WIGuide

Congrats! Sam, the bait monkey is happy for now.....until he decides he wants a new panoptix transducer...or two haha

We don't usually have the cut in front people around here as often as we do the guys who don't are just clueless as to how the launching process works. We have a lot of single ramps around here and it never fails, you'll always pull in behind guys who pull up and get straight in line with the ramp and stop. Then they proceed to unload their vehicle that must be packed to the gills with everything they need that day pack it in their boat, then slowly creep it back into the water with someone who holds a rope so the boat doesn't float away instead of just getting in. Half the time these people pull the boat back up onto the ramp itself instead of using the dock, all the while being completely oblivious to the fact that you've been sitting there ready to launch for the past 20 minutes, even before they hauled the first 200 lbs of crap to the boat.

Koofy is probably right about what was on your boat originally. Cheap and easy to replace, however if you want an upgrade, look into the rod buckle system. It costs a little bit more, but it's well worth it.

55-58 they should be moving up, and then they'll start spawning in the mid 60's generally. The length of day and moon phase seem to have more of an effect on when they actually spawn though. You want to keep in mind too, that not all bass spawn at exactly the same time. The spawn could last from anywhere from a few days, to a few weeks.

I've had my boat out before when there's still been sections of ice on the lake. Unfortunately in WI there is a closed season for anything other than panfish and a few other rough fish until the first full weekend in May so usually I'm just running around the lake making sure that everything on my boat is in order after it slept for the last 6 months. I usually start panfishing a few weeks after the ice is out, but I fish for bass in the fall until the lakes ice over, so if I could, I'd be fishing for them as soon as the ice comes off.

I'd give it a shot. I'd suggest getting some with rattles though.

Congrats man!

The 225 EFI's aren't terrible on gas. Obviously it's not going to be as efficient as a four stroke, and a lot depends on how you run it. Compared to the the Optimax the EFI sips a little more gas, but the EFI's are a bit more potent of an engine. No matter motor you get, the more the horsepower the more it's going to drink. I wouldn't put too much of a thought into it. If you like the boat and you can get it for a good deal I'd say go fior it.

Not at all. I actually cast it about 90% of the time I fish it. As far as weights go, generally I'll use anything from 1/4 to 1/2. Leader length will depend on time of the year and or fish position. If you know they are suspended a few feet off the bottom, I'll opt for a longer leader to keep the bait at or above the level of the fish. If they're right on the bottom, I'll use a shorter leader. The most productive retrieve for me is very slowly. A lot of times I'll cast it out, let it sink, and tighten the slack up a bit until I can just barely feel the weight. I'll shake it subtly. If I don't get bit, I'll slowly drag it a little bit and repeat. You can also give it some slack to let the bait fall back down towards the bottom. Once you get the hang of it, you'll soon find out how productive it can be!

Nope, it's out in the back waters on the Holcombe Flowage.

Although I haven't used a Carbonlite I do use a ML/XF for drop shotting and other small baits.

Yep it certainly could. It's worth a quick test just to make sure it's working properly otherwise you'll end up having to pull the batteries out again when the next one goes bad. Ask as many questions as you want, that's what the forums are here for!

I'd probably wait a little bit before you spool it up. I guess it kind of depends on what you're going to be throwing though. If you're using your UL to fish with live bait and a bobber it won't really have much of an effect, where as if you're casting light baits you won't have as good of performance if your line has a bunch of memory.

I think a lot of it is due to the fact that people that buy those high end rods make up a small percentage of the fishing community. Sure it's the norm here, but when you look at fishermen as a whole, a lot of them would just about turn blue in the face even thinking of putting down 2, 3 or even 4 hundred dollars for a rod. You also have the issue of variety. Whether or not you're willing to admit it fishermen, especially bass fishermen are a fickle bunch and the more money we spend on something the more picky we get. We like what we like, we research it and have our hearts set on getting exactly what we've been looking at. We're no different when it comes to rods. Some won't even look at a rod if it has a split grip. Others would rather have those but don't like the reel seats. Some are looking for an exact length and if it's not that one they won't buy it. You guys get the picture. Now think of the overhead it would take to carry all those products. Obviously Bass Pro doesn't pay retail for their products, but even if they pay 1/2 price, that's still a crapload of money you're spending to target a very small percentage of people who visit the store. As others have stated, they're out quite a bit of money if those rods are mishandled as well.

I've got quite a few good deals at Gander. The one closest to me seems to do a lot of slash and burn type sales that they stick on the back sides of the isles.

Usually you can tell if it separated just by the smell. Open up your tank and take a whiff. If it doesn't smell like normal gas pump out as much as you can and reload.

Yep, I'd take it back and have them deal with it. I'd still check out your charger though to make sure you don't toast out the next one too.

Nice! That'll be a sweet setup.

The Avid and Avid X are built on the same blank. The difference between the two is the grip as well as the guides. The Avid is the more classic traditionally built rod that has the full grip as well as the tried and true full size guides. The Avid X is a sort of modern day recreation taking advantage of the latest in rod building technology. It features the split grip as well as Kigan Z micro guide platform. The stripper guides are elevated to increase efficiency of line flow.

I don't know that there is a bad reel in that range. Find one that has the features that appeal the most to you.

Interesting study to say the least. I'd love to see a shock test though. One where the lines are not maxed out on what they're rated to handle, but rather with a smaller weight similar to the weight exerted by a hooksetr. It'd be interesting to see that data compared to overall stretch.

No, which card is better depends on the lake your on. Up by me there are some lakes that Lakemaster has mapped and Navionics has not. If they've both mapped them it's pretty much a draw. What I'm saying is Navionics isn't owned by any of the companies that make fish locators. Their product won't be included when you buy a locator. The Lakemaster company is owned by Humminbird so they could potentially include it with their locators, but the sales of those chips is what keeps the Lakemaster company going.

That's how they keep the price lower for the consumer. When you spend the thousands of dollars the units come with better mapping to begin with. Most of them have contour lines at that level even though they may not be highly accurate. The cards offer better and more detail maps. With the exception of Lakemaster (owned by Humminbird) they are offered by stand alone companies offering a product to make the units more useful. They aren't made by the companies that make the locators so that's why they don't come with them.

The product works as is when you buy it. The contour mapping is an ad on that is very handy to have but not necessary to the operation of the unit.

I'd be leaning towards fuel pump as well. Had a similar situation with an old Mercury that would just die running across the lake. You'd have to stop and pump up the bulb to get it to start again. Replaced the diaphragm in the pump (same as rebuilding it with those since they were run on vacuum pressure). Once I did that it ran just fine.