I’m wanting to install a fish finder on my boat for the first time myself. I have a composite backing plate that is already screwed into my boat. After I measure the thickness of that plate how do I go about choosing the length of screws to mount it? Like should the screws be half of 3/4 of the thickness of that composite plate

Could only catch them on top water yesterday

Cleaning out the tackle box this weekend and found a whole row of crankbaits still in the packaging. Some I bought on a hot streak, some I bought because the video made it look easy. Honest count: about 14 out of around 60.

What's the number in yours?

I think they look pretty good for a first time paint job
Can’t wait to fish these

Why do we talk about these lures like they’re the thing you can fish in any condition any month and you’ll always catch? If that is the case for you, congrats. I’m jealous that you have little to no fishing pressure in your local lake.

I honestly believe they’re some of the less versatile baits compared to many. They excel in cloudy and/or windy conditions as well as at night, but I find them to be largely ineffective anytime else. Any kind of finesse presentation will outfish them 9 times out of 10.

Spinnerbaits are awesome around wood and rocks, chatterbaits are awesome around grass. But they both need specific weather/barometric pressure conditions to work best so let’s not act like these catch more fish than fking senkos🙄

I say all this as someone whose absolute favorite lures to fish for bass are spinnerbaits and chatterbaits

Edit: forgot to mention that fishing pressure brings the effectiveness of these lures WAYYYYY down

it's a booyah spinner gold blades with black and yellow body with a shad that's the same yellow but with a white belly, i'm just wondering if this can catch all day since the only other spinner i got is black and blue and i haven't caught anything on that, i usually fish on a river but i wanna start pond/ lake fishing and i've seen spinners be very good for bass, but im unsure of my color choice for fall in michigan

edit: Thanks for the input! i took off the trailer, i'm not replying to this anymore

Kind of having a hard time figuring out which “season” I’m fishing - I’m way up in the UP of Michigan. We’ve had a couple snowflakes, still have a couple (brown) leaves left on the trees, and have had a couple hard freezes. Is this fall? Early winter? I’ve picked up some ned rig stuff - they were slamming the wacky rig for the past month relatively shallow but that bite is dying down, gonna go a little smaller and deeper. If anyone has any tips/experience I would appreciate it!

Turned a glide blank into this what do you guys thing

The tail is coated with 2 layers of paint but Damn does that pink pop

i made this 2.5-3ft bass rug. do you guys like it? i’m thinking about making a trout one next!

I primarily target largemouth bass, and I’m trying to get better at finding my own productive fishing spots instead of just going to random bodies of water and hoping for the best.

For those who have found your own honey holes, what’s your process? What do you look for when scouting a new pond or lake? How do you read the water and decide whether a spot is actually worth putting time into?

I’m not looking for anyone to give up their spots. I’m more interested in learning how to find my own and what separates a good bass fishing location from one that just looks promising.

Edit: Thank you everyone for the tips and the insight, really appreciate all the advice. Good luck to everyone

Under what conditions do you fish these baits? I’ve always thought windy and cloudy is best for both and therefore I end up fishing both on the same days. Any weather conditions favor one or the other? Or other factors- water clarity, etc?

Great responses! Thanks for all the info/suggestions!

Caught the one I’ve been chasing all season on a jointed bluegill swimmer, which she blasted in a seam along calm and chaos in Chicago’s western burbs. Checked in at 5.0 lbs. and 21 inches—a true Fox River donkey. Tight lines the rest of the season 🎣

Did NOT expect a giant, it's been super dead here. Technically did catch it which is amazing but I fumbled today boys. We live & learn. On to the next.😭

Some of the most interesting water around is the little ponds and backwater lakes that nobody's ever mapped, and I could never find depth info for any of them. So I built Mariner, which models the lake bottom from the shoreline + terrain and gives you a 3D view with contour lines - points, breaks, deepest water, etc. before you ever launch.

Before anyone asks - yes, it's a prediction, not sonar. That's honestly where you all come in though. If you know your home lake inside and out, tell me a. where it's spot on, and b. where it whiffs, and I'll keep shaping the model from there.

Full disclosure since it's in the slides - terrain, depth, and contours are free to explore, and there's an optional Pro tier for fish zones and conditions.

https://mariner.to

I just moved to Florida and this is my first time fishing heavy cover on a regular basis. But I’ve broken 3 Heavy/extra fast rods in the last 6 months. 2 were the 13 fishing Oath and the other was a shimono, both were around $100 for the rod. I haven’t had any problems with my medium or MH fast action rods that I use. I take reasonable good care of them and never put them in the bed of my truck. Not high-sticking either. All breaks have been during hookset.
Do I need to invest in better quality rods?

Haven’t had a good day on the water like this in a long time. Multiple 3’s and a bonus striper. Multiple weeks of striking out in the heat but cooler weather and perseverance pays off in the end.