S Hovanec

I had just delivered a brand new custom SCV and Stella. Also a SCIV and Certate, but that one is irrelevant. Plans were to head offshore and fish for deep Erie smallies. We were 5 miles off shore in 50'+ of water. The lake is pretty calm, by Erie standards, and we we're smacking some fish. He was using his SCIV/Certate initially and decided to try out the SCV/Stella. If you're familiar with older Lund multi-species boats, you'll know the rear deck is rather small, maybe only about 14" wide. It's quite easy to loose balance and step off the 6" to the floor of the boat, or the 3" into the splash well. This all happened so fast that its kind of a blur. I had my back to Jim and I hear a splash. I turn just in time to see the silhouette of a Stella sinking into the abyss. Now Jim is a large man. I can say that cause I'm equally large. I also see Jim, with ninja like speed and agility, dive for the rod and scoop deep enough to get his hand under it, while never leaving the boat. Well, at least from the knees down he didn't leave the boat. I don't know how he didn't totally exit the boat, but he didn't. He gets his composure, puts the Stella in the rod holder and says, "I think I'll fish with my Certate for a while. I won't care as much if I drop it".

As mentioned, one of the biggest difference is longevity. Most reels in the $150-$200 range feel very similar. Compare them on 2 years, 5 years, even 10 years. Some won't be around to do the comparison. I have a 15 year old Sustain that is as smooth or smoother than most if the $200 reels on the market today. I think it was a $220 reel.....back in 2002.

Stella is certainly sexy and I'd like it own her some day, the color scheme doesn't do it for me. I like to match up my rods and reels and I cannot come up with anything to make a Stella look good on a Blue/green flip or forest green SCV. Maybe on the pearl white SCV Inshore. I guess I'll settle for holding a puppy dog! My next DS reel will be an Exsence.

When I think of high-end freshwater spinning reels, only Daiwa and Shimano are in the conversation. I admit to being a Shimano snob. In Shimano's US lineup, they have only 3 reels I consider high end: Sustain, Exsence and Stella. There are 4 high end JDM offerings: Twin Power, Vanquish, Exsence and Stella. Do you need high end reels? No, the fish can't tell the difference. I just really like the feel of them. Once you have a true high end reel in your hands, you can tell the difference. Same goes for rods. I have a real hard time picking up anything but customs anymore!

While I know nothing of the legalities of a car battery in a boat, I know I'd never run one. I'd use a marine starting battery. You have a lot of accessories running off of the starting battery to risk using anything but a dual purpose battery for that application.

I've built about a half dozen ice rods. I won't build any more. They were the hardest rods I've ever built. The thin blanks make it very difficult to maintain proper thread tension while wrapping and guide alignment is another PITA. Trying to tweak a guide left or right is impossible. The blank torques and the guide doesn't move. And finding components to fit a blank with a 1/8" OD isn't easy either. All of my stuff is prebored at 1/4". I had to make arbors from wood dowels so I could glue on the seats and grips.

The largest that will fit through the holes in the Ram base. Stainless with nylock nuts. No longer than necessary.

Way cheaper than that Cisco mount!! That is gonna work out nicely! Big mounting surface for a BIG ram mount.

Here's how my sonar is mounted in the front. Those are 2 of the OEM Pro-Trak mounts.

Here's the HDS on the bow. Don't have a pic of just the mount.

I have my HDS 10 on the pro track on the bow using the plastic Pro-Trak pieces from Lund. My downrigggers are mounted on a piece made by Cisco Fishing Systems to fit in the Lund track. This might be the route you want to take. They also make electronics mounts. They do custom orders and may be able to make you a mount combining the Lund downrigger mount and one of their other products. Give them a call. They're real easy to deal with.

My friend had a smallmouth in his aquarium. He fed it goldfish. After a couple months, it started to turn orange. When it died, it was almost as orange as that largemouth pictured above.

I hardly call mine old. I ordered it new in 2005.......Lund Mr Pike 17 with a 135 Honda. All I do is change the oil once a year and put gas in the tank. I had to replace the starting battery last year and the trolling motor batteries this year. They were the original Bluetops I installed when I bought it. Original trolling motor. I did upgrade the Garmin sonars a few years ago with Lowrance HDS units, but I'm still running the original Garmin GPS.

I hate trolling too, but this summer we did a bit and it wasn't bad. Maybe because the action was so hot. Time between bites was short. My next boat will be more walleye centered than bass. It's easy to bass fish from a walleye boat but not as easy to walleye fish from a bass boat!

I can be on the rivers in less than a half hour. It's also walleye. That's something I'm learning, but on Erie, not the rivers.

Yea. There's a schedule from r dropping off. Starts at the end of September and last day is October 27th this year. It has to be picked up by the first week in April. You have to schedule a drop-off day. I think they plan ahead of time where your stuff goes to maximize storage in the barn. We have lots of open water left. Sometimes there's open water on one river or another all year, especially below the locks.

That's the last day the storage facility is taking drop-offs. Next year, I should be in a new home with a boat garage, so it wont get put away at all.

I used to fish Gamakatsu DS hooks. After breaking a couple hooks while fighting fish, I gave them all away and switched to Owner Mosquito hooks. Haven't had any of those break of bend on me yet.

Mine goes to the fairgrounds on Saturday. Drained the fuel last Saturday. Sad days.

I'm starting the interview process for an upgrade to my 17' Mr. Pike. Hopefully in 3 years, I'll be posting pics of my new ride!

My blank of choice for dropshotting is a St. Croix 5S610mlxf. If you want something even lighter, look at a NFC DS6107-1 IM. With the NFC, every fish feels like a 5-pounder.

Right now my main DS rod is 5s610mlxf-B, extended to 7'. I have another one in the works, in the forest green, that I'm not going to extend. The mlxf may not be for you if you feel the 3smlxf is too light. Maybe step up to their shakeyhead model, the 5s610mxf?

It has been 8+ years since the brown SCV. You might have to go with a 4cmlxf as I don't think the 5 has both a C and S model in mlxf.

A lot of people like the 610 MXF as a DS rod. I do not. I feel its too heavy (powerful) and prefer it for tubes. It's OK for heavy line dropshotting, like 8#, with larger heavier baits.

Nope. Your options are Blue/green flip, forest green Pearl and Pearl White. There is a guy on FB that will paint blanks and powder coat guides whatever color you want. Rodgeeks does offer some good blanks, but none in the same class as a SCV.