BrianMDTX

1/16 or 1/8 oz bullet weight, Gamakatsu 4/0 EWG and a Zoom Trick, Rage Craw or 5” Senko.

I hate guthooking bass, but it happens. Sometimes they hit the bait and run hard and you know it instantly and sometimes you feel nothing even though they’ve inhaled it deep. Learning how to remove a hook through the gills really helped me release bass quickly with little to no fatalities. But it still happens at times.

I am not a baitcaster snob. I have several spinning rigs that I use for various presentations. But it’s hard to beat the precision casting of a baitcaster, especially in laying the bait down accurately and quietly. It takes more practice to gain proficiency. But it’s well worth the effort

Koz is right about one thing. Inflatables do move quite a bit in the breeze. An anchor helps. But, getting out on the water vs being bound to the bank is so much better.

Your boat is a bit bigger and heavier than mine. Especially if you have two anglers. With a 55 lb. TM, a 100ah will probably suit you. I used less than 20% of my 50ah fishing all morning, and I’m sure the efficiency of my 40 year-old TM is less than yours. I’m not going to give a great review on my Eco Worthy battery yet after one use, but the reviews were sound and for its initial use it worked perfectly. At 12 lbs. it was a snap to carry vs a heavy lead-acid battery.

I worry about gator teeth more than hooks!

I’ll say this about the Black Max. It’s definitely a little finickier than my other baitcasters (in other words, it’s a little more prone to getting a bird’s nest, but not bad), but when adjusted right, it truly is capable of bomb casting. Do I prefer my Fuegos and Tatula? No doubt. But I still fish them without any true issues. And for some reason they really cast far. Not a bad reel for less than $50.00.

I see this locally in the ponds I fish. The one that’s a 1/4 mile away in 2020-2022 was so good. I semi-sarcastically posted on this very site at one time that I was getting tired of catching 3 lb. bass. Since then it’s been steadily downhill. The pandemic brought many new anglers (most of which use live bait and small hooks and likely gut hook a lot of bass), and I believe many started keeping fish when it’s a C&R-only pond. That, and a drought caused a lot of the overhanging trees to die that took away a lot of cover. A “bad” day was less than 10 bass in a morning. Lately it’s 1, 2 or 3 bass at most. I’ve really cut back on my trips there.

I’m almost 64. And to this day I distinctly remember “Star drag! Found only on best reels!”

Let me ask the wife…

Well, I just did exactly that to my Sea Eagle 285fpb. I was looking at peel-and-stick letters and numbers, and found a place called 1060 Graphics on Amazon that makes two simple decals for boat registration numbers. You pick the size, font and color and that’s it. Took about a week. So far they are sticking well but they haven’t been on long. And I keep the boat inflated. I’m a little more concerned about the actual TX registration decal. It’s on but it looks like it could peel off easier. I’m keeping an eye on it. See my thread “First Boat Motorized” for a pic of the install. BTW, you only need to register the boat, not the motor. And you don’t have to pay the tax as it’s an inflatable.

I keep it inflated. I did run that past Sea Eagle and they said it was perfectly fine to do so. It’s very easy to transport. It slides easily into the bed of my pickup, and with the the EZ Cart wheels, you can easily pull it fully loaded. It’s got a lot of space and the draft is minimal so it can reach very shallow water. And having a 12 lb. vs. a 45 lb. battery is a big plus. So far I’m very pleased with it. With the floor elevated (it’s not directly on the water), and the 7” pedestal installed on the quick release mount, you’re sitting up relatively high. You can stand in it, but I’m not comfortable enough to do that. I’m ok with that. I can easily carry 5 rods (if I bought the Scotty 3-rod holder I could carry 9). All-in-all I really like it. I fished almost 5 hours and had over 80% battery charge left. It moves easily and swiftly with a 17 lb. thrust TM. I can imagine what it would do with a 70 lb. TM!

I really like my Helium TCJ for Texas rigs. Although lately it’s been used quite a bit more for jigs.

Let me tell you something. Your post just made my day. Truly, it did. I’ve found that fishing really takes my mind off things and gives me true peace. And this site has taught me many ways to improve my fishing. From rods, reels and line, baits of all types, fishing gear, you name it. It’s a true treasure.

I assume from your post these were used on a Ned rig, but I’ll ask to be sure.

@Way2slow No, that’s not an option. But the seat swivels 360° so it’s pretty easy to turn and operate the motor without twisting.

Today was my first outing with my new boat…motorized! I stayed local just in case the 38-40 year-old Minn Kota decided it was past retirement age. No worries! It ran fine. With an inflatable, even on 1 it moved well. What a difference from paddling and rowing! I wanted to fish Lake Raven but it’s still closed due to Beryl. Maybe Lake Conroe next!

I have a Sienna 2500 on a Daiwa Procyon MXF rod spooled with Seguar Smackdown and a 6 lb. leader. I like my Daiwa Revros reels more, but not that much more lol. For the price, they are hard to beat.

1. Senko 2. Zoom Trick 3. Rage Craw 4. Rage Menace 5. Neko Macho/Fat IKA

I agree that they are excellent athletes and it is demanding running up and down the pitch as long as they do. But for the most part, I find it incredibly boring. Being raised with it as the premier sport likely helps. I’d rather fish lol.

Pneumonia is no joke. When I was in my mid-20’s, I went out to dinner with my friend and his wife. By the time dinner was almost over, I excused myself and went home as I started to feel ill. When I woke up, I had to crawl into the kitchen and throw a shoe to knock the telephone off the hook (yes, it was a LONG time before cell phones) and called my mom to take me to the doctor. We went to the ER and my white blood cell count was crazy high. In the span of several hours I went from perfectly fine to almost knocking on death’s door. At one time pneumonia was a leading killer amongst diseases. Modern antibiotics have certainly helped (especially against bacterial pneumonia), but it is still highly dangerous. Don’t blow it off as some 19th century disease that’s no longer a threat.

I'm always watching the water. Either baitfish on the move, bass breaking the surface, etc. Haven't been able to sniff 'em out yet though! 😂

Happy Birthday, Tom! In a short time I have learned a lot from your posts!

Reorganize tackle. Respool reels. Clean rods (I need to do that- all that dried algae on guides, etc.). Plenty of “fishing” stuff to do while not actually fishing. You know the BM is hoping you do some online shopping for baits! 😂

I don’t have a yak but do have an inflatable. I’ve been using an 8 lb. mushroom anchor for years. It’s kept me in place with no issues.