Wayne P.

Lowrance and Humminbird offer adapter cables to use older transducers with some of their newer units.

There are universal transducers. Vexilar has one for aluminum boats and Minn Kota and Motor Guide have motors with built in transducers. In each case an adaptor is needed to match the unit.

If your jacket is GoreTex, use ReviveX to recondition the outer shell. Just follow the instructions as that product is recommended for GoreTex. http://www.prolitegear.com/pl_revivex.html

Yes, you do have an option of using an in-hull transducer on an aluminum hull. There is one made just for that purpose. http://www.vexilar.com/pages/accessories/accy_transducers_au.html

I fish it often although I haven't been there for a couple of weeks. I'll probably go there late this week after hitting Hunting Run on Wednesday. I post fishing reports on fishingva.com under the same handle.

I use them occasionally this way and they work----

Use flurorcarbon line and wait a few seconds before you begin your retrieve. You can use a Gammy Superline hook also if weight is needed since that hook has a heavier wire.

The Slider 4" is available in that color.

If it works fine when sitting still, then you probably do not have the transducer mounter correctly. The bottom half of the transducer should be below the deepest part of your boat hull and should be close to the centerline of the hull also to get readings while underway. If it is mounted correctly and you get interference, move the transducter cable as far from the boat wiring as you can. Are your spark plugs the resistance type?

Custom buzz/clackers

They are similar to the Silver Buddy. The main difference is the blade part is a willow leaf spinnerbait blade and is curved unlike the Silver Buddy being a flat blade.

Any opinions on Rem Oil?

What I have found when using fluorocarbon on baitcasters is that I have to increase the spool tension a little as compared to regular mono. That is due to it's higher weight and slicker surface, especially on a long cast. When using it on spinning tackle, I don't put as much line on the spool as I do with regular mono and that reduces the excess line that comes off the spool when casting due to it's stiffness. Gently pulling the line to straighted out backlashes with baitcasters or snarles with spinning gear will reduce the kinking damage. Since I threw away all the Vanish I had and purchased BPS XPS fluorocarbon, I have not had any breakoffs from kinked line, or any knot failures. When switching from one type of line to another whether it's from regular mono to fluorocarbon or braid, you have to adjust your equipment and it's use to match the line type.

Most of the time I just use painted blades for smallmouth fishing. My color choice is a chartreuse skirt and double chartreuse willow blades. The clearer the water is the better it works. As an alternative to that, I'll use a white blade and a chartreuse blade with the chartreuse skirt. If I need to fish extremely muddy water for largemouths, I'll use a gold or copper willow and red Colorado blade with a chart/white skirt.

I use the Jens-su also. I have it on an OMC trolling motor. I cuts through milfoil, pads, and hydrilla very well. It was invented by fishing guide Troy Jens in Alabama.

I do not recommend the circle hook for any artificial bait presentations. Some people get the two different hooks (Octopus and Circle) confused. Gammy has a "Octopus Circle Hook". The best hooks for open hook applications are the Octopus hook by Gamakatsu or the Mosquito hook by Owner, they are shaped the same. Those Gammy Finesse Wide Gap hooks work OK to but I use those with Senkos exposed point because of the wider gap. My preference for sizes are a 2/0 for finesse worms and 3/0 (the Mosquito is not available above size 2/0 ) for Trick worms. In the Finesse Wide Gap, I use the 2/0. I main difference between the Gammy and Owner hooks is the Gammy has a slightly larger wire size. When I am fishing in waters with very large bass or fishing waters with objects to get hung up on, I use the Gammy. The model # for the Gammy hooks is 2/0- 02412 and 3/0-02413. For the Owner 2/0-5177-121. Especially the Gammy hook, the overall size is small to present less metal for the bass to detect and the wire size is strong enought to handle the biggest bass or hardest hookset without a chance of straightening. On the "fishing tackle" section I posted a picture of the Gammy hook rigged open hook and weedless on one of the threads about wacky rigging. I have tried the "O" ring in metal or rubber and loose just as many if not more worms when the bass shakes it's head than I do without them. Shrink tubing works a lot better for worm preservation, which I don't worry about.

This global warming hype is this that HYPE. I heard there was an ICE AGE in North America about 20,000 years ago. It's been warming up since. How may vehicle exhausts, and factory emissions caused the glacier in OHIO to melt?

They like Culprit worms too. When I was holding it to remove the hook, it was calling it's mommy.

I use the uni-knot for all fluorocarbon applications except at the hook (palomar) for dropshotting.

Avid, I use the Zoom split tail trailer in white for every place except timber. In timber I use a Bass Buster 4" double curly tail grub in white to keep the bait more upright when bumping into the timber to lessen hangups. As far as durability, I still have the first one I bought in 2004 and only had to replace the trailer. I don't like the trailer that comes with the new ones. I throw them a lot with good success and my only complaint is the finish comes off the newer ones with colored blades from very little use. I use 50# braid with them so I don't baby them at all.

At Briery, the water temp was 55 this morning and got up to 60 late in the afternoon. All the beds were abandoned.

fivebasslimit, I'm going to drag my 9.9 to Briery tomorrow to see how much the water temp. dropped for the last time I was there ( 4/3 ). The water temp was 70.4 in the shallow areas with a 80+ degree air temp. Since then we have had snow and several nights below freezing.

John, when you get the 9.9, you should try Sandy River Lake and Briery Creek Lake.

FYI, fluorocarbon line is NOT low stretch. It stretches as much if not more than regular mono in the same pound test.

If I rig it Tx. style, I work it like a jerk bait. When I rig it wacky style, I just let it sink to the bottom, move it about a foot and repeat.