Woody B

(With a 4 stroke) There's no need for the snake oil if you're not letting the fuel sit in the tank for long. At the end of the season, or anytime it's going to sit for more than a couple weeks I'd recommend filling the tank (to limit the air space) and put sta-bil or some other kind of stabilizer in it. The 10% ethanol isn't usually a problem as long as the engine/fuel system is modern enough to accept it. 15% is going to be a problem, not just for boats, but for many automobiles and trucks. Ethanol and other additives (that are already in pump gas) caused all kind of problems for 2 strokes early on. (and possible still does) Back before I sold my old boat (2 stroke, in 1992) I only used Amoco 93 octane, which was (and may still be) ethanol free. Disclaimer, I'm not a boat technician/mechanic. I'm an auto tech.

I'm not a braid user so I can't specifically answer your question, however, everyone needs to do this with whatever line they use. Tie or hook your new undamaged line to something in your yard and try to break it with your rod an reel, like your trying to land a fish. Undamaged line, even stuff that's pretty light is hard to break. Doing this will make you check your line often, and cut off any damage/frayed areas.

Just another reason I HATE tournaments.

Like A-Jay the gas prices won't affect my fishing directly but gas prices tripling affects everything in some way. Diesel prices are up, and still going up even more than gas. Pretty much everything we buy needs diesel fuel to get delivered. We're not to the point, with gas prices or anything else at this point to slow down my fishing. Who knows how high stuff will go. Like A-Jay the gas prices won't affect my fishing directly but gas prices tripling affects everything in some way. Diesel prices are up, and still going up even more than gas. Pretty much everything we buy needs diesel fuel to get delivered. We're not to the point, with gas prices or anything else at this point to slow down my fishing. Who knows how high stuff will go.

We've got cotton head rattle mouths around here. (LOL). Seriously though, black snakes and king snakes are most common. We've got copperheads too. There's a few rattlesnakes in the mountains near here. There's some kind of "water snakes" in the lakes around here. They are colored similar to a copperhead, but the banding is different. They're also thin/slender, instead of fat like a copperhead. I had one of those water snakes follow my devils horse to the boat a couple weeks ago. I'm not "scared" of snakes, but I don't enjoy being around them. I have a friend who's really scared of snakes. Several decades ago at our bear hunting camp we put a dead rattlesnake right in front of his tent. He took a chain saw and cut up dead snake, tent sleeping bag ect. He would have probably cut us up with it had he caught us.

Some here will probably tell you differently but with a big fish you have to get it tired before trying to land it. Patience is your friend. Obviously it's a balancing act. The longer a fish is in the water, on the line the bigger chance of it coming unhooked, or getting tangled in something. Also, 30 pound line is really hard to break, unless there's some damage. Check your line often. If there's any nicks cut off and re tie. Do you know where the line broke? Was it near, or at the knot? I know nothing about knots with braid so I can't advise you on what knot to use if the knot failed. Once again, I'm not an expert. Like everyone else I've lost big (and small) fish.

I catch a catfish occasionally while bass fishing. I caught a 4 pound cat Saturday. I caught this one last month on a square bill crankbait.

Yesterday when I was unhooking a 2 pound bass a guy swoops in right in front of me. Like 30 feet in front. He wouldn't even look my way. He was throwing a spinnerbait and reeling it in so fast if was almost at the surface. (wasn't going to catch anything). I cast right where he had just cast and caught a 4 pound bass. I yelled "Hey *****, you forgot this". and held it up. He started his boat and left.

That's the only fishing show I remember watching when I was a kid. I've got the theme song playing in my head right now. For more modern stuff, I don't watch tournaments or any bass fishing stuff. My Wife and I like watching "River Monsters". We say "fish on" with an attempted British accent every time we hook a fish.

I've got a rapala fish gripper too. I also have a pair of fillet gloves that are supposed to be hook proof. With trebles I usually put a glove on my left hand and use pliers with my ungloved right hand.

There is a species called Red Eye Bass. I've caught a few over the years. Their eyes are really red...redder than those in the pictures. They look pretty much like a spotted bass, and have a toothy patch on their tongue, like a spotted bass. I caught one at Lake Norman earlier this year. I'll see if I've still got a picture of it.

My Wife carries a Sig P938 every day. Before that she carried a S&W Model 60.

Carp are bottom feeders. They're basically vacuum cleaners. While feeding they get mud and other debris stuck in their gills. They jump to clean their gills out. I guess going back into the water is what does it. They were more than likely in their pre spawn feeding frenzy. When they spawn, at least around here you'll see clumps of grass and stuff rising to/floating on the surface. I think they do this making/shaping/digging their beds. You're not likely to catch a carp on any kind of artificial lure, except by snagging one. I've been told they don't actually feed during spawning. If any of you like to catch bluegill find some spawning carp. Carp eggs are one of bluegills favorite foods. Occasionally NC Wildlife will stock bluegill to control Carp populations.

There's 2 that have really disappointed me. 1. Chatterbait, like a previous poster I've caught fish on spinnerbaits, and jigs in the same location right after a chatterbait didn't get a nibble. 2. Spook. I catch quite a few bass on a devils horse, as well as a yellow darter. I can't get a sniff with a spook. It's probably me. I can make a devils horse land like a butterfly. Every time I throw a spook it sounds like someone just threw a brick in the water. Honorable mention. Alabama rig. I've never caught anything on one, but I haven't thrown one much. I look at that big mess on the end of my line and can't help but laugh. I've got a couple friends who catch buckets full of bass on them.

Back in January I was fishing in a local 1500 acre lake (Moss Lake Shelby NC) I was catching spots in 30 feet of water on the stump covered edge of the main creek channel. A man and woman in a nice Caymas bass boat came flying by, made a big circle and stopped about 10 yards from me. The Woman said "we can't fish right next to that man". He said "shutup (bad word) I'll fish where ever I want". About the time he reached down to deploy his trolling motor his own wake hit his boat and he fell headfirst into the 44 degree water. The woman with him was yelling "quit clowning around" I knew he was in trouble so I went over to their boat. He had grabbed the side of his boat, but that's all he could do. By this time the woman was panicking. I got in their boat, grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him into the boat. He was shivering and could hardly talk. I told her she needed to get him back to the landing. She said she could drive the boat but didn't know how to get to the landing. She followed me to the landing. I helped get him out of the boat and into their truck, then backed their trailer down and loaded their boat while he was in the truck with the heat on. I saw them again a couple weeks later. He said he was OK after he got warm. He also said never fished right on top of someone like he was going to that day. Perhaps the Good Lord knew he was going to fall in the cold water and put him near me so I could get him back in the boat. He wasn't wearing a life jacket. Had he not grabbed the side of his boat he would have probably died right there. I don't know how long he could have made it without me pulling him back into the boat. I'm not one to wear a life jacket, but since then I've been wearing mine anytime it's cold enough for a coat. I also have started leaving a rope tied from a bow to stern cleat with a slip knot in it. If I fall in the water I can pull on the rope, making it sag down into the water to use as a step to get back in the boat.

I don't even go to that much effort. I go to a restaurant. They'll give me all the fish I want, already cooked with all the trimmings. All I have to do is give them some money.

Pay attention to where you're catching them and how often you eat. For instance Lake Wylie (NC and SC) has a warning not to eat bass more than 1 meal a week due to PCB's. Make sure to follow any warnings for where ever the fish were caught.

I've got a Lew's Mach casting rod that I love for light stuff. It's medium action, medium taper. I can throw really light stuff on it. It's rated for 1/8 to 1/2 ounce. I throw a 2 3/4 1/8 ounce rapala with it. I've used it quite a bit It's tough too. I landed a 50+ pound catfish on it I hooked on a crankbait while bass fishing. https://www.academy.com/p/lews-mach-casting-rod?sku=7-medium-medium-1

If you're going to use a mono leader why not just use mono?

There's no way I could watch the entire 30 minute video. I watched enough of it. They guy making the video handled himself well. It's tough fishing on a crowded lake. I hate the way the "he man mines bigger than yours" tournaments make some people act. The guys who have a habit of winning the tournaments aren't the problem. It's the guys who have never won one, and never will that get nasty. There's enough lakes around me I can usually plan my trips to lakes where there's no tournaments that day. I was on Lake Wylie a month or 2 ago with a High School tournament. All of the high school anglers I ran across were super nice and courteous. The fact is, none of us own the lake. Wake boats aggravate me more than other anglers. I keep telling myself "they have just as much right to be on the lake as I do".

The Pro 170 has a larger casting deck, an 11 gallon fuel tank, gauges and more storage. I've extended my casting deck and added storage. I considered the Pro 170 but my wife said the black Classic XL would look better behind my black truck. Happy wife, happy life. As I've said before I'm pleased with mine. You can get the Pro 170 with 50 horsepower too.

I've had mine since December. I've fished multiple times per week every week since then. (I've got 70 hours on the motor) I haven't had any problems. It has no leaks. The only water that gets in it is from rain. I've beat the heck out of it fishing and unloading and loading in the wind. Still no leaks. If were a glass boat it would have needed repairs. So, as long as you realize it's the economy sub compact of bass boats you should be fine.

For me texas rig, spinnerbait or devils horse. (topwater).

I'm sure that pretty much everyone in this thread needs 24 volts. I didn't mean to infer than 12 volts would be best for anyone else. I've got a small tin boat. The 55 pound 12 volt motor will go 3.2 mph on it.