RHuff

Which model Ranger do you own?? I’m looking at the z185 and the z518 currently..

My biggest worry would be the seals and gas line both could be dry rotted. Other than that just a routine service.. Make sure you run an additive such as seafoam in fresh gasoline. It should start up okay just be real careful with it the first few times you actually kick it into gear and run it.

I was really into the z185 until I looked at a z518.. I think that’s now my favorite out of all that I have looked at..

Old Thread, but just curious if you can remember how the trip went? Sutton is a lake I've always wanted to fish but never gotten the chance to. I've heard a lot about it though..

So flats and drains during the early morning during low light and rip rap in the afternoon after rocks have had a chance to warm up?

Do you guys think rip rap is best in the mornings or in the afternoons after the sun has hit it?

FishtheMoment (Jon Shultz) and Bassresource (Glenn) on youtube are about two of the best at breaking things down into simple terms so that the common person or beginner can understand... I'd start there.

Narrowed it down to two. Can get the Ranger z185 with the z package and a 150 Merc Pro XS or the Triton 18 trx tournament package and a 175 Merc Pro XS for almost the same price... Triton will run about 10-12 mph faster but I know Rangers aren’t as quick but are built like a tank. I’ve been eyeing the Ranger hard but the Triton is starting to look pretty good to me too. Need input lol.

This for flipping heavy cover when I need weedless. Bigger profile than a Rage Bug (Even the Baby Brush Hog) and dip the tips in chartruese.

Go on....

It's a theory you can use to break down a new body of water that you haven't fished before. The theory basically states that you locate the spawning flat and back track the shoreline back out to make a triangle shape whereas the base of the triangle is the spawning flat and the tip is the ledge or deepest water available. You then fine tune it by using contour lines to locate bass migration routes as they go through the prespawn, spawn, and postspawn phases. Brandon Palaniuk uses it throughout his elite series schedule and he was a recent AOY winner so I trust that it's a good basis to start with.

I can usually get on my local lake near the end of March for my first few fishing trips of the new year. My lake usually averages water temperatures in the mid to upper 40s during this time period. I'm thinking about a good starting point in trying to locate some bass. I'm thinking this year, I'm gonna try to locate bass around the ledges that drop to deep water around the edges of spawning flats and any boulders or rocky banks that I can find near those areas. What do you guys look for in late winter/early spring when bass are just beginning to come up from winter?

I never had mine bolted but I installed a recessed tray and bolted the petal into the tray.

Which boat did you end up getting?

Thank You Russ for your feedback! My wife gave me the green light for the spring of 2020. Gonna be a long year to wait! I’m gonna trade in my Triton Aluminum plus put back a couple of thousand this year to go down on top of the trade in. I’m gonna start a savings fund and if I get any tournament winnings this year I’m gonna put down with it.

I'm looking at the Ranger z175 myself for next year. I currently fish from a 2007 Triton VT-17 with 50HP. This would be my first leap from aluminum to fiberglass. Would you mind giving me your thoughts on it? Is the 115 a big enough motor? I like the z185 with 150hp but I don't know if I can justify the extra $8,000 for one.

Way to go Flatrock! I still remember the feeling I had when I pulled out with my first boat - a 2008 Triton Aluminum. Even though mine was in excellent condition too when I picked it up and handed off the check, I still spent two days cleaning and organizing it because I was just so proud that it was MINE and paid for.

I think bass mostly bite for one of two ways. They strike to eat and they strike out of reaction. You have to decide are you trying to imitate forage that bass are actively feeding on or are you trying to cause an inactive bass to bite your lure in reaction to it? If you are fishing for active feeding bass then you want to "match the hatch" and imitate the food. If your fishing for reaction fish then you want to throw something that looks enticing to the fish as it first sees it. I may be different than a lot of other fisherman but that is what I try to decide when I first hit the water. 1) Active Fish in Low light conditions in a feeding area = Natural Food or Match the Hatch for Presentation 2) Inactive Fish in Clear High Pressure Sunny Days holding tight to cover = Reaction Bites - Bright Colors - Unique Looks Granted - there are times when the two may overlap. For example burning a chartreuse and black squarebill over a grass flat. Bass are there feeding and the bright colors doesn't really look like a baitfish but the "shock" color just looks to good for bass to let go by without eating it. You may flip a natural looking craw down a tree stump, but the bass is inactive and strikes the lure because it almost hits it on top of the head, not because it is feeding = reaction bite. The game in it all is what makes bass fishing the best sport on earth.

During this time of year in cold water bass like to move more vertically than horizontally. They want to be somewhere near a drop where they can rise up to the top of the ridge or flat to feed and drop straight down into deeper water when hunkering down to be inactive. They DO NOT want to have to swim up a long slow slope in order to go from deep water to a feeding zone. They want to have to swim as little as possible while using up as little as energy as possible.

I'm giving away my secrets now. Throw a floating stickbait similiar to a Bagley Bang-O-Lure and almost dead stick it on top. Make it flutter just a fraction, I'm talking only enough to produce rings and nothing more. Make it look like a stunned baitfish that is trying to move but cannot. Big bass will absolutely crush that thing, thinking it is a good sized meal with no effort to chase.

Don't over think things. Just fish what you think at the time is the best possible thing to throw. All that really matters is that you catch fish.

I'd throw a double willow spinnerbait with a big swimbait as a trailer as a search option and then hit the cover hard by flipping a 3/8 oz jig/craw. If the grass was too thick to get the jig through I would go heavy weighted texas rig craw. If neither of those produced I'd throw a walking bait such as a BD Topwater or Strike King Sexy Dawg. If nothing then I'd slow down for a popper such as the Storm Cover Pop. Last resort I'd throw a weedless fluke or a weedless texas rigged worm dragged along the bottom. If there are active fish in there then it will hit one of those. If nothing bites I'd probably go eat a sandwich.

Would you mind to share some strategies?

I never launch the boat without a spinnerbait tied on. 95% of the time it’s white. 95% of the time it’s a double willow nickel blades.

I like the BioSpawn Vile Craw or the Rage Bug mostly. This year I'm gonna throw the Gene Larew Punch Out Craw as well.