RobDar

a balanced load is best...level to slight high is correct...well if that is how you get a balanced load. people say high is better because it moves the center of gravity backwards, taking weight off the tongue...but that does not mean that high is the best way to tow. Too much weight forward and too much weight on the tongue makes the rear end feel sloppy and you get alot of drift and draw when towing. ( or...like in my father in laws case...you just may need new truck LOL!) You see these guys all the time going down the highway with campers and moving trailers...they change lanes and the trailer weaves back and forth, back and forth, for the next quarter mile or so. Or every touch of the wheel sends the trailer weaving back and forth... that is a sign of an unbalanced towing load, overloading, or a crappy truck! LOL! Having the load too high with actually pull up on the rear end and effect your traction...not to mentions that the trailer is not designed to hold weight that way. Hard on the trailer reciever...bearings...bunks...

I have heard the same thing about cranks and rods. I typically use a medium action rod with good ole stretchy mono for cranking. At the time I did not know I was really following any kind of rule, it was just what seemed most comfortable to me. It was later that I heard it said that this is the way it "should" be done... ...truth be told though... I know just as many guys who use heavy fast action rods for cranking as I do guys that uses slower action mediums...and I do not notice that one group is more successful than the other. I uses a medium with mono because of where i have a tendency to throw the crank and how I fish it... usually leaves my wife going..."What are you nuts? you cant throw a crank in there!" If my gear is too sensitive all the bumps and thumps get confusing and without some give in the rod and line I find I get snagged up a WHOLE lot more than when there is some give.

Cart 7...I see your point. There is some advantage to the old days...before the "package deal" boats...when there was a few hulls to choose from and you outfitted it as you saw fit. Tracker claims they revolutionized the industry with their packaged boat deals...and to some extent they did, but in other ways they burned us. There is however a market for these boats. Whether that market has been created by issuing a supply of boats...or if the boats were supplied to satisfy the an existing market...who knows...probably a little of both. Not every boat buyer has the same needs and wants. There are just as many folks buying boats who could not care one didly about performance; and in fact would not even recognize the difference in performance, as there are those who watchdog performance. There is some definate value to maximizing HP and performance...for the guy who cares. I do not think that these companies are making a mistake or trying to pull a fast one by building these boats. I feel they are fullfilling a market demand and are offering a product that otherwise would not be available to a certian segment of the boat buying public. Now...some of those folks will indeed one day think to themselves..."Crap I should have bought the..." and want to upgrade. Some of these folks would never have even bought a boat in the first place if not for these entry level boats and in this situation the companies have created a customer where there was not one presently... ...and there is nothing wrong with that! That is capitalism! That is just darn good business! If these folks take a loss on their boats because they came into with to small a downpayment, too long of a financing term with too steep of an interest curve, or too few upgrades to make the boat desirable...well you cannot really blame the companies for that. That is just foolish consumerism. 80% of America takes a loss on their cars and think nothing of it. Should boats be different? (A friend of mine would harrang you till you cried for financing a car at all...he says ALL CARS SHOULD ALWAYS BE BOUGHT CASH...is he right? yep, probably...but then he has the money to do that...dropping $50,000 on a new truck, cash, is not even a thinker for him...but he has no right to criticize others for not having that option) Personally I think people need to be smarter when buying both...but it wont happen and it is not the responsibility of manufacturers to ensure people make wise choices. We live in a "want it got to have it" society...and I cannot fault corporations for taking advantage of it. Hell...I do. Everytime somebody wants some crazy expensive light fixture from Italy that is no different than one made here in America...other than it was made in Italy...I get a big smile. Bigger price tag, bigger mark up! The people who shop without any common sense are the folks who pay my bills. There is as well the other portion of the boat buying public who will buy these boats and be happy as a lark with it from the get go... ...and again...they may have never bought a boat at all if this entry level choice was not available and again the companies have created a customer where there was not one before...just good business top to bottom. This kind of supply and demand comsumerism is what this country was built on! I think the guy who plans to make SERIOUS use of his boat better darn well do the research to make sure he is making not only a good performance decision, but a sound financial one as well...but it is not the companies fault if he does not do that and foolishly chooses an entry level boat and then hates it. That is his fault...the companies supplied him with a choice and he made the wrong one. On the flip side the weekend angler or bounce about boater may not have EVER HAD A CHOICE if not for these entry level boats. There is nothing wrong with someone buying this boat because it is all they can afford or all they want to pay. They may in fact buy it and love it and without this choice never had the choice at all.

perhaps THAT IS the hulls potential/ true value... I asked this question once before...wondering if they do some other things to make the boat cheaper... less a layer of lamination?... less structure of/on the transom?... lighter weight stringers?... less flotation?... perhaps there is something physically different about the boat that limits the horsepower that it can handle safely. I know we all feel like there is alot of mark up in boats...but I wonder if this is like Electrical equipment. When you pay less...you get less! You would think Hubbell is flippin crazy for what they charge for devices and equipment...but there really is ALOT of difference between Hubbell and something like Pass and Seymour. Just looking you cannot tell...but they are definately different I feel like that there is likely SOMETHING besides just the cheaper electronics...cheaper trolling motor...and less deck compartments that make these boats cheaper. I would love to see someone take one of these and a "middle of the road" boat from the same manufactuer and see what the difference are.

....define slug...I would expect slow hole shot, but after all I think it should be expected with a boat in this range... I would bet the boat will do 40-45 plus or minus a few. I have never seen that formula before. what does the math formula shoot for... What is the benchmark? as it stands it is 2 x 2 without a result...what "value" is the result of formula meant to express? Is that formula what is generally considered "comfortable performance" ( at which time comfortable perfromance needs a definition) Is that to reach a certian MPH??? A certian "to plane in X seconds"??? When you really look at it... less than $17,000 means $16,995... plus dealer prep and other garbage...( $1000 +/-) plus upgrading to the 115 from the 90...($1500 +/-) plus upgrading the presently way underpowered trolling motor ( 40lbs motor...what are they thinking???) ( $600 for basic, self installed without wiring upgrade) plus adding a front graph...( $150-????) plus ditching the piranhamax 215 graph---whose pixels are so bad it is hardly readable...( $150-???) plus a cover...($500 +/-) not including if you want a jack plate...24volt trolling motor... you are pushing $21,000 +/- out the door. for not too much more you could buy the 285xl...or other brand...with all these things on board already and have more motor options. at least that is my opinion. but for the guy who does not want or care about those particular options ( of which there are many)... I guess it will be a good deal. It will prove a good boat for the weekend angler or the guy looking for an affordable fiberglass upgrade from his aluminum.

seems that is the case with most magazines these days... I think the print companies have a harder time these days competing with the internet. I had subscriptions to several magazines that ALL got canceled because it got to the point it was hard to find the articles in between the advertisements. BWB...cancelled Maxim...cancelled Bassin'...cancelled This Old House...cancelled NECA...cancelled the only one not cancelled is Chicago Wilderness. I told the lady from Maxim customer service that I get enough junk mail as it is and their magazine had become nothing but junk mail in a pretty package.

SHE IS BEAUTIFUL!!!! ...darn nice wife ya got there as well...ya know what my wife got me for our anniversary... I got... "How many years has it been?" "Wow has it really been that long?" "make sure you get the grass cut today" ;D

someone already aswered the wood question for ya... I know several guys who fish from a Nitro 750 and the other Nitro's similar. Nitro is a ppular boat around these parts, mostly because 95% of the dealers around here are Tracker dealers. I have driven one and it is an good boat. It is an entry level boat. You will not get the comfort, ride quality or stability you will from a upper level boat like a Ranger or Bass Cat...but the Nitro are good little boats that do their job quite well under most conditions. Where I fish is mostly inland lakes and a few rivers here and there...under those conditions a Nitro is a great boat to have. If I lived somewhere where I had the tendency to fish the great lakes ( I live near Lake Michigan but hardly ever fish it), coatal waters, or other "big water" conditions I might get better service out of a Ranger or simliar...but considering my fishing tendencies... The Nitro is one of the boats I am considering in the Spring. It is affordable and will do what I need it to. I just drove a 750 with a 115 last fall...with two guys and gear aboard it did the high 40's/low 50's.

I agree with whomever said suspended are tough to catch. It is what I have the most trouble with...and that is with them suspending off of structure...when they are out just cruizing without structure...that is a thinker. I think I might have assumed they were chasing/ following the bait fish and I had happened to just come along at the right time to see it... might have tried a jerk bait, Silver Buddy, or maybe even an inline spinner right up in their face and see if I could convince it was time to eat.

I am not so confident that the Barometric pressure has as much effect as people give it credit. I think right in and around a big change the fish are goofy, but in just a few hours they will start hitting again...all be it maybe on something different. I have had some of my best days fishing in the rain and on days with come and go storms. ...and rain is right... I live near Chicago...raining again the last two days. I do not remember this wet of an august. This is like what it should have been in April. Last 8 days it has rained for 6 of them. I like rain...but it is getting old now.

Potato Creek State Park. We had several big fish there this year.

We had our last regular season tourney yesterday. We did not have a good day...missed more than we caught...after 5 weeks of waiting on my truck to get fixed and not being able to fish, we just could not get a rythym going yesterday. anyhow... one fish yesterday... I never thought he was going to make it. I have had some fish hit light before...but this was like the lure had drifted into his mouth..not like he hit it. and when I set the hook he did not even fight. I just drug him to the boat like he was a twig or something. He was real pale...( I would have taken a picture but the camera was in the truck)...and did not produce much slime at all. He had a few sores on him and was a little ragged looking. We were going to throw him back, even thought he was the biggest fish we had caught...just to give him the best chance to survive. I actually felt sorry for him. But i thought lets see how he does...maybe the oxy rich water in the live well will perk him up a bit... well he was really lax in the live well but kept on swimmin...so we weighed him in. I never thought he would make it the scales but he did... and when I dropped him back in the lake he took off like a freakin bullet... I almost feel like the darn fish as playin me...LOL! but at any rate...all I can wonder is if maybe he was a culled fish or a hook spitter from another boat and was just worn out when I caught him. but if that was true I would not think he would have hit at all...

Yesterday was the last regular season tourney for our division. The fishing was spotty. Guys either had a beatuful bag or just one or two "BL's" ( barely legals). We had three fish over 5 lbs weighed in. ( while maybe not much for Texas...for Northern Indiana that is a GOOD DAY!) and a 13 lbs bag and two others over 9 lbs. Personally we had a terrible day. Not that the fishing was bad...but we were bad...I missed two while not paying attention, Wife lost two, once she was talking to another guy in the tourney the other she just plain horsed him right off the hook. Oh well...it happens. We just could not get our rythym going yesterday. Probably from 5 weeks off the water waiting for my stinkin truckk to get fixed! LOL! The old guy in the picture below... ...have you ever met someone that you wish you would have met much ealier in your life? This old guy is likely one of my favorite people. He is not only a great fisherman, but an all around great guy. He took first and big bass yesterday. I was really happy for him. ...all in all the guys had a great last day and we had a good year. Everyone in our circut division qualified for the Classics in spetember...which is really cool! I am already looking forward to next year. ...our weigh in was not worth a picture. LOL!

I think I have to agree...since the vapors and fumes are the explody part of the gas... I think I might consider putting a vent in the rod locker.

;D ;D he sure did! ...and unplugging them will not do much good it they are getting water in them.

I would love to say that pixels are the be all and end all...but they are not. THEY ARE IMPORTANT to be sure. What good is a fish finder you cannot read because of its crappy resolution? In the $80 to $150 dollar range, the guys are right, about the only difference in graphs in that range is the resolution. Get the best resolution you can afford. Though if you are asking in general about all fish finders... The first thing you have to know is how you plan on using it. Some guys rely heavily on their finders, others not so much. Some guys want one that will work while the boat is up on plane...other guys not so much. My father in laws fishing partner who spent almost $1000 for a fancy graph and really only uses the thing to know what the depth and temperature is...He wasted alot of money in my book. A $100 graph would have done what he uses his expensive one for. My father in law on the other hand does alot with his graph...he really USES it...follows structure, changes in water temp, really reads the bottom and the details of the lake...so the GPS and chart plotting and such of his graph was worth the money. SO my point is that you need to know a little of how you will use it. As you get into different price ranges there is a good deal difference in some of the graphs. Resolution being one...refresh rate of the screen ( important if you plan to use it with the boat under power) , width of the sonar beam, number of sonar beams, displayed-stored information, whether is does charting, gps, yadda yadda yadda... but for a first time boater...I would buy what you can afford and then as you learn to use it and get some experience with it...you will know what you would like your graph to do that it does not, or what it does that you never use...which ever the case may be. at some point you will go..."gee I wish this darn graph did this"...or ..."what a waste who ever actually uses that function?!?"...and then you will know what graph you really need. Expensive is not always better if you never use the things that made it expensive is my point here...

I would stay in if I thought there was a chance the storms would become dangerous...lightning, high winds etc...and if it was going to be a downpour with heavy rain. Not because I think the fishing is bad in the rain, but because I just hate fishing in heavy rain. It really is a matter of using the right tactics for the conditions. I have had some good days in bad weather. ( mostly by luck and not by any high quality or particularly skilled decision making on my part).

she is pretty! do me a favor though...leave the dog at home...at least when you are moving that fast. We have had three dogs bounced/ fallen out of boats around here this year. One made it home, the other two...well they did not fair as well.

...LOL! hope he is not the jealus type! If you want the guys to pay attention to the fish....dont post the girl!!!! LOL! I see several fish with that same/similar eye problem. Someone told me it is most likely damage from having been caught before. I do not know how true that is.

that sounds healthy to me... but then if we are speaking scientifically...who freakin knows. Some lakes I rate as pretty fair fisheries and seem like healthy and active lakes to me are actually rated pretty low by DNR...or rated as having alot of one problem or another. I do not know exactly how officials rate lakes...what their criteria is or what benchmarks they are watching. A good freind of ours is a forester/and forestry consultant and his wife is a naturalist. Hiking in the woods with them is an experience. What I always thought was a gorgeous patch of woods and seemed just fine to me are actually very unhealthy and over run with invasive species choking the life out of the forest. So how the real health of a lake or forest is determined...who knows. All I know is if I can catch fish there I am happy with it!

well good luck. the fish will still be there when you are healed!

shoulder surgery?

boattraderonline.com iboats.com

Silstar is a division of Freetime Group Australia Pty Lmtd. ( what? huh? who?) They own...Okuma, Silstar, Rapala, Storm, tuff line, williamson, and ultrabrite...but do not own Browning, BPS...yadda yadda yadda... they may build the reels under contract though. this may be a situation where Silstar builds the reels for Browning who then also sells them to BPS... Why does this has to be so confusing. This is as bad as trying to figure out who is responsible for what part in my wifes dodge neon...LOL!

now I call that clarity! thanx reelmech!