rangerjockey

I think Bull Shoals will stay as it is for quite awhile. It doesn't have the amenities around it like Table Rock for family vacations ect. Heck, it's a half hour drive to a grocery store. Great job Alex.

I wouldn't use glue either. Suspend dots or solder wrapped around the hook shanks is the way a personally do it . You want to be able to take some weight off or add as the water temp changes. Really, the 110 and Mc Stick are so good I seldom mess with them.

He used NFC for The KLX, Helium and Z bone for years until the change in late '19 . They bring good money on the secondary market. Like the pre Rapala wiggle wart and Gen 1 vixen the prices go up once they become scarce.

I'd like to know what inconsistencies your talking about ? I have both NFC Z Bones and the new version as well. Both are fantastic rods. The problem with NFC was Supply and some quality issues. He has to have blanks to build rods. Heck, I love the NFC blanks but it seems they have trouble keeping their own brand ( Edge ) supplied. He had a issue years back with the older LTA series that's no secret

For walking baits and poppers the ol' All Star Zell Rowland TWS and 30lb braid. For the Buzzbait or Plopper whatever jig rod is handy , usually that would mean 12 or 15 lb. Flouro.

I like 6 something ,I'm not sure it matters much but for me it's a slow rollin' suspended fish deal.

Speed Craw or the Lil Critter craw.

I don't do it with braid,. but I do with Tatsu or Shooter. My method uses a wife or kid that happens to be available. Tie the end that I've been flipping with to a fence post and walk it off to the backing knot and cut it hold the end until said wife or kid arrives. Hand over the end and tie the fence end to the spool and wind away. couple minutes. Another kid will take the place of a fence post if handy.

Well, I always thought St. Croix fished a little tighter than labeled compared to others. Some brands fish a little weaker. But since you already have the rod, I'd tie a frog on it and see for yourself.

The Caffine shad will cast a little easier than the fluke but personally I wouldn't use braid unless I had about 12ft of leader on it. The barrel swivel helps it cast without making it fall too fast. I like it to just let it spiral down just out of sight and give it a twitch and repeat. If you want it to fall faster a 1 inch finish nail works well.

It always seemed on Table Rock there was a time when they would get off the wart and on the DLN before we had the RK Crawler, Also, the RC 1.5DD. when you can find them .The new Wiggle Wart deep has been good also.

Not Exactly. He bought the Legend plant and moved Triton there. Triton's were being made side by side with Ranger in the Ranger plant after the acquisition.

I like it when the water is fairly clear. A friend who guides on Table Rock had the stone cold at least a year before they made them available. Then they sold out really fast to guys just started taking any RK Crawler to some of our local customer painters. In typical wiggle wart fashion it's a late fall early sring deal.

Not many before either. Obviosity there was still a market for Champion

Tritons are being made in the legend plant. Does that make them a Legend?

Your wrong again. If I buy one it's from a dealer not from the factory. And yes I have owned one. How many you had ?

Nope, it's a Champion . They couldn't use the name as was said but they did use the model numbers. Anyone who knows boats knows what it is.

Well, it's a Champion made in a Charger plant. If that makes it a charger in your mind so be it. I don't think it would make a lot of business sense to build a plant when you can use an existing facility and skilled workers. If someone wants a new Champ, there it is.

Bass Cat made a hybrid of a Champion hull and BC top cap. Champion in Mountain Home has long been closed. They made them under Stratos name for a while also. Kelly Power, A local marine dealer and former Champion rep was able to work with Charger and bring them back. They are a Champ through and through. The console has changed for the electronics we have these days. It's not unusual for boats to be copied. Champion originally was a splashed Skeeter. When John Storie started Cobra/Hawk he splashed a Ranger 460. When Legend started they splashed a Hawk. ( Ranger 460 )

If you think they are irrelevant you haven't done much research. They are still around, and the new 520 R is a great looking boat. The Champions are being made by Charger up the road in Richland Mo. They have the 210 and 196.

If you don't like it, you can probably make a few bucks on it. The 50 size was bringing 30 or 40 dollars on the auction sites. I think Booyah brought it back a couple years ago but the original will always hold value, Like the Wiggle wart, Vixen ect.

I have it in the Cara series. It's your basic 7ft MH Fast. Everybody makes one. Mine is the T7 and its moderate enough to throw a crankbait on. For a little more than a Lowrider you can pick up a Powell Endurance. Really good in that price range. I wouldn't hold my breath but if you want a rod made in the same facility in Harrison AR. By some of the some of the same folks using the same actions you can buy a Virtus.

I'd pick up a plopper or 2 and just heave em out there , vary the retrieve some and no matter how many swats you get keep it coming. One Bone or Loon and one natural color on 50lb. braid and you can pull it out of most anything. The advantage the WP has over a buzz bait is that it casts easier and you can pause it. Some are going to miss it but I've caught enough of them that I'd rather watch them blow up a topwater and not get a hook than I would catch them dragging something.

If the idea was to kill off the brand, they haven't done a very good job of it. Same with Triton. I think the trouble was that every guide, every wanna be guide and "pro" was on staff. When white river took over, they trimmed the fat and a lot of guys ended up without a discount. Around here it looks like Caymus has taken over that role and has some guides in their boats. I've had a Ranger and would buy another. Currently I have a Triton and the boat has been flawless but let's face it they all can have issues. If I got a crazy idea to buy a new boat tomorrow .... Probably another Champion. The reason ol' Johnny bought Ranger was because it was for sale

Beating the bank I don't think FFS has as much to offer as the off shore structure deal. Out there it's a big advantage. The northern Smallmouth derby's were usually boring anyway but FFS has made them unwatchable for me.