Further North

Your lakes down there have turned over? Ours here (NW WI) have not (surface temps in the mid 50s), a ways from turnover yet (39°).

I use them at the ends of leaders for pike and musky...I'm not going to re-tie wire leaders, or heavy fluorocarbon line as often as I want to swap lures. I use them on in-line spinners and spoons. Hadn't thought of using shrink tuping to use them on spinner baits...I'll add that to my box of tricks - thanks. One place I use snaps (seldom swivels) religiously is on pike and musky flies. Once I tie my leader, I want to avoid having to cut it it short until it gets beat up.

Thanks for taking the time to explain - if that was the case, then yes, it was a $3K profit. If not...and it's still not 100% clear the the bonus money was related to the directly to the boat...then I still think he could have won the money without the new boat. ...but I had no idea those kinds of deals were in play, and I appreciate the info. I like it when I learn new things!

Your friend is a sharp cat. That's a good system.

Sure...but the $5K is still gone. The $8K has nothing to do with the new boat...it's like one of those algebra story problems from high school...unimportant info to the solution of the equation... If he hadn't spent the initial $47,250 he'd have had that to spend on the new boat rather than just $42,250... Don't get me wrong...if the guy is happy, it's what he should do; but I'd have trouble eating a $5K loss in one year just to fish. Other things make me happy.

probably still woulda won the $8K + without the new boat.... ...so it looks like a $5K loss to me...

I guess it depends on what we consider high resale. In January, I bought a Ford Escape that had been on the road for 1 year and one week, had about 26,000 miles on it. The original owner paid about $36,500 for it...I paid $23,250. That's ~36% off a vehicle that'll last me years, $13,250 more for retirement and waaay less interest on the loan...and for a shorter period. Yes, it was a private owner, not an off lease vehicle. About a year and a half ago, a friend bought a new Crestliner Raptor 1850...by the time he was done, he had over $55K in it, The very same week, I bought an older Crestliner CMV with 3 hours, 34 minutes on the motor (verified by my dealer, not his) for $16,250. My boat was virtually unused and I paid less than 30% of what he paid. I did move my electronics over to the new boat, so we can add another $7,500 to mine...but still...that extra $31,250 in the Further North Charitable and Benevolent Fund, invested for retirement sure feels good. I honestly don't feel like there's any one way to do this that is better - everyone is different and they should do what works best for them and how they live their lives. I'm...ah..."frugal"...by nature and getting the best value for my dollar is a big deal to me - I enjoy it as part of the process. Other guys love that new boat/car/truck thing and that's what they should do.

I'm sorry if I gave the impression I think any vehicles these days are a POS...That wasn't my intent. I know people who drive all makes and brands of vehicles, and they are - almost without exception - well built, durable and long lasting...it's pretty hard to find a bad one any more (like outboards and boats). We really are in "the good old days"! Are there rare "lemons"" Sure. And there's a lot of problems caused by poor maintenance and general abuse. Bout a month ago I was following a car into town, and it had a blackened bumper and the distinct smell of a car burning oil...and the thought struck me that I could not remember the last time I saw one like that...when I in my twenties you couldn't go a day without seeing at least one or two like that....and I live in NW WI, in a fairly rural area where vehicles get used long and hard...and I still don't see many like that.

I just buy the raw material on Amazon: https://www.howtobuyamerican.com/content/db/b-db-autos.shtml ...then cut it to length for each rod. I pinch/fold the tip end together, stuff it into a heat shrink tube and heat it up so it holds it together. At the open end, I fold it back on itself . Works great. Not sure I save much money, but I get "custom" fit sleeves, even better for my fly rods and musky rods, most of which are 9 ft. or better.

duplicate...

By "...cheaply manufactured foreign POS..." you mean Fords, Chevy's and Chryslers? Ever look at the content info for a lot of "American" vehicles? https://www.howtobuyamerican.com/content/db/b-db-autos.shtml BTW, there's 3 Fords in my garage...

I love those folks. They provide a never-ending stream of nice used boats (and cars, trucks and other stuff) for people like me to buy at a fraction of the cost and not 1) take a beating on the resale value, or 2) chuck money down the financing hole. ...while I did go through several (used) boats in a short time frame in the last few years, it was with the goal of zeroing in on what I liked and didn't like, finding out how I like to fish and paying cash for toys.

I agree on the 36 volt trolling motor...I've run q 36 volt Terrova on 18 ft boats for several years and will never go back.

Good stuff, and timely...I keep a couple pair of leather gloves in the boat for this...and they are never where I left them. ...so today I skipped them when tying a leader on...and sliced the $%^& outta my finger. I've always got a bunch of water bottles in the boat, this will work great.

I did almost exactly the same...it was nice not having the foot pedal on the deck...but once I got used to using both it would be hard to go back. One feature of the Ultera that I am looking forward to it the foot pedal mounted spot lock button.

I use the Terrova as a "set it and forget it" tool most of the the time...but I was referring more to the folks who are on their trolling motors pretty much constantly. I've fished with a lot of guys who are adjusting direction, speed, nudging it this way and that...and it works for them, which is great. You know how the Terrove is when you point it down lake and it stays that way? Cable steer can't do that...if you leave a cable steer trolling motor on at any given angle...the boat will go in circles if you don't correct it...so it needs a lot of attention. A Terrova does not need that.

Take that a step further: Woolly bugger. They don't get no respect, but....man....do they catch fish.

I fly fish a fair amount...everything from brook trout to muskies...and the the experience I carried forward from that with baitcasting and spinning equipment is tha the rod makes more difference to me than the reel. ...that said...the least expensive reel I use regularly was about $180...so I might not be the best person to ask...

THe reel I use most often is a 7.1:1, but I have more 9:1 than any other reel (ran into some stupid deals on Revo Rockets), I only have a couple slower than 7:1. ...I can always slow down...it's hard to speed up past a certain point.

I have mine mounted on Crestliner CMV, Crestliner's version of a bass boat from the mid-2000s (it virtually the same boat as the new Lund Pro-V Bass, just 10 years older). It works great. The key to using a Terrova is to not use it like a cable steer motor. Terrovas are about setting a direction and letting the motor do the work for you, not about constant adjustments and corrections and being on the pedal all day. If you need/want to be on the pedal constantly, a Terrova is not for you. If you'd rather let the trolling motor handle boat control and fish...and are willing to learn to do things differently...you'll spend more time with the lure in the water. The Terrova is only noisy if you make a lot of corrections to your direction...something you don't have to do if you learn how to use it. I'm sure the Motor Guide achieves the same things...but it's still a late to the party copy...which is fine...

I haven't tried the MotorGuide...I'm sure it's a great product and works well... ...but let's not pretend it's anything other than a "me too!" copy of the Terrova with some (needed) improvements.... ...as to all the issues you have had...Wow...what did MinnKota say/do when you reported the issues to them? I have had nothing but excellent service from them...

It is a powerful statement...and I agree with it 100%. The Terrova has changed how I fish and the how much time I spend fishing when I am out more than any other piece of equipment I have installed on my boat. If you don't try to force it into the paradigm of a cable steer motor, it will change how you fish...for the better.

You're not the only one who doesn't catch fish on them...I fished with a guy this summer...I was catching fish all day, he finally got tired of it and rigged one up...nothing...and I continued to catch them...I have no idea what he was doing wrong...

Interesting...I've had mine for 5 years, had it mounted on 3 different boats and have never had a problem I didn't cause. I've bent the shaft running it into shallow rocks twice, one time bad enough that the seal on the shaft leaked and ruined the motor itself. Both times fixed under warranty in just a couple days. For perspective, I fish upwards of 60 days a year and run the motor almost all the time when I fish.

Yup. With that set-up, I'll get them into cover...hop them a few times like a craw...then retrieve back to the boat. I'll often pick up fish on the retrieve back to the baot - this seems to be where the pike and musky like to kill them...they just hate the things...