Hot Rod

Have you experienced how they handle wakes/waves yet? And if so, how did they perform?

BassfisherJK, I guess that dang monkey is headed "up the mountain" today cause I got a GC for Cabela's I'm going use today before the sale expires.

Thanks Wayne. :-[

I used to have an older Cuda. It was a good unit and served me well. If you can afford one with color I'd recommend it. The color really helps you decipher readings quicker. Installing the unit is not too difficult. The scariest part is drilling holes in the transom mount the transducer. Just make sure to read all the installation instructions, especially the part about transducer placement, before you start. If you get one with GPS if it has an internal antenna you won't have to mount a separate antenna puck. Unless you are going to mount it in the dash console then you'll need an external antenna unit.

Yes, just go to a coal yard or a gravel quarry or another place that sells aggregate for construction that utilizes a truck scale. Also the larger truck stops near interstate highways often have scales. They usually charge about $5 to weigh. You may also look at your trailer registration to see what that list your trailers GVW at for a guideline. You can never have too much vehicle for towing JMHO.

Welcome aboard! All of the other posts are really great advice. Keep the trip short and take along plenty of snacks/drinks/toys/books/games is the best advice. I have found that when I take mine they'll fish for about 15 minutes to half-hour. Then they are ready to do something else but may want to fish some more after the other activity. We usually pan fish together with live bait, catch some fish, then my daughter will sit in the back of the boat and read or play video games or even watch a DVD on a portable player after she tires of fishing. I tell her that I'm going to bass fish for a little while she does that but that if I hook anything she can reel it in. It works well!!! I can't tell you how many times she has almost knocked me out of the boat trying to get the rod away from me after I holler "fish on, come and take it!". I love it! There is nothing better than sharing that with her.

O.K Thanks W2S! That alleviates my concern with any stress that might be on the trim unit over the several month storage period. (Thankful my garage is under the house and doesn't get cold enough to freeze in there.) Good to know on the bleed holes anyway. I'll check that they are open for good measure. Thanks everyone! 8-)

Yes that is what I was afraid of too :-/

Thanks! I'll check 'em out. I just found some at LureCraft site too. Now I realized they are called "hubs"

I was thinking of making my own punch skirts. Does anyone know where I can get the "cores" to tie the skirt on to? Thanks

Yeah we made 'em ourselves and used 'em all the time when we was kids. They never backlashed and they never needed any maintenance and they caught tons of fish! We just called 'em a "cane pole"

Unfortunately even with the tongue all the way down the skeg still touches. Your insight gave me an idea though; I could just jack up the trailer a few inches at the axle and block it up very secure with 6 x 6's. Heck I need to check/service the wheeling bearings before spring anyway so may as well do both at the same time. Or now that I think of it, I guess I could rest the tongue on a 2 x 6 sans the jack. That could raise the transom enough to get the motor trimmed completely down. Doh, why didn't I think of that sooner? Thanks Rhino

While my rig is tucked away in the garage until the H2O liquefies again, I was wondering would it be O.K. to trim the motor down so that it lightly rests on its skeg rather than keep it hooked up to the transom saver or have the trim lock engaged with the motor up? This could save me about a foot or so of garage space and keep me from banging my shins on the trailer tongue but I don't want to stress or damage the trim unit or transom while it sits there for another couple months or so. Its a 150 Johnson and I usually store it up in the locked mode (that is after I've drained all the water out of it after winterizing it). Thanks

Not a bad idea, but where can u find "tiny" ones. Lowes doesn't go quite that small..... Fastenal

Kids got a Wii from Santa, so the wife got me the Rapala game w/simulated rod/reel to mess with while the lakes are froze. The actual game was decent but the rod/reel lasted no longer than 10 minutes out of the package. It was a complete POS! It snapped while I was "fighting a fish". I'm not a person that is typically rough on things/gear either. > I returned it to Wally World and exchanged it for the BPS version. Still haven't tried it yet, even if the game isn't as good the "rod/reel" looks to be more sturdy. Too bad Ugly Stick doesn't make a gamer controller

Take a look at the FOM web site. The complete 2011 schedule is posted: http://www.fomntt.com/

I like the Columbia Blood and Guts long sleave fishing shirt. It is sort of styled like a jersey but it is a solid color. It is also very comfortable, keeps the sun off, dries quick and doesn't limit movement for casting. It looks stylish and cool but it doesn't make me look like a "wanna be player" at the weigh-in

I like the Columbia Blood and Guts long sleave fishing shirt. It is sort of styled like a jersey but it is a solid color. It is also very comfortable, keeps the sun off, dries quick and doesn't limit movement for casting. It looks stylish and cool but it doesn't make me look like a "wanna be player" at the weigh-in

I like the Columbia Blood and Guts long sleave fishing shirt. It is sort of styled like a jersey but it is a solid color. It is also very comfortable, keeps the sun off, dries quick and doesn't limit movement for casting. It looks stylish and cool but it doesn't make me look like a "wanna be player" at the weigh-in

X2 I'm thinking of the abuse they put them through at the Classic a couple years back on the Red River. They were back in the shallows grinding hulls and lower units over the top of stumps like crazy

ROFL ;D So true!

ROFL ;D So true!

ROFL ;D So true!

Will it do the same for annoying fishing partners? My buddy is always casting SB from the back of the boat too close to my head for my taste. I think I'll tie one of these on and thow back at him. Problem solved ;D

I have Cabela's guide series Gore tex. It has never let me down in the rain. Also my older set is the Cabela's dry plus and it works great too and is a little less expensive than the Gore. Either one was a great improvement over the old "waterproof" $100 suit I once used. You have to pay a bit more for good rain gear but its worth it to be dry/warm JMHO.