Lip 'em!

I definitely wont run it anymore in its current condition and I will try the flywheel trick. I had a reputable mechanic check it out and he ran a compression test and surprisingly it showed good compression all around and all cylinders were close to the same reading. He said the knock sounds like a rod bearing to him and he immediately shut it down. Doesn't sound good guys thats what I figured. i guess I'm just trying to get a few more opinions because the truth hurts lol. Thanks guys

I had posted a link to this video over on the yamaha parts forum but haven't gotten a response so far so I figured I'd pick my fellow BR members' brains. During a recent fishing trip i spent 2-3hrs scanning and when I went to run to another spot my boat would not get on plane and the motor was bogging down. It would only get up around 3k rpms. I limped back to the dock and pulled the cowling and eyeballed and everything seemed to be okay. Pulled the sparkplugs and they were brand new and were fouled and a little dry for my taste. I put muffs on the motor and decided to run it at home and thats when I heard this knock.. It sounds like it is coming from the front of the powerhead instead of the back. It is a deep rumble and I even checked the lower unit to see if the sound could be traveling but it was fine. I did get a low oil alarm on my motor while idling so I checked the oil reservoir on the tank and it was full to the line and my remote resevoir was full as well. The alarm sounded again but I kept idling and it shut back off. What do you guys think could be the issue? Could the oil pump have gone out and starved the motor for oil, resulting in the knock? Heres the link to the video I put on youtube: Thanks!!

The 3 that you said you have not been in are imo the best boats on the market.

Wow, im suprised there's not much love for the spro McStick. Sweet jerkbait. The pointer and new shadow rap are also two of my favorites. I will throw a megabass when I'm feeling lucky, but I just don't have as much confidence in them. lol

I have both, get the lews if you will be throwing moving baits that you want to make a long cast with. Go with the shimano for flipping/pitching. Either are great reels!

The one thats still on the shelf with $6 still in my wallet...seriously though I cant catch fish on any chatterbait to save my life. I spend the majority of my time hungup. Hand me a spinnerbait.

I have not found that it makes any difference whatsoever. If unpainted heads are cheaper then thats just the better!

I have both. Go with the veritas for a frogging rod it will run a little bit stiffer than the duckett which will give you more backbone for a good frog hookset on a long cast.

I use a wide variety of swimbaits and they each have their time and application. Recently I have started using Missile Baits Shockwaves and I am very impressed with their performance, especially for the price.

If that 3/4 ton is a diesel, then this won't be necessary. We take family vacations regularly in the truck. And if a stick is what tickles your fancy, dodge still offers that option. Diesel for life... Lol. Just stirring the pot a little looks like the OP has already made his purchase decision so mission accomplished.

Good, i hope everyone quits throwing them lol

Depends on what I am doing with it. Rage craw, paca craw, yum craw papi, sweet beaver, and pitboss all see regular action.

Love the little johns, well worth the money. Catch a ton of fish on them all year long, but I especially like throwing them on chunk rock in prespawn. Early in the year (like most people) when water temps are still low I do well with any of the spring craw, fire craw, blood craw colors. Later on I really like chart/blue, chart/black, and rootbeer if the water has some color. Cell mate, nasty shad, and spooky nasty for clear water. I throw both the shallow and md regularly but I'd like to pick up a few deep divers to try this summer.

Sorry, yes I was speaking of the old Orra I was unaware that they released a new version. I have moved away from abu's new products after a couple bad experiences so I haven't kept up with them. I would agree Shimano and/or Lews are the way to go IMO.

I'm with you as I generally use feathered trebles on just topwater lures when I am trying to slow them down. I have thrown the x-rap with a feathered treble though, but I didn't feel like it made much of a difference

Yes, there will be a few fish that you will miss due to the weed guard, but a stout hookset and the right equipment will help overcome this. If you aren't fishing around heavy cover try clipping a few strands of the weed guard off and fanning it out. If I am fishing rock I really like using the 2 prong wire weed guards as I seem to get even better hook ups with those. Good luck with the jig! Don't get frustrated. It takes patience to learn to fish it correctly and be successful. It's become my one bait that I can always rely on for a fish or 2, no matter what the conditions.

I have both, buy the lews if you will be using it for lighter baits and shorter casting, go with the orra if you will be throwing heavier lures long distance since it is centrifugal braking only.

They are really big where I am from in western KY. They are good rods, not my personal favorite but good rods no doubt. Their blaster deep cranking rod is excellent!

I cannot find any "bass boat towing" specific data, i am going by my personal experience with trucks and towing anything from boats, to hay, to dozers. And its not as simple as putting "heavy duty brakes" on a half ton truck and it will stop better than a 3/4 ton. 3/4 ton trucks have not only uprgaded brakes, but stronger frames, axles, and transmissions as well, which are built to last much longer under strain than their half ton counterparts. And I am curious about your performance statements J, what truck do you tow with?

The towing capacity is not the real reason i recommended a 3/4 ton diesel. I have pulled a lot of boats with half ton trucks and gas mileage and power arent the issue....its 5 years down the road when the wear and tear of the extra weight of towing a bass boat finally catches up and things start wearing out. Also, its much easier to stop a 20ft loaded down bassboat quickly (and safely) with a 3/4 ton truck than with a 1500, when that car in front of you decides to abruptly come to a stop with no warning. Safety and reliability are why i choose diesel, to each his own! Do what works for you OP

Power pro original, simple & effective and not terribly expensive. Tried 832 and I didn't feel as it lasted as long as the PP.

Buy a diesel if you can afford it. Large, heavy duty trucks are just setup so much better to pull (though other trucks have the power) than smaller trucks. I have a 6.7 powerstroke and can get 15-17 mpg when pulling my boat, 19-20 or so without it, but ive had it up to as much as 22 on a long road trip. Ton of power and the engine braking system in tow haul mode is great. My old truck was an 8.1L chevy 496 gas burner with the allison tranny. Towed great, plenty of power, best tranny out IMO, but towing a boat was lucky to get 9mpg...not as big of a deal right now with gas prices but it was expensive a couple years ago!

The flashmob jr. works well for me and aren't that expensive compared to other rigs that come with blades. If you want, change the quick snaps out for split rings. Takes a little more time if you have to change hooks but i trust split rings more than the snaps after having a couple good ones come off due to them coming undone and/or straightening out.

Looks like I am with the majority here. I use both Seaguar (red label & abrazx) and Sunline Sniper. The sunline is smoother and handles slightly better especially in the larger sizes, but for the price the Seaguar red label is hard to beat and is a great line. I used to use BPS XPS and I now feel that it is just mediocre in comparison to these.

I use 3 brands of hollow bodies, in this order: -Booyah pad crasher/poppin pad crasher(best bang for buck IMO, soft yet durable, smaller profile) -Spro(a little harder than the rest but they last longer and have good colors) -KVD sexy frog(like the action and hook angles but in my experience they take on much more water than the others) For soft body frogs rage toads get the call, but I have a few spare gambler cane toads and stanley ribbits on call for when I run out of the rage tails. Lol Like others, never thrown a hard bodied frog.