BigAngus752

Oh man! You win the windy competition!

I desperately want to try night fishing. It's sound great to me, but I have only had my boat for just coming up on one year. That's probably less than 20 trips out total. I can barely keep myself alive in broad daylight when the wind hits 15mph. And that's if I remember to put the plug in! I'm not trying this blind....not yet....I hope to find someone who will take me out at night first.

I have an RT188 with the Merc 115. I regularly hit 45-50 by accident. It's a 60mph boat in smooth water. There you go @tcbass ! Your perfect answer! I picked aluminum for three reasons: 1. Brand new boater. I fish lakes that have coves absolutely chock full of tree trunks sticking up in 20ft of water. I feel less likely to punch a hole in the bottom of an aluminum boat (or drag it on the ramp, or any of the other million things I'm stupid-new enough to do. 2. I didn't have to buy a new truck. It tows beautifully behind our Grand Cherokee. 3. I could afford a one year old boat with 10hrs on it. For the same money the fiberglass boat would have been much older. Love that Ranger aluminum! If it just didn't blow around so much it would be perfect...

I have a Ranger RT188 with a screw in plug. Last year the tether broke off so when I had it winterized I had them put a whole new plug/bracket in. Plug looks the same but isn't as dry. The last one worked with only a snug turn. This one I have to screw in really, really tight. The last time I went out I started pumping out with my auto bilge shortly after putting in so I stuck an arm in the water and turned it one more quarter of a turn. Four hours later and I didn't have a drop when I trailered. Just one quarter of a turn was the difference between two gallons and not a drip.

I've tried some of this. Mostly lipless through hydrilla. Can you suggest the best "technique" for pulling them through? Fast and rip it through? Or slow and work it through? I get tired of pulling hydrilla off my hooks after every cast and I wonder if I'm going something wrong. Or perhaps the lipless is what is wrong although I've tried some squarebill also. Thanks.

Congrats! May your future be free of tangles, birds nests, and curse words! But fill it with something inexpensive like mono or Yo-Zuri hybrid just in case....?

^^^this^^^ Or, since you already already own a Revo, last Sunday I walked into my local Field and Stream and found an unadvertised special. I bought a Gen 4 Revo SX for $99 (normally $149) and I got a Vendetta for free. I have two Vendettas, one in MH fast and one in M/moderate. The M/M would work for you. But if that sale is still happening it will end today and it's in stores only at Field and Stream or Dicks. But I still prefer a Tatula CT or SV over the Revo SX. Nothing wrong with the Revo, just personal preference.

Ditto.

Casting reels: Daiwa Spinning reels: Daiwa Rods: Depends on what I need from the rod. I own Powell, Fenwick, Lews, and Abu Garcia. I’m thrilled with each for their purpose except for one Abu Garcia which will eventually be replaced with a Powell. But I have another Abu that I love so...

I just bought one of these today. It is valid on both the baitcasting and spinning reels/rods. I got a lefty BC in 7.3:1 and a free M/H fast rod but unfortunately they were sold out of the spinning reels or I would have bought one of those also. In addition, most of the DSG Lew's rods are half off. I bought a Carbon Fire spinning rod for $40. Plus today only is $20 Dick's cash back for every $100 you spend. So, subtracting the Dick's cash, I got a Gen 4 Revo SX, a Vendetta, and a Carbon Fire spinning rod for $127 total.

I started in the grass but caught all my fish in the open water 2 to 4 feet from any vegetation. It's funny, when I was driving home from the lake I started thinking about the three fish I missed by not getting a hookset with the frog. I had a Trick Worm tied on a spinning rod sitting on the deck right next to me but it didn't even occur to me until I was driving home that I should have immediately dropped the frog rod and thrown the worm as a follow-up. From now on I will always throw a follow-up of something else.

Clearly I am not nearly at your level yet!

I fish for bass because I catch catfish, carp, bluegill, and tons of crappie by accident. Too easy to catch those. I don't fish for bass as much as I "hunt" for bass. It takes study and planning to catch bass; where, when, with what. For me it's a real challenge. A real hunt on the water. I can't image it will ever get easy for me, but if it does I will probably move on to something else.

This year I've been forcing myself to work on new presentations every time I go out. I started at dawn two days ago at a spot with a grass growing in the water along the shore, then a two to four foot wide section of nearly clear water and then a long stretch of hydrilla. It basically created a clear channel between the hydrilla and the grass. I started throwing a Zara Spook and was have good success so I forced myself to stop using it and I tried a frog for only the second time in my life. I had no luck the first time but I didn't try very long. This time I ended up catching my first bass on a frog! Now I see what all the fuss is about! Man, that is some fun! I was throwing a Booyah Pad Crasher onto the shore. Jumping it through the vegetation and into the water. Then swim/pause/swim/pause across the "open channel" and into the hydrilla. I got all my hits before the hydrilla with most of them in the middle of the channel, which surprised me. Here are some questions: I get hopping the frog on vegetation, but is there something to do with it in open water other than swim/pause? How long do you pause? I had a Lunkerhunt popping frog in my box. Is that a better choice when I have significant open areas of water like this "channel"? I checked out the BR article and video already. What are your best tips for using frogs? I'm going to try it again next time out. Thanks

That's perfect! Thank you very much. Is the adjustment pretty self-explanatory? I've not looked at one. I assume you mean you can raise the shaft up in the carrier? Or block it so it doesn't go all the way down into the base?

We have a Ranger RT188C that has a 12V Maxxum TM. We live in a very windy area and this TM does NOT cut it. I want an Ultrex and will not settle for less, but I can't afford one this year. A friend just offered me is 24V Fortrex for $200. It is in perfect shape. He upgraded to a Terrova 2 years ago and the Fortrex has just been sitting. The only issue is that it's a 52in shaft. I'm buying it and putting it on because it has to be better than the 12V even if it is the wrong shaft length. I'm hoping it will get me through this year and maybe next year until I can put an Ultrex on. My question is, other than limiting my shallow water ability, is this going to cause me any other problems or issues?. I'm guessing my cover won't fit either but anything mechanically or safety-wise that I should know? Thanks in advance.

I think this thread is running about 50/50 with this! LOL! 1. Life is too short. 2. Sometimes you're the idiot. Sometimes I'm the idiot. I bet it evens out in the end.

First, if you plan to plug the cord into an outlet in your garage check to make sure that your garage circuit isn't already protected. Look in your breaker box and see if the breaker for the garage outlets is GFCI. If not, examine all the outlets. The building may have installed a standard breaker but then installed a GFCI outlet as the first outlet for the run through the garage. That outlet will then offer protection for all of the outlets through the rest of the circuit (but not the circuit between the breaker and the first outlet). If you have no GFCI anywhere you could use the item you linked to. It's not ideal but it may work for you. Those devices sometimes have issues with "start-up" draw or any significant variation in the draw. You probably won't experience enough of that with a battery charger to cause that device to trip. Honestly, you aren't saving much money with it, though. For just a few dollars more you could buy a GFCI outlet from one of the big box stores and one from the big box store will come with instructions in the box as they expect the average homeowner to do the install. If you can turn the breaker off and use a screwdriver you can install an outlet.

Just experience. I've seen a dozen guys buy them because they were on sale only to have the ends crack or chunks break off during normal use. The plastic seems to be more brittle. One or two drops on the floor will sometimes shatter them. Perhaps they have improved and it's not a problem anymore.

Is this boat to be stored indoors or outdoors? Is your charger (along with your batteries and battery cables) located in an area of the boat that may still contain water when you plug your charger in? I know that there is always some water left rolling around my battery trays when I get back from fishing. I highly recommend that you make sure that you plug whatever extension cord you use into a GFCI outlet or, preferably, into a circuit protected by a GFCI breaker. Make sure you choose a cord rated for outdoor use if it's going to be outdoors. Even if your boat is stored indoors, I would not recommend the cord with the "lighted ends". The shorter the cord, the less the resistance. The heavier the wire, the less the resistance. 50ft. of 16GA would be just fine for your charger. I use a 50ft., 12GA, outdoor-rated extension cord. When we travel and I'm charging the boat while it's parked outside a cabin with sketchy electrical components and it's pouring rain I don't worry it...as much. But that's me.

Some of my happiest, most needed, most stress-relieving days have been two-dink fishing days. You couldn't waste time on the water if you tried.

Historically I've fished crankbaits or spinners 90% of the time. I am now fishing plastics 90% of the time to learn them. I've not had huge success with topwater stuff but I don't tend to fish them very long before I decide that the conditions aren't right for topwater and I move to something else. So how much time do you guys spend with a topwater lure before you figure it's not what the fish are looking for?

Wow. If I had just answered without looking I'd have been wrong. I would have said War Eagle or Strike King spinners. I was shocked to find that the winner for hard is actually Rat-L-Traps. Specifically the red craw. Granted I've caught a lot of fish with them, but I have so many! Soft baits is hands down lizards. All kinds, all colors. Which is stupid because I live in central Illinois where we don't have lizards. What the heck?

I burn easily and I use massive amounts of sunblock. This past March we took a family trip to Jamaica (where I refuse to put a shirt on except for meals) and we took two of the new aerosol spray bottles of sunblock. I'm not much for new-fangled stuff but that spray is amazing. I was skeptical but my son and both used it and it actually works better and lasts longer than the smear on kind and goes on 10 times faster. There will be a can in my boat from now on. Just FYI if you've never tried it. WARNING: it contains completely different ingredients than the smear on. My co-workers toddler had an allergic reaction to it.

Oh man, I wouldn't presume to have the experience to do this question justice. Hopefully some of the experts will chime in. Do some keyword searches too. An oversimplification: Bright sun in the spring with cold water temps can bring the bass up into the shallows chasing bait fish. Bright sun in the dog days of summer when water temps are high will push them deep into cooler water. Bright sun can make them skittish because they can see above them better and it can push them under docks and under overhanging trees where it's shady. Cloudy skies and choppy water can turn on the topwater bite like magic. I can tell you I've learned this for sure: All the tackle retailers want you to believe that the next latest and greatest lure will catch you all the fish you want. In my inexperienced opinion, if you've thrown your whole tacklebox at the lake and caught nothing then you are either fishing your tackle incorrectly (probably way too fast) or you need to look at the season, the weather, the water temp, and a topo map. Not at more lures.