cart7t

I'm not entirely sure what you're asking here. If you're looking at a tracker style aluminum boat with motor for only $2000, I'll bet you'll be jumping from one frying pan into another. Any boat that old is going to have issues of some kind. Are you selling your other boat, the older Trophy boat with 65hp motor? You say you want an aluminum bass boat where the hp isn't a big deal and a family fish and ski type of boat. I'm confused.

I'd skip the rod holder tubes. Most guys wind up tearing those things out and going with the mesh sleeve rod wraps. You can cram far more rods in the box without tangling and you don't have to worry about guide damage due to taking rods in and out of those tubes.

Don't worry about it kb, I've bought rods that felt good but didn't fish worh a d**n on the water. I'm not real familiar with Okuma's freshwater line of equipment. They make pretty good SW stuff. You'll find something to do with that rod or we'll see it up for sale here in the flea market.

Agree on the price and you used to get a couple freebie lures with a one year subscription. Not any more. Not that they were a big deal but a couple years ago I got a Berkley firestick minnow bait which I not only used and caught fish with but bought a few more in different colors. The book is another thing. They used to send the desk planner out free. Then they sent it out and wanted you to pay for it even though I didn't ask for it. I never paid but that irked me. I'm also not to crazy about the organizations treatment of their rank and file federation membership nor do I see much in the magazine the past few years on how BASS is doing much on the conservation front. ESPN is ruining a once fine organization.

Matt, a question was asked. I gave my opinion. I backed it up with my 32 years of experience in the bass fishing world. In case you noticed I never said any angler was inferior but IMO, the best way to see who's the best would be to put a few from each group on a strange lake and let them have it out. I'm betting it wouldn't be close. Tourney guys have this going for them They have to be up on the latest techniques, in some cases they develop techniques themselves. They are forced to adapt to different waters week after week. From a gin clear highland lake one week to a lowland lake the next and a river system the week after that. Those that are successful can teach clinics on any of them. Not only are they forced to fish those bodies of water but they're often forced to seek other species of bass and be knowledgable in fishing for smallmouths and spots. Sorry you took my opinion to heart like you did. I have nothing but respect for guys who spend most of their time trophy hunting. I also have no doubt that there are some trophy fishermen that have done well fishing tournaments but that still doesnt' change my mind or opinion. You're heated response reminds me of the guys that try and compare Formula 1 drivers to Nascar and vice versa, as to who's the best race drivers out there. I like to think there are a number from both sides that would do well if they crossed over but in my opinion, Formula one drivers are the best in the world and most would do well if they went to Nascar, I'm not sure how well most Nascar drivers would do in Formula One. I'm sure there's some Nascar fans I just pizzed off now. ;D

I've got friends that owned 2 properties over the years each with about a 2-3 acre lake on them. Both had fairly decent bass populations which I helped monitor. The first pond, they let a neighbor fish it and within a year I wasn't able to pull a fish bigger than 12" out of it. Their second lake on a different property had an OK population but within a year I couldn't pull a fish out of it. One day their son found footprints and a broken rod on the dam. He followed the footprints to the property line and could see where somone had been jumping the fence. It's not hard to clean out a smaller pond.

Yep. Fishing in a tournament is quite different than just heading out on the lake for a day on the water. Start small and work your way up.

18 It was a club tourney. Back then, open tournaments, especially the popular buddy events were few and far between. BASS was one of the few large sanctioning bodies along with some smaller regional ones that a few clubs affiliated with.

Simple If I'm spending less time motoring around I've got more time to fish. Now, as to why bass anglers like to have a fast boat, that's an entirely different matter.

Keep us posted and remember, a picture is worth a thousand words.

Anything described as NIB should be exactly that. Any sign of usage and especially, line put on the reel is not NIB. You have a legitimate gripe. You will also win in the Paypal dispute process. They lean very heavily in favor of the buyer. Sometimes too much.

Since 1974. Have the renewal on my desk, I'm contemplating not renewing.

I'm not surprised you got your undies in a bunch over what I said but it wasn't meant to degrade anyone. IMO, tourney anglers are operating on a completely different level than anyone else. They not only have to catch a limit of larger than average keeper bass but also, when need be, change tactics and target big fish exclusively to catch a larger fish to heavy up the bag. All this within a time frame of only 7-8 hours in a day. If KVD, or Nixon or any of the others chose to fly out to California and fish those lakes for large bass I'm sure they'd have no problem adjusting. They've already proven they're abilities to figure out a large body of water and to access the fisheries and determine what size catch they'll need to win. They're also capable of changing gears, on a strange body of water and successfully (usually) targeting larger bass on that same lake. It sounds like they have all the skill sets to become a successful big bass fishermen already. The same can't be said for the big bass fisherman.

It takes work these days to get real news. Too much of it is presented in a slanted way one way or another. My best advice is too not rely soley on one source but use multiple sources, both video or print.

In the first place, I haven't heard of anyone trying to convert one of those boats so without any pictures or a better description of the boat it's kinda hard to give you advice.

You'd be better off listing what the boat will come with and the options he's trying to sell you. There are more things on a fiberglass rig that I'd prefer come at the time of sale than on aluminum. Just about any accessory you want to add to any boat can be purchased cheaper after the sale, without having to pay for dealer rigging. Unless of course he wants to match prices and install it for free.

Pretty good deal.

Seems like we just had this conversation..... Anyway, T anglers are by far, much better overall fisherman than trophy hunters. A trophy hunter can go out and throw 20" long swimbaits for a month and not get a bite and it's no big deal. No pressure, no time limit, at your leisure fishing. A T fisherman has to go out and produce, under pressure and bring in a stringer of fish larger than the competition within a set time frame. In many cases, after limiting, he must change gears and then begin fishing for larger fish to add some kicker weight to the stringer. These guys have not only become very adept at filling the well with a limit but they've also become quite good at catching those larger fish when they had too under pressure. No 2 ways about it, the T fisherman would have an easier time stepping into the trophy fishermans shoes than vice versa.

Flippin doesn't even involve spool rotation as the distance of the cast (flip) is predetermined by the amount of line you've pre-stripped off the reel. The handle is engaged after you've pre-stripped the line. I've never had an issue with spool tension that's set for casting and then turning around and pitching with it set to the same setting unless I was attempting to pitch very lightweight lures. Granted, you can get more feet on a pitch with the tension set much looser and I wouldn't cast with a reel I've set for pitching because I tend to set the tension pretty loose.

Well, you are and you aren't lucky. Right now there's probably more bassboats on the used market than I've ever seen and at some unbelievable prices. Alot of it has to do with the gas selling as high as it is and guys(gals) getting in way over their heads. The bad news is in where you live, So. Cal. I'm not 100% percent on the rules but the motor restricitions (pollution control) may or may not limit you to engine types. In other words you need to find out if you can buy an older boat with something less than say a 4 stroke or EFI technology in order to keep the cost down. As for your budget, $10,000 can easily get you something at least 19 1/2 ft in length with a 150-175hp motor in one of the major brands. These are the guys I'd be looking at for best bang for the buck. Nitro Champion Stratos HydraSport Charger ProCraft Astro Skeeter Basscat I've left Ranger and Triton off the list because they tend to cost more in the used market. The boats listed are built every bit as good and in many cases ride and fish just as good or better than the other two. I'm not sure I'd sell off that graph yet, you might find a use for it on the new boat. Look around, find some boats in your price range and post them here. We should be able to analyze them and get you pointed in the right direction. Good thing Mom's pushing for this by the way.

Glad I didn't predict. Last year was my worst year fishing ever for either big or small bass.

I haven't had a functioning speedo in years. They're worthless. Terribly inaccurate.

Just checking the Nitro's for sale, I found 3 boats, all 2004's and 882 models (18 1/2 footers) with 150's on them for what you'll spend on that boat. At nearly 30% underhorsepowered, the performance of that boat won't be optimum, that's for sure. There are tons of used boats out there right now at bargain prices. There will only be more as the boat show season comes around. I've never understood why anyone would buy new and underpower a rig from the git go. It always turns out to be a loser. If you can't afford the boat with a 135hp on it I'd suggest moving down in size so you can afford a maxed HP boat or else buy used.

Jim, weren't you just asking about new technologies in rod n reels? ;D I only wish it was made by Shimano, then it'd be the greatist thing since sliced bread. Seriously, can you imagine shooting one of Rolands helicopter lures out of that thing? What a H00t!! 8-)

A flippin switch, Shimano calls it Insta-gage, merely engages the reel after paying out line without having to turn the reel handle. It's not necessary. Some of us who are used to the switch wouldn't be without it. I use the flippin switch more for pitching than I do flipping.