am retieing. I keep one of my rear compartments empty for the non boater to use for what ever they want. Bring as many rods as you want just be able to keep them neat in the non boater rod storage and not waste time fumbling with them. As for spots to fish I have my spots I like to check out but will also ask my non boater if they have a place they want to check and if its resonable I will make every effort to check it out. I have found some great spots from some of my non boaters

The Fuse 4.4 for me is more of a shakey head bait. Try their baby D bomb and regular D bomb.

Im looking for someone to fish co-angler with me. Im not new to fishing but somewhat new to tournament fishing. I'm working on my 2014 schedule and am looking to fish some tournaments and possibly a local series or 2. Most of the people I know and the ones in my local club all have someone they fish with and have for some time now and since I am new to the club and tournaments I am looking for someone to fish co-angler with me. I live in the Smith Mountain Lake area and mainly fish that lake but also on occasion fish the surrounding lakes. If anyone is interested let me know. Experience level is not a requirement.

I'm interested depending on scheduling

Like DVT said I wouldnt go that route. Ive had rods come in for repair where the customer tried exactly what you are suggesting and I had to charge a little more than normal for the repair due to the extra work it takes to get that stuff off the guide and blank so I could properly fix it. I would find you a local rod builder and just have him fix it for you. Do it right the first time.

PM sent

Our last club tournament 2 weeks ago all fish weighed in were around docks. What was working for us and everyone I talked to was shakey head, senko's and drop shot.

Depending on where and when it is you can fish out of my boat

a couple of suggestions on place's are Smith Mountain Lake, Lake MooMaw, Potomac, James, Kerr