desmobob

Mine was on an orange Creme pre-rigged worm. It had a prop on the front, a couple of beads, and was rigged on two or three gold hooks with wire weed guards.

The reason your four-blade aluminum prop may have performed so well is that it's one of the newer Spitfire props. They are an interesting combination of a "chop prop" style blade but on a four-blade build. I picked up two with different diameters/pitches as replacements for the standard three-blade aluminum prop that came on my 40HP four-cycle. They offer both a couple of additional MPH and better hole-shot than the stock prop at a price that's considerably lower than a stainless steel prop.

I keep a couple of lures pre-rigged with it. (And a couple of flies in my saltwater fly box, for when the bluefish show up. Bluefish are to striper fishermen what pike are to bass fishermen.)

Fish grippers are no match for a big thrashing pike. I graduated to a Bogagrip.

Oh yeah... Most everyone knows enough not to lip one, but lots of folks (me included) have made the mistake of slipping a hand into the gills to boat one. Bloody mess ensues... ?

I wouldn't be without Eppinger's standard red and white Spinnie, Imp and Lil Devle spoons in my tackle box. I even had a selection of their in-line spinners with the "tangle free" offset shaft. Other than chasing native trout in the local brooks, I did most all of my fishing in the clear, rocky waters of Lake George, NY. Daredevles were a very popular lure for the lake back then. Does anyone fish this type of spoons these days?

Sometimes I attempt to "de-pike" the area by throwing a large buzz bait/frog thing that has a long hard wire on the front and retrieve it very rapidly. That will usually draw out any pike around. If I think it's safe, then I might tie on a twenty-dollar Megabass popper... I typically fish with a leader of 20lb. Seaguar AbrazX and I still lose plenty of lures to pike and even large pickerel. It only takes a couple of pike or large pickerel to shred even a braided wire leader.

We have pike, pickerel and Zebra Mussels. I'm just hoping we never have Zebra Mussel-covered pike and pickerel... ?

You must not have a lot of pike and pickerel where you fish... ? I love topwater baits, especially those Megabass numbers with the incredible finishes. And then I see that high-speed wake approaching and there's no time to react... gone.

I use a 7wt for largemouths and sometimes bring an 8wt or 9wt for fishing in heavy vegetation. Deer hair divers, Deceivers, Clousers, muddlers and bunny strip flies get the job done!

I think I downed enough Genny Cream Ale ("screamers") in my younger days to provide enough aluminum to make my Tracker's hull and maybe another one or two... Seriously though... my only complaint with my Tracker is with the trailer, not the boat (swing-away feature getting lots of wear/slop). I have not had a single issue or complaint. (And my rod locker is 7.5') I don't think it's anything to avoid as an entry level or budget option. They've gone up $2K in price since I purchased mine seven years ago but they've added a few things like a painted hull, VersaTrack mounting rails, etc.

I'm bringing it on a Cape Cod saltwater fly fishing trip Saturday... it's sold as a premium beer there; it's even packaged with a fancier label than we get in NY! Our label in NY: Fancy, out-of-state label:

I just bought a 30-pack of Cream Ale. I hope they filter the river water before brewing with it! ? When deciding to try a bass boat, I knew I had an extremely limited budget. In 2014 I decided to buy a new Tracker Pro170 aluminum boat w/40HP Mercury outboard. I have been very happy with it and have no regrets. I paid less than $15K, ready-to-fish. The only upgrade I felt necessary was to add a Garmin ECHOmap 93sv. I'm not saying I don't fantasize about having a top-line boat, but I can't afford to spend that kind of money on my primary road vehicle, let alone a recreational boat. It seems that Tracker has the market cornered on budget/entry level bass boats, and they sell a bunch of them. Maybe there's room in that market for some competition, especially in the fiberglass segment...

Auto-inflatables are a compromise: comfort vs. safety. One factor in PFD choice should be boat speed. If you have a bass boat that travels at high speeds, there are specifically designed PFDs to protect you in that environment.

I guess circle hooks have lessened that hazard but I haven't fished live bait (other than rarely while ice fishing) since long before circle hooks became popular. Wasn't there sort of a bass fishing fad of using really large shiners floated under balloons in the late seventies? I seem to remember something like that...

+1 ! 1/15 or 1/20 ounce head and buoyant plastic is my preferred rigging.

I'm still looking for Champ on Lake Champlain! I always have a camera with me so I suppose I'll never luck out and see him (or her). There was a real Lake George, NY monster, Georgie. It was built by a local and moored submerged in the lake out in front of his deck. When he had folks visiting from the city, he'd have an accomplice let it rise up to the surface for a "sighting". I think it is in the Blue Mt. Lake Museum... I just finished reading a non-fiction fishing book in which the author mentions seeing a "monster" in a small mountain trout pond. He is not the type that believes in monsters, UFOs, etc, and was absolutely shocked and astounded when he saw it. As he watched it, he eventually realized it was a family of otters swimming in a line, equal distances apart. It looked very much like a giant serpent; enough to fool him for a moment or two. Edit: The Lake George monster was crafted by famous painter Harry Watrous of Hague, on Lake George. It is currently in the West Museum in the Hague Town Hall. Wikipedia has an entry with the whole story.

I rarely keep fish for eating other than during the ice fishing season. The fish stay cold all day and there are no pesky mosquitos or black flies to bother me while I'm filleting my catch! I make an exception for the occasional walleye I catch by accident every so often. I'll pull out the tackle bags that are usually stored in my live well and put it to use.

To me, if the plastic isn't buoyant, it's not really a Ned Rig (even though it still works very well with non-buoyant plastics).

Just a cautionary note for those who want to try polarized glasses with readers... try a low-budget pair first to see if you like them. I was ready to drop decent money on a good pair when I received a decent pair as a birthday gift. It turns out I just could not use them on the boat. I guess I glance down at my trolling motor foot pedal, the deck, my feet as I move around my small boat, etc., and the glasses made me nauseous. When I'm not wearing contact lenses, I'm wearing bifocal or progressive lens eyeglasses, but I just couldn't get used to them in the boat, fishing. I tried several times and gave up. I wear a flip-down magnifier under the bill of my hat for knot tying, etc.

1) Smith Action Optics ChromaPop Copper 2) Maui Jim HCL Bronze. 3) Anything else polarized; from Strike King on up. I think good glasses are worth the money but most budget glasses work very well.

That fact was mentioned in the BoatUS safety course I just completed. I keep a laundry detergent bottle with the top cut off in my boat. It also allows you to kneel down in the cockpit and be mostly out of sight if you have to go when you're in a busy area or an area where the shoreline is lined with houses. It doubles as a bailer.

I think the Striker Plus 4 is getting a reputation as the best bang for the buck. I have a Striker Plus 5cv for my kick boat and for ice fishing and love it. The "Plus" series can do Quick Draw Contours (mapping).

I saw my first ruby-throated yesterday. And I got a good look... I was chatting with a friend at her house and didn't realize I was standing next to/under the hummingbird feeder. I heard a buzzing sound approaching fast and looked up to see a hummer headed right for my face. He gave me a couple of dust-offs before I moved away from his buffet.

Yup. And, like GRiver, I fish by myself most of the time. Getting older makes me more aware of my mortality... I even took the BoatUS boating safety course this week, despite being a boater for 35 years! Thanks for all the responses, Bob