Roy

I think he bought Abec bearings from Boca?

The decision was made when Coors decided they wanted to become a beer company.

And even better duck calls, eh?

Spiel has made me some really nice spinning rods too, Rich. Just sayin'.

Can't wait to see my new one in the spring! wooooooooooohoooooooooooo! You do fantastic work my friend.

That makes sense Raf.

Dang, and I thought they'd be below it or at least near it and come up just to feed. Guess I'm wrong. Differing speeds really is the way to go though. I kinda like Thinfish and Williams Trophy II although spring of last season I was getting them on any long, thin crankbaits about 10' to 17' down.... at 2mph or so.

Great report, Juli! Ooops, I mean Frankie. Some super pics and I'm sure you'll both think back on this one for years to come. Good stuff!

I don't think it has anything to do with strength. Most mass produced baits are molded/poured and so the plastic/lexan lip is incorporated in the build. Manually made or assembled baits will often have metal lips because they're much easier to affix to the bait....the lip angle etc is always spot on. I prefer Lexan but it's much more work when it's a manual build.

And Paul, without having to take the rods out to test what will fit, if you know the length and width of the box, just add the square of the width to the square of the length and take the square root of the answer. Example truck box is 7' long ..squared is 49. Width is 4'...squared is 16. 49 + 16= 65 The square root of 65 is 8.06225774829855. So the hypotenuse or the distance from one corner of the box to the diagonally oposite corner is 8.06225774829855 in other words, an 8' rod will fit in there.

Get yourself a pvc tube of appropriate diameter and length. You can also get a cap for each end. Put the rods in there and lay them in the box with the handles against the cab and the tip end leaning on the closed tailgate. Now bungie the suckers in there. They won't move at they'll be safe. Later I'll find a pic of how I keep them on the boat.

Great clip, Kevin! Thanks for showing us.

I have a few. If they'll be more expensive than the Colorado, don't buy them just because they're different. The only difference I see is that they offer a little less resistance in the water...hardly perceptible.

Bill, if it's the last hook that gets them, just use one hook.

Have you looked at luremaking.com catalogue online? They have quite a few styles.

Indeed, that and "Banned in three States" is about as clear as it gets that it's an ad.

I agree and give you that point. I guess I was still wrapped up in the legal point and didn't consider what I'd said of the sponsor angle.

Those are still tournament events and rules pertaining to those events. It has absolutely nothing to do with State or Provincial fishing regulations.

That has nothing to do with legalities...it just means that lures manufacturers who sponsor those events don't allow them...it cuts into their profits y'know? You don't even have to buy them. Go to a dollar store and buy a dozen miniature kitchen whisks. Need I say more?

You got sucked in...that's a ad, not a news item. The 'Alabama rig' as they call it is legal everywhere it just depends on the number of hooks it has. It's a spreader such as one would use ice fishing.

Sure, I have no problem with that. How about this? Latitude/Longitude: Degrees, Minutes, Seconds: 46° 3' 40" N 73° 4' 14" W Decimal Degrees: 46.061° N 73.071° W UTM Coordinates: 18T 649228 5102652 Topographic Map Sheet Number: 031I03

I think you're doing the right thing. Mine is a Princecraft 16'9" year 2000 but now is powered by a 3 year old 60HP 4 stroke. The boat is still in excellent condition. The beam is 81"...still wide enough but narrower than most newer boats. I've got no leaks whatsoever in mine yet but I don't have it on the water near as much as you do yours in the bad weather especially. As it stands right now, I'm positive I'd have mine surveyed and rebuilt where necessary instead of buying a new one. I'm also sure that I would not try to skimp on the quality either. If Ron Banks is getting everyone's nod it's most likely because they know what they're doing and they'll stand behind their work. It's worth giving work to people who work hard at their reputation. Good luck to you. It'd be nice to see a few pics too...maybe before and after kinda thing?

Mine and Jeanne's heartfelt condolences to you and your family, Kelvin.

With the pictured layouts, you'll have more room in the Princecraft in spite of the narrower beam. I believe you'll also have less upkeep on the Princecraft. It's also a bonus if you don't have carpet.

Up to Vince of course but I'd say a caption would be gravy..sometimes even funnier than the pic itself.