Scott F

You can buy a dissolved oxygen meter. Around $150 and up.

You can buy a set of small torx drivers for less than $10

Congrats on your retirement! Getting used to being retired was the easiest thing I’ve ever had to do. Not a day passes that I don’t thank my lucky stars that I was able to retire

Even if your lake isn’t on the card, it will still show the lake and you on it, it just won’t have depth information.

No one wants to fish with him because he wants to keep track of how many fish he catches?

I thought Mary Kay only gave out pink Cadillacs.

If there is anyway to borrow a known good, foot pedal try that, it will tell you a lot.

What is your spool tension like? If it’s too loose, the spool can have side to side play which might cause it not to stay centered on the frame which might cause line to pile up on one side. My Curado K doesn’t have this problem.

I fish mostly St Croix rods and don’t agree that they run that much heavier than other rods, they all have good, strong backbones but Ive found the lures ratings to be spot on.

I just bought a pair of sneakers. Had some Nikes in my hand for $55 and saw some Filas that were much more comfortable and bought those for $45. That is the price range I spend on sneakers. If you are a serious runner, high tech, expensive, custom fit running shoes will help reduce injuries. Last year, I spent $100 on a pair of Bean waterproof shoes that I pretty much only wear while fishing.

I’m not the least bit ashamed, no reason to be, but I haven’t done well with paddle tail swim baits like the Keitechs. I was with a guide who had me throw some of his, I caught some smallies, went out and stocked up, haven’t caught anything on them since. I know I need to spend more time with them, but like most of us with baits we should be catching them on, I give up on them too easily and revert to baits I have more confidence in.

I use only 20lb braid on my baitcasters and have never had the line dig in. Of course, I don't pull against the spool when freeing a snag, so the line never has a chance to dig in. As far as your having problems with the line not spooling tight, heavier lures that have some resistance when retrieving will wind tighter than weightless flukes.

What is missing from the Ranger that makes you want to get rid of it? How much are you going to get if you sell it?

The most important feature I’d like to see on new motors is a low profile foot pedal.

I don't even know what my personal best is, how much it weighed or when I caught it. I probably have a picture but personal best doesn't mean much to me.

Good for you!

This is my most recent accidental catch. 28.5 inch walleye.

Measure from the top of the bow to the water line and add roughly 20 inches. With a shaft that is too long, the motor will hit the bottom in shallow water or, if you raise it up, the head will sit too high and interfere with your fishing

Huh? The original Striker 4 was only a depth finder. With the Plus model, they added GPS but no maps. It’s only a $140. Guys pay more than that for just some map chips. How is that a step backward?

I don't know if this would work for you, but I use this small Plano utility box. It's pretty small but carries more hooks than I'll go through in several days fishing. It easily fits into a side pocket of my main tackle box. The dividers allow you to make compartments for almost all sizes of hooks. I don't have to bring every hook I own and saves a ton of space. It's about 4.5" square x 1.4" high Model #107000

From my experience, it’s not about what to throw, for river smallmouth, it’s always about where to throw it. It’s always about current. If you are just starting out, the best advise I can give, is to look for moving water and current breaks. For the most part, smallmouth won’t hang out in the fast water unless there is something to break the flow that they can hide behind so they don’t have swim against the current all the time. At the same time, they depend on that current to bring the food to them. During the summer, when oxygen levels get low in warm water, fast bubbling water resupplies oxygen, and the bass will often be found nearby. So, look for areas of fast water where there are rocks or wood to disrupt the flow. Get your bait to drift with the flow as close to the slack water formed behind the rocks or wood as you can. Bass will be looking into the current for food to pass by. If you are floating between prime sections, look for downed trees along the shoreline, shade lines, and trees that overhang the water. Also, look for water where the water is swirling or disturbed on the surface. It means there are rocks underneath and are good places for smallmouth to find underwater eddies to sit in. Slow moving or deep water are lower percentage areas so don’t spend a lot of time fishing them. Do spend more time when you find areas like I described above. For baits, keep it simple. Topwaters, weightless Senkos, Ned rigs, or spinners will nearly always produce as will many, many other baits. Anything you can get CLOSE and I mean VERY CLOSE to the spots smallies are laying can get bit. If you miss the target by more than a few inches, it can be the difference between zero fish and a day you will never forget. These are the things I look for in shallow creeks and rivers. Bass don’t always follow any rules so there will be days when they won’t be where they should be and will be found where you don’t expect. Cover as much water as you can and keep going back to learn the waters you fish. Unlike lake fish, river smallies can be caught shallow all summer long. Good luck!

We both forgot to mention another Chicago icon, Frazier Thomas from Garfield Goose and friends.

Specifically, what can’t you get to work? If your Garmin doesn’t see the transducer, you’ll get a screen message telling you so. Hard to help with a solution without more information.

I don't have the very latest Live Scope or 360 imaging, but high quality, high def maps have been a huge time saver for me. I fish a lake with several off shore rock bars and reefs that used to take me quite a while to locate just using the depth finder. Now, I have the "spot on the spot" way pointed on the built in high def maps that came pre-installed on my Garmin, and I can pull right up to the spot. My friends are often amazed how often I can pull up on a spot in the middle of open water, drop the trolling motor, and catch a smallie on the first cast. Guys who fish with me a lot many times will have a fish on before I even get the TM down.

Here in Chicago, Svengoolie started back in 1970. Now he is on nationally on ME TV. We also had Ray Rayner who did a morning show that was supposed to be for kids, but the parents liked it a lot too. Ray was also on Bozo's Circus as Oliver O Oliver which originated in Chicago.