RobertBG

great read

you might want to dig around some of the ev forums,you just might find a home made setup for less then 2 big trolling motors that will do more.

lol......don't worry about skunked a time or 2 in the beginning.I know I did when starting from a boat,there is just so much more ground to cover and choose from.Although this place will be a good help to you. As for the speed issue,I used to throttle back grab a drink and toss a line or 2 over the stern when I was moving from place to place.Granted it was rare to catch something,but I did manage a few nice pike and my pb walleye in the summer I had that motor

My first boat was a 16ft jon boat with a OLD 4 hp,speed demon it wasn't but it did ok to get me where I needed to be and was a great first boat.I never checked the speed on it but it took me about 10 min to get from one end of the lake i used it on to the other(about 2.5 miles).I think you'll be surprised with how it scoots along...............as long as you arent on a huge lake

I have a few lures that tend to really hook them pretty bad too,what i do is flatten the barb just a little.I dont go all the way,just enough to make it easier to unhook em yet retain some of the barbs purpose and havent noticed a difference in fish landed since doing this.

if it's what you have.............it will be fast enough till you can save for something bigger,if it is on a boat you are looking at,again it'll be fast enough till you can save some coin.But i would not recomend it to anyone...................especially somone asking if it is fast enough

pics would help and while I know nothing about the boat the motor on the other hand i do.I had a modded B Max 175 strapped to the back of a hydrostream v-king when i was younger and dumber.d**n boat almost killed me twice .By modern standards they require a little more care to keep in tip top shape but nothing,google and a few tools cant tackle.

I recently picked up a St Croix bass mojo in 6'6 med power fast action for the same purpose (lure wise)that you are looking for and paired it with a old mitchel I had laying around(for the time being).I couldn't be happier,I like it more then other rods i have that cost twice as much and have found it to be my grab and go rod.All in all it has been the best 90$ I've spent in some time tackle wise

excelent post and it is times like this that a good agent and a few extra $$ pays vs taking the cheapest quote

what hp?

you think a U haul is strange,I'd hate to see what you would say if you saw my Audi S4 on the ramp

5 gal bucket,it'll hold your line and anchor plus a few other things if need be,best of all it has a handle to carry it all with.

Nice rig,good luck breaking it in dragging some fish over the side

here is my thinking,if you can afford it cash,without digging into your 8-12 month reserve and feel that this market will give you a better deal.................then I say go for it.In this market CASH is king

honestly i dont know,but i know what I'd do.................go fish them where you know there are fish and fish them for a while.the bass will give you a real answer before anyone here does

I dont know nor do i claim to know,but the best day i remember fishing in my life was with a chartruse curly tail grub from mister twister and a plain ole jig head when i was a kid in MI.I was supposed to go fishing with my dad but a thunderstorm rolled through,as a angry kid I decided to go fish around the docks after the storm cleared instead of hearing why we couldnt fish.I caught fish after fish till my parrents yelled time for dinner that day...............ever since it has been my go to color

I'm with this guy,if you take your time searching it can pay off.I got my nav package(35' bertram not a bass boat) off of a local guy that needed to make a boat payment.Open array furuno radar,chart plotter,gps,auto pilot the works for 2500.

I just avoid big box stores at all costs these days.I was just recently looking for a bait casting setup,I visited a local mom n pop place twice but thought let me check dicks just before I buy,I went into dicks and there wasnt a sole in the fishing department,allthough 3-4 employees did pass by me no one offered to help. I'm kind of angry at myself because I did buy a few soft plastics,hooks etc that the local shop didnt stock,but I kept most of the cash in my pocket.Next chance I had i went back to the local shop and while I didnt drop the 300$ on a baitcaster I wanted(expecting a baby in aug)I purchased a st croix mojo to fit a old spinning real I had and couldnt be happier.I walked out the door with the rod,2 reels spooled in #4 and#8,some locally made buzz baits,spinners and jigs,few packs of hooks,weights and some rage tail stuff (2 bags)for $120 CASH.(she prefers cash ) Not only am I happy with what i got for the money I'm happy with where i spent it Now she did forget to put the drag washer back in my one reel,just to find out when i walked into the fishing hole,but after a phone call she stayed late,fixed the issue and gave me some crawlers to boot.The best part was she thought I had gone to dicks instead edit:that reminds me those crawlers are still in the fridge,I think I'll go use them on a log jam i found on a nice little stream tomorrow

let them be,it just leaves that many more bass for you

great pics,last trip out there was a guy with his 6-7 year old daughter teaching her to fish.It was a off day and no one was doing much but when i hooked a 4lber they came to watch.After I landed it (ul gear #4 line) I looked at her dad for the ok and then we showed her how to hold and release it.They might not have caught much but she did end the day with a smile.

the redneck method all kidding aside mine was 2x3 if I remember corectly,basicly I cut it in a chop saw (sawzall and a steady hand should do) Took the cut end to the local metal fab supply and found something that fit inside nicely to make a slug,so I had some internal support.In my case it was 2 peices of 1/8th thick angle iron that I made a box out of with my mig and grinder that was 6 inches longer on the tonge side and 8" longer on the trailer side(would have went 8 on both but couldnt).I then slid a 17.5" or so (again it was a few years ago but I did acount for room to weld) section of 2/3 box over the slug I made.Before I cut the trailer I drilled 2 1/2 inch or so holes on each side about a inch or so from the cut,on assembly I inserted the slug,tacked it all and checked to see if it was true before plug welding the holes and finish welding the seams.When i finish welded the seams i first welded each cut to the plug/slug then did the same too the new 2/3 section and on the last pass after cleaning/grinding I burned the 2 together.I then ground everything smooth and had it all powder coated(it was a resto project on a little old speedboat). WARNING:your trailer is galvanized be sure to clean that crap off before getting any real heat in that metal,if it burns (torch/welder etc)the smoke it gives off can be deadly,it looks like a green cloud of gas. another thing I'd recomend (not familiar with your boat)but to be carefull you could clamp a section of steel to the existing trailer and measure the tonge weight when it is extended before extending it

Now that is a good idea.Having fished for years only recently have I got serious about lmb bass,something along these lines would be a great help to new members.

I extended the trailer on my 14ft checkmate with no ill affects,actually it tows better now.I weighed the tonge weight before hand and after and in my case the 18" decreased it very little.Then I added a battery,box and eletric winch.All in all the weight it increased about 25-30lbs.I will warn you though I was VERY cautious towing it the first time,but in the end I'm quite pleased with it.

So far I'm really happy with my st croix mojo 6'6 medium fast action spinning rod,especially for what I spent on it.I paired it with a old mitchel i had left over but that will be the next upgrade when it is in the budget.I will say I was hesitant about the split grip thing but after my first long cast I really liked it and it felt more natural then expected

All the cables I've changed where on big boats where morse is pretty standard(red cable white numbers),the smaller stuff with outboards may use something a little more specific to the motor brand,IE quicksilver to merc etc.Either way swapping a cable isnt a big task. Few questions that would help us help you are: Type of Boat and brand?was the hot foot a add on?How is it routed? Worst case if you want to save a few bucks and do it yourself(my method of choice)is pull the cable out with a fish tape atatched and take a trip to the store for the right cable with the part in hand.................as for a fish tape if you dont have one I've used fishing line to pull a cable(just be sure it's the heaviest you have,like 50lb braid etc.Allthough depending on the boat and routing a fish tape might not be required.