shady oaks

I found boat 2 on Kalamazoo's CL. He listed it there at 1600 last week. And on that note, be diligent and check all CL cities within the distance you are willing to travel. And if you have a smartphone the CL app is awesome. When you search "bass boat" or "fishing boat" it will search what ever distance you put in.

After getting a RH reel sent to me not once, but twice by a company when I ordered a LH I took it as fate and learned how to use it. So glad that I did, now if someone invites me out for a day on the water when out of town or with my gear, no worries. I will say though my hook set is more of a body hook set than an arm hook set when using RH reels versus LH. But in the end, you have to do what is most comfortable for you, not others. Learning to versatile with a great weapon, and good way to find stellar deals sometimes!

Wife's PB, 3lb10oz caught today in on and off drizzle and 20 mph winds. Wife's previous best, 3lb06oz, caught on Grand Traverse Bay. Not my PB, but the best colored one I've caught, again on Grand Traverse Bay.

What is prime time fall water temps for smallies, but more specifically jerkbaits. Heading to Traverse City area.

Another vote for the Veritas. Have 2 myself, soon to be 3. A 7' MH micro guide would be a great all around rod.

Having a scale is nice, but not something everyone wants to buy. Instead, use the said estimator with length and girth. Here's the trick to that when you weren't planning on catching a fish worthy of wanting numbers. Take a piece of fishing line and cut it the length of the fish. Take a second piece and measure the girth and then use a tape measurer at home to get your numbers. You could always tie a knot in the one piece of string instead of having two pieces.

I vote for both.

Some reports I've been seeing say they are in the rivers, but not in huge numbers. In a couple of weeks it should be pretty hot.

Exactly what lunkerlust says about breakoffs. An overhand knot and you'll keep your hook and bait with a quick retie for a weight and you're back in action.

Sent you a pm.

+1 on that, boy have I..........

One of the best things I've done. The wife and I went with a guide on Grand Traverse Bay for smallies (my avatar was an average fish that day!). I learned so much that day from smallies, to the Bay, to dropshotting just to name a few. Even put us on fish on inland lakes for the rest of our vacation. I realize I've lost many years of experience of not fishing and am willing to pay to learn from someone else's dedication and knowledge. Plus there's nothing like watching the wife (at least in my case) haul in a 4+ lb. smallmouth topping her personal best by double. References are important to get, but honestly have you ever heard of somebody giving a referal of a bad experience? Ask about success rate, but also ask about the tough days he's had. If he's NEVER had a bad day with a customer, move on to the next.

I believe it is the latest from Merc, it's on a 2012 Nitro Z7.

What can you tell me, good and bad, about both these motors. I will be testing both out next Monday, but before that would like to hear what peoples opinion on the 2 are.

Well, after visiting 2 dealers, one being "my" Nitro dealer, I am all but convinced Nitro it will be. Looked at a 06 BassCat Sabre, and 3 skeeters at the other. Nothing compares to the size of the front deck of the newer Z7. I will be doing a demo ride on my next day off that also has higher winds to get that out of the way, but am less and less concerned about it the more I think about (or less over thinking is probably a better conclusion). With that being said, am leaning towards buying a demo based on the discounted price, knowing the history and wanting to own it for 10-15+ years.

Good point about the motor. I have been really leaning towards a newer Nitro based on budget. I hate the idea of getting somebody's unseen/unmentioned problems with a older used boat. The thing that has me nervous with Nitro is the rough water ride. I guess without going for a ride in one I will never truly know how it rides as everybody's opinion of rough water and ride is going to vary.

So recently I posted about a Nitro demo, which is my starting point of my search for a newer, bigger, better bass boat. Here is my next problem. Where can I go to figure out what a name tells me about that boat. And how can I fimilarize myself to cut down on useless searches into a boat that is more or less than I am looking for. Newer boats I know I can find out on manufactor sites, but older (2005-2009) is a bit harder. I guess I need to know is how to figure out what is top of line, middle ground, and entry level. Plenty more questions to come, so bare with me! Edit: Maybe it will help to open up what I'm looking for. Still not a 100% on everything, but looking for as new as possible, willing to go 6 or 7 years old on the right boat. Wanting to stay around $20k, 18-19 foot most likely. 150hp is all I need. Needs to have plenty of storage. Brands I've been considering are Nitro, Ranger, Bass Cat, Skeeter, Triton. A little concerned on Nitro after spending some time reading owner reviews.

No pro staffer. Tuesday evening fishing league with a demo that they take customers out in.

It's a current 2012 model. Not for sale yet, but wanting to get my ducks in a row now in case the wife and I decide to pull the trigger now versus next spring. From talking randomly with the guy, it sounds like he mainly fishes lakes from 500-2500 acres. I read somewhere that you can print out an engine report to see how it's been ran (broke in).

Coming from the bike world, I know the demo's go through the ringer during it's demo time. With that said, I never sold a demo that ended up with anything other than recall service work (along with normal interval services). How about it the boating world? I know the local shops' salesman uses it for tournaments/advertising along with potential customers. Would you buy one? For the record, we're talking about a Nitro Z7

Austin Lake in Portage (maybe 10-15 minutes north of Three Rivers) is for great smallmouth. It's a 1000 surface acres and shallow, but they pull many 4-5+ lber's out of it. Gun and Gull lake are closer to the 3000 acre size. And 2nd on contacting D&R Sports for info. Great group of guys there. It's owned by Randy VanDam, Johnathon's dad (Kevin's brother as well).

KVD will tell you to upsize to the largest size hook you can go with that will not tangle on itself. I put #1 KVD Elite Mustad's on with no ill side effects.

Nothing you need to buy, just time on the water. And some more time on the water. When something worked, ask yourself why. What did you do? Where did you throw it? Watch fishing shows, and read forums. Don't get distracted by the amazing fish you will see and on what brand name item this pro or that pro is throwing, but on what and how they were fishing. It's hard at first. I believe that time on the water is the basics, then which lure or worm is best is perfecting.

Checked out some at a local shop, 2 of the 3 displays you couldn't get the side plate off to adjust the magnets. Andd the one that did come off, you could barely get it back on. Bad batch, maybe, but the wife choose a Lews instead and loves it. I wouldn't buy anything that's not local, a lot easier to deal with someone in person over a reel that isn't functioning correctly.