No question we should consider other fishermen when running a boat under power but I would rather have someone blow by me at full throttle than slow down and throw a huge wake trying to be nice . I am more concerned about wake than speed .
My boat at 50 mph throws a much smaller wake than it does a 20 mph .

There was just a BASS Elite tourney on the lake , that should give you all the info needed

Santee Cooper ……senko

No question the new reels are so much better , I totally agree

Lake George is tough , hurricane about 3 years ago took most of the grass out of the lake . Rodman Pool is not far from lake George and much better fishing . You will need a guide , you will break your Shearwater , if you don’t know the lake .

Lake George is tough , hurricane about 3 years ago took most of the grass out of the lake . Rodman Pool is not far from lake George and much better fishing . You will need a guide , you will break your Shearwater , if you don’t know the lake .

Mid 70 s , 6’4” 225 lbs . Pretty good shape . A Jon boat , particular a small one , less than 18 feet, is anything but stable . Plus the seats are very low , getting up is a major task . Big boats are stable, little boats will get you wet .
First thing , hire a guide and see how you do getting around in his boat . That will give you an idea of the type of boat you need .

I assume your talking about the DC model , I have 2 , they are great . You can cast into the wind with little or no problem . Customer service , I have no idea , I own 15 or so Shimano reels all in different price ranges . The Curado is the most prevalent, I have never had ANY a problem other any of them . I started using them after a trip to Brazil fishing for Peacock bass , 65 pound text braid , big baits , big fish lots of cover . The outfitter was on his second year with the same reels . Almost daily use ( for 6 months a year ) a real torture test . It is good equipment

I have 4 KK product , two spinning reels and two casting reels . Keeping in mind , I generally use Shimano reels and Loomis RNX a rods , I know top quality equipment . I found KK products to be functional and a bargain . They are not top quality but your not paying top dollar , you get what you pay for . That said , I found them to be reliable and well worth the money . On a reduced budget , I could use their products on a full time basis and be well served .

Guys , I ve fished spinner baits for almost 60 years the reason they are not closed is because the line will rap around the closed end and cause the bait to not run true, plus it will damage and weaken the line . It use to be a big problem . I don’t use snaps which would reduce the problem , and make the bait run almost side way if it line rapped behind the closure , not to mention cause less strikes .
I have always use a palomar knot or a Trilene knot because the double the line around the shaft and generally will stop the problem of a fouled presentation .

Yellow perch

Glad it works so well for you , I broke a NRX on April and another NRX in May . Got the April replacement back in mid November and the May replacement in December . Keeping in mind that these are 600 dollar rods and I pay an additional 130 bucks . I was not real happy with Shimano . Maybe things are getting better . I own a dozen Loomis rods , but will own no more .

Banjo minnow was a great lure , not as good as the advertisement but still a great lure . Just compare to a Zoom Fluke . It is almost identical , our expectations are just unrealistic . How many hours did you fish a plastic worm before you got a bite ,much less , catch a fish .
Understand ,I have no idea of the effectiveness of the lure in question . But if a Senko is effective ( it is ) , I m not sure , one can really judge effectiveness, without lots of time on the water .

No question , Dalton Special , Geomike your going to need to go a little deeper in the tickle box !

Lake Jocassee is about your only shot . SC is not a hot bed for Smallmouth bass .