A-Jay

IME proposing is often the result of over trimming - back it down a bit. There's going to be a sweet spot - exceeding it will not improve that. I believe it's all about the numbers here, always is. I did a little digging around in the spec because I got that kind of time. Found some interesting numbers. The 1775 is rated for 125hp, so with that 115hp, you're a little underpowered. Also according to Lund, the 1775's hull weighs 1310lbs and is 'rated' for 6 people. So if we use a standard 150 lb per human - that's 900 lbs of flesh. Now Lund does not list an actual weight capacity - just the people. Most times weight capacities INCLUDE the weight of everything else on the bat - motor, fuel people & gear. So that 900lbs, in reality, includes all of that, not 900lb of people Plus gear. So when you subtract the weights of the motor, fuel & gear - the boat may be rated for 6 very small people. This can not be ignored - especially when one is attempting to figure out why the vessel may not be performing as expected and is about to throw MORE money at it. For comparison, the 1875 Pro-V bass weighs 1475lbs and is rated for 4 people while having a max hp of 200. Here's why I believe this to be significant. If we simply add the weight of the hull with the 'capacity' weight - 1775 stats 1310lb + 900lbs = 2210lbs being moved with 115 hp. 1875 stats 1475lb + 600lb = 2075lb being moved by 200hp We are not accounting for gear, fuel, or the weight of the motor here. A vessels hull design and proper/balanced gear storage could help, when both vessels are loaded to meet their 'capacities' seems the 1775 has its work cut out for it. Finally, the posted speeds by Lund for the 1775 are 46 mph with the 125 hp. I'm good with saying that these manufacturer numbers are like auto expected gas mileage. We might get close but we'll never achieve nirvana. Perhaps check the weight & location of your gear, maybe you can make some headway there. Talk to the Lund dealer and see if they have advice on whether a 4 blade prop could help. A-Jay

Yes - I will say that I can not list any very obvious benefits from using the Sta-Bil 360 in my truck. But I've always used some type of gas treatment in every engine (large & small) ever since 'ethanol' became a thing. Once I got the boat - I bought a 'career supply' (several cases of 32 oz bottles) and rather than using two products to do the same thing - I just went with the Sta-Bil. I've always used it to treat gas for over the winter storage - and it's worked well. And with the crazy winters here - I often go a couple of weeks without running my truck - no need to and half the time I can't anyway - so it may be helping me there too. A-Jay

@Joshua van Wyk What do I think ? Sounds like you're working really hard and you're pretty serious about it. I'll also say it is simply unrealistic for me to offer any useful or even safe advice without any other info - most everything I can offer will be in the way of what works for me and why. How that applies to your situation, and your training is something you have to figure out. But here's what I think. . . . . When my objective was to be bigger, the only thing that worked was to get stronger. Stronger muscles are bigger. That meant I needed to Eat several small well-balanced meals a day - every day - without missing ANY. Getting plenty of sleep - at least 7-8 hours a night. Every Night. So basically, I needed to live like a baby. The human being repairs & grows ONLY during deep restful sleep. Not in the gym and not at the dinner table - during sleep. I would construct my weight training to a three-day split where I was in the gym 3 days and off 4. I would use the big lifts - compound movements that involve major muscle groups with very minimal isolation exercises. Squats, Deadlifts, Rows, chins, Over-head Shoulder presses, bar curls, tricep extensions, and a moderate amount of balanced core work. I'd be in & out of the gym in 70-80 minutes - Max. I can either workout hard or workout long but I can't do both. Long workouts make me good at doing long workouts and short intense workouts make me strong. Back in the day - I did the Building Mass thing. Looking back, I got too fat - every time. Because I thought that I needed to eat big to get big. I was very wrong. Clearly, I needed to eat 'enough' but extra body fat never contributed to my strength which is what made me bigger (still does). Body Fat is such a waste of time - your body will grow extra skin to accommodate it - and later while you can 'lose the fat' you can not lose the extra skin (at least not without medical intervention) - it just hangs there - forever. As we age, we shrink. Just part of life and the way it is - but not all the skin you've purposely grow - that's just hanging out - everywhere. Finally, there's SO much information out there (not all of it good), a guys head could explode trying to figure out whose advice to follow - who to believe? What I've offered here is totally super basic - and pretty safe. If I were you And if you've not done so already - check out Jeff Cavaliere at ATHLEAN-X. Better yet, sign up, get a membership and give yourself an opportunity to be as successful as you can be - he covers it ALL. He is highly educated, has tons of real-world experience, and is doing for the right reasons. I wish so badly there was this type of info available for me 40 plus years ago - I am certain I'd have not injured myself so much doing so many things wrong. A-Jay

Thanks - great to hear. I've heard all kinds of rave reviews about them. Hopefully, I can find out what that's all about by feeding one to an obese smalling in the near future; if not sooner. A-Jay

These fall squarely into the category of 'hard to find'. At least they were for me . . . A-Jay

Felt pretty good about this one; certainly more rested & a little less stressed out. Makes a big difference overall, at least for me. Been doing these total body deals now for almost 5 weeks. That means it’s just about time to change it up. The next one will be my last total body workout until we get some open water & I’m fishing again. That’s still looking like it’s at least 4 or 5 weeks away anyway. In the meantime, I'm going back to a more traditional style of training with straight sets/reps and a 3-day split routine. A-Jay

Sort of an update; perhaps more of a clarification. Mercury recently sent me the extended warranty information & pricing for the 200 Optimax - That I sold last fall. Not exactly timely. Either way, the paperwork is rather complete and does answer any & all questions I might have had regarding the decision to purchase an extended warranty - if I still had that motor. Prior to the re-power I had already found this info and it played a fairly big role in why I made the choice to do it in the first place. In my initial post I had mentioned that the cost of the warranty was close to what I'd end up paying for the new motor after the trade in of the old one. I'll admit that I may have been bitten by the new motor monkey a little on that one. The new motor was 17K. I got 10K for the old one. I paid the difference of 7k. Looking at the attached current extended warranty pricing, the 5-year plan (which happens to be the warranty on the new motor) is running at $5,785. So the difference between the warranty for a three-year-old motor vs the $$ spent on a new one with a 5-year warranty - was a tad over $1,200. So using A-Jay / new motor monkey math, that's $240 a year; for a new motor. I'm putting this out there simply as an FYI - anyone in a similar situation - might be something to think about. A-Jay

Well, we're winding down the days. Finally inside of a month away from my 'projected' open water date. Seems like a pipe dream at this point as it's still a virtually winter wonderland in this area. Plenty f snow & ice everywhere. And while day time temps this week are expected to be in the mid to upper 30's with some sunshine, the overnights look to be quite winter-like perhaps undoing whatever happens as far as melting goes during the day. Officially, the count is 4 weeks or 28 more days . . . . And for The BR Members who are currently employed ~ 20 working days (160 hours, assuming 8-hour workday), 8 non-working days including: 4 Saturdays, 4 Sundays. As of now - It could be another early May open water deal. I'll be ready - and in pretty good shape too. A-Jay

Boat Bling & 303 both make quality & effective marine cleaning, detail & protection type marine products. I use them both. https://www.boatbling.net/ https://www.goldeagle.com/product/?utm_source=303facebook&utm_content=organicsocial&fwp_categories=marine&fwp_brands=303-products As for Life Jackets - For both my Professional & Personal needs, I have always only used Mustang products - Granted you can purchase another brand for less money, but IMO you can't purchase a better one - at any price. My life warrants the best available. A-Jay

A-Jay

Tons ~ Walking by the 6-foot fence out back this morning, the top of it is at my waist. We have a ways to go yet. A-Jay

And no one wants to see my ugly mug anyway. Full facial buffs are my friend. A-Jay

Thanks and I have to agree. Just don't tell my wife ! A-Jay

The answer is right there in the BR reports forum. Simply skim through the past several years of most excellent trips, days & big fish catches, and check out how many 'killer days' these thousands of skilled & experienced BR members had throwing 6- 8 inch swimbaits. Might be a little lower number than you'd hope to see. If you want to conquer & catch a few big bass on a big swimbait in Ohio, you most certainly can; and it will be awesome. If you're hoping to catch several big bass a trip on big swimbaits in Ohio, history indicates, the place that you 'could' do that, has yet to be located by anyone on these forums - at least not yet. Good Luck A-Jay

Besides long arming it, selecting a wide angle lens and holding it very close to the camera lens makes every dink I catch appear like it's a 6 lb smb or even a 10 lb lmb. In these pics, for instance, the smb is 6lbs and the lmb is 10 lbs. So I really needed the smoke & mirrors to pump them up. A-Jay

I do believe there may be a shift in climate occurring up this way. While the overnight temps are still expected to dip a bit below freezing, day time temps in the mid to high 30's should help promote snow & ice melt. If the sun actually appears for any length of time along with perhaps more melting, it would go a long way towards helping my personal Mojo; which could use it right about now. A-Jay

I'm not a deep cranking expert by any means. However, like most all the success I do have with any presentation, providing it's the right one - it's all about being in the right place at the right time. If your bait & tackle are good, then what may be 'off' is where you're using it. Seems a change may be in order. Perhaps try harder bottom areas - and the more bottom contact you can have with the bait, the better. Grind It. Ealy summer and late summer (early fall here) are my favorite & most productive 'times' to dredge the depths. Good Luck A-Jay

Might be time for a new one ~ https://www.amazon.com/NOCO-GB40-UltraSafe-Lithium-Starter/dp/B015TKUPIC/ref=sr_1_3?crid=PMD8IDAWN4I7&keywords=noco+genius+boost+plus+gb40&qid=1552875525&s=gateway&sprefix=noco%2Caps%2C167&sr=8-3 A-Jay

Congratulations to Ott DeFoe ~ 2019 Bassmaster Classic Champion. Good Dude. A-Jay

Thanks ~ May depend on the line you're using as it relates to spool capacity. The 300 (14/180) holds quite a bit more than the 200 (14/110). So if casting distance with 'big' line is part of the plan - the 300 may be a better choice. Finally, I've not fished a 200 so I can not vouch for its heft & durability. But the 300 is a TANK and will fish that spoon without breaking a sweat. A-Jay

Acting like he should be playing cards with Randle Patrick "Mac" McMurphy, Chief Bromden, Billy Bibbit & Charlie Cheswick is an interesting marketing approach. I do not believe Nurse Rachet would approve of any of it. A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ Thanks. The 300 is a very beefy & powerful reel; designed and perhaps best suited for large presentations. Huddleston's would be a good example of that. Not so big that one could not use it for an everyday reel but it would be a little overkill IMO. That said, reel speed is a personal choice. Where some anglers prefer the faster models and can & will 'slow' down as needed, I am the opposite. I prefer to 'speed' up when needed, so the 'slower' model suits me better. While I did select the HG (faster) reel, in this case, I'm still working on slowing down. A-Jay

Tell me about it ~ Spinnerbait you say ? A-Jay

Agreed Tom ~ I'll only go as far out as I need to, but I've got to get the bite first. The long-distance hookset and the way out there fight can often be quite a gamble. A-Jay

The majority of the water I'm on in search of big smallmouth is very clear. There has been a ton of most excellent advice offered here already. The one thing that I'll add, and something that has helped me a ton, is to understand and believe in "the power of distance". The further away from my boat (or canoe), I can effectively present a bait in super clear water, the more & bigger bass I usually catch. With most every presentation; topwater, crankbaits, and any soft plastic bait & rig I fish, having max space between me & the fish offers the best possibility of not announcing my presence. Often at least half the battle. Certainly not the end all answer, but it really seems to help. A-Jay