A-Jay

Thank you Sir. I pretty excited about it myself. A-Jay

Thank you my friend. If all goes according to plan - they'll find me . . . A-Jay

Action has REALLY slowed way down for me up this way. The super warm weather doesn't seem to be helping much. Besides keeping the recreational boaters on the water more and longer, seems the brown bass, who were shallow & chewing just a couple of weeks or so ago, have relocated. Where they are and what they want to eat has been alluding me for almost 2 weeks. I'm planning on just camping out in the prime locals during prime times and waiting them out. More to follow, hopefully . . . . . . . A-Jay

@Burrows Retirement packages were different in the 70's when I initially enlisted. My 30 years of service to our country was rewarded with 75 % of my basic pay; not like that now. Even still, there are benefits to retiring where the cost of living is low & in a state that doesn't tax military pensions. Most of all, living frugally in other aspects of life can often allow for a more focused allocation of funds. A-Jay @Mikeltee - I've been through a few. Tried the St Croix Tidemaster Travel rods - not good. Blew up. Rods pictured are G Loomis Escape Travel rods and Fenwick Methods. G Loomis sticks are by far the best I've used but a little $$$ - easy to find. The Fenwicks are also very nice, extremely versatile, very reasonably priced but a little harder to find. A-Jay

Switched out the Optimax ~ For the ProXS this week ~ It moves me & my tackle around nicely. A-Jay

When, for just a few brief moments, nothing else matters ~ #thesearethegoodolddays A-Jay

Thanks Tim. Even though this rig will probably never never see anything but the sweet water (no salt water), I'm a big fan of that galvanized trailer. Although it looks sort of plain and clearly not nearly as 'custom' looking as a matched up painted deal. It will look pretty much the same long after I'm done with it. A galvanized trailer will maintain its resale value and are scratch resistant to stones & chains. Galvanized steel offers maintenance-free corrosion protection for nearly 50 years. The service life of a galvanized trailer will be at least 25 years The average cost of sandblasting and repainting a painted trailer is roughly the difference in the $$$ between the painted versions. I just paid it in advance. A-Jay

After getting the Pro-V back from the dealer yesterday and then reloading my gear, all there was left to do was splash it and make the maiden voyage with the new Pro XS. Headed to a local lake that afternoon. There was a little wind & chop. Video footage below includes that first run as well as my first impressions at the end. All things considered this deal came & went together fairly smoothly. Besides being delivered a full month early (when does that ever happen? ) Mercury did make the new Pro XS very close to a plug & play replacement for the Optimax. So the dealer was able to remove the old, and mount the jack plate & new motor as well as test run it for me, all in 1 day. We had discussed using the same motor height & prop (Tempest Plus 21 inch P) and so far that seems to be very good. The dealer set the motor's computerized trim stops to prevent any steering gear hang ups. Motor matched up to my existing throttle and smart craft gauges seamlessly. So as of now, I am very pleased - and really happy with the 5 year warranty. There will mostly likely be more to come here as we go along. A-Jay

Utilizes the original equipment Sea Star steering system that came with the Pro-V Bass. A-Jay

That's what I thought as well. A-Jay

Mercury didn't make the 200 Pro XS in a 'L' ~ 25 inch shaft, so I didn't have one. I ran & traded in a straight up Optimax 200 HP. About the only thing I'm 'missing' is this along with the tank to put it in. For the record - I like that start up quite a bit and then all the "quiet power" afterward. A-Jay

So here's what she looks like And here's what she sounds like ~ I've got a couple of three break-in hours on her now. Putting together the "First Impressions" video to be added here this weekend. Very Very Good so far . . . A-Jay

This mornings trail run, Exact location ~ the 45th Parallel North. A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

Hey Now ~ You had to know I'd be on the water right away ! Just got in. Put about two hours on the new V-8. Motor's Killer; quiet, fast, & super smooth. Jack Plate's Dynamite; eliminated my SI obstruction deal and really does improve the Pro-V's ride & handling. And I caught a few decent brown bass - Win Win Win I shot some video that's loading now. But - - - I'm hitting it again pre-dawn up north tomorrow. So I'm gonna catch a few zzz's now, fish in the morning and if I'm still conscious when I get back, I'll post up what I've got. Love it when a plan comes together. A-Jay

So this just happened ! More to follow very soon . . . A-Jay

Hello Len and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

Routine part of my wife's 'training runs' includes some canine battle carry ~ Seems BreeZo enjoys the view . . . A-Jay

One last look at the 2-stroke before she was dropped of at the mercury dealer this morning. Expect to test-ride the new Pro XS with the installer tomorrow - #cantwait A-Jay

A previously lost but recently discovered pic of my Personal Best 11 lb 11.2 ounce LMB - My heart was pounding out of my chest right there. I think my (I might have just pooped my pants but I don't care) face says it all. A-Jay

Is this like shopping for a new Porsche 911 and hoping it rides & performs like 1972 Chevy Vega ? A-Jay

I have & fish both Lead & Tungsten however if there is a choice in an application, I prefer tungsten. For me & my fishing this is how & why: Tungsten is smaller & denser than lead and it seems to transmit any contact to my hands better than lead (especially hard cover) So when I need to penetrate cover, tungsten gets the nod. When I want / need to really 'feel' the both on a presentation where there is a choice - tungsten gets the nod. btw - The very first time I fish a rig with a tungsten bullet weight on a hard bottom - the bottom contact transmission up my line , through the rod and to my hands was SO Intense, I was setting the hook 5 times a cast - and they were NOT Strikes - just the bait clicking along the bottom - I'd equate it to the same sensitivity different between Mono & braid. I eventually figured it out. Now when I need some weight on a rig but I'm not looking to or even want any cover penetration, (like soft / muck or weeds bottoms, I use lead; usually light(er) less than 3/8 or so). Drop shot Neko rigs are about 50/50 lead & tungsten and almost always depends on bottom composition & or the presence of zebra mussels ( on the later that's lead right there - all day every day). YMMV A-Jay

You're Welcome. I switched out that power handle on my Tranx 300 HG to the Double paddle version for that very reason. A-Jay

The reels are Quantum EXO PT 200's - Pretty sure they are no longer in production but can sometimes be found on amazon & ebay. Work well for me hunting over-sized green bass south of the border as they have the capacity to hold a decent amount of 20 & 25 lb mono / fluorocarbon or 50 - 65lb braid. 100 & 150 size reels are just too small to allow for the distance casts I need to make. The stock handle have all been replaced with HawgTech after market jobs. Super Sweet ! That company owner has been a bass resource member ( @South FLA ) for over 10 years and is a Site sponsor as well. Super good guy and great to work with. Check him out . . . https://www.hawgtech.com/ A-Jay

I was on watch & on duty in the US Coast Guard Search & Rescue Command Center in Atlantic City , NJ. We got real busy - real fast. And it lasted A-While. A-Jay