A-Jay

BTW - no amount of HP will fix nor over come this problem. A-Jay

Honda offers a 4 stroke 135 HP as well https://marine.honda.com/outboards/motor-detail/BF135-150#specs A-Jay

Something to consider also, is that today's newest motors are considerably lighter than most of the older models at the same and sometimes even higher hp. I agree with @KYRANGERMAN - Check before pumping up the hp over the hulls rating. Most ANY vessel of this size, that is properly fitted with a HP that is at the top of the rating can perform at it's best. The caveat is of course, it can't be overloaded (weight wise - that's people & gear), and that load needs to be distributed effectively throughout the length of the hull. I re-powered summer 2018 with a new ProXS (same HP as I had, top of the rating) My rig was running great, just wanted to get the newer motor. Good Luck A-Jay

@Catt beat me to the punch ~ I'm a bit of a Flats Fishing addict. First off, they can be very productive and secondly, not many anglers will spend time on the really big ones.(at least here). Bassheads who hit the lake with limited time to fish don't have docks to flip to, no lay down to fish, no visible weedline to throw down on an open water flat; just what looks at first glance like several hundred yards of the same thing. In this area, it's rare that a 'flat' actually is entirely and completely featureless & flat. So looking for and finding the humps, depressions, hard bottom areas, bottom composition changes, soft & hard cover, and BAIT, can be daunting. No doubt it takes time and fish can & do move all over them depending on the bait they're after and the wind direction & speed. I've spent HOURS idling on and across many a flat; just looking & graphing. Auto chart is your friend as well as SI & 360 imaging. Not every one is gold but some are. Fish holding areas come in various sizes, some pretty small (like the boat) others are somewhat vast and the bass seem to roam around on them in packs. I like those. Doesn't always need to be 'close' to deep water, but the better ones often are - especially early & late season. And don't forget about 'deep' flats like the ones between the second and perhaps the third major water level drop. They can be insanely good late in the season (after turn over here) - blade baits do a lot of damage here for me. I always plan on covering water to make contact. #chunkandwind A-Jay

While I am good with the Quantum gear I fish, I believe that the company was riding the wildly popular KVD wave - All the way to the beach apparently. The absences of that type of exposure can't be a good thing. Unless they land a Wheeler or a J Lee type face, it could be a tough stretch for their 'bass fishing' side of the house. Just Say'in A-Jay

I did but it wasn't my idea. Old Sixto (the guide) was all about it. At first I thought it was pretty "goofy". It's a staple for me now. They've been fishing it there for as long as the Senko has been around. 7 inch Senko & a Gamble Best-O-Stick both A-Jay

I have not. A-Jay

OK ~ Yes. I like & prefer quality gear - in everything. Not knowing where in the product line that started, My initial purchases hit below that mark. So the 'Code' line of reels wasn't for me. The "Accurist" was decent but still not where I wanted to settle. Once I got into the the "Tour PT" line - I was happy. The Quatum reels in the Pic in my OP are several years old and still going strong. If I 'had' to replace them now, I'd be looking at the Smoke HD 200, Smoke S3 and the Tour S3 line to start. A-Jay

I'll try to keep this reasonably brief ~ Retired in 2007 - the 25 plus years before that, I was fishing salt water. Big game reels were all Penn but my casting, spinning & inshore gear was all Shimano & Quantum. Worked well for me. Fast forward - retired & settled in the middle of big brown bass central. Needed new gear - started by looking at what I had success & confidence in. Been there ever since. A-Jay

I fish several Quantum (and Shimano) rigs and have been doing so with some success for a while. Mostly the 'higher end' stuff - at least for them. I don't beat on it, do maintain it correctly and it performs well for me. Every brand may have it's fans & detractors; and that's fine. Opinions of the gear we fish can never affect our success. A-Jay

No Doubt ~ I don't lose a lot fish. Every now & then, but I've been super fortune to get some real brutes. But if you look closely at my face, and it's a little hard to see, but right after I said, "there's another one with it" . . I smiled - just a little. In my mind, that was me already weighing that fish and holding her up for the camera . . . Oh, how that didn't happen #gothumbled I hate it - and sort of love it at the same time. Definitely part of what keeps me going back. A-Jay

Ouch ~ I know that feeling. Always a gut punch. So I have a few fish losses over the years that still haunt me. Going back a few years, and on the Atlantic coast, while striped bass fishing off a long south New Jersey jetty on a cold, moonless November night, I had what I believe was a real Giant (never saw her) almost pull me off the rocks. She scooped up a big fat live eel with out stopping, screamed a ton of locked down drag (80 lb braid) off a Calcutta 400B and was gone. The power of that deal actually scared the bejeezus right out of me. More recently, like this past spring, I had a complete freak of a brown bass come in close to the boat and take a swipe at a jerkbait. This is a big fish spot, on a lake that has produced several trophies for me including my current PB. They always look big in the crystal clear waters I fish, but this fish honestly seemed 'next level'. Almost hate the fact that I actually got a good look at her - really makes the 'Haunting' worse. And to totally double down on it all, there was another one with her - wait for it . . . That was Bigger ! My personal haunting here was captured digitally for me to relive anytime I need to stoke my own trophy brown bass hunting fire . . . A-Jay

Perhaps consider this ~ A-Jay

eh like this one's got the potential to be a politically locked thread. A-Jay

eh

A-Jay

Perhaps ~ Interesting I suppose, that I don't think twice about fishing in this: But don't care to be out in the 90 degree heat with the 75 % plus humidity. Maybe it's an Old Guy thing. A-Jay

It's been Pretty toasty up in my neck neck of the woods of a week plus ~ Humidity's a little much as well. Not fishing until it cools off a bit. A-Jay

This might be an option https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000RFPI82/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_Ty-aFbA7Y4J3R A-Jay

Yea ~ Pretty sure that's a regulation that is strictly monitored by UPOA. United Pontoon Operators of America The fine must be severe as blatant violations seem rare. A-Jay

Yup ~ The one below is in my boat all open water season for the 4.6L V8 ProXS and then in the truck for the 6.2 L V8 all winter. Holds a charge for a stupid long time. Although I've not needed it (have jumped others with it though) I carry this one - https://www.amazon.com/NOCO-GB70-UltraSafe-Lithium-Gasoline/dp/B016UG6PWE/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=GB70&qid=1594067584&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFIMUc2RTU5SThOOTImZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA2NjYzNDBPQk9OTklaWVVCME4mZW5jcnlwdGVkQWRJZD1BMDgyOTI5MzNUM1c2TVBNMFBVQUgmd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl (Prefer to have more than I "need"). A-Jay

Hello Taylor and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

Sad. A-Jay

Good to hear your Dad is mending. Hope that continues. As for topwater on Lake Erie in July, don't hear about many anglers having success with it, but you never know I guess. Either way, bring at least one drop shot rig. Just in case #fishingisgood A-Jay

Thanks Great name for it btw. Because it certainly is. We call it "Feeling Common". It's anything but. A-Jay