Madhouse27

The Largemouths I've caught up here in Maine have put up some pretty spirited battles. Someone else meantioned that maybe the warm water down south takes some of the starch out of the bass's fight. I wonder if it has something to do with the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water. The lakes up here rarely get above the high seventies temperature wise. I'm thinking it may be more about water conditions than fish genetics.

Can you buy the lift assist mount for other minn kota motors. I have an All Terrain 65 that is only a couple of years old. It's definately got alot of life left in it. I'm going to be moving it from one boat to another so now would be the time to change mounts if I can. This lift assist sounds awesome.

Someone meantioned that Loudmouth Bass was cancelled. I guess this is the first I'd heard of it. I assumed that they had simply done their seasons worth of shows and would be back for another run. Can anyone confirm that they are in fact cancelled for good. I like most of the sat morning shows. My thought is a lame show about bass fishing is still better than most of the stuff on tv.

Up here in Maine, Lund is a very popular brand of boat. It may be the case across the whole northern part of the country. They make some great multi-species models that can deal with a variety of water conditions. Most of the ones up here are the deep V style that people use for everything from trolling for salmon to duck hunting. I certainly like the one that Al Lindner fishes out of on Anglers Edge. One of the shows follows that wallye tour and you see some sweet Lund boats on that program. I haven't seen a true bass boat from them because it's just not a common style sold around here. If they are anything like the rest of the line up its one tough boat.

Thanks for the help guys.

Man, where the heck were you guys when I was in school. Lots of great ideas gang.

This topic has probably been done to death but I'll ask it anyway. I have a 24v trolling motor with two batteries, crossover etc. I've always hooked my finder up to the starting battery for the outboard. This year I will be running two finders. Do you guys just hook both finders up to the starting battery in a three battery system like mine? I'm assuming that the finders are 12 volt so I can't run them off the two battery set up I have for my trolling motor. Am I on the right track? Is there a need to add a fourth battery so I don't run down the starting battery? Thanks

That nine pounder would have been the new state record here in Maine.

Its funny. We are all so hardcore that we can't imagine bringing something into a boat for the sake of creating "noise". I think what we need to keep in mind is that some people actually take their boat out for other reasons besides just fishing (strange but true). My buddy had a CD player in his Stratos and it was always fun to crank some tunes and drink a few brews in the afternoon after 6 or 7 hours of serious fishing. It always helped us make the transition from saturday afternoon to saturday night 8-).

Number 1. Jimmy and Woo sound like an entertaining and informative afternoon to me.

The Lindners certainly have alot of energy. Sometimes I get worn out just watching them. I agree that they tend to push the envelope and introduce both new products and new ways to use tried and true items. Their shows have always placed education high on the priority list. While many hosts were simply serving sponsors and trying to be entertaining the Lindner clan was talking about understanding a fish's biology and how that knowledge will aid you in locating and catching more fish. When I was a kid they dissected the reproductive cycle of smallmouth bass in front of my eyes on In-Fisherman television. They broke down pre-spawn, spawn and post spawn patterns with maps and charts to show you where fish would be located as the process unfolded. It was groundbreaking. Roland Martin was over on channel 5 patting himself on the back and pushing the lure of the week. The Lindner boys were doing their best to make sure I was going to end up in the 10 percent of fisherman catching 90 percent of the fish. They are kind of intense and maybe even a bit odd, but they've certainly taught me alot more than just what to buy.

There is a guy on one of the lakes that I fish that has pontoon style boat that looks like it was designed with the bass fisherman in mind. It actually looks like it would be fun to fish out of although maybe a tad high for reaching down and lipping fish. They are an older couple and I'm sure the boat is easy for them to enter and exit from their dock. Not sure if those types of boats are challenging to tow around from lake to lake or not. I'll look around online tonight and see if I can track the thing down.

You might have some luck searching on ebay. If you don't find exactly your motor you can try contacting some of the sellers that are listing outboard decals. Ebay has certainly helped me track down alot of hard to find stuff over the past few years.

As the quality and features of the aluminum bass boats have gone up so has the price. These days, it's real easy to spend 20 grand on a pro style aluminum boat. I'm afraid that their growing popularity and increasing cost of aluminum itself is only going to send the prices higher. There's alot to like about them. They weigh less so they're easier to tow behind a mid sized vehicle, they are durable and require less maintence and some of them actually look incredible. Ten years ago I couldn't have imagined a 19 ft, wide beam aluminum bass boat with a 175 on the back but that is todays reality. I like the G3's myself but would certainly take a look at Xpress and Polar Kraft just to get a feel for pricing/features. I just bought a 1998 17 ft Skeeter Aluminum with a Yamaha outboard. It's by no stretch of the imagination a new G3 but it was close enough and at a fraction of the price. I'm hoping it's going to get the job done for a couple of years.

mcipinkie, you didn't need to toil over all that homework....just tell them it's a Skeeter with a Yamaha. That should close the deal all by itself.

Sam, I'm pretty much sold on Toyota vehicles. I think for style and long term durability they are certainly the class of the mid size suv field. I've had a couple of 4Runners and a Land Cruiser. The only real issue I have had with them have been the small, not very well padded seats. How does a company that builds 300k plus engines decide to put in a seat that is about as comfortable as a folding steel chair? I'm assuming the new generation 4Runner has made some improvements in the area of interior comfort. If you are going to be driving that many miles make sure you take whatever you are buying for an extended test drive so you can see how it feels.

I got out opening day (Jan 1) up around Millinocket, Maine. There was about 15 inches ice. We were pursuing salmon and lake trout but ended up getting into the pickerel instead. Got a few that were around 24 inches so it was a good time. I live on the coast and the ice conditions are sketchy at best. Hopefully we'll get a few frosty nights in a row so I can start fishing a little closer to home.

Let's say on the average day of fishing you catch 15 small bass in the 10-13 inch range and then a handful of good ones. Assuming that these smaller fish weigh approx 3/4 of a pound each, you would then have to catch another 9 or 10 four pound fish just to attain a 2 pound average for the day. I might try keeping a better log to try and figure out what my actual average fish size is. I think over a day of fishing we tend to remember the better fish and not the many dinks that quickly went back in. What I would probably find more interesting is a survey that compiled the number of fish per day that bass anglers caught. I would probably guess an average of around 12 fish per day averaged out over time.

What a steal!

Rolo, I agree with you regarding Swindle's behavior with Zell Rowland. Did he buy that bridge or was he just renting it out. It's the type of nonsense that can take you off your game. I was glad to see Zell shake it off and fish strong for a well deserved victory. Zell was looking sharp in his Skeeter jacket and hat while being made to fish out of that Triton.

I have a Toyota 4Runner with a V6. It's a great vehicle and I plan on keeping it for a few more years. It always towed my center console Mckee Craft with no problems. Towing weight was certainly one of the reasons I decided on the aluminum Skeeter I just bought. I think you gotta have a bigger rig with a V-8 to pull a full sized fiberglass pro style bass boat. Maybe in a few years.....

The other post about bass shows got me thinking about Match Fishing. Did any of you guys get addicted to this one by any chance. For those that haven't seen it this is the lowdown. Each week two top pro's from FLW and Citgo Bass are put in one boat together. Each gets an equal amount of control time (front of the boat). There are rules that limit the water the rear fisherman can cast to. The guy in control chooses the water, speed etc. He can fish to his own strengths and also fish to render the back angler's effectiveness to a minimum. It was a five fish tournament with the winner moving on to the next round and the loser being eliminated. Best episode was certainly the master Rick Clunn taking on Kevin Van Dam. Great format, big names, awesome show.

Lindner's show, I think it's called Anglers Edge is one of the better ones as far as educating the viewer. There's some good underwater photography and the hosts do a good job of filling you in conditions and strategy. There's a little too much walleye stuff for my taste but it's a good show. I agree that most of them are more about the host and sponsers than the actual fishing.

I always root for Zell, worship Clunn and get a kick out of Takahiro.

Preston, I've been sort of casually looking at them myself. The one I am leaning toward is an Old Town Loon 160. 16 feet long and definately managable by yourself on top of a vehicle. It looks fairly wide and stable...certainly no whitewater play toy. Some of the fly fisherman up here are using them and speak highly of that model. They have a large cockpit area that is made to easily kneel in and maybe even stand. Old Town canoes/kayaks are manufactured up here in Maine and they have an annual spring sale to blow out seconds and blemished boats. There are usually some sweet deals. I think their website is down or I'd give you a link. LLBean probably sells them but I'm sure at a high markup. I guess the other one I've seen used is that model Hank Parker is always plugging on his show. I'm pretty sure it's made by Hobie. Certainly at least worth a look. Let us know what you end up with.