J Francho

Man, same issue. Astigmatism in my left eye messes with depth perception. Readers help, or just my regular prescription glasses too.

That may be a wintering hole. Silver Buddy, Hopkins Shorty spoon, or drop shot finesse plastic is what I'd probing that area with.

I'm going to try and make a quick video showing how I tie them. Maybe it will help. My vision stinks, and you don't need too much close vision to tie it. It's mostly by feel.

There's a couple better fender options than just round: I used these with my Xpress https://www.cabelas.com/product/boating/anchoring-docking/boating-fenders-bumpers-accessories/pc/104794380/c/104692680/sc/104318280/bass-boat-fender-standard/737288.uts?slotId=8 Also have these for my Bullet https://www.cabelas.com/product/boating/anchoring-docking/boating-fenders-bumpers-accessories/pc/104794380/c/104692680/sc/104318280/airhead-reg-hull-hugr-fenders/738136.uts?slotId=1 I think the first option would probably be best.

It's not a condescending remark. It's a statement of conventional wisdom. Nothing in fishing is set in stone, so when someone makes a recommendation that defies conventional wisdom, I and other members should want to know why. I apologize if you took offense to my query. I have some moderate taper spinning rods in 7, 9, and 10' lengths. Even if they were shorter, I would not be comfortable using them for the baits mentioned. Those are for live bait presentations, as I mentioned above.

I think it's really because they're made in the south, and Lund/Crestliner in the North.

I tie direct, it's really easy to tie an improved clinch knot by just looping the line through, and spinning the bait five times, finishing the knot.

Who knows, but the answers have been given.

I personally prefer Instagram to all others. It is not an environment where you're being hit at angles of politics, religion, debate, etc. It's simply a view through someone else's personal lens, to see how they see the world. You pic who you follow, and Instagram does the rest, lumping topics in a series, so as I scroll, I see architecture, drums, fishing, baseball, cars, and other interests, including family and friends.

Thanks for the reports everyone!

For every single one of those baits, I and many others would prefer the control of an X-Fast taper, not slower. In the case of spinnerbaits, you need to dip into the power section of the blank sooner than later (hence the "speed" ratings), and the fast recovery time of an XF after the twitch offers the best control of the bait, and better strike detection. Lastly, I don't know anyone that uses a spinning combo for any of those baits. I'm not saying it's wrong, just noting that it's an odd and out of place recommendation. Do you really use a moderate spinning rig for these?

Seriously? Rope it in. The hull is of a completely different design than either Xpress Hyperlift or Tracker's mod-V. You cannot mount Power Poles, since there is no room for the pumps. The HP restrictions are due to lesser transom structures. You'd have to do without the high end electronics, since they are not on the option list, then purchase and install them separately. You're also paying for human welds, not machine. All this adds up. I wonder if the compartments open easily. The Trackers in the show room were tough as nails to open. They were already making boats long before they were "Phoenix." They founders worked for Stratos, and the hulls were from well regarded Bumble Bee line. My friend has a new Phoenix 21, and it is one sweet boat. https://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_123/phoenix_boats_07.html

Anyone that recommends single axle trailers has never had a blowout. They're fine for small boats, below 1500 lbs., but anything heavier, get a tandem.

That's what I mostly use for restricted lakes. I love it.

That's what I did. I don't know if there is a right or wrong. The choice had more to do with my hesitation to throw truly big baits.

That's what my 79HF is for. it's rated 1-4, but 1-2 is it's sweet spot. I don't think I even tried a 68 on the Okuma, so, it might work. Hopefully someone can chime in.

I have the Okuma XH Guide Select. I also have a custom built St. Croix SCIV H. The Okuma is not far off, maybe a little heavier weight wise, but I really like it for my medium to large baits. 3-7 oz. is the sweet spot.

That's a good way to look at it. I'll go a little further. Those 10-15 options can really be lumped into what I can throw on 4-5 rods. That translates to 4-5 boxes, since I setup my boxes per what rod I use for the baits.

Not outrageous, but not Tracker pricing either. Looks like their target is to stay under Lund by a few thousand. Not a bad plan.

Sometimes with massive growth, the company needs input and giudance from a board to be able to stay profitable. They will generally send support in the form of management to oversee things, and make sure everything is on track. I haven't really seen anything negative happen through this with Sebile. I do know many companies simply fail when it comes exponential growth. No, he probably doesn't have final say, but I'm sure he's part of R&D, and that generally drives what is in the pipeline. My GF is the HR Director for a startup R&D specializing in patented safe LiOn batteries and electrolyte fills. They're at that crossroad now: sell, or scale up themselves. In other words, it's not always a bad sign when a a company is taken over.

Similarly outfitted Pro-V Bass comes in at $45.

Told you so!

If that's the best available area for them, they'll use it. If there are better substrate nearby, that's where they'll be. Lacking the ideal environments, they usually choose the next best option.

I thought Sebile himself was still involved with the company. Maybe I'm wrong?

I don't know about the worst March ever. '99 was pretty bad. But yeah, it's colder than usual and way more snow than I'm used to seeing. Came into 3" more this morning, and it's still snowing.