Al Wolbach

I have had excellent experience with Yamaha. I have a 98 225HP Vmax that I bought new and never a problem, just routine maintenance. In 2010 I bought a new pontoon boat and put a 2010 Yamaha 115HP 4 stroke. Neither have given me a minutes problem and I live on the lake so my boats are used a lot. I have had 1 experience with Mercury(Mariner) and it was not pleasant. In my opinion, Yamaha is the only way to go. The weight is not much different with the SHO. The 4 stroke Mercs are heavier than the Yamaha 4 strokes, or at least were, I have not checked lately. Either way, the SHO's are light...

In TVA lakes the fish follow the water, if the water is up the fish are up and move out if the water is dropping. When you look at TVA.gov, be sure to check it the day you are fishing. If you check the generating schedule you can determine the water level trends for that time of day. If they are generating from 2-4PM the water level will be dropping around that time. If not generating then the water will be rising. The bass tend to feed when the water is moving(generating). TVA also has a apt so you can check it with your phone...BTW. In my experience, when the fish move out they may move 4-10 feet of water and if it's rising they may be on the bank in a foot of water, especially if early morning or overcast.

Great fish!! When you say home lake you mean literally....

A friend of mine had that boat, and about that year, and I don't think he ever had a problem with it and he had it at least 10 years. He took trips to Santee Cooper and several trips to Okeechobee with us. That boat did not handle rough water real well, and he got wet many times, but the boat was like a Timex. "Took a licking and kept on ticking." I have a 20 Champion and he followed me in some very rough water without incident, although he was soaked when we got there, as was I on some trips. I have a lot of fond memories of that boat. I hope yours serves you as well as his did him. Great little boat...

I put my throw cushion in a clear plastic bag with a zipper that my wife got somewhere. I think a bed spread came in it originally. I stow it on top of my gas tank and have for years without issue. I'm sure someone on here will call a safety on me but the boat police have not had a problem with it. And you can still throw it in an emergency.

A friend of mine bought a new/used Z520 last year for $87K. It had been used in a professional tournament, therefore used. The title may have indicated new, not sure. But, wow!!! I have heard for a good source that the Nitros are better boats than in the past.

I have three of the originals and I enjoy them all. I had a handle knob come come off and they replaced it quickly. No other problems. Long casting reels. At 50% I would be all over the high end models.

I would print that response and carry it with me while hunting. May save you a headache later

I left my keys on, but with main power switch off, for a few days without damage. You are probably fine

I would recommend you fish with the boat as is for a few months then decide what additions you want to make. This should help you prioritize your next purchases based on your needs and style of fishing. For example, if you fish deep water humps a lot, your may not need a power pole as bad as better electronics. JMHO

No wonder you want to retire in East Tennessee, lol.......the most i remember here is about a foot......come on down, lol

I loved to watch him play but I'm neutral about his HOF admission. Does one more black spot matter to professional baseball? Or does his play say enough? I do feel sorry for Red's fans.

I worked a BPS and I don't want to come across as a disgruntled employee, because I'm not, I enjoyed working there for a few years. The pay sucked but the discount was good. The BPS business plan, from an employee perspective, is raise prices/lower wages/cut hours. They have no concern/compassion for any employee. They fire managers faster than they can be trained so they call Kmart and hire another, as well as Sam's Club or Walmart. The employee turn over, after the first year or two of operation, is absolutely staggering. When I shop at the store where I worked I recognize no one and I've only been gone a couple of years, literally no one. If Johnny Morris treats the Ranger employees the same way as he treats the BPS employees, you do not want to buy a Ranger boat two years from now. The employees that are currently building the boats will be gone and a recent high school grad will be laying the keel of their new boats, and for minimum wage. I'm not an economics major, but apparently the easiest way to reduce overhead, therefore increase profit, is reduce wages/cut hours or eliminate higher paid employees. In some way, reduce payroll. I hope Johnny Morris's management team does not manage their production plants the way they do retail sales stores. If they do Ranger is in trouble approximately two years down the road. JMHO.

God bless you and your brother....

There are to many weather variables to predict baits at this point. But if I remember correctly this is about time for the spinnerbait bite to be in full swing.....There are folks on this site that know Guntervilles much better than I do.

It may be early for the red traps but I would still give it a try. Chrome/blue, chrome/black usually work with clear water/sunny days and a chartreuse color for dirty water. Feburary is a tuff month to predict color wise but I would have the above colors with me...Good Luck

I think we are now paying for that warm December.....

When I worked at Bass Pro everyone headed to Guntersville in the spring were buying red traps. I can't remember the exact color name but it was red...I think it was Rayburn Red but not positive.

Can't address that specific model but I did purchase 22FT Berkshire pontoon new in 2010. Still have it and the only problem I have had was with a circuit breaker and fuel tank sending unit. Dealer came to my house to replace both and no other problems. Actually replaced all of the circuit breakers and gave me a couple of spares. They are well built compared to some others....I, too, have a bass boat so boat to carry 14 family members was more important to us than a fishing platform.

I just ordered a 17HMR this weekend. I bought a Savage model 93 with scope. Really looking forward to shooting a few rounds through it. It should be here by the end of the week. I paid an additional $60 for the adjustable trigger, which may have been a mistake.

Not an Alabuba fan but I an loyal to the SEC. The tide is just to good........

Learn on the Ardent then upgrade. I doubt a high end reel will accelerate your learning curve. Cast, adjust and cast....

We used crappie hair jigs 1/8 and 1/16 oz, but do not remember what colors were productive. Most of the locals fish spider rigs which, to me, is like watching paint dry, however it can be productive. We fished hair jigs, tipped with minnows, under a moving float. The lake is shallow but I can not remember how deep, but only a few feet. At the time we went there were a lot of places to stay that included boat, bait and motel but I heard many of them closed when the economy crashed a few years ago. We stayed in one of those but we took our boat. The rental boats had very small motors, 4-5 hp as I remember.

Only been once, for two days. Take a boat you don't care for very much, or better yet, take a buddies boat. We ricocheted off so many stumps it sounded like a pinball machine. And that was with a 14 ft tin boat with a 9.9hp motor. I would not take a fiberglass boat, even a buddies. All that being said, great crappie fishing. Didn't try the bass fishing.

Ditto