desmobob

I felt the same way about Crocs for about a year until, one day, I happened to wear my Teva water sandals fishing instead. I found out that the treacherously slippery boat ramp wasn't really that slippery... it was just that my well-worn Crocs couldn't get a grip on it. I had never realized it was my footwear, not the ramp. The Crocs I loved for a long time were the standard models in a sort of Khaki/grey color. Maybe other models or even other colors don't have the same issue, but mine ended up being darn dangerous at the boat ramp if I had to wade in (and I launch alone and usually get in the water a bit). I still love Crocs for the convenience, utility and great comfort, but I'm now very wary of how they grip on a slimy ramp. Tight lines, Bob

Four-cycle. Thanks, Bob

Interesting. The Suzuki is the only engine in the class with electronic fuel injection. That's a plus for ease-of-use: no choke. Further research also shows the Suzuki is the only 15 with a decompression system for easier starting. Another plus. And it also happens to be the lightest of the bunch at 97 lbs. One more advantage. So far, I'd choose the Suzuki for those features. I think they'd be important for the ladies. I've been a Mercury guy my whole life. I never saw many Suzuki outboards in my area (upstate NY; inland), but when I'm on Cape Cod every spring, I notice a LOT of Suzuki engines. I've mentioned it to friends when I've returned home. I figure guys who are going offshore or even just inshore in the salt wouldn't mess around with unreliable engines as the risks are considerably higher. Thanks, Bob

Two women friends of mine have a place on a lake and have a 16' Grumman aluminum deep-V boat. It has an old Johnson 9.9 on it that has seen better days, so they never use the boat; they can't deal with the leaking gas, hard starting, and lack of reliability. They thought they would enjoy the boat if they had a modern, convenient, dependable outboard engine for it. Is there a particular brand that stands out as the most user-friendly type for these type of owners? We have an excellent local boat dealer who sells Mercury and Honda outboards, either of which I would buy without worry. I was wondering if there was one brand that had a stand-out reputation as being the best in this class. Thanks for any suggestions, Bob

That did the trick. Thanks! Bob

Thanks guys. My screen looks different than that. My username is on the LEFT side of the screen and though it has a small down-pointing arrow that looks like it would lead to a drop-down menu, clicking on my username brings me back to the BassResource home page.

I have a new e-mail account and I've spent this evening visiting my favorite forums and websites to update my address. After about 15 minutes of frustration, I've given up trying to change it here! Even the instructions in the FAQ don't work. The "Edit your profile" page has no place to change e-mail address and I can't find any kind of "account settings" page. Maybe i'm missing something obvious, but it shouldn't have to be this much of a struggle! Thanks for any help, Bob

I have the Carbon Steel "All Day Power Tool" which I believe is 7'3" HF. I got it, and another Carbon Steel rod, free during a "buy a KLX get a Carbon Steel free" sale a few years ago. I was immediately impressed with the rod and use it regularly. I have at least a half-dozen of Kistler's KLX series rods, plus a few Carbon Steel and Magnesium models. I've fished most of them for three years now and I think they are excellent rods. I've never had a warranty issue but I have called Kistler a few times and have been very happy with their customer service. Tight lines, Bob

I've been very happy with the Mercury "Spitfire" series... it's sort of an aluminum four-blade chop prop. Tight lines, Bob

I also thought the Pumpkinseed color looked like a good match for local bait. I bought one, brought it out fishing, and on the FIRST cast, a big Northern Pike ate it. I barely felt a tug and it was gone. I have other Megabass baits and are afraid to throw them most of the time. They sure look pretty in my tackle box, though! ;-) Tight lines, Bob

I'm thinking it may have as much to do with what guides are mounted on your rod as with what braid you're using. Most of my rods use Kigan zero-tangle "macro" size guides and other than a rare wrap-around at the tip-top, I don't recall having any issues. Tight lines, Bob

Smith Chromapops... look for deals online. Tight lines, Bob

Crash safety is one thing a lot of people overlook when car shopping. I like the fact that every model Subaru makes has the highest NHTSA safety rating. Tight lines, Bob

I think it's very hard to beat the Panfish Series for UL and L rods that have decent backbone at a great price. I have the 6'9" ULF and a matching pair of the 7' LXF panfish series rods and love them. I used the LXF for Ned Rig fishing sometimes and have a blast with them! Tight lines, Bob

That's what my non-fisherman father used to do... thread the hook into one end, feed the worm on until the hook was covered, then break off the excess worm. His crowning moment though, was when we were out for a family boat ride on Lake George, NY. I was a young teenager, and was driving the family Glastron bowrider w/65HP Merc outboard down the lake. My dad started rooting around for the telescopic spin casting rig he always kept in the boat. When I asked him what he was up to, he told me he was going to try trolling. "That's how the guys catch those big lake trout and salmon; trolling." He then proceeded to clip a Fred Arbogast Hula Popper onto the big brass snap swivel and pitched it off the stern at about 30MPH. He almost got spooled before I stopped the boat. :-) Tight lines, Bob

I barely was able to avert catastrophe and not spray down my notebook with ice tea on reading that. =:-) Tight lines, Bob

I do it. I have a light aluminum boat (Tracker Pro170) with a 12V trolling motor and sometimes fish for a l-o-n-g time. I bought a Minn-Kota "Alternator" device that directs your outboard's alternator output to the trolling motor battery as soon as the cranking battery is at full charge. It is kind of bulky and heavy, and a bit of a chore to wire up, but it works well to help keep my single trolling motor battery going all day and into the night. Tight lines, Bob

I bought a bag of GID soft plastics on some type this summer (Yamamoto grubs, maybe?), but have yet to reorganize my stuff and put them in the boat. I do have experience with GID soft and hard baits for ice fishing and they are an advantage, in my opinion. I have to think they'd work well for night-time or deep-water fishing for bass. Tight lines, Bob

That's why I'm almost afraid to try one. I've been resisting the temptation for a while, but I know I'll eventually give in. Please add more thoughts on the rod as you gain more experience with it. Tight lines, Bob

+2 on this... excellent rod for the money. The only other rod I have in that price range that I like as much is a Daiwa Tatula. Tight lines, Bob

Thanks for the heads-up on these. I needed some new pliers for the boat tool kit and found the set of pliers you show above for just under thirty-five bucks, shipped! Tight lines, Bob

The classic little Beetle Spin is a long-time favorite of mine. In Lake Champlain, the pike and pickerel eat them like candy, though. But on the other hand, so do all the other fish! Tight lines, Bob

I have five Tournament Pros and two BB1s, and they have been wonderful reels. I haven't tried any of their rods... Tight lines, Bob

I have similar spinning rods in both series and greatly prefer the Mojo Bass (new model with higher modulus graphite). Tight lines, Bob

This is pretty much exactly what I would have written if crazyjoe hadn't beaten me to it. Tight lines, Bob