dwtaylor

I have a field and stream talon 12 foot kayak that I would be selling soon. I have a seat upgrade on it and a depth finder. You aren't far from me so I'd be willing to let you try it out if you want. I'd be negotiable on price.

I have marshaled in a few pros boats in the past. Bernie Schultz takes particularly good care of his boat and I discussed the process of selling them at the end of the year. He says he usually sells them by word of mouth before the end of the season. However, last year he didn't have it sold by the AOY Championship and he told me what he would start at for price. If I had that cash, I would have owned a 2014 ranger z520c fully rigged with 250 Merc Pro XS soon after that day.

Yup, its most likely the anti-reverse pawl. Easy fix. And really, there is already an anti-reverse bearing in the reel preventing backplay in the gears. In fact, I have removed these in the past in some of my e curados. They seem to work just fine.

I'm in the same boat (see what I did there). After doing a lot of research, I want a 2000 or newer Triton Tr-186 with a Merc XR6 150 on it. The storage and setup and size are about what I want.

I have both the 735c and the 736c. I bought the 736c first, and in my opinion, it is right for the backbone, but not enough tip to make good casts and control the frog well. I use this stick primarily for pitching/punching 1/2oz plus baits. That is why I bought the 735c. That is the prefect frog rod IMO. Awesome tip section and a great backbone. I do not think you can go wrong with a 735c as a jig rod either. It is one of the most versatile sticks in thier lineup.

I was up there the 2nd weekend of June last year and fishing was pretty good. Fish could be found in prespawn, on beds, and post spawn. With all of the attention aimed toward Sturgeon Bay as far as media goes, there were a lot of boats. I personally like taking my kayak out of Peninsula State Park and fish up there. Typically the more North you go, the less pressure.

I just built a rod with the MHX DS822. So far I like it, but I need 2 feet of ice to thaw first before I can try it. It does feel like a medium side of medium heavy, but I wanted a rod for bulkier baits on a drop shot, like creature baits, gobies, senkos, or small tube baits. I am a rod balance guy, I want the rod to balance right under my front finger at the real seat. I had to put a 1/2 oz bullet weight it my butt cap to balance it out, which makes me think I wanted to go with the MHX DS822 HM. However, Mudhole was out of the HM model at the time, as they were on clearance. I had a lot of fun with my first build and I went with Microwave guides for mine...for something different. I also went with sk2 seats too, although I don't know if I would build a rod with that again. The most challenging part about the build was applying the wrap epoxy. I don't know if I used a bad applicator brush or not, but I don't have square edges on the epoxy. When I get time, I think I will touch that off to make it look a little better. When I get around to it, I'll post pictures.

4 strokes are definitely the future, as required US government emissions ratings are increasing and they tend to be "cleaner" than 2 strokes. If it were me, from a fuel consumption and performance standpoint, I would go with the 1.5L Opti Pro XS. However, if you want to go 4 stroke I would give a really good look at the new 115 FourStroke from Mercury. It is the lightest 115 4 stroke on the market and also one of the best performing ones, if not the best. For that boat, I would do some research and look into the Command Thrust (CT) gear case (used to be called Big Foot) as they do a little bit better on bigger boats. I may have a Mercury bias, as I work for them. With that said, I would not shy away from other manufacturer's engines. We all make good engines, but each is a little different.

What part of Wisconsin are you from? I have a left hand BB1 that I would be willing to let you try out to try to get down the casting. BTW, I like centrifugal brakes better than magnetic brakes. With that said, I primarily fish Shimano reels and that is pretty much what they have in them. Let me know. Thanks!

Hey everyone, I was lucky enough to be selected as a marshal for the AOY Championship up der in da UP hey! This will be my 3rd time marshalling for the Elite Series and I am super stoked about it. The weather lately up here has been brutal, but I think some impressive bags will come in. The only thing I worry about is rough water. I have been on Lake Michigan when the weather turns, but that was in a Deep V style walleye boat. Either way, I think I'll learn a lot this time and I was wondering if anyone else would be making the trip up to Escanaba next week. Maybe a little BR gathering? FYI, I am rooting with anyone with a Merc on the transom

734c. I have one and I used it last year for a swim jig rod. After thinking it was a just a tad overkill for 1/4 oz "Wisconsin Style" swim jig, I started using it for 1/4 and 3/8 oz jigs around docks. For the past month or so, it has had a 3/8 oz pegged flipping tungsten weight and a 5/0 Trokar flipping hook for pitching purposes. Needless to say, its the cat's meow.

Go with the Merc! I am an employee of Mercury, so help support a fellow forum member! Besides, Mercury service dealers are almost everywhere.

I have an eagle talon. The seat is terrible. Not a bad yak if you don't intend on standing up, as its not the most stable. Watch out for a memorial day sale. I got mine last year for like $400 with a coupon. Get a replacement seat though. I just ordered this seat: http://www.austinkayak.com/products/2545/Gone-Fishin-Kayak-Seat.html I'll see how I like it.

Kill a musky around my neck of the woods and you might get killed yourself.

My favorite, "Wisconsin Style" swim jigs have a more bullet like head with a lighter weedguard (not too light) and a medium to light wire hook (but not too light). Most of them have thinner skirts than the normal swim jig. I really like these jigs because of the hookup ratio and their ability to come through many different types of cover. From what I understand, California style swim jigs are heavier with a heavier weed guard and a beefier hook. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Coosa swim jigs appear to be like Wisconsin swim jigs with heavier hooks and weedguards.

While it was good the first 2 years, last year my Patriarch took a dump. It just started to get sloppy and fall apart. The bail spring kept popping out and it wouldn't click on some casts. I had the thing professionally cleaned and lubed on a regular basis. With that said, I bought the thing at a college angler discount and was very happy for what I paid. Given the choice again, I would go with a Stradic CI4. You should be able to find the discontinued models in the $150-$200 range. Nice light reels.

Does anyone know if older broadcasts of the shows on what used to be ESPN outdoors, like older Bassmaster coverage, Charlie Moore, or Bass Tech? These shows were a vital part of my interest in the sport it is today. I used to wake up at 5 AM on Saturday mornings to watch these shows. It would be awesome to watch them again sometime (but not at 5 AM on a Saturday). Thanks!

I have a 734 Champion that is the cat's meow for chatterbaits. However, for light/medium wire hook swim jigs, its a little too heavy. However, I still use it and catch fish. I would recommend the 734, but in the Savvy line. Very versatile stick, IMO.

I was up there last year that time and the fish were just moving out to the deeper water (a drop shot bite). I was in a kayak, but Pen. State Park has some good water by it. I would recommend trying to get a boat to use though, some of the really good spots I caught them on in the past are too far away from shore. Green Pumpkin 3" tubes Avacado Kalins 5" Grub Yum Crawbug in green pumpkin or watermelon red flake (drop shotted) BTW, I caught a 6.5 lb smallie there 5 years ago dropshotting a green pumpkin crawbug around rocks in 20' deep...and you will see the bottom easily.

Lethal Weapon II and the Brovarney swim jigs are good. 1/4 oz. Thats my money size. I like the Outkast ones too, but I need to trim the skirt more than my liking. I have found that I miss a lot of hookups with the beefier weedguard. I started trimming mine and throwing different jigs and I found that a pretty light weedguard is still pretty weedless when it balances well, even over weeds.

It is a lot easier to identify a rod is using by having something different. Boyd did, and still does it right by having an excellent pro staff to help push these rods. You are right, Loomis and Croix sell a lot of rods, but Boyd's rods have been catching on very well the last few years. Loomis and Croix have reputations that are decades long, hence marketing their rods on this and the word of mouth helps them a lot. By introducing a product in an already saturated market, one has to produce a product that stands out in not only performance, but price and that "eye catching ability." A person watching the elite series on tv or major league fishing can see these pros using these rods and it is much easier to identify them compared to loomis and croix rods, as they are different. These same people can then go to a retailer that carries these rods and feel them for themselves. I am saying, it is probably doing more good than bad for them having the blanks be white as far as sales volume goes.

Yup...I had the opportunity to marshal with Boyd during the Mississippi River Elite Tournament and I can confirm that those were the right reels. In all honesty, they look like a combination of a zillion and a revo, if that makes any sense. However, the ones he used were painted blue and black...but were to be sold as white. That way, people wouldn't notice it as easy and wouldn't ask questions, as it was in the development stages at the time. BTW...the rods and reels are white mostly due to marketing. It is a lot easier to market a rod that looks so much differently than the other products...brilliant if you ask me.

Just don't use the strike king menace grub, they are terrible...no action whatsoever...just run away as far as possible. But for real, they are amazing swim jig trailers. I have eaten up about 10 bags of them this year so far...well not me, the bass.

I don't know if the actual store site has them for sale or not, but they do not honor the online price or allow ship to store. It was supposed to be 160ish on top of tax and the actual price to ship.