NBR

I sit here and look at 6 bait casters over 50 years old sitting there in a place of honor on a shelf in my man cave. I think the reason for a right hand cranking bait caster is that is how the manufacturers made them. Spinning gear originated in Europe (I think France) and my first one, circa 1948 was a single bail left hand cranking reel. Again that's the way they were made. I believe continuing left or right cranking is a matter of habit. I get confused by just thinking about cranking a bait caster left handed or spinning gear right handed. When bait casting I do palm the reel so I would need to switch hand position most of the time regadless of the cranking hand. I don't think there is an efficiency loss by switching hands. Often and usually when fishing buzz baits I switch hands just before the bait hits the water. I also often cast with the baitcaster palmed in my left hand but not when I want a very long or accurate cast.

Mike, How did your St. Clair trip go? It is a huge lake and can be a challenge?

I use bullet weights but put them on backwards so the point doesn't wedge in the rocks which are at least 90% of the cover where I fish. If I'm stuck I get to the back side and 99% of the time the backwards weight pops out.

NOPE! Fishing if great fun. Catching is like frosting on the cake.

Nothig wrong at all if I'm having a tough day fun fishing I'm apt to troll to try to find the fish. I just think trolling is super boring so I don't do it much.

I often just stop the spool with my thuimb and start to crank. Takes the stress off the reel and instantly begins the retrieve.

Check with your local DNR. They probably know more about the lake than you would think possible. If the state is thinking of taking the lake over you can be sure they have a pretty good handle on the lakes status. I am norht of you by several hundred miles; 5# bass are not that common here nor in NJ. I have fished from the everglades to northern Canada and 1 pound bass are the most common everywhere. IMHO unauthorized planting should result in loss of fishig rights for some years.

On my spinning reels Iset the drag real tight and back reel. Bait casters I set the drag light. If I want a little more drag I squeeze the spool with my thumb . If I want a lot of drag I squeeze with both t.humbs

You won't do any damage. IMHO the only advantage I can see is the line is a bit softer when you put it on but right back to the original stiffness when it cools. Mono absorbs a little water but I doubt that any extra is retained from trip to trip. I do know of nylon auto parts molded in Indiana and shipped to El Paso had breakage problems do to the dry conditions. The reason to soak in hot water is temperature control. You can't get the water over 212F. While hot soaking can be helpfut for some putting mono on your reel correctly eliminates the need for soaking.

I've never kept one but many years ago I was at a lodge on the Chppeau Flowage in Wisconsin. They had about a 10 to 12" largemouth in an aquarium with a chub of about 6" and a bull head a little smaller. We arrived on a Friday night and Sunday morning the chub was in the bass with the bass' belly bulging down by the vent and the tail sticking out the bass' mouth. The bar tender said that in a few days the chub would be digested and the bull head would be swallowed. Then he would restock the tank with more feed for the bass. I have been told that caught and kept wild bass don't survive well in an aquarium. One tackle shop I know of gets their aquarium fish from the DNR.

As I sit here in the mancave I look at my shelf of long ago reels. Most more than 65 years old. Never dried, oiled or anything else after a rain. Oiled when ther needed. Also never allowed to ride in a truck bed. Still work they way they were designed. Oiled when they needed it which was usually at the start of each fishing trip.

What is the GVW capacity of your truck? If its close to the total weight of the boat rig, the truck and passengers you are ok. First issue is stopping the rig not pulling it. Does the trailer have brakes?

Why are you forced to use the boater's PFD? I am not a strong swimmer and I fish alone in my boat often so I bought a self inflating PFD and I take it with me when I fish the back seat. I put it on when I get in the boat and take it off then the day is done. When I have someone with me I have them bring their PFD. A poorly fitting or worn PFD is not acceptable to the coast guard or other marine safety officiers.

Just find points leading from deep into spawning areas. Winni has so much great smallie water it is hard to go wrong. Send me a PM if you would like!

Same rod, same weight line, same type of line, same lure. A lot more to casting distance than the reel.

First I don't understand the reasoning for 2 batteries for your electronics and cranking. My boat works just fine with the cranking battery supplying everything except the TM. Your are correct with them in parrallel since in series you would have 24 volts to the system. Do you charge your batteries as soon as you get back? Is your water level in the batteries at proper lever? Your boat is light and is probably going to get pushed around by the wind. You can probably reduce wind push by throwing out a bucket on a rope to act as a sea anchor. You would probably be more satisfied with a 24v system but if you do that you probably need to get 2 new TM batteries. Battery systems neither like new and older batteries nor different batteries in the same system.

There is a possibilty of TM interference when the sounder is powered off the TM battery(ies). I've never seen interference from the TM direct but I suppose it could happen. When you get a display from your sounder at just fishing speed it is several feet behind the transducer (I've read 6 to 7 feet) so if your transducer is on the stern you are passed the structure by 7 feet plus the boat length. Don Iovino(sp) has a pretty good book including the subject. This is demonstrated at planing speed, my sounder will show depths at 50mph up to about 100 feet of depth. If I want to see bottom at 100 feet I'll need to slow down. Not necessary for bass fishing but on occasion I jig for lake trout. The transducer is just past the signal before it gets back to the boat.

In my opinion soaking in hot water softens the line a bit but does nothing regarding twist. In my experience twist when installing line is no problem with a bait caster but can be a major issue with soinning or spin cast gear. The other and I think a major twist issue is cranking while the drag slips. To get a feel for this loosen your dran and crank a shoretr time with the drag slipping. You will have mega twists. I eliminated this years ago by back reeling with my spinning rigs when I needed to give a fish some line. To fill a spinning rig I run the line through the rod guides, put the spool of new line on the floor label side up. Crank a few times and put some slack in the line. If there is no twist finish filling the reel spool (leave about 1/8 inch below the reel spool lip). Keep enough pressure on the line for a good tight fill but was less the you have the drag set. Three reasons for spinning/spincast line twist: 1. Line installed with twist. Solution put it on correctly to start. 2. Cranking with the drag slipping. Solution just don't do it. This can be hard with a fish on. Learn to back reel. 3. Lure that spins during the retrieve. For plastics bake sure it's rigged straight. Lures that spins like inline spinners-I use a swivel.

Until I bought a TM with a built in transducer I mounted the transducer to the TM with a large hose clamp that fit around the TM lower unit. Works great!

I use just snaps. for the majority of cranks and surface lures and tie direct for most if not all others. As said snap swivels are too heavy for my tastes. From time to time I'll use a swivel on a rig that tends to spin but I can't remember the last time I used a snap swivel.

It does look like a lazy Ike but the part near the front hook makes it look like a lure made from plastic and as best as I can recall Lazy Ikes were wood baits. Lazy Ikes, Flat Fish and another I can't be sure of the name but Reefer rings a bell had similar shapes and actions. All three caught many fish and were probably used more by walleye fishermen than bass fishermen. All three were effective baits probably trolled more than cast.

I also just mounted the transducer with a large clamp around the TM. I fish lakes that are full of rocks and not much other cover. I had to replace the transducer every 2 or 3 years I think just from banging into rocks. My current TM has a built in transducer. I've had it for at least 5 yers and never had to replace the transducer. I'll never have another TM without a built in transducer unless I put a side scan on the TM.

For years I changed at least every winter when the lakes were frozen. I have always and still kept a close watch on any nicks or frays in the last 10 feet or so of line. Now I don't change lines until the lack of line is going to affect casting and I can't recall the last time I broke off on a fish. Mono has incredible life if not exposed to sunlight or extreme temperatures for extended periods. I don't fish a lot of T's but if I did changing lines would be one of thse things that made me feel better.

The color red does indeed disapear in realitively shallow water. Then it looks sort of black. For my eyes green seems to blend in better but then I'm not a bass nor any kind of a fish. The lakes I fish are very clear- ofter you can see bottom in 10 or more feet. I use flouro or green mono and when I use braid I use either a fluoro or mono leader. I am not sure it makes any difference to the bass but it does to my confidence level.

I have that happen pretty often and I use a Berkley spooling station. I used to direct the line with my fingerbut I have stopped doing this since the line evens itself out when fishing. I wouldn't worry about it unless in piled up and hit part of the reel.