3dees

I fish rip rap and rock piles a lot. I have tried many different lines and always go back to Silver Thread Excalibur. low stretch, low memory and the toughest line I have ever used. a little hard to find, but well worth it.

I just bought an Eyecon 6'6" for drop shotting. don't like the reel seats on the Mojo or Shimano spinning reels. the rod is for jigging walleyes but it feels great. can't use it for awhile but it feels very light and balanced with a Shimano Symetre. the eyes are much smaller than any of my other rods.

my #1 lure. Chompers 4" with a football head jig. weight depending on the depth. mostly fishing rockpiles and rip rap.

I have the Elite 5X DSI on my bow and love it. a lot of times it's no different than a 2D but hard cover ( foundations, trees, etc) images are incredible. at some point in the future I will upgrade to HD with side scan, but for now I'm completely happy.

both are quality units. with the bird, if you upgrade or damage it you have to buy a whole unit. with the Lowrance, once you install the sst you will only replace the head unit. the structure scan will work with any HDS unit.

it's not just about the speed. a 24v will get you far more time on the water.

I have an old table top tripod that I took the pad from the bottom of one leg. I take the seat off the back pedestal and insert the leg of the tripod into the pedestal. works like a charm.

I fish the Mississippi river often and I have caught pike, walleye, sm and lm bass on the same lure within minutes. most strike on hard baits are reaction bites anyway.

it depends on the type of cover your fishing. I fish rocks a lot and braid just does'nt work for me. it seems to get fraid to easily and you need a dowel or something to get the jig out of a jam. I have tried every kind of line and keep going back to Silver Thread Excalibur co-polymer. low stretch, low memory, and really holds up to abrasion. also works great for casting so I use it on all my reels.

I just bought two from ***. one jig and one casting. I have been using the older style Compre's for years and for the price they can't be beat. it will be a while before I can use them but the new rods with the split grips feel great. I like cork handles but these handles allow your fingers to come in direct contact with the rod. should be great for jigging.

I have been using Shimano for 40 years and can't remember having any problems. I upgrade for new and improved. the Stradic is a great reel. I have one and love it, but to be honest, I can't tell the difference between that and my symetre's. a bit cheaper and imo just as good.

done. man that was hard.

I have owned MK and MG and never had a problem with either. fortrex is a bit more expensive than the tour. the lift assist is nice, but unless your lifting your motor every 5 minutes is it really a big deal? I sat in the drivers seat of a boat with a fortrex and I could barely see over it while running, but I'm a short guy. I like the pedal on the MG's better. if I went back to MK I think I would save some money and go with the Maxxum.

I'm a short guy so even at the lowest setting, the hydraulic pedistals are still to tall. I have the adjustible with a pin. I also like mine a little low so I can sit when need be because of a bad back. they can be found at BPS, Cabelas, etc.

my boat is stored outside with two covers so it's a pain to check the water. I plug my charger in for a day or two about once a month. never had any problems. come spring, my water level is still at the top.

I like the Talon because it does'nt need the pump. Talon has just come out with a bracket that lets it fold flat on the rear deck. not for running, but useful for garage or low bridges.

I would go with the new style Compre. awesome rod for the money.

I had two 19 1/2 foot Stratos's. this year I bought an alum. Crestliner VT 19 and the deck is larger than both glass boats. a single console will also give you much more room. so far I'm lovin it'

I just ordered two from ***. I have 6 of the older style. IMO the best bang for the buck.

I have the Elite 5x dsi which is just the color version on the bow. with weed or rocks I don't think it's any different than the regular sonar. going over a single tree or bush or a sunken boat or foundations is where it shines. I was a bit disappointed at first also. I was expecting everything to look like a photo. all in all I'm happy with the unit, but for the console I went with the Elite 5 gps/sonar without the dsi. I don't know if the dsi is worth the extra cost. I fish with a buddy who has the HD5 and maybe it's these old eyes, but I can't tell the difference in the imaging between that unit and mine. the advantages of the hd's are networking and adding structure scan.

I switched hands for many years until carpel tunnel in my left wrist forced me to change over to left hand retrieve. that was about fifteen years ago and I would never go back. just makes more sense to use the stronger arm and hand for hook setting. of course this is for righties. it took me less time to get used to it than I thought.

I have had carpel tunnel surgery on both wrists. I can throw cranks for about two hours before the pain gets really bad. a long handle rod butted against my side helps a lot.

thanks, but like I said I have a volt meter on my GPS. I just don't know if it's the same as the one in the console. it's really not smart to run without a water pressure gauge when your raising your engine on a jack plate.

I would like to add a jackplate to my boat next spring. my dash has no room for a wp guage. would you replace the volt meter with a wp guage. I have a volt meter on my gps. is that good enough? I know I can add an external gauge but I would rather not go that route.

I know what your saying. if I had 2 or 3 time the amount I would pay cash. if I paid cash it would take almost all of my savings. if something happens where I need money what do I do? sell the boat? I can afford the payments with no problem and can always pay if off if need be. no, I don't like paying the interest, but thats what you do if you want to pay on time. it's not for everyone, but I'm retired and not in danger of losing a job. what percentage of new boat buyers do you think pay cash for thier boats? without boat loans, there would be no boats for sale because all the boat builders would be out of business. same with cars and trucks. in a perfect world everybody would pay cash for everything, but thats just not reality. as I said, IF you can afford the payments then why not. for some it's the only way to have a new toy.