Bigs

I live about a mile and a half from it but never gave it much thought. I just assumed it wasnt stocked. I wish I knew someone who lived in montclair so I could check it out. Never heard of anyone catching any fish there but now u got me curious. Maybe I will sneak in there and do some shore fishing.

Gettin on top of the fish seems to be the problem. I know of all the things I was throwing that something would have to work if only I could get on top of the fish. I'm gonna bring some tubes out tommorow and see what happens. I also need to hook up my humminbird 797 to help me find some of these fish, I just been lazy since I got it. Its collecting dust. I been sick since mid August and just started fishing again. Before I got sick the grass was green, the water was clear and catching fifteen 2-3 pounders a day was realistic. Now I'm just depressed when I go out there. Nothing but murky water and dead grass. Heck I'd settle for 3 or 4 two pounders and call it a day at this point.

Where were you guys fishing today ? What color on the spinner bait and chatter baits and what kinda retrieve ? Im plannin on goin out again thursday and then this weekend imma go to my place on the warm side of lake anna and see if my luck is any better. I'm shocked to go two days out there in a row without one single bite. I talked to 3 other ppl out on the water today and 2 of them said they caught one and other guy said he didnt catch any at all. You must know something the rest of us dont know ;D

I took my boat out today and yesterday out of leesylvania and had no luck at all. Today we fished mattawoman and yesterday we fished around the mouth of mattawoman and no luck. My friend caught a 2 pounder off the pier at the opening of mattawoman and thats it. Anyone doing well out there ? If so where are you fishing and what are you throwing? We been using 5 inch grubs, frogs, senkos, texas rigged worms, swim jigs, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, rattletraps, football jigs, sweet beavers, pretty much everything but the kitchen sink. Man it was so easy to catch fish 6 weeks ago. Seems like the summer patterns are dead finally so now what ? This weather is kinda inbetween and I can't seem to figure these fish out or even get on top of them to begin with :-/

Do you mean a better warranty from the Crucial to the Compre?? They both have the same lifetime warranty. Oh I always thought my compre spinning rod had a 5 year. Just looked it up and looks like you're right. Even better for me then.

ya I was thinkin the MH might be good for my next buzzbait/spinner bait rod. I'll have to wait and see what I think of this one first tho. What reels do you them paired up with ?

around here I have seen alot of 99-01 nitros going for right around 4-5 grand. Usually 16 or 17 feet. If you can find a 17 footer with a 90-115hp motor for less then 5 grand then you're golden. Not the best boats but far from the worst. Perfect starter tourney boat and affordable too. Decent in 2 foot swells and will run around 50mph plus when you upgrade in a few years you can still sell it for what u paid. Good luck

I had a store credit at BPS so went ahead and picked up a 7 foot medium. Anyone else using these? I handled all the medium 7 foot crankbait rods they had between 100-150 bux and to me I couldnt tell much difference between them. I liked the daiwa light and tough but didnt seem like it was worth the extra money. I also handled the St croix triumph but didnt like the handle as much. Plus I wasnt so sure bout gettin an all glass rod. The crucial didnt feel lighter to me and didnt flex any easier from what I could tell when I bent the heck out of it, really all I felt like I would be gettin was a better warranty with it. So I went with the compre. Its flexible enough imo and for the price seemed hard to beat. Im just gonna be using it with my zillion crazy cranker with 10 pound fluoro to throw small shallow cranks. I did notice when I got home tho and put my reel on it that it is not quite balanced but close enough for me. I should have brought my reel but I thought they would have one there but of course they didnt. Still happy with my purchase tho. Cant wait to try it out. My only concern is that it looks under powered, this thing is skinny! But I like the way it feels in my hands. Anyone else that owns one plz comment on how it performs.

the reel you have is fine. You dont need a switch but high speed gears are a major plus which your reel has. I flip and pitch in my backyard alot these days since I been too sick to fish for 6+ weeks. I set up an old tire and use it for target practice. I use a 7'6 heavy flippin stick for one technique and a 7 foot MH for "bow style" pitchin. Where I basically hold the jig in my left hand with about 3-4 feet of slack and create tension which bends the rod and slings the jig out like a bow and arrow would do. I put and old senko or worm over the hook so it doesnt snag when I practice in my yard. You can just use a lead weight or casting plug too.This is by far my fave technique and works like a charm with pinpoint accuracy and distance when needed. So if you dont already have a flippin stick then no worries, just practice with what u have for now. Flippin sticks are great for boat flippin fish tho. I can sling a 5 pounder in the boat with 3 pounds of grass wrapped around it all day with no worries. I use 50 pound braid in cover but around boat docks you can use fluorocarbon instead or even mono. People used nothin but mono for decades with no issues at all, keep that in mind. Good luck.

my 7 foot MH avid is my fave rod I own and I think I would cry if I broke it but then again thats what lifetime warranties are for. Good luck. Keep us posted, Im curious how long it takes to get a replacement.

I own the tierra 3000 and the sol 2500 but honestly wished I had waited for the new stradic instead. The tierra is nice but the handle feels flimsy and its also alot bulkier then a shimano imo. The sol is fantastic but I still dont love the handle.Tierra is a great reel for a hundred bucks on ebay tho. Dont make the mistake of gettin the 3000 like I did tho, its a tank of a reel. I hardly use either tho cuz Im usually using my baitcasters . IMO get the new stradic and be done with it, its much faster and you're gonna need it.

My only concern would be with keepin my foot on the hot foot , is it even an issue ? I just got back from checkin out a 2000 basscat jaguar, I liked the boat but I have to admit the seats were awful. I do like the idea of gettin the seats without the fabric on them, I didnt see that on the site I looked at tho. Gonna surf the web a lil now and see what the options are. Did the champions from back in the 90's and up into 2002 have these kinda seats or was that recent thing with champ? I also noticed when I wa sout on a javelin last week, the guy drivin had a pad he was sitting on, I thought to myself, how much of a difference can that really make ? Makes sense tho for being able to see over the waves when your driving.

same company but the company that makes or patented the suspension is AquaFlex or at least thats what I gather. Kinda like gore tex lettin lots of companies use their material.

Well if I could find a used Champ 203 within 600 miles then I could see for myself so for now Im only speculating at best. So whatever I do end up buying (Basscat or Champ) hopefully wont need these kinda seats and I can save my money. Gonna be test driving a 2000 Jaguar with a 225 opti tommorow and I have a funny feeling its gonna be a good canidate for these seats. Basscats arent known for havin the most comfy seats. I have sat in one which was a 2000 pantera classic and they were awful imo. The champ 203 in kentucky Im interested in needs new seats anyways according to the owner so in that case it would only make sense to spend a lil more on something like these. I wonder if the AquaFlex seats in the newer champs will also fit in a 2000 203. Anyone know ? For 520 bux a seat shipped , it doesnt sound outrageous when you consider what new seats cost. A decent seat is 250-300 bux anyways. Oh and nice salt rig, gonna be gettin a 20 foot CC in the spring for the chesapeake bay, those are a dime a dozen to find these days just lookin on craigslist. If only it was that easy to find a nice 20 foot bass boat >

I dont know why more boats dont come with these kinda seats. Most boats I have been in ride like crap in 3 foot swells. And instead of tryin to find the biggest baddest boat to handle it all , wouldnt it be cheaper and more practical to get seats with suspension ? Makes perfect sense to me. Im tryin with google to find other seats like these but cant find much. They are common for big saltwater boats but Im not finding much in the way of bass boat seats . Guess I will go to a champion dealer locally and sit in them to at least get a feel for how they are.

Is it worth all the money ? Anyone have these or sat in them ? http://pilotchair.com/cat-llebroc-gt-1-bass-boat-seating.cfm Im buying another boat very soon and I might go ahead and change seats as soon as I get it. They are pricey but I cant put a price on my back which has already endured 2 disc operations since I was 20, Im 33 now. Dont wanna have to go under the knife again. Im thinkin maybe these will help in the choppy stuff. Plus they look like nice quality. I cant seem to find a local shop that has any so i might have to buy them sight unseen. Aqua flex is the same company that makes the seats in new champion bass boats so they cant be bad. Anyone ?

very good report indeed but u left out the big daddy of them all , the basscat Jaguar . Im test driving this one tommorow. http://basscatowners.yuku.com/topic/9566 He's bringin it to me since he's only 25 minutes away plus he fishes out of leesylvania which is 3 miles from me. So I have nothing to lose. If I love it then Im gonna make an offer, he said he will accept a reasonable offer so we shall see. If I dont like it then I'll move on with nothing lost. I am apprehensive about a 2000 optimax tho as that was a bad year for them but he said the original owner had the recall work done. Keepin my fingers crossed on this one. Im still a little sick so I havent been able to go out and shop at all. I'm curious tho what u mean when u say u feel ur spine compress ? Please elaborate for me. Keep in mind the jaguar is alot heavier then a cougar or puma, similar hull tho. I know its slow , he said high 60's on GPS with one person and a light load. I'm fine with that, I just dont like the part about my spine :-?

What I meant is that champion is at best gonna be on hold for a while. Doesnt look like they are gonna put out any new boats as far as I know. Their future is questionable right now. And I just cant get over wood in the transom, it worries me. I have read countless stories bout new or newer champs having water in the transom. I know that's not always their fault but that doesnt change the fact that it happens regardless of whos fault it is. So when I buy a used champ I have to make 100 percent sure that there is no rot or moisture in the transom. Just one more thing to worry bout. As far as Ike's boat goes he is still in a puma as far as I know unless he;s in a new Jaguar. His 2007 Puma is for sale in jersey at a dealership for 34 grand. probably has a thousand hours on it too Im not aware of any changes between an 07 puma and a new one, I think there were differences prior to 07 tho. Could be alot of things, different motor and setup or maybe his driving skills improved ;D

most of the desirable boats like a champion 203 or a basscat cougar are hard to come by let alone for a deal. No one seems to care if I have cash or not. Trust me I have tried dealing with a few people and most wont even budge a dime. Buying a car is ten times easier for me. When I bought my expedition 3 weeks ago I had the manager follow me out the door and shout out a final offer that was 50 bux more then I offered, so I took it. When all was said and done I got it for 800 less then their "internet sales price" which is even hard to do these days. I buy and sell alot of cars so I would know. Im a bargain shopper with everything.

Just gently put it out there and it will come natural as long as u dont force it. Thats my only advice. Its like learning to drive a stickshift. All it takes is a lil practice. Wind or no wind, makes no difference. Dont worry bout how far u cast it at first, distance will come. Focus on finding a motion that works for u and stick with it. Finesse it out there. Once u master it you will love the control you get with it. Just my 2 cents.

I have the e7 and the red zillion 7.3 reel. The zillion blows it out of the water in my opinion but its also twice the price. Honestly I would save your money and get the e7 on ebay with BING rewards which brings it to around 135 bux, if and only if you are price shoppin . Or get the zillion for around 250 if money is not an issue. Nothing beats that anniversary zillion imo. Opinions vary tho. I know some will disagree. But everyone is entitled to my opinion ;D

exactly why I sold my tracker. And why upgrade if Im not gonna get exactly what I want. Have a few test rides setup on basscats already as well as a champ. What scares me is that champ is gone after this year where as basscat aint goin nowhere. Bass cats service is top notch from every cat owner I speak with and I have talked to over a dozen in the last few days. Bass cat owners are also by far the nicest I have spoken to, very tight knit. I think its 6 one way and half dozen the other. Both have top notch rides and are built well. Something bout the basscat tho, its sexy . Might be slow and guzzle gas but I can deal with that as long as my back isnt gettin broken every time I go out. If I dont like how this cougar rides then Im gonna try a puma. If I could find a 203/206 or 210 somewhere closer then that would help me out. They are few and far between around here. Gonna have to travel a lil to try one. Wont be an issue tho if I fall in love with the bass cat. I know of a few pumas local that look tempting.

wow i paid 240 for mine 2 months ago. Oh well. So much for my plans of selling it for 175 on ebay, not a chance now. Such is life

I have the 6'6 MH compre spinning rod and love it. Never used the mojo but handled it and it might be prettier but it feels a lil heavier then the compre. Plus I love the cutout in the handle. You cant beat it for 90 bux imo. Good luck

Thats what I said. I think Skeeters are ugly, simple as that. I also think Angelina Jolie is average lookin at best but opinions vary. I think Bass Cats are the most beautiful boat next to a legend with champion right behind. They all look so timeless and classic to me, love it. At this point Im lookin for the closest champion 203/206 or basscat cougar or puma that I can test drive and walk around some to see how tipsy or stable they are. The closest one is in richmond which is an hour and a half away, thats the 06 puma . Soon as I feel better Im gonna go check it out, Im still extremely sick right now tho. I have been told by more then one person that champions are tipsy when sitting still and bass cats arent at all. The ride is neck and neck between them, 6 one way, half dozen the other. But champions are easier for me to find for good deals right now then bass cats. No one wants to let go of their basscat for a good price unless its a pantera or sabre. Ranger and everything else is out of the picture now, I should probably change the name of this thread ;D