Scott F

I can see where tripping over the net would be a good possibility after you’ve drunk 10 or 12 beers.

Not allowing motor boats will also keep people at home and not potentially spreading a virus across the state.

St Croix Premieres I think are still under $130. Can’t go wrong there.

I have tried over the years and have always done better with lures that are NOT realistic looking. Everyone has a lure that always seems to get bit even though all the paint has worn away. Something else to consider. In nature, albino animals never survive long. Their lack of ability to blend in to their surroundings makes them vulnerable to being eaten. Most fishes coloration allows them to blend in to the environment. I want my bait to be easily located by a predator, not blend in or hide from them. With smallmouth, bright, loud, colors like clown patterns or chartreuse do very well and are not often seen in natural baits.

On the lake I fish for pre-spawn smallies, you cannot get a hit on a top water when the surface water temp is under 60

This small, clam shell box will fit in a pocket in your main tackle box. You can’t carry everything you own, but you should be able to carry more than enough for a few trips at least. Lots of option as far as the size and number of compartments. You can get one for just a few bucks at the Plano Outlet Store, just west of where you live.

I’ve got the big transducer on my boat too. If you are getting a rooster tail, you may have the transducer too far below the hull. No matter what, Too much pressure on the transducer will cause it too swing up, out of the water (if you didn’t over tighten it). If it was too tight, the bracket would bend or twist. Is there any damage on the transducer bracket?

Unless you screwed the transducer to the hull with an impact driver, I can’t imagine it putting so much stress on the hull that you cracked a weld. I’m no expert, and can’t see where the crack is, but my guess is that the weld was either not done very well or possibly, it cracked from hitting a bump hard while being trailered. If there was a lot of stress from the transducer, the screws and or the bracket on the transducer would be pulling loose.

I like flip ups and clip ons for driving. For fishing though, I like some sort of side shields.

I’ve tested the polarization of many types of sunglasses from the cheapest to the most expensive by doing the simple test of looking through 2 pairs with one of them turned 90 degrees. If the polarization was poor, I’d expect a fair amount of light to get through when one pair was rotated. I’ve never found that the cheap glasses let through more light than the most expensive. If someone has another, better way to test polarization, I’d like to hear it. I also use Cocoons over my prescription bifocals. They are not expensive and the wrap around frames block the sun from the sides.

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Did you get a length measurement?

There are several YouTube videos showing how guys gear up for cold weather kayaking.

10. Plenty strong, but you can still break it off when you get a snag. Casts farther than 15.

They don’t come in the same colors as the Yamamoto’s, but Case Plastics make the Sinkin’ Salty Minnow that has very much the same shape as the D Shad, but is 3 3/4”. It sinks like a Senko but with the Fluke/D Shad shape. They are a bit cheaper too at 10 for $4.50

I think you’ll get fewer bites on it, but those you do get should be bigger on average. If you don’t have a lot of confidence in the bait, or any bait for that matter, you probably won’t stick with it when things get tough. Hard to be successful sometimes if you don’t believe in the bait.

I’d use it for any bait that weighs between 1/8 and 1/2. If it’s your only rod, use it for everything. If, you had a selection of rods to choose from, you could dedicate it to just a few baits, but don’t be afraid to try it for whatever you have within the rods rating.

My favorite guide and the one I’ve used the most, knows what’s working and I usually take his advice. On days when I want to try something different, he is always supportive. For example, in the fall, on the river he guides, live, red tail chubs are the bait that will catch the most smallmouth. I don’t enjoy live bait fishing as much, so I often will give artificials a try first. He might think I’m stupid for doing it, but helps me as much as he can. After I’ve been outfished by my fishing partner, I’ll give in and switch to live bait. Another guide I was fishing with on Rainy Lake in Minnesota told us stories of why he didn’t like Al Lindner. It seems when he guided Al, Al never listened to what the guide wanted to do. Part of the fun fishing with guides for me is listening to the stories they tell.

Except on a musky rod, all my bait casters have 20lb braid on them. I’ve never understood the “light line digging in” problem that so many others seem to have. I’ve never had that problem. I know what happens if I don’t get a backlash out all the way and make a cast, but that can happen with the 65lb braid on my musky rod. For those that have had dig in problems in the past, what happened that pulled the line so hard that it dug in?

Cabelas sells wire for making stainless steel leaders. The company is American Fishing Wire. Something in the 50 pound test range should work well. Sells for around $15 for a 75 yard roll.

I’ll nit pick your answer. That is not true. With pre-packaged meat, the meat is put on a styrofoam tray, the package is wrapped with plastic film, then weighed and the label with the weight and price is put on the package. If you have the butcher take the meat from the case, he’ll weigh it, then wrap and price it.

More than likely, it’s actually 6 pieces of wood glued, then tied together. At least that’s the way 6 sided, bamboo fly rods are made. It’s probably bamboo also. Do a search of places that do bamboo rod building. Maybe they might know something that could help.

In my opinion, you don’t have to be a great fisherman to be a good guide. If he knows the waters he’s guiding well enough to put clients on fish through the seasons, and he has the patience to teach newbies how to fish, he can be a good guide. But that’s only half of it. A guide has to be a people person. He has to put up with guests who know nothing about fishing and have never held a rod in their life and guys who think they know everything. If he goes into it thinking he’ll be able to fish everyday while getting paid, he might be in for a surprise. It might not be the norm everywhere, but in my experience, guides never fish while they are guiding. They may pick up a rod to demonstrate a technique, but that’s it. I know I pay the guide so I can catch fish not him. Guiding is a job. Day after day watching other people fish in all kinds of weather can be a grind. If he’s trying to make a living, pay his bills, put a kid through college and save for retirement, he probably will have a difficult time. If he’s trying to make a few extra bucks to make his boat payments, it is doable. I know guides who are great fishermen but have zero personality. They don’t get a lot of repeat business. Friendly guys who are fun to be around will do much better.

Thanks. I appreciate the offer. But, it doesn’t look like I’m going anywhere for a while ☹️