cbrown

I have read post for days and I am still debating on what to get. I am wanting to get a good sensitive dedicated jig rod, for mainly 3/8 and 1/2 football jigs plus trailers. Mostly rock bank dragging but maybe some close structure work too. I have an IMX 843 that I love for worming and was looking at the IMX 844 but was thinking that I might can get a rod for less than $250 that’s just as good. Would like to be around $150. I prefer full cork handles but split grips are ok. Not a big fan of foam. Any suggestions???

I'll second that on fat fish. Can't beat the prices. I have bought from them and will again. CJ

HPBB thanks for the advice. My plan is to look for an older but freshly rebuilt motor if I go that route. I had a chance last year when I was having the boat worked on to buy a newly rebuilt mid 90s model 90hp MERC with PT&T and all the controls. It was at the marine shop that was working on it and he would have swapped them out labor and all for $1750. I didn't have the $ at the time and told him to do the best he could with the existing one. Now I wish I would have just bit the bullet. I would try that same shop but I have since moved and it is about 250 miles away. I plan on calling some local ones though and seeing what they have. I might pay a little more from a marine shop but they will usually cut you a deal on testing and setting them up. Cart that is definitely and option. Most everything I have done to the boat is removable. I have read a lot about the differences between aluminum and fiberglass. The boat I have now is a tri-hull and like I said fishes well. Meaning that it is stable and doesn't get blown around a lot while fishing. Do you think I can expect similar performance out of a 17-18ft aluminum rig? Thanks CJ

I guess it is just some sort of weird independence thing. Using the boat was manily my wife's idea to save money and put a boat purchase off for a few years. Now she see's the amount of $ it iwll take to continue fixing it and is ok with the newer boat idea. Plus I feel like eventhough he said I could sell it, I shouldn't do it. I am probably just being dumb about it but the fact is I think it is a good enough boat. With a newer more dependable motor it would suit my fishing needs fine. But a newer boat would likely more reliable in all aspects not just the motor. That is my main struggle. I too think the tech is given me good advice. Other than the motor the old boat is fairly decent. I think getting a used motor may be the way to go but I wanted some more feedback on the issue. Thanks for the input. CJ

Raul thanks fo the reply. Both the boat and motor belong to my dad. But last year when I was talking about buying a boat he suggested that I just use it ans fix it up a bit. It hadn't been used in years (5 or so). So it needed a lot of work. If I were to put a motor on the boat I would get to use it as if it were my own. I carry the insurance etc... He could really care less about teh boat. He has even made teh statement that if I decide to get a new boat I should sell it and get soem of the money back I out into it. Problem is I wouldn't feel right about that. And as I said before it is a decent boat. The only reason I brought up my dad was that cart said something about selling it. From what I am told the motor needs rebuilt and since it is so old the marine tech suggested buying a good running used one instead. He stated that a rebuild would run as much as much as a good quality used motor. I have no idea which one is better, I am just going off what i was told by the tech. My main question is to continue the old boat fix up or persue an aluminum boat option.

sorry about the confusion. I re-read my post and it is defintiely a bit unclear. I am considering buying a used good running motor to replace the suspect one on my current boat. Which technically still belongs to my dad and although I think he could care less if I sold it I wouldn't feel right. So the two things I am considering are either buying a used motor for around $2000 or spending the entire 4-5k on a used aluminum rig and giving up on the old Trophy. My main concern is continual problems out of the older boat. I may be wrong but it seems like you can get a good used aluminum boat for 5k. But my current boat seems to be fine other than the motor. I put around 1k in it last year to get it "fishable". I did this after we tested the boat and the motor ran ok and seemed to only need a tune-up. Well it turns out that there is a little more wrong with it than the first marine shop found. The statement about the fish and ski boat was to make the point that this will strictly be my fishing boat. So bascially I am after a sound fishing rig (looks, speed,etc... don't matter much). Hopefully that helps. Thanks for the reply. CJ

If my end/beginning of the year bonus comes in where I think it will, I have 4 to 5k that I plan on spending some or all of on a boat. Last year I fixed the family boat up a little to get me by. I added a front deck, pedestal seat, some new carpet, used but working foot controlled trolling motor, new eagle fish finder for the front, and a lot of other minor stuff. The boat is a 1975ish 17 ft trophy and while it is very old and somewhat ugly is fishes pretty well. It seems to be a sound old fiberglass boat( doesn't take on water, stable, no cracks, etc..). Now for the bad. The big motor (65 hp MERC) runs some of the time. I have had it worked on and looked at three times by two marine shops and it is as good as it is going to get I am told. One cylinder's compression is low is the main problem. I am thinking about buying an aluminum boat i(17 or 18 ft tracker type boat) instead of buying a used motor for this one. The boat is actually rated for a 90hp and it seems I can get a decent used one for around $2000. I am looking for some opinions of what would be better. I am kinda in between. I like the fact that I would have a lot of money left over if I by a used motor but I don't want to keep dealing with problems. My long term plan is to have a fishing boat and a family fish and ski boat. I say this because I am not looking for some high powered fishing boat. That will come in the family rig. Also I would like to fish some bigger water but I am in Arkansas so my bigger water likely isn't all that big. Any help or opinions would be great. CJ

Bass Pro's Shimano® Citica® Reel and Extreme XPS Rod Combos are great for the $. I have a couple of these and they are great rods and I really like Shimano reels. The citica compares to sacred green Curado. Not sure what the budget limit is but these are tough to beat at $140. I would agree that a MH rod will cover your fishing needs. CJ

Thanks for the advice. The 844 seems to be a very popular rod. I think it is likely the best fit also. I was just worried about spending $200 on a rod that sat in my rod box because I don't flip heavy cover much. But all of the points made here definitely make me re-think that. Seems to be much more versatile of a rod that I originally thought. And what better motivation is there to get better at flipping than a new Loomis. Well I guess the fact that it is a very productive method for novice and pro fisherman alike should out weigh all. Anyway thanks again. Natural I am curious why you recommend the CBR 845 over the CBR 843?

Ronnie I have thought a lot about that. It is not like the falcon and extremes are bad rods. Actually I like them a lot as well. Not as much as the IMX but good rods. Thanks for the input. Dan that is where my 843 came from and where my next loomis will come from. I had a great experience and from the looks of their feedback most if not all do. You definitely can't beat their prices. Thanks, CJ

I recently picked up a 200bsf on ebay and of course need a rod to pair it with. I love my loomis 843 imx that I bought earlier this year. By the way thanks for the advice. It is truly a great rod. There are three rods that are currently on my radar. They are the 844 imx, crankbait 843, and the spinnerbait 812. Has anyone had any experience with the Loomis crankbait or spinnerbait line? I really like to fish spinnerbaits (mostly 3/8)and crankbaits (small and medium) but I do feel like I need a hvy action rod. I am still learning to fish "big water" (lake) and would like to round out my aersonal. I grew up pond fishing and still do a lot of that too. I am leaning towards the 812. The main reason I am leaning towards the spinnerbait rod is that I feel like I will get more use out of it. I rarely pitch or flip but realize I need to learn how to do this better because it can be a very productive technique. Any help would be great. Over time I will likely buy all three to replace the extremes but I am struggling with which one to do now. Below is my current set-ups: 843 IMX-curado 200bsf ???-curado 200bsf 6'6" M BPS extreme - Citica 200d 7' M BPS extreme - Citica 200d 6'6" Orig Flacon MH - older Coriolis Not sure what the ratio is on the Coriolis but the others are 6.2. Thanks ahead of time for the help.

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Thanks for the reply. I haven't fished it yet. Just moved here from AR. If u ever need a fishing partner holler at me. I put a post in the tourn section. Thanks again for the advice. CJ

I have been battleing back in forth on what to do. Wether to buy an older fiberglass or alum. From what I have seen I can get more for my money going the aluminum route. This will be my first boat. Table rock and Stockon will be the two lakes I mainly fish. Probably will fish a few lakes in AR but no really large bodies. I have decided not to add another payment to the budget (exp since the interest rates on older boats are through the roof) so I will have around 2500 to spend. Any advice out there. Thanks ahead of time. CJ