desmobob

I was fishing this weekend and almost fell off the boat when my Minn-Kota Edge 45 trolling motor (standard on my Tracker Pro170) suddenly went to full power when I turned the motor 90* to port with the speed control set to "2". When I got home, I took a look at the foot control and found one of the large power wires to the on-off foot switch was rubbing on one of the connections on the speed control rheostat. The insulation had worn through and the power wire would short to the rheostat when the motor was turned hard to port, giving the motor full power. I was able to easily fix the problem by simply bundling the wires to keep them from rubbing where they shouldn't; two small zip ties did the job. If you are using a Minn-Kota Edge series trolling motor with the 5-speed foot control --I think it only comes with the 45 and 50 lb. thrust models-- you might want to take a look at the routing of the wires to be sure you won't have a shorting problem. Tight lines, Bob

I tried them. I think they are the tiny Strike King crank baits sold at Wal-Mart, but they've been in my tackle box for a long time and I'm not sure. Anyway, they work great. But... have your hemostats handy because they are tiny and have two tiny trebles. When a small fish swallows them, you can't just reach in and get them out, like with a largemouth. Hemostats. Second, pickerel and small pike love them. I used to have two of these tiny crank baits but, after about an hour of fishing them, I now have none. =:-0 Tight lines, Bob

You might want to be a little more specific... The Adirondack Park encompasses 6 million acres. There are over 2,300 lakes and ponds, 200 lakes of at least one square mile in area, 1,500 miles of rivers, 30,000 miles of brooks and streams. Tight lines, Bob

I drive an '09 Forester (with less than 50K miles on her!). Functionally, I think it's the best vehicle I've owned. It goes better in the snow than my Dodge or Chevy 4x4 trucks did. It hauls my kayak and canoes, fits long fishing rods, and tows my Bass Tracker Pro170 to the launch every fishing day. My only problem to date is loud rattling heat shields on the exhaust system. Until it gets warmed up, it sounds like a pile of junk! It's getting worse, so I got under the car and took a look... the heat shields on the catalytic converters are all looking in perfect shape with no loose or missing bolts, etc., but I can feel that they rattle a bit. I don't want to take it to the stealership. Is there anything I can do to alleviate the nasty noise? Tight lines, Bob

Excellent advice. Thanks! Tight lines, Bob

I had planned to do that right away. What are you using for a float on yours? I started looking around for something and didn't find anything suitable. I live in the middle of nowhere so I'll probably end up ordering something from West Marine. Does anyone know a rough formula for buoyancy vs. diameter for plastic floats? I need to get a ballpark figure on what size float I'll need to float a Boga! Tight lines, Bob

That is the attitude we should all have! Like J Francho, I also remember a few kind and helpful folks who helped me enjoy fishing a bit more. Never pass up the chance to help someone out. Tight lines, Bob

Very nice! Tight lines, Bob

For years, I've used one of those bright orange "Fish Gripper" pliers to hold toothy bi-catch like pike, pickerel and bowfin while unhooking them, but found they aren't really dependable on large fish. I tried a pistol grip style fish grabber from Bass Pro with metal jaws, but the first time I used it on a big channel cat, it got destroyed when the fish started thrashing. I always try to release fish without putting them down on the carpet or even pulling them out of the water, if possible, so a good jaw-gripping tool is important. So... I finally bit the bullet and bought a Boga Grip. Several of my buddies use them when inshore fishing and I know they are a nice product, but I never could make myself part with the $125 to get one. Well, now that I did, I have no regrets. It is extremely high quality, made in the USA of all US-made parts, and works perfectly. It also has a built-in spring scale. They offer it in a 15-lb. range and 30-lb. range. I chose the 30, and they state it's accurate to one measurement increment -- 1/2-lb. in the case of the 30-lb. model. I like the built-in scale because when I land a big pike or bowfin while bass fishing, I'm sometimes curious about its weight, but don't want to spend the time to get out my digital scale. The Boga Grip gives me a fairly accurate weight while I hoist the fish up to unhook it. If you've been thinking about purchasing one of theses, I think you won't be disappointed. It's one of those really nice tools that impresses you enough to make you forget about how much you paid for it! :-) Tight lines, Bob

If I catch a big one while Ned Rig fishing with a Finesse ShadZ, I keep casting it back to the school; they'll eat that just fine. If I happen to catch one while using a larger bass bait, I pick up my ultralight rig and throw a yellow marabou Roadrunner, a Beetle Spin, or a small (1/32) marabou jig, one of which I usually keep rigged and ready. I caught my biggest white crappie on a shallow crank bait while bass fishing. I can't remember what bait fooled the largest black crappie I've caught. I picked up a couple of small "crappie crank baits" but haven't tried them yet. Tight lines, Bob

I have a St. Croix Mojo Bass and a Fenwick HMX spinning rod in my quiver, and I prefer the Mojo Bass. Tight lines, Bob

This afternoon, I brought a buddy out fishing on southern Lake Champlain (NY/VT). He had never heard about the Ned Rig and was anxious to give it a try. We fished from mid-afternoon to 7:30 p.m. with Ned Rigs on identical outfits: St. Croix Panfish Series 7' LF spinning rods with Shimano Symetre reels and 4 lb.-test Fireline with 6 lb. InvisX leaders. We did a little comparison: we both used a 1/15 ounce shroomz head in black but different ElaZtech on the hook. I put on a green pumpkin TRD while he used a green pumpkin Finesse ShadZ. I ran the boat parallel to the weed line and we both cast to the edge and used a similar twitch-and-pause retrieve. Even though he was in the back seat, the ShadZ caught way more fish (I'd guess two or three to one) and also caught the biggest largemouth (3 lbs. 4 oz.) of the afternoon of fishing. Besides largemouths, we caught white perch, black crappies, white crappies, pickerel, northern pike, small channel catfish, and one pumpkinseed. Early in the evening, I switched to a wacky-rigged green pumpkin Senko, and the Ned Rig with the Finesse Shadz still caught more and bigger bass. That was a surprise to me. (I actually caught the smallest bass of the day on the Senko; it was tiny and apparently grabbed the middle of the Senko and managed to get only the business end of the 1/0 hook in its mouth.) :-) My buddy was very impressed with the fish-catching ability and extreme durability of the Z-man baits. I sent him home with some 'shroomZ and a package of Finesse ShadZ. While certainly not a proper test, this afternoon's fishing experiment made me more impressed with the Ned Rig (and Finesse Shadz). And I haven't even tried putting on a Hula StikZ yet! Another "test" seems to be in order! I'll never consider the Ned Rig a substitute for bigger bass baits (I caught the biggest fish of the day and a few others larger than our biggest Ned Rig fish on a 4.8" Keitech Swim Impact Fat in the morning), but it sure is fun to fish when you want more action. Tight lines, Bob

+1 on the Lews BB1. They are the longest casting reels I own and come in the low ratio you're looking for. I bought one when I was looking for an inexpensive cranking reel and, after using it for a season, picked up another. Great reel for the money! Tight lines, Bob

I wouldn't exactly call it an "issue." It's pretty much normal on modern ferrule-less multi-piece rods. All my high-end four-piece fly rods from other manufacturers look like that. The design allows for wear. Lots of it, apparently! Tight lines, Bob

For a weighted wacky weedless hook, I greatly prefer the Gamakatsu G-Finesse heads. For unweighted weedless hooks, I like the Decoy or Owner wacky hooks (both have a pretty soft mono weed guard that is only mildly "weedless".) Tight lines, Bob

I just knew there would be a bigger TRD coming... I had hoped it would be a 2X or 3X version of the existing one; not just a longer one. Something with similar dimensions to the TRD but just giant-sized. Oh well... Tight lines, Bob

That's normal. I've had some fishing time with those same two Ardito rods (including some inshore striper fishing) and I really enjoy them. I hope you enjoy yours as much! Tight lines, Bob

I think most people would recommend a long, heavy power fast action rod, a fast retrieve ratio reel and slightly heavier braid (40 or more lb-test). I use a 7'3" HF rod, 7.1:1 reel, and 40 lb.test Power Pro. Tight lines, Bob

I love the episode where Andy and Barney try to get Ernest T. schooled on social skills, then take him to a dance. I think the show is an all-American classic. Great humor, moral lessons, and suitable for all ages... they don't make 'em like that any more! Tight lines, Bob

I picked up a PXL-R from Tackle Warehouse a couple of years ago when they had them on sale for $300. It is a sweet reel that's great for casting very light baits. I'm impressed with it and it's one of my all-time favorites. The only other reel I've tried for light baits is Daiwa's Alphas SV-105. It works well, but I greatly prefer the Pixy. Tight lines, Bob

The Bass Mafia Bait Coffin is ideal for terminal tackle. I was frustrated with "tackle migration" issues in various Plano boxes and decided to cough up the dough for a Bait Coffin. It's very heavy, but keeps everything in its place. Five Stars! Tight lines, Bob

How about ElaZtech plastics... are they safe in Zip-Loc bags? I've never tried putting any Z-Man baits in Zip-locs. Tight lines, Bob

I have a couple of reels that will cast very light baits -- using an appropriate rod. A Daiwa PX Type R and Alphas SV105. I love the PX-R and the love for the SV105 is developing slowly. ;-) Tight lines, Bob

That is one sweet rig! I am green with *** and will have to buy a lottery ticket tomorrow. ;-) Use her safely and in good health! Tight lines, Bob Edit to add: the four-letter word beginning with "e-n" and ending in "v-y" was moderated out...

+1 And if you're on a limited budget, the Daiwa Tatula cranking rod is an excellent bang for the buck. Tight lines, Bob