Further North

Very, very cool. ...not there yet: Way light on HP/thrust. Gotta move an 18 ft. long, 8 ft. wide boat with a ton of storage somewhere near 40 MPH. For now. This will clearly change in the future. Insane prices. Feels like they are trading the environmental "feel good" impact for prices that are 4x what they are for a 4-stoke of similar power. We'll get there. I believe that we'll see, in my lifetime, reasonably priced, effective, efficient, electric power that will work very well for fishing boats. That's cool...but again, at that price it feels like bragging rights, not a cost effective, efficient solution. Motor and batteries are 4x what my whole boat cost...can't make that up in gas money, not when I have to pay for the electricity. ...but really cool and a harbinger of things to come.

I am...pun intended...in the same boat. I fully intend to die with the boat I have, because it does what I want it to do really, really well. Electronics 'n' stuff will get upgraded as life goes on, but that is what it is. What could change that? I could wreck the boat...like run it into a BAMF rock not on the charts in Canada. Odds are slim, but it could happen. Solution: Buy new Crestliner Bass Hawk or Lund Pro-V Bass. The boat could get wrecked in an accident. A texting cretin could run a stop sign and wipe out the boat. Could happen. Solution: Buy new Crestliner Bass Hawk or Lund Pro-V Bass. Could blow the motor, or wear it out. Solution: Re-power to a 150 four stroke. Brand to be determined based on whatever cool stuff has surfaced n the market at the time, plus price and efficiency. I could lose interest in the way I fish now. Solution, buy a pontoon boat, or a walleye boat, and fish with bobbers 'n' bait. I hope some kind soul puts me out of my misery if this happens. Some kind of physical limitation farces a change. Solution: Re-evaluate and buy a new rig based on whatever is going on. If it's #4, see above reference to a kind soul, and misery. Some kind of seriously impactful, genuinely cost reducing technology will pop up and have the real potential to enrich my experience while reducing my costs. Solution: Evaluate carefully, if it's real...make the jump. What could #6 be? I dunno...but...what if Tesla started making boats? Think about it. I've done the math, and the technolgy has the potential tp be truly useful, much less damaging to our shared resources as well as less expensive. Would I jump? Depends on the $$$.

That... ...sounds... ...sweet... I'm the same way with a some of the stuff on the list. I don't want a boat big enough to need a dual axle trailer... My ideal rod locker holds 9 ft. rods... Mostly I want Places for all the gear aboard the boat, with the exception of what I am actively using, to be stored below deck, out of my way. Lots of casting deck room...front and back...call it enough room for two guys using 9' rods. Double bubble, no #$%^&*@ windshield to jab me in the ribs as a walk a big musky 'round the boat. A boat light enough to tow with a vehicle that gets goo MPG the 90%+ of the time I'm not towing a boat. A low enough price to pay cash without twitching...

That's where I landed. ...but I did go with an AGM for my electronics.

Not a stupid question at all. I have a 60" Ulterra on my Crestliner CMV...and I wish it was a foot shorter, and wouldn't be unhappy if it were 15" shorter... the head sticking up is a PITA at times. But they don't make a 45", 112 lb. thrust Ulterra with Link... ...at least with power trim, I can drop the head down to the deck in seconds without spending 5 minutes adjusting the depth collar...

I've never measured it...subjectively....maybe a little. Neither has been enough to impact fishing. Tough to answer as I don't know how you fish. You can do it with one hand, while still hanging on to the fishing rod, but if it's a rock that suddenly appears off the bow and I wasn't ready for it...not sure. Pulling the Terrova up involved setting down the rod, hitting the shaft lock lever with my foot, pulling the Terrova in with my hands...so while the action of actually pulling up the Terrova is faster, the entire process takes at least as long as grabbing the remote and pressing a couple buttons. Made the change from 101 to 112 when I moved to the Ulterra. Yes there's a difference.

I use both the remote and the foot pedal, depending on what I'm doing and where I am in the boat. Really enjoy my Ulterra after having a Terrova for 4 years. Both worked great, minus a couple of user caused issues. ...A friend is still running the Terrova, two years into my Ulterra conversion. Auto deploy/auto stow is OK...power trim is the cat's PJs. I have mine (with Link) networked to two Helix units, love the follow the contour feature, go to waypoint, follow a route... Re-spot lock. Point the bow into the wind when you engage it. You're gonna wind up that way anyway, it makes life a lot simpler.

You are, IMO, on the right path. I would only consider 12 volt TMs for very small, very light boats...like 14 ft., 9.9 HP boats with aluminum bench seats... At 16 ft. +, no way I'd go anything less than 24 volt. 12 volt, 55 lb. thrust will run out of power at the end of the day...and it won't be enough to manage current or significant wind. You...can...not...ever...have...too...much...trolling...motor...power...PERIOD...unless it exceeds your budget. Then make do until you can upgrade. I run a 112, 36 volt TM on an 18 1/2 ft aluminum hull boat. No way I'd go lower...other than if I was in a financial pinch and the difference in costs was enough to keep me off the water. If you can do 24 volt, get 'er done.

That's an interesting choice...do you mind explaining why? ...I expect to learn something cool here...

Casting bubbles work...that's what I tried first. For me, I found casting the bubble, with 6-7-8 feet of line hanging below it far more complex than throwing a fly line. Fly casting isn't hard. Trust me, if I can do it, virtually anyone can.

Maybe...sometimes. Probably depends if you find tying it a pain. I don't. But then I think tying a Uni-to-uni is a pain...too many loose ends to keep track of...for me. If I had to guess, I'd say 10" +/- 2", here. Since I refuse to watch TV, I'll have to wait for the "official" total.

I'm about 120 miles due east of you...and same thing: Practice, practice, practice! What else are we gonna do this time of year? I hope this storm misses you guys, looks like we might be right in its crosshairs...

That's a new one for me. Chuckling up here in Da Nort' Woods.

I was going to ask about the line choice. I'd run nothing less than 50# braid on that reel. I have one baitcaster I drop down to 30# on, but it's a BFS rig.

Ah, that makes more sense! Could be, but I'm doubting that...no one knows me would think me anymore than average in terms of coordination. I've tried two ways of tying the FG: Rod leaning away to provide tension on the line Line looped around something (I used the reel handle, because it's adjustable) to provide tension. I prefer the first method, but both work. Just saw these for a third way I'll try that might make it even easier to tie on the boat: ...Part 3 wearing gloves kinda seals the deal in terms of how easy it might be, for me.

Sure it does. It is the smallest leader to mainline knot, period. I have never had one come undone. ...and I can tie them in the boat, all day, every day. It's not hard at all.

There's a gentleman nearby - Jason Halfen - who did a lot of work with Trigger X soft plastics for walleye. I found it really interesting...and he helped me catch my at-that-time personal best. I've since been cured of fishing for walleye, and have caught a few that eclipsed that fish by almost 10", mostly by accident...but ti was still fun to learn about.

There's muskies in TN...you can go south... Call the guys at Fly South in Nashville, and there are other options.

Muskies are fun...I like pike better...more of 'em and they are more aggressive. ...this'll get you heart beating:

Bats are OK, you just have to keep the line tight and out of the trees. I've found that I am a lot less tired after a day on the water if I switch back and forth between gear and flies. Different muscles, different presentations... I had one musky to the boat 5 times in about 40 minutes last fall...three flies, two lures...she wouldn't eat any of them...

Thanks...never thought about Elaztech...that'd work...tried super glue...tended to just break the soft plastics where the glue ended...made the soft plastic kind of brittle/rigid...Hook stayed in the rigid part...rest of the bait went into the trees... I've got some hybridization going the other direction (throwing big flies on gear) that I've been working on. Made some progress at the end of last season, looking forward to carrying it into 2018.

Pretty well nailed it, IMO...but I'm far from a purist. I already use scent when trowing flies for bass, pike and musky: I rub some Mega Strike into my hands when I'm done putting on sunscreen, etc., and after lunch I'll work some pike formula into pike and musky flies, particularly when they are new. Would you be able to tell us more about this? The couple times I tried, the soft plastics didn't last long - they couldn't stand the stress of the stops and acceleration.

Wasn't sure where to post this, thought this would be a good start, please move if that's best Not new in the world of gear, but on the radar for flies: http://www.ginkandgasoline.com/fly-fishing-lifestyle/sunday-classic-scent-attractor-in-fly-fishing/#comment-300379

While I would have had them in vests had they been on my boat, whether or not they were wearing them is really their choice and should not have any bearing on the case. I am 1005 with @A-Jay: ...and honestly, would be rooting for more than a little jail jail time, just to get people's attention about how serious inattentive driving is. I'll say it again: Worse than drunk driving. A lot worse.

Last 5 words tell the story... Worse than drunk drivers.