Bassin Bob

No smallies there. But big spots and stripers. This time of year it is mostly night fishing due to temps.

Nice park, been there a few times. This is copied from the website: "Aluminum jon boats may be rented year-round. Please bring your own trolling motor and battery. No privately owned, motorized boats or gasoline motors are allowed on the lake. Visitors may bring their own canoes and kayaks year-round." http://tnstateparks.com/parks/activities/fall-creek-falls-interpretive-programs Hope that helps.

I had a similar tri hull years ago. The main problem with those boats is a lot of wood was used. Mine had stringers made of wood. Over the years, they rotted away leaving the boat hull very weak and constantly cracking the fiberglass and leaking. My advice is to check thoroughly and water test it, including running it with the outboard. If it leaks, it's not worth what he is asking.

I have used a Berkley hot line cutter on the braid end with success. I cut it close with scissors and melt the tag end as close as possible with the cutter. It "cauterizes" the cut.

I started fishing it this summer and caught a bunch of smallies, a few LM, and a ton of bream.

I had one in the late 1980s. Mine was built with wooden stringers (as were all others, I suspect). Due to various things over time, water got into them and they became soaked and rotted. And when wooden stringers get wet, there is little you can do to successfully dry them out. With that, the structural integrity of the boat was kaput. Every time I started the outboard, the motor torque caused the bottom to crack. I'd repair the crack and it would re-appear every time. So check the boat thoroughly and ask about its history. I caught a lot of fish from that boat, but it was a fix-daily thing.

The Humminbird Fishing Buddy 130, for example, uses 6 AA batteries. Check out their complete lineup. Some even have side finding capabilities.

I believe Woo Daves used a Zebco 808 to skip under docks and such. Years ago, I saw him using a spincast on TV--don't remember if it was a tourney but he was an advocate of spincasters in certain situations.

War Eagle lures still has them. I just purchased a few. I had a lot of success with them when they first came out (early 1990s???). I used them with topwaters and swimbaits. Interestingly, I caught fish on both the frontrunner and the main lure. When you tie it in front of a swimbait, it looks like the swimbait is attacking the frontrunner. Big bass hit the swimbait as they appear fixated on their frontrunner prey and not paying attention to anything else. At least that's my theory. I caught my biggest spot this way (about 4.5 lbs). I lost all my frontrunners years ago and thought they were a relic of the distant past, but was delighted to find them for sale.

Online orders are equally problematic. I've ordered from Tackle Warehouse and others just to find jigheads and bodies are put on backorder. Seems there is no reliable supplier that I can find.

I also thought I was alone in reeling right handed with both spinning and casting. It's good to know there are others!

Evinrude motors require a different type of throttle box. For example, with my Evinrude you cannot advance the throttle went starting, it has a "fast idle" lever that automatically advances the throttle for you. You can run an Evinrude on the boat, but you will have to change out the throttle box as well. But, I have a 23 year old 'Rude that still runs great. With proper maintenance, a 16 year old outboard should be fine.

It looks like a lamprey bite to me.

I have the exact setup you described and it works great. I hook both TM batteries to one bank and the starting battery to the other. It doesn't take very long at all for a charge (4-6 hrs depending). I just hook up after a day on the water and everything is ready to go in the morning. Why not try it out before you buy something you may not need. You will probably be very pleased.

I have a Minn Kota and it may not be broken. Sometimes the drive cable loosens and the gear that drives the pointer becomes unmeshed. Take off the top, realign the gears (which can be difficult), and reassemble. It is a fairly intuitive to deduce the steps required when you see the assemblage. When finished, tighten the cable using the screw located under your foot pedal. I did all that a year ago and have had no further problems.

I have used their H2O hard baits, rods, frogs, and other items. All are of good quality. I like their rods and Academy will refund/exchange any that break with no questions asked.

I once had every bit of tackle stolen from me. What a nightmare! It took a few years, and a few thousand dollars, to get back to having what I needed. After that, I am no longer afraid to use any lure. I can lose a $25 lure as long as I have the rest!

Modified Albright (aka Alberto) is the Knot Wars champion in the line to leader category. Check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2R_2xautA1U

I have used an unweighted Senko over pads. They glide over the top of pads, yet are dense enough to slowly sink in the holes. At times to increase the sink rate, you can try a 1/32 or 1/16 oz. bullet weight, pegged. Good luck! Pad fishing is one of my favorites!

Anyone heard anything new about the proposed Bass Pro Shop in Decatur, AL? First it's on, then it's off, then there's a lawsuit, etc., etc. I saw the latest catalog still listed it as a future site, but nothing seems to have progressed. Any news or rumors?

Take a look at Tims Ford Lake near Winchester, TN. Great place, great lake with smallies, largemouth, walleye, stripers, etc. Also there are trout below the dam and the Elk River to canoe and catch trout and smallies. Plus, Phoenix Boats are made nearby. And the Jack Daniels distillery is a stone's throw away.

I am surprised that no one has mentioned Ginger Baker.

I usually use braided line with a flouro leader. I can't do that with micro guides as the guides are too small to allow a leader knot to easily pass thru. If you use straight braid or straight mono, micros are great.

I had a Grizzly years ago. It was great in skinny water but it flat out beat me to death in open water with any type of wave action. The flat bottom is not conducive to a smooth ride when you encounter waves. The boat is indestructible but not designed for people with bad backs. I sold mine and bought a fiberglass boat that is much more comfortable.