Scott F

How do you know he wasn't invited? Maybe, because his sponsors are not involved, he didn't want to be filmed fishing from a Nitro boat when Ranger sponsors him.

The linkage or gears in the lower unit are damaged.

If the sight of a 20ft long boat, and a running gas or electric motor doesn’t spook them, I can’t see that your fashion choice in clothing is going to scare the fish. You might startle other anglers more than the bass.

How would leaving the drag tight damage a spinning reel?

My early hero wasn't famous. My dad was my inspiration. He's been gone a long time and I've lived my life trying to make sure he was always proud of me.

After seeing the demand for the Bass Tracker, watch for another boat company to offer a similar deal on one of their boats.

Some people like to get out and fish even when the odds on catching are against them. When the water is so cold that the ice isn't even gone, you must understand that fishing is going to be tough. Very tough. Myself, if I know I'm going to be uncomfortable and I'm going to be lucky to catch anything, I stay home and wait until conditions improve. If you like the challenge, and understand that you probably won't be catching anything, go out and give it a try.

This is why I wear shoes while fishing.

Whopper Plopper.

Benjamin Franklin is on the $100 bill so Benjamins are 100's

I spend 4-6 weeks every year fishing 2 places. One is 300 miles away and the other is 350 miles away. Once I get there, I spend 3 days to two weeks before I come home. I only fish other places when I can't get to one of my first two choices.

I prefer the sling packs. Goes over one shoulder and around. You swing the pack to the front to get in it, and swing it around to your back while fishing. You don't have to take it off to get inside and it's not in your way while fishing. Works well for bank walking and wading. If you don't need to carry a ton of stuff, it's a great solution. Check out the fly shops or fly fishing sections of web sites to find a selection, like this one from Orvis.

I’ve said this many times before. I don’t believe that a bass has the mental capacity to reason. They just aren’t smart enough to figure out that the line connected to your bait makes it something to avoid. If they had that ability, they should also reason that treble hooks also should not be hanging from their food. Too many fish have been caught on lines that are visible for me to be concerned that I have the “right” color line.

What problems are you having that you think a leader will solve?

2000 size reels are my main fishing reels. They hold plenty of the 8-10lb braid I use and the drag on the reels easily handle the biggest hard fighting river smallmouth. My reels of choice are Quantum's but I use the Energy and Smoke models which are considerably more than $100.

This is hardly a new concept. It is just a larger, version of the personal pontoons that have been around for a very long time. The pedal option is new, but the infatable pontoons can be transported inside a normal car and you can still use a trolling motor. There are hundreds of variations. One person, two persons, with floors for standing or without

I know the lake you are asking about. It also has walleye and lots of pike. Not much in the way of depth changes, all you can do is stay by the weeds which are everywhere and cover water.

Join a local fishing club. Not a tournament club, just a fishing club. That will put you in touch with other fishermen who are looking for guys who want to fish. My experience tells me guys in clubs like to share what they know and are more than willing to help out a new guy. On your own, you will spend a lot of time trying to apply what you read about. Fishing with people who know what they are doing will speed up the learning curve.

It just looks big because he's pushing it out toward the camera. Doesn't look over 250lbs to me.

Summer and fall smallmouth follow the schools of perch in lakes. If you locate perch the smallmouth aren't far away. I've never fished a river that had any perch so I can't tell how they relate to them there.

Titanium is good because it doesn't kink but, a good crimp on titanium isn't easy. It doesn't like to be bent and if the crimp isn't real solid, it will come apart. Plus, although titanium does bend and returns to straight, it will break. I tried it for a while but gave up on it. Stealth with leaders is not an issue. Pike are crazy and don't care if you use a leader or not. A simple clinch knot works just fine with tieable wire. It takes a bit of practice to tie without the wire kinking and curling up.

Snaps - yes. Swivels -no

Drastic water fluctuations don't generally happen on a daily basis there. There is always water coming through the dam. If there was a big rain they might release more, but it usually doesn't change much. If you are going to fish the river or rivers, you need to keep an eye on the water levels. Experience will tell you how or when to approach the river or even if you should stay home. Here is the USGS gauge for the Wisconsin at the Dells https://waterdata.usgs.gov/wi/nwis/uv?site_no=05404000

Don't concern yourself with "tides" in that section. The water levels won't change drastically. Above the dams, there really isn't even a lot of current to deal with. In other reservoirs, like on the Tennesee River, fishing below the dams, you need to fish around the water release schedules as the fish feed more heavily while water is being released.

Start reading the USGS water level gauges near where you plan on fishing. You will see if the release schedule is consistent or not. If you are fishing tournaments, are you fishing the flowages above the dams in boats, or are they kayak tournaments?