Further North

That's exactly what I'm saying...doesn't matter if it costs more, it's lost margin if the the other guy sells it. I'd rather have 5% (or 2%, or whatever) than 20% of nothing... ...the buyer that goes elsewhere to get that Alumacraft is most likely going to go back there for service and accessories. That's when it really starts to hurt... Mostly because anyone who has looked hard at Alumacraft and Tracker and decided Alumacraft is a better boat isn't going to buy the Tracker just because Cabela's is selling it. The risk of letting go of the other brands is pretty high...let it go and they loose all profit opportunity on those brands...that'd be silly in my book, but I'm not a boat business whiz, I just make 2 - 3 x commodity margins on corrugated...I'd be surprised to see them make a business decision like that.

One at the bow, one at the console, whatever size your pocketbook can handle. For me, more than that is just a distraction. People who claim to be able to "multi-task" aren't really good at anything...

Sure they will. But if they don't offer Alumacraft and Lowe...they make zero on those brands...and plenty of people are still going to seek them out and buy them. They can't possibly be arrogant, or stupid enough to believe anyone is going to forsake an Alumacraft for a Tracker...unless they are half daft... I'm a no math wizard, but I'd rather make 5% of something than 20% of nothing...

You've got the wrong line on it...

I assume we are referring to Maxcuatro?

Not sure what you mean by "native app" but Google Maps isn't worth squat for showing water depth. You're gonna wanna avoid shallow water. That can be fatal to lower units.

Ditto on Navionics. It's my back-up to my on-board Humminbird systems in case something stupid happens.

When I raised my motor on my transom, I pulled the bolts out, set a 4 x 4 under the skeg, then cranked up the trailer hitch jack to move to motor up the transom. When the top holes were aligned, I put bolts back, sealed them and moved on. That's doing what you experienced in purpose. Worked great, zero issues, very controlled and safe. 4 years later no issues.

I'm with you...for $440, a bait needs to come with...um...extensive, intimate attention from an attractive...consultant...if you catch my drift...or a guarantee of a significant tournament win. ...otherwise...it's just plain stoopid... I could get ther if the thing was $50, $75, maybe even $100...but at $440? Makes no sense to any rational fisherman.

"Feel" is different for every one. It will depend on equipment, , line, lures, experience... ...and what you're trying to achieve.

I'd have asked them which law it was you were breaking. ...as much as we can laugh at it...those two Gomers are going to cost some new or naive fishermen a bunch of money and be responsible for bad info getting out there... I'd probably call the store manage on Monday...

I admire anyone who takes on that job...I do most of the work on my own boat, but that'll be one I have done if it ever needs it.

They'll get over it...or they won't. I'll be OK either way.

...but only because you'll have the time to devote to fishing instead of working... The reason for 65 lb. braid? It's the same diameter as the mono we used to use. THat skinny crap cuts fingers, and breaks if it even sees a rough edge rock...

Seems a little like a temper tantrum.... It might not have anything to do with the OP, but it's indicative of how our culture treats celebrities with special sets of rules...and lets them get away with stuff we'd not condone among our friends...it should be the other way around...they should; as ambassadors for our pastime, pros should operate at the highest level, not the lowest. Thanks for putting the post up...those of us who don't follow the pros wouldn't know otherwise, and now we know to avoid things Iconelli endorses...

My favorite fishng pictures aren't about big fish or about a big limit...they are about places and now and then about people fishing.... I took the picture below on the Bighorn River late one April day a few years back... ...end of the day, last day of the trip with good friends...I was waiting at the take out while the rest of the crew went to get the trucks so we could pull the drift boats and go eat, have a couple beers and tell lies... the only noise was the river burbling along, and a couple pheasants cackling off in the distance.

Both Tim Holschag and the folks that wrote the "River Smallmouth Fishing: The Best Techniques & Best Rivers" for Tight Line out of De Pere, WI recommend an indicator (that's a bobber to the rest of the fishing world) why fishing subsurface for smallies with a fly rod. I rig mine so it is as close to the junction of my fly line and my leader as I can get it. If it twitches, stops, or moves counter to the current in any way, I set the hook... Works in stillwater too...

Same here...or for if I do something dumb like break/lose/forget my prescription sunglasses.

Yeah, it is. Those connections get all gunked up, corroded and oxidized even if we cover them up. Cleaning them is often the quickest solution.

Well...sort of. The cost of people, real estate, taxes, utilities, and machinery has gone way up (our newest corrugated flexo press was well north of $6 million all in, vs. ~$80k in the 60s). But it's faster by a couple orders of magnitude and it does more, to higher standards.

I checked a couple of inflation calculators...$1.20 in 1945 is $16 and change in 2017.

I get that...maybe what we should step back and think about is maybe Minn Kota decided that doing so would compromise the integrity of the trolling motor shaft...and knowing there are already all kinds of effective solutions out there, they decided to not take the risk. Maybe the best bet would be to ask Minn Kota rather than 2nd guessing them. Odds are really, really good they've got good reasons for the decisions they made...it's called risk assessment and management...

I've got a silly question....Why does resale value of a reel...or any fishing related equipment...matter if it's what you want to use? We're fishermen, not stock traders...expecting to make money...or even break even...on used equipment seems like a fool's errand to this simple fisherman... Maybe I missed the point of the OP...but if I wanted something because I felt like it'd improve for fishing...I'd buy it. if it didn't work out...I'd sell it. No way I'd worry about potential resale value...

Stoopid question: When you say "... half my lights went out ..."... Which half? Left? Right? Every other light on the whole trailer? ...yeah that last question is a bit facetious...but letting us know what's going on will help diagnose the problem.

Smokercraft builds a solid, reliable boat...lots of Smokercraft hulls older than 1998 around here still doing the job. I like that the boat has a newer, modern, 4-stroke on it...that Merc's a good engine if it's been taken care of. I can't comment on dry/wet rides, have not been in one when waves have been high enough to make a difference.