Junk Fisherman

Hit Braidwood on Saturday for my first outing this year. 10-12 fish or so. No size but it was good to get out. New gear performed very well.

I completely understand having a budget but you need to think big picture. How long are you going to have this boat? Are you going to be satisfied with it in 3 years? Spending a couple thousand more now, while it's over your budget, might make you much happier with the boat longer. I have seen so many people get a boat and then want to upgrade in a couple years. They then take a big hit in depreciation when they sell and end up losing thousands in the upgrade. I speak from experience on this one. In my early 20s I bought both a truck and boat that I could easily afford and pay off but within a couple years, I was wanting more. I wish I had spent more on both. In your case, it might be best to either increase your budget or save and wait a year so you can get to an 18' 115 HP such as a Ranger RT188. You can get that boat in the mid to upper 20s and be set for a long time. I think there's a good chance you get some 17' 60 HP boat because it fits your budget now but in a couple years, you'll be wanting more. That boat is big step down from the glass Basscat you have been using. Just some words of advice from someone who has gone through it before. Good luck with your purchase.

Agreed. I'd shop for a used fiberglass boat. You'll get a lot more boat and it's a much better economical decision as well. Just make sure you educate yourself as to what to look for in a used boat and how to get the engine inspected.

I am definitely not that guy. I always fish out from my strengths and add either different baits or techniques slowly. I have a good variety of different confident baits and colors I can match to just about any situation and I don't vary too far from them. There are a few different techniques that I want to play with this season but I will experiment with them in practice, fun fishing. And it is definitely experience and a successful history on the water that gives me confidence in what I am using. And as I think about this more, generally it is the newbie fishermen that buys every new bait that hits the market. The newbies don't have a lot of success to draw on and lack the confidence to stick with a few baits. They need to get everything since they don't really know what works. On the other hand, more experienced fishermen know what niche new baits fit and already have baits for those conditions. Sure, we all experiment with a few new baits and colors here and there but we are not buying baits nonstop or loading up on every new bait since Pro X used it to win a tournament. Good topic.

When I am having a good day, I always forget. I usually make an estimate of what my top 5 would go for.

Largemouth- blk/blue jig with a chigger craw trailer Smallmouth- 4" green pumkin tube

Rattlin' Baits and jigs are the two baits I'd rely on.

35K for the 150 4-stroke and low end graphs and TM is a conservative estimate.

No, I'll be slumming it in my old boat till the X-190 is ready in April or early May.

Looks like I'll hit Braidwood Sunday if the forecast holds. It will be stupid-busy but I want to work on a few things and check out a couple new combos.

This is a good list. Even though I chose the X-190, I am not going to tell someone it is a better choice than the Lund. Pricewise, they are comparable. I definitely like the storage on the Lund better even though the storage on the X-190 is more than adequate. And I LOVE the jump seats on the Lund. The X-190 has the removable back deck so I can easily have a 3rd passenger while runnning. The Lund has a 6" wider beam which will make the boat feel roomier yet I read that a 90" beam boat such as the Champion will cut through waves better than the wider boats. It really came down to me waiting fiberglass over aluminum. While this is all based on reviews and reports from others, everyone says the fiberglass will give the softer ride and provide better boat control. While I prefer the Lund company over Tuffy, Tuffy owners are very brand loyal and I have heard very few complaints. Another factor was that the X-190 can easily take a kicker motor. I know this could be done on the Lund but I didn't want to add a bracket for the couple weekends a year that I use my 9.9. Either boat would have been great but after inspecting both boat at a boat show, I just liked the Tuffy better. Sometimes you go with your gut.

If you are a multispecies guy with a budget under 25K, I'd look at the Crestliner Fish Hawk 1750. The Ranger 1780 will be out of your price range but that is a sweet boat.

My pond in Tinley was still locked up pretty tight yesterday.

Fishing boats are not investments. They are toys. I think having an old aluminum boat while in college is a great idea. You learn a lot about boats and are not dependent on anyone else to go fishing. Find something for a few thousand. Better to have dad or grandpa float you a loan.

Exactly. Some boats are specifically designed to easily remove the passenger console while some boats' passenger console is molded in. One of the reasons I bought a dual console boat was because I only need to remove 6 bolts to get the passenger console out.

LOE and Cedar

Good year! The good: Caught my PB smallmouth 6.6 lbs (profile pic) Just had an awesome June fishing trip up north for a couple weeks with numbers and size. Most days I would have had a 15 to 20 lb bag of smallmouth. Rejoined my old fishing club after a 5-year break. Did extensive research which led me to buying a new boat which should be ready in April. Fished Lake Michigan locally several times after being hesitant because of my smaller boat. Caught some decent fish and now I feel confident moving forward. I am ready to get away from these little inland lakes and make the Chicagoland lakefront my home water. The Bad: Had a rather lousy spring trip to So IL. High, muddy water was the main culprit. Rained everyday. Caught fish but nothing to get excited about. Didn't fish as much as I'd like. Had some boat issues that kept me at home. One of my local lakes that I did great on in 2014 just never turned on for me. The lake had some great slop fishing in 2014 and it just never developed in 2015.

It's surprising that I don't already have this list made up since this is something I do every year. Now is as good a time as any. 1) Fish a couple more new lakes. During spring I plan on fishing Little Grassy in So IL and for my big June vacation I want to hit Lake Charlevoix for a day or two in addition to the other lakes I fish in the area. 2) Learn, learn, learn about fishing Lake Michigan in the Chicagoland area. I just ordered a new boat that is much better for the big water so it will allow me to go out more often. Every time I go out I want to learn about a new spot and what it has to offer. Use my electronics better. Maybe even dust off the old Aqua View to check things out. 3) Get back into club fishing. After taking a 5 year break, I rejoined my old club and plan on fishing a few events. I also want to become more involved in the Jr. Bassmaster club. 4) Continue to improve on techniques and using my graphs. This is kinda a given since every year I look to improve my arsenal and get better at different techniques.

I always have my ipod with a bunch sports podcasts that I listen to throughout the day since I mostly fish alone. I usually don't listening till later in the day if I start getting a little bored. I don't ever play music out loud.

All things being equal, I get the Ranger. The seats and console is top notch. The Ranger tins I looked at were very nice overall. I wouldn't put too much stock in what the dealer said about Trackers. A lot of people are happy with their Trackers. The 195 with the 150 4-stroke Merc is a very appealing package.

I fully expect that to become available some time after I buy. I also expect a Merc 200 4-stroke (Non-Verado) to become available mid summer. But I'm not waiting any longer!! The Essox casting deck is easy to remove and there is a base underneath. And you can also just put a seat on back base without the post in a pinch. The majority of the time I am fishing alone so it won't matter.

Great Review! Like Slone, I hope to see this boat next weekend at a local show but I am probably ordering an X-190. Went to see one last week and it is perfect for my type of fishing. I love the jump seats on the XS model.

Thanks for the info gents. I'll have to take a look at these rods. Since it was -2 this morning on the drive in, I won't be froggin' or punchin' any time soon.

So I'm looking for ideas here. As I am going through my arsenal, I don't have designated rods for frogs, punching, or c-rigs. Because those aren't techniques I use that often and have had limited boat space, I have always just used a 7 MH or H rod that I usually use for jigs for those applications. But since I'm getting a new boat and will have all the space I need, I think I'm going to get a rod to use for those applications. So what do you think? A 7'6 H that would be ideal for punching and would work for frogs? Maybe just stick to a lighter action rod for C-rigs. Any rods you'd recommend? I am not going to go very high end so nothing more than $150. I've been changing from Loomis to Dobyns over the last year so I think I'll start there. Thanks for any suggestions.