desmobob

I figured you were joking or trolling, but your post says "honestly." Wow. I was out for a few hours this morning and things were a bit slow. I caught my biggest bass on a wacky-rigged Senko (and a 7 lb. 1 oz. walleye and a 10+lb. drum on a shallow crank bait!). I have lots of confidence in the ol' wacky rig. Tight lines, Bob

I tow my Tracker Pro170/40HP Merc with a 2009 Subaru Forester. No troubles. I love the vehicle... might be my all-time favorite. Tight lines, Bob

I know it's a little out of your price range, but I use a Daiwa PX Type R reel and a Kistler KLX Finesse Worm rod. Actually, I got the reel on sale this winter for $300, so that puts in right in your range. What a dream combo to fish! I like using the bait caster vs. a spinning rod and I can toss unweighted 5" Senkos easily... the heavier six-inchers would be a cinch. Tight lines, Bob

I've had a Nikon D70 for years and really love it. I have been fairly serious about photography for most of my life and already had a great selection of very nice Nikkor lenses. Nikon has been careful to maintain compatibility between their older and newer stuff... I have lenses that I used with an F2S in the seventies that are able function on my DSLR! As for needing to do computer editing on digital photos, it's nice to be able to but certainly not necessary if you don't want to do it. Tight lines, Bob

I've been looking/shopping for a new UL rod myself. I have a St. Croix Panfish Series UL rod in my shopping cart and will probably make the purchase this weekend. Judging by what I've read, it seems to be a rod I'm willing to try... it's the 6'9" UL F rod mentioned in MickD's post above (model PFS69ULF). I'll be putting a Shimano Symetre reel on mine. If I change my mind on that one, I'd probably grab one of the TFO Gary Loomis Signature rods; the TFG SSS 601-1. It's a 6' UL F rod. I have one of that series in 7' L F and like it a lot. Tight lines, Bob

And don't forget... all these species commonly hybridize when they exist in the same water body. Could be a Northern Tiger Muskerel! Tight lines, Bob

Congratulations to Mr. Martin! I haven't had television in just shy of 20 years, but I've seen Scott in videos and he sure seems like a great guy. Wait... if he participates here on the forums, he IS a great guy! Tight lines, Bob

Looks a lot more like a small Tiger Musky to me.... Tight lines, Bob

So... how did you make out? It's the last day of June and the conditions in the southern end of Champlain are still about the same: very high and very muddy water. I'm not having any luck figuring them out! I'd be interested in hearing what seemed to work well in your tournament. Tight lines, Bob

I would suggest buying a nice side-imaging sonar/GPS. Then, save up the money for a Powerpole. When you get the money saved up, buy a second side-imaging sonar instead! ;-) Tight lines, Bob

.357, then .45ACP, then .40 S&W, then 9mm is the order of my preference. But the compact nines are so easy to carry and shoot, it's hard to want to carry anything else. (Although I am very interested in the little Kahr pistols in .40 S&W...) Tight lines, Bob

I like the Owner Weedless Wacky Hooks in 1/0, but recently have tried and liked the Decoy Cover Finesse HD Worm 220... and they're a bit cheaper. These two hooks use mono stubs for a weed guard. They do tend to get stuck on wood sometimes, but do well in the weeds and hook most all of the fish that take them. I used the VMC weedless wacky hooks with the wire loop weed guard for a time. They rarely got hung up but I lost a LOT of fish on them. Tight lines, Bob

Looks like a neat idea. The Lake Fork brand weighted wacky system is pretty interesting too, with a weighted ring that goes around the worm. The ring has hook slots for the included hook. I tried some Owner brand weighted wacky hooks this weekend and have to say I didn't really like them. The jig heads have a 90* eye on them and I spent as much time pulling weeds off them as I did fishing. I'll try something with a sleeker head/eye design next time. Tight lines, Bob

I didn't buy a kit, but bought the components from West Marine. I used stainless machine screws and the well nuts to attach the hardware. Tight lines, Bob

I was thinking the same thing.... How about some photos? Tight lines, Bob

Perfect! Thanks very much. Happy to see my two "home" lakes listed. Tight lines, Bob Tight lines, Bob

The slideshow freezes on the second frame each time I try to view it (2014 MacBook Pro running Safari 7.1.6). Can anyone that has the list in print cut-and-paste to a post in this thread? That would be nice.... Tight lines, Bob

+1 on this. Tight lines, Bob

I lost a bunch of big bass that I had hooked on wacky-rigged Senkos using a weedless hook with a wire weed guard. I'd usually get them right to the boat when they'd get off. I've since changed to a hook that isn't as weedless, but gives WAY better hook-ups, that uses a pair of mono stubs as the weed guard. Nothing will make you curse like losing a big fish at the boat! Tight lines, Bob

I can't believe they haven't been caught yet! The last inmates who escaped from a maximum security prison in my area (Great Meadow, 1977?), ended up being captured in a house a quarter mile from my house. I'll be toting the Glock on my L. Champlain fishing trips in case the two are paddling down the lake in a stolen canoe and are looking to upgrade. Tight lines, Bob

Choose a unit with side-imaging, figure out what is the biggest screen size you can afford, and then buy the bigger one! ;-) Side imaging shows more information about what's on the bottom than you would believe possible. You will find structure easier/faster, be able to determine exactly what it is, and determine the best position and angle to cast from, etc. It will blow your mind when you can plainly see that the little "bump" you were seeing with your conventional or down-scan sonar is a cinderblock or car tire, or that series of "posts" you were seeing are the ends of the ribs of an old wood boat wreck buried in the silt... Finding more structure will find you more fish. Tight lines, Bob

That's a good-looking Sylvan hull. Glad the motor is sound... looks like a great project to me! I'm sure you'll have her all prettied up by the end of the summer. A boat that can handle bigger water is a very nice thing to have! Good luck with your project, Bob

Fish love 'em! I started the day with a Pit Boss as the trailer on a 1/2 oz. Stanley rattling jig. On my first cast early this morning around some old railroad trestle pilings, I hooked a good fish but noticed it was fighting strangely... it just didn't feel like a bass. It wasn't. It was a 4.5 lb. walleye. Later in the day that same jig/trailer took a nice smallmouth and a big northern pike, too. Versatile! Tight lines, Bob

No... use the whole, big, tasty-looking thing! Tight lines, Bob