Scott F

Downsize your lures.

As a general rule, pike are dark with light spots. Muskies can vary depending on the sub species but generally, they are light with dark bars. I just can’t tell by the pictures you posted.

I've been throwing the WP 75 on 10lb braid on my spinning reel for the last week. I caught several nice smallmouth on it with no problems. 50lb is over kill to me. Even on my baitcasters I only use 20lb. braid. The line never digs in and If I had to, I can still break the line even though I haven't had to.

I’ve never believed that bass have the brain power to reason and figure out that line is a bad thing so I’ve never used mono or FC leaders to hide my line, or for any other reason. I’ve always used straight 8 or 10 pound braid on my spinning gear. 10 pound will break if I get snagged and I seldom drag my line over rocks where abrasion is an issue.

I would normally use a MH baitcaster, but I’ve been throwing it on a medium action spinning rod for that last few days. It loads the road about as much as I feel comfortable with but it fished just fine.

I don’t really care if I ever catch one, or even expect to catch one. If I did, I wouldn’t know because I don’t ever use a scale. If the only reason to fish was the pursuit of heavy bass, that’s when I would quit.

Powerton USED to be a good lake. The bass and most other species except for some cats are mostly all gone. Few people fish there anymore. If you are in Canton, check out the Giant Goose Ranch. Best fishing in the entire state but I think you might have to rent a cabin or campsite to get access to the fishing lakes.

I fish the Illinois a few times a year much farther north near Utica. There are a lot of carp in the area but we always stay in the main channel while not fishing. We very seldom see any jumping fish. If you scare them in shallow water, look out. The videos you see are all filmed running very close to the bank.

No, you won’t need anything special. In the unlikely event you are stopped, a current registration and the other normal safety equipment is all you need. If you insist on running fast in shallow water, you might need a helmet and bullet proof vest to protect you from jumping Asian carp..

In a river with current, a 12 volt 45/55 lb thrust, will not be enough. On lakes, it would be fine but in current, step up to the 70/80 lb, 24 volt motor. Increase your budget if you have to. It would be cheaper to buy the bigger motor now than getting the smaller one, finding out it’s too small, then having to upgrade. Also, if you are modifying the boat, make sure to set it up with room for two batteries now so you won’t have to change it later.

For an all around baitcaster, MH would be the choice. For a spinning rod, a M would be best.

Next next time, on the way to the lake, make a detour to a tackle shop and tell him what to buy. Next stop at the gas station, tell him it’s his turn to buy. Have him fill the tank, and, tell him which snacks and drinks you’d like.

What difference does it make if the weight of the bait has been reduced by the weight of the paint that was scraped off?

You do know that the fish really don't care, don't you? ? Most guys here have a lure that has little paint left on it but still continues to catch fish.

If you don’t enjoy fishing slow, don’t do it. Maybe you could catch more by using something that requires you to fish slower. But, fishing is supposed to be fun. No matter what, you will spend a lot more time fishing than catching. If you aren’t enjoying the fishing part, why bother? I don’t like fishing deep water with a drop shot. Or, fishing very heavy vegetation where you bring back 5 pound of salad with 1 pound of bass. If those were my only choices of how to fish, I’d rather stay home and paint my house. There are lots of ways to catch fish. If power fishing is what you prefer, and you understand and don’t mind that you won’t always catch a lot, do it. The other choice is fish somewhere where power fishing has a better chance of success. During the summer, when lake fish are deep or buried in the slop, I fish rivers where the bass are always shallow and there aren’t a lot of weeds (or fishermen) Just find a way to fish and keep it fun.

Maybe your wife is sneaking a stogie now and again!

While I was still working, fishing was my way to relax and forget about the stress of my job. That was a big reason I never considered tournament fishing. Relieving stress by doing something else stressful just didn’t make sense.

If you look on page 7 of the owners manual, it will give you the answers to your questions.

No I was not talking about interference from the prop. I have a Garmin with side imaging and I don't have to trim my motor up for it to work properly.

I like topwater fishing as much as anybody but it isn't always the way the fish want it. This morning, we tried topwaters quite a bit early, but they weren't interested. Senkos are what they were biting on. My fishing partner fished what he wanted to catch fish on, and I stuck with the plastic. He got nothing on his power fishing, including topwater, techniques.

Mount the transducer as far away from the motor on the transom as you can. You should be fine.

Nobody in this thread said anything about water clarity being a consideration. Grey or dark lenses would be the ones you'll use most often. Go with those.

You are correct. Could be a Mooneye.

Skipjack herring.

Raymarine’s literature says you can connect a camera to it. Contact their support and find out which waterproof camera to use.