NBR

I have a good sized plastic tub a Wally World special. Sort the baits by kind and color and keep them in their original bags until those bags are damaged then I put them in a zip lock bag (freezer bags are more durable). The smaller bags are put in 1 or 2 gallon zip lock freezer bags according to type and the type written on the outside with indelible pen. All of the bigger bags are put in the tub.

In small fisheries I don't tell. Bigger areas yes I tell. I don't go to another guys spot unless I ask him. If a friend was putting my spots on GPS without saying anythings to me I'd find another friend.

Guy I fish with has 2 KVD's and likes therm very well.

I use 12 or 14# Berkley XL on nearly all of my bait casters. Was using XT but found the XL casts a little better. I do have to watch for nicks and retie a bit more frequently. The water I fish has little or no wood, no lily pads and few weeds but it has lots and lots of rocks.

I have always thought the 140/12# rating was to give you an idea of how much line the reel would hold. My experience says that too heavy a line on spinning reels causes casting trouble by jumping off the spool along the same route as over filling the spool. Also as the line diameter gets bigger it has a greater tendency to have a memory coil problem. Baitcasters could also have casting difficulties with heavy line but it would have to be very heavy. You can also get line so small that it will get inside the works of a bait caster by slipping between the spool and the housing. This becomes a first class mess. Depending on diameter and stiffness I would have no problem with using 25, 30, 40# or more line on a bait caster. Many use 50# and higher powerpro since it is soft and has a low diameter per pound test.

I did the same and bought a West Marine special that came apart is short order. I replaced it with a cover from Carver Covers that I found on the net. So far I am very happy with it. It fits nearly as well as a custom cover at about $150. If I were in your position I'd buy a cover from Carver and then put a tarp over that when I wasn't going to use the boat for a while.

I have a Maxxum cable drive that I love. I haven't had a power drive and haven't been interested because of the slow response. If you can get a motor with the built in transducer. The lakes I fish are very rocky and before the built-in version I beat transduces to death.

I have a 1989 Astro. At that time they were made by Brunswick Marine as were ProCrafts. The two boats were identical except for the decals. The 120 HP motor surprises me a bit since so far as I knew the were standard with a Merc 150 XR4. My boat has a big Atro decal on both sides and the manufacurers plate says Brunswick Marine. If this is the same boat and in good shape you should love it. It is not fast with the 150 so don't expect to win any races with a 120. Top end on mine with 1 person and a half load of fuel was 63mph (radar gun) but fill it with tackle and two guys and the mid 50's is tops. The boat gives a very dry ride and handles rough water. Great storage and a wide front deck. My boat has been garaged except for a one or two week fishing trip so rot has not been a problem. The boat was outfitted with a Motorguide TM and an in-dash flasher. If you could post a picture I could tell you if it was the same model.

Absolutely not. I want to hear if a fish breaks the water near me and the birds and animals around the lake make enough noise. Animals includes the two legged ones that I will talk to from time to time.

Post your rod ratings, the lure sizes or types, line size and type and someone can likely zero right in with a solution.

Lake RM said either. I never use less than a 3/8 oz. sinker with a CRig. When I go lighter I either split shot or Mojo rig.

When I started fishing baitcasters were all that was available. So after 60+ years I still get an ocassional over run and very infrequently,when I do something stupid, a real bonafide backlash that I takes a knife to clear. Having said that I use a baitcaster for everything except real light baits, drop shotting and skipping. You don't have to mortgate the farm for a satisfactory bait caster. I think today's baitcasters in the $85 to $120 range will perform as needed for a very high percentage of the fisher folks. The secret as expressed by so many is practice, followed by practice, followed by practice. After all these years I still practice every spring before ice out. I put some targets (chalk marks) on the drivewayand if it rains I stand inside and do roll casts.

Depth sounder off the trolling motor, Console or rear depth sounder for when you run the big engine and water temperature. Other stuff in time! Be sure you have all the required safety gear.

Raul, I think the 1/2" would be ok with the seats as support but it sounds tippy to me. Don't neglect the added weight of the plywood which is going to raise the center of gravity as will the two of you standing up on the plywood. I guess my gut feel is that it would not be a ride I looked forwar to.

I would check the rated horse power for the boat. Often packaged boats come with engines below rated boat HP capacity and you might want to switch out the engine for one of maximum rated boat HP. It will cost a bit more but I think in the long pull you will be happier. The Nitro is a fine boat, not in the class of Ranger, Triton or Champion but still a nice piece of equipment. When I am ready for a new boat Nitro will certainly be among those considered. The price sounds good to me.

Somewhere I read that leaving your electronics mounted in the boat while trailering was tough on them. The logic was that the trailer ride was rougher than having them in the car. Mine always ride in the car.

What Cart7 said plus: 1) What kind of water do I fish? If it can get rough don't go for the flat bottom. They can beat you to death. 2) How much storeage space? There is never too muchbut will it hold your gear and what you will add. 3) How many will I fish with at a time? 4) What is my tow vehicle? Must have tow capacity for boat, motor, trailer, gear people etc. 5) Fiberglass or aluminum? If you fish rocky waters or want to beach your boat aluminum might be the answer and 6) Does it fir my budget. Visit many boat dealers, look at new used and all types. Ask questions. My first boat was aluminum, with a small Merc and a small MinnKota stern mount TM. Second boat was a used fiberglass with a Motorguide. Third boat was new with a MG TM which was replaced 2 years ago with a MK. I like the MK better but that might be because improvements have been made over the 10 years I ran the MG. Depending on where you live you might have many months to make a decision. Make lots of notes so you can evaluate the features and how they fit your fishing and possibly other boating needs.

No! Too many toothy critter where I fish.

Flippin switch!

You are right on for the serious fisher folks. I believe the Wal-Mart combos are purchased by the casual fisher folks, those who want a combo for getting started, guests, youths and those whose budgets just won't allow or just won't spend the money on the high end gear. Re catching more fish with high end gear, better fisher folks will always out fish the rest regardless of tackle. Look at the big boys on the tour they all fish a wide variety of gear. Admittedly, sponserships dictate their tackle choices but I bet they would change in a heart beat if they thought a tackle change would put more pounds in the boat. My fishing buddy bought a new Curado and a St. Croix avid last year and like always I still kick his butt with my midrange tackle. I have way too many rods and reels, Shimano's, including a Curado, Daiwa's, Pflueger's, Quantum's and a few BPS specials. Frankly, I can't see much difference in the performance of any of them. In fact my favorite reel is a BPS special that I bought well over 20 years ago as a spare when I was going on a boat in trip to Canada and didn't want to risk a four hour trip to get a new reel.

What Reelmechanic said and you might be releasing your thumb to late.

I think it depends on how far apart the transducers are and water depth. On my last boat a 17 footer I could not run my TM sounder and my console T at the same time except in very shallow water. My current boat is 19' and I can run both sounders at the same time through all practical depths. On a similar note with my current boat I can get a good bottom picture at high speed until I get on to very deep water. At some high speeds and very deep water I lose bottom picture. I believe this is because the boat and therefore the transducer has moved to far to receive the echo in very deep water. My current boat also has an in-dash flasher. I can't run my console graph and in dash flasher at the same time. I don't know where the flasher transducer is mounted but I think it is back pretty far because it reads on plane. The console graph transducer is mounted through hull right at the transom and the two units get feed back from each other.

I have been bass fishing for a lot longer than choices were magnetic or centrifugal systems. I use baitcasters for nearly everthing because I can cast more accurately, I have better control over the fish and if conditions warrant it I can horse the fish out of cover. I have 1 spinning outfit spooled with 10# line (sometimes heavier) that I use to skip under docks. All my other spinning outfits are spooled with 6# or less for 1/8 oz lures. But, spool up your spinning reel with pound test line appropriate for where you fish and have at it. In time you may want/need a baitcaster but its not needed to start.

The Quantum reels have an externally adjustable cast control that I believe is centrifugal. Also some or all of the Pflueger baitcasters have a centifugally applied magnetic actuated system. I don't have one yet but it is an interesting concept. As said in the final analysis your thumb is the backlash control; the reel system just allows you to be a little sloppy and/or forgetful from time to time.

Michigan Wheel has been in business for a long time and I have never heard anything bad about the company. I don't have a clue about the particular prop you mention but if it was the right style, size, pitch and price I wouldn't have any reservations about buying it from Michigan Wheel.