CxThree

Curiosity is getting the best of me. Do you guys like having a stereo on your bass boat or not? If so, do you use a marine stereo unit with speakers or do you leverage your smartphone and a set of speakers?

Stratos 201? Seriously, I just bought a 1997 Stratos 285 Pro Elite and am in love with it. I also rode on a 201 and can see that as a future boat for me. What about one of the newer 285s?

I found this one online last night and think this is the one I am going to get. http://thebassboatladder.com/

You bet. I just got home and see that they made it here in one day. Wow. I will get them built tonight or over the weekend and put up some videos on them being put together. I should be out on the lake by next Friday to ty them out.

I've been researching these too. I am leaning heavily toward the talon and found out they have a 12 ft version, in multiple colors, releasing in the fall. I just went with a DIY version of a shallow water anchor to get me through this season until the 12 ft talon comes out. I have a thread here in the forum about it and will be releasing some video info next week when I test it out. That might be a short ter solution for you until you make up your mind. I will have about $130ish into 2 of them when its all done and they will be 8ft with a 4 ft extension I can use for 12 ft total.

Those of you with the Talon or Power Pole.. Do you find one of them sufficient? I would assume it creates an axis that the boat would begin to pivot around in current or wind. Does it?

I hear you. I'd love to put a couple of talons on the boat but I need t slow down . I've bought two boats in the last two months.

The supplies should be here today or Monday. I need to make one trip to Home Depot to get the supplies to screw the 2 pieces together(I want it easy to take apart and store) and a couple of metal rings and small cord to attach them to the cleats. I should have it together and tested by the end of the week.

Hello, Has anyone used these? http://www.mgs4u.com/shallow-water-boat-anchors.htm I saw them on youtube and bit on the thought. I ordered 2 of them, extensions, handles, spikes, and clips to store them in the lockers in the boat. A little over $100 for a set of 2 shipped. Shipping is steep, but that's because of the 8 foot length. $28ish for me. I know its probably not a perfect solution, but I am looking forward to trying them out and posting here. I would like to get one of the new talon 12 ft units when they release in the fall. However, I am a bit concerned that they are a bit bulky and could get int he way of my friends fishing off the rear of the boat. However, they look like a great solution. Just very pricey. Anyway. Anyone have thoughts or experience with the link I posted?

Good thread. I am fairly new to boating and have been thinking about putting something like this on my boat in case I fell out of it. I love the tip about the motor and trim switch. I never thought of that at all. I thought about climbing the motor, but the trim switch would surely help. I imagined something like a rope ladder you would mount and keep tied up at the back of the boat where you could reach up and untie it in a time of need. Not sure if they make anything like that or if it would be worth it. I have seen a few bass boats on the water with ladders, so I am sure plenty of people have been through this decision.

I bought a Pinnacle Obsession at Academy to try to learn baitcasting. I have to say it casts better than the more expensive rod and reel I bought at the same time. I was surprised and wind up using it more than anything right now. Has anyone else tried this combo?

Its a good place so far. The bassmaster weekend series guys are there today. I'm still learning spots, but its a big lake with plenty of coves, piers, ledges, etc.

First things first. Thank you all. I love this place. Its so great to be able to get help. I'm a very happy owner of a 1997 Stratos 285 Pro Elite. Personally, I think this boat is in AMAZING shape for its age. I have to get use to the hot foot for sure. Man, this thing will fly. Much faster than I want to be going on a regular basis. I could not believe the acceleration. Better than that, its got plenty of room and is very stable. I will be upgrading the electronics. I have a Hummingbird 597CI HD DI that I will swap from my other boat. I took some pics and will add a few more. The storage areas all look really clean and nice. The boat is also already off to a good start. We put it in after I bought it and filed all the paperwork. We decided to fish a spot we knew well. Small place and quick to go through. Bam. We both caught fish on the boat on its first voyage.

Awesome. I got him down to $6500 tonight. As long as it checks out in the morning, I will be fishing off it tomorrow night. Pics, hopefully, to come.

We agreed on a price. Meeting him at 8am to do the compression check and other items then off to test drive it. If all checks out I will have it by noon tomorrow. Now I have to sell my Tidecraft Spitfire XL.

Thanks Dink. I was saying that if you only had 1, where is the best place to mount it. I think the solution here is to get 2. The boat I am buying has 1 and I probably need to add another. I just have to decide where I want the newer one to be.

Hi, I am assuming if you have 2 fish finders, you would mount one to the rear and one to the trolling motor? Is that correct? If you only have one, where would you mount it?

Thank you guys.

I have a 1995 15.5 foot bass boat that I have owned for a month. I know now that its not got enough room for me and is really less stable than I would like. That's partially the boat and also me being a big guy. Therefore, I am going to sell it and buy another. I found a 1997 Stratos 285 Pro Elite 18.5 foot boat with an Evinrude 150 intruder on it. The owner has had it in the garage and it looks great. The hull/paint look brand new. The seats and carpet have a little wear. It comes with a aftermarket prop for 65ish MPH, hot foot, jack plate, front depth finder(would replace with mine) 70lb thrust 24v trolling motor, charger (Dual), new trailer tires, cover, etc. The owner has a few boats and services them himself. He said he can show me a compression test or I can pay to take it into the local shop for a checkout. Once we agree on price, I will test drive it before making payment. I plan to check how it runs, how stable it is, all the wells for leaks, properly working pumps, aerators, and to see how much (if any) water comes out when we pull the drain plug after the test drive. He is asking $7000 OBO. I am assuming I could get him down a little on it. I REALLY like the boat and was impressed with its condition. Do you think its worth 7K? 6K?

I'm pretty new to bass fishing and am learning Lake Wylie. I know my way around from years of Jet Skis on the lake. Learning the good fishing spots is now my challenge. Any vets here mind giving some tips to a new guy? Chris

That's a great idea. Thanks. I can order a sheet of carbon fiber vinyl to cover the existing plastic dash and then run labels across it after having them printed.

Thanks. I'm ok with a soldering iron. Luckily, I raced 10th scale RC cars for a few years and they ran off batteries. We had to solder everything. Had to solder the batteries together to make packs and we had to solder all the connections to the motor. I got plenty of practice there. Having said that, I'm no expert and I appreciate the video. I'll be watching it as soon as the kids go down tonight.

I'm no electrician but I love to tinker and do DIY stuff. So, I will gladly lean to your opinion on wiring. I am planning on doing this to my boat as a project just because I think it looks cool. I will likely sell it and upgrade within 3 - 6 months, but this will give me practice so I can do it on the bigger boat when I buy it.

Hello, My dash console is quite old and the switches are on their last legs. They are old toggle switches. I am to the point that I am thinking about taking the dash panel off and replacing it with something else. Maybe a piece of Lexan, carbon fiber, or something else. I would then reinstall(probably replace) the old speedometer, gas gauge, and switches, and then add a few new items like switches for lights in the storage areas, lights in the boat, and maybe a dual USB power plug for when I need to take a conference call from the boat. Gotta love doing that. 1) What materials do you suggest for the dash panel? 2) Are there good solutions out there for switches with labels or do you just install a switch and use stick on labels?

I just ordered some of the Gamakatsu offset and EWG hooks from Amazon. Looked like good prices for the 25 packs. I will give them a shot. I picked up a small pack of the Trokar ones last night at the local store so I can try those out too. I'll grab a pack of Owners too. Thanks for the suggestions guys.