Junk Fisherman

Hey Guys, I want to mount something in my boat for pliers, scissors, and whatnot. Anything you recommend? Thanks

Sorry for your loss.

I agree about the Pro V Bass which is what the OP was asking about. (Maybe I should have read the OP's question a little closer.) The difference in weight between it and a 18' glass bassboat are negligible. My post above was comparing a traditional tin bass boat (Ranger RT 188 or Tracker 190 for example) and a glass bass boat. Pro V Bass is not in that class.

While some of these can be debated, these are some of the general consensus views on the difference between glass and tin. Aluminum pros- less expensive, lighter, easier to repair, easier to tow and push the trailer around, less motor to reach max Glass pros- high performance, softer ride due to absorbing waves better, hold their position in the wind better due to both a heavier weight and glass sitting in the water more while tin sits more on top of the water, prettier Aluminum cons- blows around in the wind more than glass, rougher ride in choppy water Glass cons- more expensive to repair, requires a larger tow vehicle And I am referring to a comparison of let's say a Ranger RT188 and a Nitro V18. Personally, if I was primarily fishing inland lakes and reservoirs I would probably own the RT188. WIth a Talon/PP and an Xi5/Terrova, boat control is much easier and you can stop a tin boat from blowing around as much.

Fishing the kayak tournament? Jacksonville is one of my favorite lakes in the state.

The performance is great and it is the ideal bass boat for these Great Lakes smallies. Loves the way it handles the rougher water. The longer fiberglass hull and SAS seat make for a very comfortable ride when running 2'-3' waves. Great platform to fish out. The Yamaha and Xi5 have been great too.

Not an IL report but I am an IL guy. Been fishing Grand Traverse Bay in Michigan the last week. Been catching a lot of fish in the 15"-17" range. Drop shot, 4" senkos, tubes, and spinnerbaits have caught all my fish. Biggest bass so far was 5.0 lbs. Caught this 4.4 lb smallie on a drop shot rig.

Good morning at Braidwood today. Biggest fish were an 18" on a swimbait and a fat 17" bass on a creature bait. Caught a bunch of smaller fish on a Ned Rig. Caught somewhere around 15 fish. Took out at noon when the winds really picked up. Water temps at 85. Last time I'll fish there till next September.

That gray looks great. Congrats!

Hit up the Calumet River and Lake Calumet. Caught my 1st fish in my new boat (15" largemouth) and then a nice 18" smallmouth on Lake Cal. Forgot to put back my memory card in the camera so I have no pics. Wonder what I could have done if I was really focused on fishing. I was just trying to get acclimated to my Xi5 TM and I still don't have a front unit on the boat. Only fished for about 3 hours and spent the rest of the time breaking in the motor. Didn't put on enough sunscreen.

I used to fish Delavan often and I always had good luck there. I just know that guys that fish it regularly have reported that their catch rates were down last year and I haven't seen the great May reports from Delavan this year like I have in the past. I'm just speculating from a half dozen or so guys whose reports I am basing it on. I do have a tournament there later this year so I'll be fishing there a few times this summer. Hope I can catch a bunch of 18 and 19 inch fish like I have in the past.

Seems like Delavan has peaked. You don't see nearly as many eye-popping results as you did 5 years ago.

Done with most of the rigging. Just need to install my console transducer and bow graph. I've had the boat out twice and it hit 60 on the speedo but that was with a 9.9 on the transom. Haven't fished with the boat yet. Still need to apply a coat of Protec. These pics don't show how much it sparkles when the sun hits it right.

How does eennvvyy get censored?

Awesome stuff!! Congrats!! That is a bad boat and you are going to be the *** of many, many fishermen. Now go catch some big bass and get some bass slime on the carpet!

http://www.chargerboats.com/fs375.html Be tough to find one used.

Seating for 3 behind the console is going to rule out every bassboat. Have you looked at all the fiberglass multispecies boats? Maybe a Stratos and Triton will fit the bill. And I wouldn't want a 19', 1700-1800 lb boat with a single axle. I understand wanting a single axle, I got one with my 19' boat but it weighs 1300 lbs.

My assumption is that this Pro V Bass is going to sit higher off the water than your traditional bass boat so your pitching and skipping angles will be altered. I have talked to bass fishermen one with a traditional Pro V and another with the multispecies Tuffy X-190 who both stand higher in the bow and neither said the additional height was a problem. The X-190 owner came out of a Ranger and he said he likes fishing the shallow stuff better in his multispecies than his old bass boat. He pointed out a couple times how he liked standing higher when fishing for spawning smallies, If you are buying this boat it is not with the expectation of having the best shallow water boat. The Pro V Bass is a big water, bass boat. It will shine over traditional bass boats on big, open water especially if you are fighting 2-3 foot waves. Obviously, you'll still be able to effectively fish the shallow stuff but a boat such as the Ranger RT188 would be a more effective boat for the shallow stuff.

Good plan. And it you are only getting 1 PP, the weight is nothing. 30 lbs You won't be able to tell any performance difference.

I have a 12' Talon and while I love it, the PP does seem quieter and it's a lot lighter. I never even considered the PP when I purchased but knowing what I know now I would look closely at the PP. One major negative about the Talon is how ridiculously expensive all the brackets and accessories are. $50-$60 for a lock? $200+ for a tilt bracket? They really stick it to you. And I have 1 and do just fine. You just have to play the wind and realize where your boat is going to swing to. One is definitely worth the money. I haven't considered spending another 2K for a second.

They are about a 6 lb difference. If you are going with 2 PPs that is around 70 lbs. Yeah, you might see a mph or so off your top speed. That is definitely worth it. Get the 10s and never wonder. Sure, 8s might work 90% of the time but why mess with it?

I bought an inexpensive '92 boat in 2001 and used it for 15 years while saving. Paid cash for my new boat. My personal outlook to finance the smallest amount possible and pay it off as quickly as possible.

Further North (CMV) and Slone (Predator) both have boats that have caught my eye over the years. Like them, I fish bigger water and spend quite a bit of time on the Great Lakes. Because of this, I went with the fiberglass deep V bass boat in a Tuffy X-190. It is a hybrid, multispecies boat. This boat has a large front deck like a traditional bassboat but it has a much deeper V with pedestal seats. Like most deep V tins, it does not have much of a rear deck. If the bass boat layout is crucial then check the Lund Pro V Bass. And you speak of musky fishing.... The X-190 and the Pro V Bass pedestal model target the musky fisherman. . In terms of cons- these style of boats are not as good as your traditional, low profile bass boat for shallow water fishing. Pitching baits and skipping docks will be better in the bass boat. But get out fishing in 2'-3' waves and you'll be happy you are in the deep V.

Mazonia, Rock Run Rockery, and Whalen are all places to check out in a boat. If I was shore fishing I would be fishing the Dupage for smallies.

For me it depends on length of the boat. Anything under 17' has to be a tiller since the console takes up too much space. My father had a 16.5' Basstracker console and a 16.5' tiller Alumacraft and the difference in space was huge. Granted, there is no back deck in the tiller. The tiller makes a great multispecies boat.