BillyBob

3 words for boats without carpet... 1. Hot 2. Noisy 3. Slippery

For a 17.5 footer, like a dream! I fished an ABA National on KY. Lake....used my boat all 3 days.. drove through Barkley Canal...traveled down Barkley to US68 bridge with the "Big" Boys... no problem, except had to stop and get gas both comin and going. That was the biggest problem...too small of a gas tank. I took it to Big "O" in Florida and went broke buying gas..but had no problem fishing or driving it. But in smaller tournaments around here I went into creeks and coves the longer boats couldn't get turned around in. Cruise range aint that big of a deal on a 4000 acre lake. Cruise range will be about 30 miles out. 60 miles RT. Its a good, safe, dry ride, for that size boat. Hope you enjoy yours as much as I did mine. By the way,.. I got 10K when I sold her and she'd been rode hard and put away wet! ;D

Betcha the thrust on your trolling motor's 67lbs. 12 or 24 volts. It'll have a red switch on the left side; 3 positions... 12, off, 24. Your 125 merc is max for the boat and if you put a jackplate on it you'll get about 55mph loaded. Its a 4 cylinder, 5200rpm is max after break in. Dealers love to put 3 blade 26 on it to keep you from bumpin your rev limiter, but I found a 24 4blade worked better, holeshot much better. For a 17'6" Boat, its got about as much storage as any on the market. You'll have a ball with it! One word though about keepin it dry! Theres alot of wood in your boat keep it from molding or mildewing. Keep it dry as much as you can. I didn't and it started to rot before I sold it. Mine was a 2000 Bill Dance Edition DC

Sodak, He usually wears that funny-lookin red ear-tabed hat in the winter. And I'll also bet he was in the front. LOL ;D When I fish Tenn. lakes he's the go to man! Lives on lake Norris. I got asked to take my boat down to Dale to help film that show. Didn't cause I didn't want showed up by two old men. But I'm telling you in clear water Bill Nickles will plum wear em out!!!

Guys, the man who invented the Floatin Fly Rig and the the white haired 80year old in on jerry's show, that is currently living and fishing Dale Hollow as we speak, who is one of the nice's men in the world: is BILL NICKLES

Nope, after you've bought it just turn it on and leave it on. I don't know if there is a real test! If you believe enough to spent $650+ It will work for you. Its the last thing to buy, not the first! It ain't a cure-all . In other terms it might make the difference from 5th place to first...but not from last place to 5th. Hope this helps

Guys, I've tried to stay out of this one and just can't. First and foremost; it doesn't matter if it actually works or not! It matters if you believe it works or not! Second, I've owned one for 6 months and if pressed I say it works, but not for the reasons stated in this thread. I believe it camos or covers other noises that heavy pressured fish react to. Things like trolling motors, boat noises, clod-hoppers in the back, ect. Listen to one... just a bucha clicking and snappin. I won the second tournament I used it on and now it ranks up there with; Always use the right livewell first, and my hat that's 5yrs old and never been washed! It's no big secret weapon! And by the way...I have Bill Dance to thank for mine! He's a better salesman than he was a fisherman, and he was a great fisherman!

Bye the buy, Not to sell frog togg, but saw they make them in bibs now!

Own 100 mph BASS Pro. Too heavy and bulky in my opinion for GA. Bibs a must for floggin down the lake at 60+mph, but usually use a lighter jacket, specially down south.

Hey Matt, As it is with everyday fishing. Usually to get a secret, you got to give one. Our names are our "honey holes" on this thread. In a way you receive great info. because of it. Ghost writers , as it were! But since you insist...My real name is Jose Hemanez!

Road you sound like a buddy I got on Norris Lake. Smallies are, for the past 70 some years, his passion. He even invented the floatin fly as an excuse to fish Dale in Jan. or Feb. with a 10 degree wind chill. He's the primary reason I've been getting my arm broke or dislocated for the past couple of years. I love everything about it, but having to throw back a 5lb. 20 incher in a Tournament SUCKS!

Very seldom have I ever caught the fish my bow mount showed me. Only once or twice have I caught off a stump or brushpile where I spyed some boomers. But you mentioned all but the most important and that is activity depth and bait fish, that I can't wait to turn it on for. Balls of shad under the surface tells all in structure type fishing. Ain't no bait...ain't no bass! Activity zones in summer tell you how deep to fish and for that matter how to! Are they suspended? Are they on the bottom? Wheres the thermocline? Whats the Temperature? If your going to fish for the fish you detect on sonar you'de better throw that 20 degree transducer away and get you an 8 degree. Ever pass a stump to turn around and not find it again ? Structure is then important as to what the bottom is made of, points and ledges, drop offs, ect. Its come along way since my first hummer flasher!

If its a big black arrow on a red disk...take the top cover off. 4 screws, under the cover. Try to do this with motor vertical. Remove top and snap disk back down on stem. Make sure arrow is pointed in same direction as motor. Put cover back on. If it is broke and won't snap sent to Minn for new one . Their free 8)

Sounds like you got two problems... 1. Tempest three blades out of the box are notorious for biting and then letting off which of course starts your chime walkin when your about to come up on the pad. 2. Your over propped or you would be in that 5.4k range. Unless your not broke in. Or overloaded, which has everything to do with a jack plate and nothing to do with chime walk Check your prop blades, buy a manual plate and set it at 5" above transome and load balance your boat...your boat ought to be in that 62mph with little or no chime..on pad at 5.4k or its not setup. Lastly it will take sometime behind the wheel to get the feel... Earl didnt build no lead sled! and you aint going to drive high performance with no stik time. Raise your trim as you get comfortable. Even with hydraulic steering ( which you cant feel torque) you'll learn . Borrow someones 4 blade trophy in a 23 pitch, if its been beat or bent it aint worth borrowing. Last but not least the PROP SHOP in Huntsville Alabama is the best in the USA. DEL's the man

Believe this or not I've had em change color in the live well in an 8hr tournament. Lose most of their lateral stripe and turn white-ish. Unfortunatly also had a couple in my life turn black! :'(

Okay Boyz, I'm in love with Tournament waters that are Big, Clear, and Deep !!! Furthermore the community hole ain't gettin it. Found a "Honey" 40 miles from ramp but got there only to find a B----t, who was 20 boats and 1 flite behind me, pullin keepers. I took a vow right then and there to never let that happen again. I traded my three year old "leadsled" in on a big and bad. Just wondering if anyone else ever did. Now...if you don't out draw me..your not in my hole when I get there! In practice I go looking for out of the way "hot" spots. And my top 5 finishes, have doubled. Betcha can't guess what I got! Hint: It ain't a needle nosed, tin foil thick, no storage spaced, uncontrolable, one manned platformed, soggy riding, bass boat pretending thing, that still can go faster!

Dear TL, You are about to get my deepest, darkest secret about fishin in the back, when someone in the front's got the trollin motor on 36 volts . Pull out a spinning rod with about 8lb test line,...slide on a mojo 5/16 weight about 16" above a 2/0 ewg gama, and weedless rig it to a 4" inch straight tailed worm . Drop it behind the boat and let it go . Some call it trollin, but tourney winners call it dragging! As Forest says that's all I got to say about that!

piranha, If I had the spot on answer to that question in every case, I'd never have to work another day. But it sounds like you have confidence in only one particular bait. Patience, confidence, experience,and expertise, in several different baits and presentations will give you the answer your looking for. That's as profound as I get! :

Bassman, One word......LOWRANCE Two more words....Garmans leak

BOO, Don't buy a used boat with wood in it! And as boats go...you get what you pay for. The motor should max out the plate and be at least as new as the boat. Pay attention to the trailer! No rust at all on the frame or your doomed. Dual axle trailers tow easier but are harder to manuver in a garage or yard, and cost more to repair or buy new tires and brakes for. Dual consoles always bring more money resale or trade, but in a 18'6" or less take up too much fishing space. Lastly don't get in a hurry! You'll know it when you see it.

bassdoc, Pay attention to Gambler. A new Triton ain't no lead sled. He's right about your rooster tail...no higher than the engine cowl or somthing aint set up right. Always start with trim down as far as it goes,once on plane start trim up, alittle at a time till you start losing speed or something feels wrong. If its chide walking your probably not setup. If its bobbing up and down trim is too high. Don't go by H2O pressure you may have a low water intake and it won't show. My 20X is flat passin almost everybody with 3/8 trim up, and shes usually loaded to the gills! Do'nt fret... a little drive time is mainly what you need.

Drr, Like trucks, boats and motors get worse gas milage the bigger they get and the more load you put in them...so theres no steadfast rule. But Gambler's about right, on the average, any boat with a stock motor rated hp max. on the plate, will get around 3 miles per gal on and off WOT. The Opti's and Ho's get 30% better if you can stay off WOT, if you can't they don't do much better and you'll lose a little top end mph. In a big water tourney I've blown 50gal of gas in a day. And forget buying small and modifying it...against the rules.

Put an E-Tec on it and it'll even blow the "THONG" off! ;D But don't try to fish 2 off the front fishing platform...it's close.

One other thing is to switch to a slower top-bait. Sounds like a jitterbug would have plum wore em out about dark! ;D

Well, it is true that big fish generally want big meals...but I also think big fish tend to hit certain baits more than others. Buzz baits are big fish baits....7inch Senkos, Jigs, ect. What do you usually throw?