Tim Kelly

Well, they've got a new Aaron Martens now. Welcome Chris Zaldain. The Elites series bridesmaid.

We had a fun day out at the seaside this week. Fishing for (non striped) European Bass we had a fantastic fun day with 72 between the 6 of us. If that was the last trip of the summer, it was a good one.

Pretty sure she said "hop on".

It's sad really. I've had 'birds for a decade or so now and am quite a fan, but I get the impression they're slightly losing their edge recently. The service doesn't seem as good, the reliability may be more questionable, the updates less reliable etc. Maybe they're much the same but the competition has improved, but they don't seem to be quite the force they once were.

I guess they'd say that they've got a help desk for customers with problems, so why would people not call us. Like you though, I would be more tempted to ask peers first as any common problems can be solved as company help desks can be remarkably under skilled and experienced compared to the large number of experiences you can tap into on forums.

Guess that wasn't put out by the Michigan chamber of commerce. ? Two days of snow makes me grumpy. I would definitely go a bit "Jack Nicholson" with a Michigan winter full of the stuff.

Hmm. That's a shame. I expected you to get more help on the other forum, but stuff gets buried fairly quickly there. If there was anything obvious or common I expect you would have got plenty of replies. My guess is it's a glitch in the software update, but if so you'd expect it to be a more common occurrence.

Did you get the problems sorted out yet?

Moon over the river on Saturday morning. Obviously that, with the very clear water, added up to terrible fishing, but it started off prettily enough and the dogs enjoyed themselves.

I have seen a few posts on other forums with guys who's PT20 have split at the welds. I'm sure there are hundreds of very happy owners who've had no problems, but it's worth having a really good look at the welds for signs of cracks and finding out about the warranty and what it covers for second owners, just in case. I imagine they're like fishing off an aircraft carrier as they've got such huge decks. Fantastic shallow water rig.

I know that feeling. You're spoiling some of the fun by removing the angst caused by fretting whether your rod tube will arrive with you on the aeroplane. ?

OK, under a month, you can officially start getting over excited. Not sleeping for the last week of the countdown is also allowed. El Bassfiesta 19 is soon ON!

Pretty sure several of your Mexican greenies would make a snack of any of my largemouth! ?

Outstanding. Nearly 50% bigger than my best!

So how much over 7lb was it?

2500 size Shimano or Daiwa at whatever price point you are comfortable.

I have the blue SCIV version of the 5'9" and it's a little beast stick. Really stout backbone for close quarters battles but still a light enough tip to throw the baits well.

Does the US have a trade deal with Japan? If so it might explain why things get through customs quickly as opposed to Europe where goods may be liable for duty and taxes so take longer to process? Living in the UK every time I order from the US or Japan I can expect a delay in customs and a bill for duty, tax and a nice "handling fee".

Have you triple checked the "Y" connector to the transducer and all the other connections? No reason they should have come loose when you did a software upgrade, but if it were to happen coincidentally it would be annoying not to have checked.

The reel foot doesn't touch the blank, the idea is that some part of your hand touches the blank which magically increases the feel you get through the rod.

That whole exposed blank thing is a nonsense. Just fish the rod and you'll either like it or you won't, but it won't be because you do or don't have a tiny hole in the reel seat so you can touch the blank.

Might want to investigate that before you seal up the access hatch. Might just be the way to access your pump. ?

Something like this? https://thmarinesupplies.com/collections/deck-plates/products/low-profile-twist-out-deck-plates An access hatch.

Maybe it's not rigged straight or the hook isn't heavy enough to keel it? Try a weighted hook rather than a bullet weight.

I have to fly to go bass fishing, so have spent a lot of time searching out decent two piece bass rods. My current top tip is the Tailwalk fullrange cc series. I used the 6'8" MH on both my trips this summer and was very pleased with it. http://tailwalk.jp/english/bass/fullrangecc/ I think the St Croix Mojo would be another good suggestion, the 1 piece mojos are decent sticks.