martintheduck

So that leaves me up crap creek with 150hp

It's a tiny V hull with a tiny engine. A boat that size isn't going to be any advantage over a flat bottom john performance wise with a 9hp motor....thus the "it's basically a john boat." If you find yourself in a situation where a v-hull would be significantly better than a flat bottom, I wouldn't WANT to be in that water with a 9hp.... And no - haven't heard any "intrinsic" problems with the boat. I found myself in a similar position to you at the beginning of the year and I ended up going another route than a 160, or even a 175. It might be just perfect for you. Only things I ever heard negative about Trackers are just average things - stuff snaps off, screws get loose....

Any HP limits?

So my mom and them live in Kansas City, Missouri about 2 minutes from the Kansas/Missouri line - turn one way down their street and you're in Kansas, turn the other way and you're toward Missouri. Can anyone point me toward some solid fishing spots around the area? (Missouri or into Kansas is fine) Really want to trailer the boat up there with me and get my line in some new water. THANKS!

My buddy and I have been looking into a trip like this for sometime.... I tried searching for Big O, but turned up no results. Any help?

x2. I was using white senkos in some muddy water and getting small taps. Dipped about 1/2in in chartreuse garlic scent and got some short strikes. Tried dipping the head of worm in chartreuse garlic and started getting better bites. I'll swear by these attractants now days. I ALWAYS spray my swimbaits with shad scent if I have some!

That's what I mean. For the sonar are you using the 83/200 split?

What DI settings are you using in that setup? Like - what frequencies and 83hrtz sensitivity?

I had something similar happening to me ALL DAY on Wednesday! Found a nice spot on the bank of my river about 15ft deep heavy on trees and started casting a senko. Had one bite and set the hook and ripped the worm in half (apparently he only had the back end of the worm). Another bite and this time he just bite the worm in half - I felt a hit and kind of reeled in a little but felt no pressure on the line, so I just reeled in and saw my worm in half. At this point I got aggravated, so I pulled out a jig with a craw trailer and started flipping into some on the trees. Got one nice thump, set the hook but ripped it out his mouth. Another bite, let it sit a second before setting the hook, but he was just holding the back end! By now it was getting dark so I packed it in and left. This happens, for me, from time to time. The fish are just biting weird. Sometimes they'll bite short. Had plenty crush a worm and rip it in half. Been using worms with blue or chartreuse color tips and they'll just hold the colored tip. It does happen. There have been plenty of times - especially when the bass are feeling lazy - I've started reeling in only to realize there is a fish on the line and just forgotten to set the hook and they spit the bait out. Moral of the story: Yes, bass will bite in all kinds of ways depending on their "mood". They will spit baits. Gotta set the hook. Eventually you'll learn the different feelings of your bait - the difference between it hitting a stump -vs- a bite -vs- being stuck in grass etc...

New tracker 160 = $9,000 at LEAST. You could spend $1,000 on a new John Boat, less than $500 on a trailer, about $100 on wood and screws and crap to add decks, a few bucks on carpet, then like $1,000 on a beastly trolling motor ---- You're only looking at about $3,000 there. Maybe go that route? I mean - a tracker 160 is basically a john boat with decks and a console. I guess I'm not seeing the point of spending $9,000 on a new Tracker with a 9hp motor on the back? There's no real advantage in my eyes. You get a few tiny storage compartments, a 6ft rod locker, a death box (aka: Tracker livewell). I'd say, if you're willing to spend 9k on a boat, get a used one with at least a 50hp and a big ole' trolling motor that way you could fish the potomac or go south to lake anna or something?

So - You get a brand new boat out of the deal... That's awesome! Could have gotten stuck with the "can't help you...." It'd be cool if you could take pictures of it somehow and show us what this "hooked hull" looks like!

Good to hear! Let us know what happens!

I filled my boat up with regular unleaded gas for the first time a few weeks ago (the non-ethanol station was closed at 5:00am) and my motor didn't perform at its peak. I'd get on plane, WOT, top at 58, and it would suddenly drop down to 54 then up to 58 then down to 52.... it was really odd. Ran the whole tank out and refilled with non-ethanol and problem stopped. I don't know how big a deal it is, but I just wanted to tell you about how regular gas caused some issues on my 2strk Yamaha Vmax.

Why is the keelguard touching the water while you're on plane? That sounds like the keelguard is too long?

Just get a 14 or 16ft john boat, add decks, and get a 101 trolling motor

I couldn't tell you man... I catch, picture, release. If there is a slot there, I don't know what it is. I will say, I've hooked some toads up there and DANG do they fight. I've heard it's pretty slow compared to what it used to be though.

Deal with this kind of stuff all the time down south in out dirty water. Something is probably stuck in the line. Keith has the right suggestions.... I can't help you anymore than that bit of information. I will say, if it's "peeing" fine you're doing okay. The only reason I really need a pressure gauge is when I'm messing with the jackplate and getting it pretty shallow.

You can trust whatever Wayne says... he helped me. I ended up installing my transducer on my jackplate and haven't had a problem yet.... and I've been going through some stumpy crap.

take it to a certified shop and have them hook it up to a "machine" (I don't know the name of it, but it's a diagnostic type machine that'll tell you how many hours it has on it). Then, go to the website of whatever manufacturer made your motor (Yamaha, Merc, Suzuki...whatever) and they should have a section dedicated to manuels and FAQ's. As for keeping track of the hours, use a stopwatch or your graphs? I don't really know man.... I just came to here to say you'll need to bring it to a certified dealer to get em to hook it to the machine, then you can find a manuel on whatever companies website.

One of them is the drain plug. The other 2 are for livewell.

Wow. That's dedication. Question - How were you so confident in those 2 spots? Were you seeing good stuff on the electronics? Have you had good success there before? What was the "confidence factors" tat kept you stuck on those pilings?

I really want to take a ride in one and get behind the wheel!

I'm in this mindset that I can cover water more quickly with cranks, spinners, and some swimbait setups.

Well, this is accurate. My previous experiences have been covering water really fast, get a bite, and slow it down for maybe 5 minutes? Then jump right back to the fast baits. Going to be doing some work on it this weekend if the rain lets up.

I've been trying to become effective and confident in fast fishing because I'm gunning for Collegiate Bass. It seems that in my recent progress I've just lost my patience. Moral of the story - I'm now confident in some fast fishing and slow fishing, but I just get really squeamish when fishing slow.... going to be working on feeling okay with slowing it down and after that, I'll be working on hitting "virgin" (to me) bodies of water.