Go Time

Finally found the time to make it to a local power plant lake. Air temp 26, water at boat ramp 45 and water in the hot water arm was 72. Tried fishing a mainlake hump but didn't have much luck so I ran into the hot water arm for an hour and caught a few on a spinner bait. It sure felt good to get out again. The ice on the rod and reel got annoying though. No monsters but still better than sitting at home

Are you retired? Because you seem to have the time to turn out a lot of nice baits! I like them all. The design on that popper looks great, not sure about the purple though...

Couldn't agree more! The world is so technologically dependent anymore. Sometimes I leave my watch at home and use a sun dial ;D

That is awesome!! Wish I could buy both. I would do as you are planning and put the FishElite at the console. That way you can mark cover/structure then come back with your trolling motor and DI to determine what you marked. Might be nice to have the FishElite on a swivel so you can view the gps when you're up front though.

Thanks for the insight. I was leaning toward buying a DI unit instead of a 2d/GPS but now I think I will be better suited mastering the 2d sonar. And hopefully someday making the jump to the SI...

I should have read a little more about it before passing judgement. It has 6 air chambers, so puncturing one chamber isn't going to result in you sinking. Which is good news. Although I doubt paddling that thing is going to be joyful. I'm sure someone on here will come up with a better option for you. Best of luck!

I'm with bassman, I wouldn't trust it. Seems to me like all it would take is for a fish to come loose at the side of the boat and POW the treble hooks on you crankbait are buried in the side of the boat. And there you are sinking in the middle of the lake... That said I have never attempted to fish out of one, so take my opinion for what it's worth.

Wow after some of these pics I feel unprepared for this season...

I haven't seen any BASS or FLW DVD's for sale like you are wanting. For FLW you can go to their website and watch all the 2008, 2009 and 2010 tour and series vidoes on their website. This is the best I found, I hook the computer up to my TV and watch them like that. PAA has some tournament dvd's for sale on their site, I've never seen them though. Hope this helps

The improved aerodynamics should compensate for any added weight. Sweet looking stick!

In my opinion it's a decent deal. That is as long as you are looking for a small aluminum bass boat. It sounds like you should be able to get an honest answer on how it's been treated. Buying from someone you know would sway me. Now it is really gonna depend on where you plan on fishing. You won't be taking that boat on the Ozarks, not without going home with an "I should have died" story. If you are going to be fishing some larger lakes you will be much happier with a fiberglass boat like Carrington said. Personally I would give 2 grand for that boat as long as everything checks out but I fish two local lakes with horsepower restrictions.

X2 And Mike Iaconelli's Fishing on the Edge. This book has some tips in it but it's basically his biography. It really puts the sacrifices of being a pro into perspective. I gained a TON of respect for the man because of this book.

I used to haul a 14ft in the back of an extended cab S10 without a bed extender. As said before I would put all the weight to the front and use rachet straps to hold it in and one across the bed to hold it down. Plus the red flag. I never went farther than 10 miles like that though. You can definitely fish 2 out of a 12ft boat but you both better have your sea legs if you plan to stand! When money's tight sometimes you just have to make due. Just be sensible when loading and tying it down. Best of luck!

Congrats! Sounds like a heck of a deal!

I keep a push pole in my 16ft john boat. When I find myself in some thick weeds (usually hydrilla) I pull both motors up and use the push pole. Boat just glides over the top of the weeds.

These are awesome! Pretty cool to see everyone competing out of those older boats. Those 10-hole Megabucks tournaments are pretty sweet!

I actually joined this great site in February but have mostly just been reading up. But I figured it's about time I introduce myself. I live in a smalltown in illinois. I fish whenever I can, but my daughter keeps me pretty busy. Hopefully this next year I will be able to get her out a little more. She caught her first fish all by herself last summer. A little crappie on a rooster tail (not bad for a 3yr old). Anyways, thanks for all the help I have and will recieve from you guys. Hope you all have a Merry Christmas! Shea

Heck of a job! Bet that'll fool a few bigmouths...

From the tournament results from the 11th, it looks like they whacked em pretty good. I haven't been out but I'm thinking Sunday may be a good day to wet/freeze a line...

I heard on a interview TFR did with him that the redfish tournaments he has been fishing went away. So he has been competing, just not bass. Seeing him come back to BASS he obviously can't live with out the competition. I sure hope I have that kind of drive when I'm 70!

I don't think you have anything to appologize for, that's for certain. This is ridiculous. I just checked thinking maybe several of the FLW Tour Opens would be held out west but no not a one. Was the removal of the National Guard Series something that you were aware of prior to the release of the AFS schedule? What is your opinion on the cause of the lack of tournaments put on by BASS and FLW in the west? As with everything, I would imagine it's monetary related. And after looking over results from 2010 angler participation in the FLW Series West and East are very comparable. So that would lead me to believe the cause is lack of sponsor participation. This may not be my business to be concerned with but I just can't help thinking, what if this was happening to me.

Alright I may be completely off base here but in a recent article put out by FLW on the 2011 American Fishing Series schedule, it states: "The 2011 American Fishing Series will expand to five divisions Central, Northern, Southeast, Texas and Western with the new Western Division replacing the FLW Series Western Division" Does this mean the AFS Western Division is taking the place of the FLW Series West? Or am I just misunderstanding something. It just doesn't seem that this could be correct. PS: I'm from Illinois so this does not affect me directly. It just raised an eyebrow.