Jig Man

I'd go back to the original 12" setup if it were me.

I don't normally have much of a problem but the last couple of days the 1/2 and 3/4 heads have been collecting a bunch of paint. I stick nails in the eyes before baking. That keeps them clean during that process.

GMAN where does one get a small knife blade that spins? ;D

I am in the process of making a few football jigs and for some reason I keep getting a lot of powder paint in the hook eye. Cleaning them out before baking them, my old eye buster finally gave out. I redid it and it gave out again. I took some split ring pliers and filed them down so I could use them. I have had to redo them twice and they are about shot. I still have a couple of hundred jigs to go and want to get hold of a good eye buster. I saw a Rapala on the BPS site but it doesn't look like it would reach the eye of a large football head.

I fish tubes and jigs a lot. I keep 6 rods rigged 3 with tubes and 3 with jigs. I use both on every point I fish until I find out which is working. Some days they will hit both equally and some days they prefer one over the other. When I find out which they want then I start using that in different colors to see if they have a color preference that day. I just came back from a very good 10 day trip. Most days the bass (lmb, smb, and spots) would take the tube a lot better than they would the jig.

Yes there is a bearing on the spool shaft. Here is a pic of one on an old spool.

It 's the spool bearings you want to upgrade, the other ones have nothing to do with casting. Raul I am talking about the little bearing on the spool shaft itself. I know the spool end bearings would need replacing I just don't know about that one. In fact I am not even sure what its little job is anyway. If it has to be replaced, I'd have to invent a pin remover or have Bob at the Outlet take the pins out for me if I could catch him in a good mood.

Line to line Alberto's Line to bait modified San Diego Jam it only takes 10-12 seconds to tie and does not slip

All of my reels are maintained at least 4 times per year. I soak the bearings in naptha, dry them out then add 1 drop of Hot Sauce per bearing. I'm thinking maybe some new ones are in order and not sure what to buy. The BPS reel guy only has stock bearings. I would change to other types if they would increase the cast. I have already done a drag job. I took everything apart and buffed all surfaces with 600 and 1500 w/d paper and semi chrome polish, then replaced the drag washers. I just want a bit more distance since I fish open water rock piles and would like to keep the boat quite deep and reach the 10-12' depth line. Just 20 or 30 more feet would be a big difference in where I can keep the boat.

I have some old Curados that probably need a little help. I am considering changing out the bearings because some of these reels are 10-12 years old. What type and size would give me a little better cast? Would I need to change the spool bearing also?

I have braid on all of my baitcasters and most of my spinning reels. For clear water jig type fishing I use a fluro leader. For spinnerbaits and buzzbaits I tie direct.

I don't know about the 2 chargers but if you haven't left a bunch of stuff on then you better plan on a battery in the near future.

The general color of a fish also depends on whether or not it was actively feeding. Fish on the prowl are more colorful because of hormones than those just hanging around. OR at least that is what the big boys told me.

Across the line here in "warm toasty MO" I fish the same conditions as you do. Several years ago I bought a Browning Hydro Fleece coat and bibs from BPS. It cost a bunch but I have been wearing it for 9 years and it still is in great shape. http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/common/search/search-results1.jsp;jsessionid=W4W3KEJLH0W11LAQBBJSCO3MCAEFIIWE?&QueryText=Browning+Hydro-Fleece&N=4887&Ntk=Products&Ntx=mode+matchall&Nty=1&Ntt=Browning+Hydro-Fleece&noImage=0&rid=0180101070502&cmCat=perf&cm_ven=performics&cm_cat=Google_NonBrand&cm_pla=menshuntingclothing_lightweightcamo_general&cm_ite=browning%20hydro-fleece&_requestid=3362 Last winter I added Under Armour to the mix and it is well worth the money. The really good thing I have added is a fleece hood like the ones worn by football players. It keeps cold air off my neck. Additionally when motoring in cold weather, I slip a pair of shooting muffs on over my hood and cap. That keeps all the air out.

I did look at the St Croix warranty and decided to try the instore. I am sure that St Croix will replace the broken rod for the shop without an up charge. I feel like they made $20 off me for their trouble. It still burns my butt since I bought 4 of them at the time and that didn't make any difference to the store.

I bought a $150 avid for my grandson for his birthday. He has been away at college and didn't get to use it until last week end. He came to the lake and made one cast. The rod shattered between the grip and the first eyelet before the bait hit the water. I took it back where I bought it and was told that they don't make that rod any longer. The newer rod is $20 more so I had to pay $20 for an exchange. That seems a bit much for a rod with a lifetime warranty. >

One way to mount a transducer on the back of a boat is to use a transducer board. You put the transducer on the board and drill holes above the water line to mount the board to the boat. You could even use C clamps instead of drilling.

You can do quite well and be under budget with a Shimano (Stradic or Symmetry 2500 and a Gloomis IMX SJR 782 or St Croix Avid 6'6" MF spinning rod. I have both and they are very versatile.

It sounds like your batteries are on their last legs. When you replace them get RA not CCA batteries. You need deep cycle batteries not starting batteries. Get 185-200 RESERVE AMP batteries. On the water thing, it is normal for water to evaporate out of open cell batteries when they are being charged. I check and top off mine every months.

What you are seeing is a view of history. The closest to you will be what is immediately showing on the right side of the screen. Some of the stuff on the left side and middle may be as much as a hundred feet or so behind you. I know nothing about your unit but on mine as long as I can get stuff in the cross hairs of the depth and sonar cursors I can mark a waypoint and find out how far behind me it actually is and return to fish it if I choose.

I always spool off the top like a bait casting reel. I do not have twisting problems. I do have some twisting with mono when I do a lot of drop shot or tube fishing. When that happens I tie a good ball bearing swivel to the line, hook it to the fence and walk out all the line. I hold the line with a cloth and wind it back on the spool as I walk to the swivel. It takes care of the problem.

If you have the right battery to start with, then you should be able to go all day. Batteries come in different series sizes 24/27/29/31 etc. If you have room in your boat get a 29 series deep cycle battery with 200 or more reserve amps then be done with it using only one battery and adding a few extra pounds. What ever you do be sure it is a deep cycle battery made for trolling motors and has at least 185 reserve amps. Then you should be good to go all day long.

You might consider putting some stuff in an established business like a C store on the way to the lake. Cut them in for a part of the profit and see how it goes. That is the way Bass Pro Shops started out. Johnny had both sides of an isle in a liquor store, then in 2 stores, then three, then bought an old bowling alley, etc. Now he is worth a gazillion dollars. He even gave his kid a jet airplane and pilot for his 21st BD.

I have wanted to own one of those myself and have watched the area for many years and just can't pull the string on it. I live in an area where there are 6 good lakes withing 100 miles with the Bass Pro Nat. Hdq. in the middle. Bait shops on most of those lakes have a tough time and bait shops in the little towns around the lakes come and go. Many of them mom runs the shop while dad guides or has a day job. There isn't enough tourism to let the owners eat well in the off season and people in the area stock up at BPS and don't even stop at the little shops. Competition with the big boys is really critical. A friend of mine was being interviewed by a nation mfg of baits for a rep job. When he asked about pricing the owner said the price is ... for 1 dozen. If they want 25 dozen we cut that in half. If they want 50 dozen we cut the 1/2 in half. Do it again if they want 100 dozen. So based on what he was told the small guy may be paying 8X as much as the big guy for the same thing.

X9