tcbass

There's so few options as motors it's different. Really mainly Mercury, Suzuki, and Yamaha now. Not much to cover. I'd only consider Suzuki and Yamaha now, I think their reliability is going to be better than the Mercury. Look at offshore boats, mostly Suzuki's and Yamaha's. I went with Suzuki because it's far cheaper and arguably one of the most reliable outboards out there. I'm buying my, most likely, last boat. An Alumacraft Competitor 205 which is a Deep-V, multi species boat. My last boat was a bass boat and that was the biggest mistake I ever made. Although the boat was fine I did not like 6 major things about it. I am a bass fisherman but a Deep-V, multi-species boat is just better for me. After I ordered ordered my new boat I realized I wanted to start jigging for lake trout on Lake Superior and a bass boat wouldn't have been safe on that lake. I will have 2 Raptors on my boat which will sort of be in the way but there is no way to quick disconnect them yet. ** With the advent of trolling motors and shallow water anchors a lot of the benefits of a bass boat can be had in a Deep-V, multi-species boat such as fishing in place. One of the benefits of bass boats was that the lower profile kept the wind from blowing you around as much wherein a taller, Deep-V boat would get much more easily blown around. That can be negated with a trolling motor with Spotlock and/or shallow water anchors. Also, with better design Deep-V boats are accepting larger and larger outboards allowing you to gain tremendous speed. Not as fast as a bass boat but even some into the 60mph+ range I believe. With the new pods on the back of the Alumacraft Trophy and Competitors you can draft less water, go into shallower water than you used to be able to and mount a far larger motor, up to 350hp on the 205's (20.5" feet). This extra 100hp could maybe even get you close to the 70mph's which is pretty darn fast, but this is an estimate. A bass boat wasn't for me because: 1.) Loss of floorspace: With the layout of a bass boat you sit down to drive and that takes up approx. 3-4 feet of space. So if you have a 20' foot boat you really have a 16' foot boat. This sucks and is just the nature of bass boat design. *** Many people are limited to boat size (length) due to their garage space. If you want more actual boat footage and less wasted space and are limited in how long of a boat you can have you may want to look at a Deep-V, multi-species as you will get more usable floor space on the boat with the same length boat. 2.) Cannot fish sitting down: You can sit in a chair that's in the cockpit of the boat and still fish comfortably in a multi-species boat. Much harder to do in a bass boat since you sit so low and the chair does not swivel. 3.) Grounded bass boat seats do not absorb wave impact, your back does: I hit some hard waves with my bass boat and thought I broke my back one time. Having the chairs mounted to the floor leave you vulnerable to wave impact. It's just the way it is. I know some newer bass boats have cushioned seats now. How good they are, I don't know, I've heard you can still get whacked. 4.) Water comes over the back: Whenever you stop fast (who doesn't) water comes over the back of the boat which sucks. Not a huge problem but it can make some stuff wet. 5.) Sit too low in the water for many docks: I found that my boat sat so low that I would be sitting under the docks sometimes and it could scrape the top of your fiberglass gunwale up. You definitely have to be careful. 6.) Harder to get in and out of the chair: If you are getting up and down a lot from the seats it is a lot easier in a Deep-V, multi-species boat, it is like getting up and down from a chair. If you are moving a lot or doing stuff where you are sitting up and sitting down a lot doing so in a bass boat takes it's toll on you at the end of the day. Not good as you get older which all of us are doing. Having a Starter Boat, like a Starter Wife is a good idea to see what you like and don't like. *** When it comes to electronics on a used boat my friend, a former tournament fisherman said, "If it's over 3 years old it's considered obsolete. So if a guy is trying to tell you that he has $15k in electronics but it's 5 years old than it's not worth that much anymore." Not saying the electronics are not worth anything just not what they were new. Electronics do not retain their value like the boat does.

I remember on Lake Superior our outboard broke down and my dad had to take the prop off and put it back on in 4 foot swells. Fishing was flat and great until a storm picked up fast. Come to find out fishing line had fouled the prop and it wouldn't work. I still remember my dad hanging over the back and my mom holding his legs. lol

Agree. Boat comes with one. My kids are 5 and 7 so I know a lot of swimming is in our future. And good for emergencies.

Are trailer tire lug nuts the same as truck tire lug nuts?

Just ordered my first new boat and first boat in awhile. Seeing what I should buy for it. So far I've got, fire extinguisher, telescoping oar, life jackets, throw cushion, MY Wedge, Steering Stops, spare prop, prop wrench, prop stop, tow rope, dock ropes, hull fenders. What else do I need? I didn't put anything like spark plugs because this being a 2024 Suzuki 250 with a warranty I won't be doing anything to with the motor.

These are my colors I own, Monkey Butt, Loon (black), and Bone. I use Monkey Butt almost 100% of the time. Honestly I'm not sure if color matters as my friends will use one of the other colors while I use Monkey Butt and we all catch fish. Maybe because it's a reaction bait and the fish don't get a good look at it.

What does too cheap to run in on your bass stuff mean? It's pretty expensive?

Thanks. I ended up with 2 Piscifun Carbon II's and 1 Piscifun Prism.

What is IPT? I only run 25lbs. Power Pro on my frog rods. You're saying that the Zillion would not be a good reason for this but I don't understand why it wouldn't be. Would the Zillion be ok then?

So, right handle is what I need?

Thanks. To make sure I order the right one, this is left handed in the pic? I actually need a right handed one because I hold the rod with my left hand and reel with my right hand.

How much would that cost? Do you have a link to a reputable place where they are cheaper because all of the ones I see are around $369?

Just Cortland braid? What do you like about it better? I do like the Power Pro in hi-vis yellow so that I can watch my line move when using Senkos.

I'm looking to get 2 new baitcasting reels for my topwater frog frogs. I normally use Booyah Padcrasher frogs and Whopper Ploppers. I have 2 Abu Garcia Revo Rockets (9:1) and I think sometimes their drags aren't the smoothest. Wondering what the best baitcasting reel that's relatively fast reeling with good drag for under $250 each is. A faster retrieval is also desired. Thanks in advance.

Why does fading matter?

I'm looking at getting 2 reels. One is a larger spinning reel for lake trout fishing down to 150 feet and up to 2oz or even a little more jig. The other is a micro casting reel for a shorter casting rod for jerkbait fishing. What's better, Kastking or Piscifun? And what models? Thanks in advance.

I started bass fishing about 15 years ago and put Power Pro braid 25lbs line on my casting rods. I still have the exact same line on my rods going strong. I've never changed it. I fish for bass in some pretty weedy, tough, and lily pad areas too.

So, I'll need 2 internet adapters and a hub to run the 2 Helixs and Ulterra?

Really? I saw they added an ethernet cable.

Gonna try. They said 2 Helix 10's would work together so I went with that. I also ordered a RM mount since it doesn't go in the dash on the be like I thought.

I've decided I might want to add a fish finder to my Ulterra in case I fish deeper. I'm getting a Helix 10 for the dash. Should I get another Helix 10 for the front to connect to the Ulterra? And should I mount it in the dash spot for fish finders up front or on a bracket?

I'm looking at ordering a Drotto Latch or a Boat2Trailer Latch. It appears that Boat2Trailer used to sell Drotto's then Drotto stopped selling them through Boat2Trailer and Boat2Trailer came out with their own version. Boat2Trailer states their's is new and improved. I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with either of these latches? I would be adding it to a 2024 Alumacraft Competitor 205.

I just ordered a Alumacraft Competitor 205 and I went with the Suzuki 250 because it was approx. $8k less than a Mercury Pro XS or Yamaha. Saw quite a few reviews were they said they were super reliable and taking over the offshore market for that reason.

I'm interested in purchasing a new topwater frog rod. Was looking at Edge and Trika rods. Does anyone here have any experience with them? Would you buy one? https://edgerods.com/shop/?yith_wcan=1&filter_species=bass&query_type_species=and https://trika.com/products/trika-6x-carbon-weave-fishing-rods

Try this.