HPBB

I would go with the used one with the 125HP. bigger motor (50Hr is nothing, its still new)cheeper, and only 3 years old I would go used, then if you want any upgrades you have an extra $6000, that is a lot of extras.

Anywhere you would fish a spinnerbait, try a baby 1-. If you haven't caught fish on them your not useing them enough. they work

Nice picture Andy. Hope your keeping it? Get it laminated so it will last a long time. I got my picture in the paper when they anounced the 2005 Bass Masters Classic was coming to Pittsburgh. I was fishing down town by the stadiums. Got a paragraph about me in the article to. Its hanging in my Game room now. Keep that picture it will always bring a good feeling to you.

You said you opted for a 71# 24 volt TM over the 46# 12 volt TM. Good choice. Is that a motor guide or minkota? I think its a motor guide. If it is make sure you new motor is a Digital motor guide. The new digitals are way better than the older MG. I know they are alittle more $$$, but well worth it. It should say "digital on it if it is also if it has 5 speed. (1,2,3,4,5) makes on the foot petal its not a digital. Digitals use a veriable speed. GPS is nice. I have them on both of my boats, but if need to cut something that would be it. a cover is a great option. a good cover. one that is water proof, and able to travel with is a plus.a good cover will cost some $$ but it will help protect you boat for years. I had two custon travel cover made for my two boats in 97. they are water proof, and snap on( when traveling with them bungies help hold to). It cost me $600 for both, my 14 footer was only about $125, my 17 1/2/ footer is a V-hull with a full windshield. It cost over $500, but getting both together got me a discount. either way it was money well spent. 10 years later both are showing their age, but still doing their job great. a cover is a must, if the boat is going to sit outside.

Pinnacle Solene BC has anyone used this reel yet? Its suppose to be a new modle for 2007. I just bought one for my wife ( she liked the color, burnt orange ) That was the most important thing to her. I got it on E-Bay new for $30, i think they retail for $50 or $60, But not sure. I see alot of them for "buy now" at $45, but I also saw two listing for up to $90 Its her first BC, she was using one of mine last year and wanted her own. I'll be honest, This is a nice reel. I was surprised. I was in that back yard casting it. this reel looks great, feels really good. Smooth, like a reel that cost alot more. Just seeing if anyone had tried this reel yet. I think I might have to get one for myself. Here are the specs on it ( from the box) Unlimited Anti-Reverse 6 Stainless Steel Bearings (1 Roller Bearing) Fully Adjustable Magnetic Cast Control Machined Aluminum Spool Quick Access Side Plate Cover High Speed 6.2: Gear Ratio Weight 7.8 Oz. Line Capacity Lbs./Yds. 12/130 I have a few Pinnacle reel, but they are higher $$$ reels that this one. I do have some other threir rods and love them.

I would go for a H, atleast a MH. I don't think that M will have enough back bone to pull a fish out of cover. You hit a fish and it runs into that cover,don't think its coming out. I fish western Pa and eastern Oh. My flippin stick of choice is a St Croix Avid AC710HF (7'10' Heavy/flippin) Have 2 of them If you don't want to spend a lot of $$$ and get a true flippin stick, check out Gander Mountain's guide series Flippin stick(7'6") its about $60. Its not as lite, or sesitive as the st croix, but its a really nice rod. have 2 of them too. If the store by you does not have them, ask, they will get them. I use braid on my flippin sticks. 40# or 50# Spider wire with a 25#Yo-zuri Hybrid leader If you don't want to use braid. try Yo-Zuri Hybrid 25# or 30# it holds up good and can take the hits heavy cover can dish out. If you do try yo-zuri, get some "reel magic"spray. Spray it on the line every so offten. make the line more workable.

"are the local turnament really gonna matter on how i move up the ranks. do the local turnys have to be linked to bass or flw . and am i abel to fish at a bass open if i put up the money. i dont have a problem catching five bass a day." : your quote. Well, if your that good put your money in and lets see what happen. I guess next year we will be seeing you holding the Bass Master Classic trophy over your head? If that happen I'll eat crow. :-[ But the easy money is that reality will smack you in the face. I see at least one guy a year that joins my club that has this attitude. they never seem to make it trough the year.

First off Nice boat, looks good Ok. Yes start it. take it out for a test run. make sure you like how it runs and it runs ok. If you can, have a shop check the motor out. I heard this a few weeks ago and it is cool. tell the guy you will pay for the motor check if everything is ok. If there is something wrong with the motor he pays for it. And you don't buy it. I bet he goes for it. also make sure everything works. Livewell pumps bilge running light trailer lights TM onboard charger (if has on) and GPS or fish finders if it has an off/on switch make sure it works make sure the prop looks good If everthing is an OK! go for it good fishing

I said the same thing about line. You will not know what works best for you. Untill you try it. Maybe you will like it , maybe you will not. You put a post on here: one guy will say reel A is better. Next will say reel B is better than A another guy will say reel C better than everything. alot of things will tell you what reel is best for you, But what reel is best for one person might not be for the next. Whats my fishing style? how does it feel? do i like the looks of it? does it have the features I want? does it have to many feature I don't need? Those are just some question you have to ask yourself. If I had to pick between the 2, my pick would be the Quantum Accurist PT. That's because I don't like Abu Garcia. Not saying there bad reels. I just don't like Garcia stuff. But why listen to me? I'm just some guy who likes to fish. I bet the next guy love Garcia hates Quantum and wants to smack me around for saying I don't like garcia. You know what, that is his pick, and I respect his pick. don't be afaid to try a reel or rod because some "fishing guy" says so. Try it. that is the only way you will know what you like & dislike. My honest pick? neither. But that's me, not you.

a T-rigged 4 inch BPS Magnum Flippin Tube. #13 melon pepper. I know if nothing else is working. I can catch a bass on my green tube. This is my #1 goto bait.

I use 40# and 50# spiderwire with a leader all the time. I always use a leader with braid. To me 20# braid is not heavy braid. 40 up is heavy in my mind. I use 25#-30# Yo-zuri hybrid ( clear ) as a leader with 40# and 50# spiderwire. have very little problems. I end up breaking a hook or most of the time staightning the hook out when I get a snag. i also do some finesse flippin where I use 10# spider wire stealth with 8# P-Line floroclear as a leader

That Goby looks cool have to get me some of those. If you ever get to fish Lake Erie for smallies, anything that looks like a goby is where its at.

BASS Legends, BASS Elite Series,Walmart FLW Tour,Bassmaster Classic, ? The bass legends, Bass elite& bass master classic are all part of the same tour There are only two Pro tours, FLW & BASS. Do you like FLw? Do You like BASS? Do you like Ford? Do you like Chevy? Its all fishing. I like it all. I have never been to the Forest L Wood Cup, yet (FLW Championship) Have been to the Bass Masters Classic. So far nothing can compare

Fished The Okeechobee rig not the bait. I like it in lilly pads slide rite between them better than T-rig. I used it with a tube. works good. Though fish will throw weight off the hook sometimes. "It's a creature bait pegged to a sinker. no more, no less." yes that is true, But the weight is at the back of the lure, line at front. so when it hits heavy cover it dosen't have to turn when line is tightend. Goes straight in straight out. Like i said works good in pad

Sounds good to me. I kinda have the same problem. i just bought a viento and was going to put it on one of my flippin sticks, a St Croix Avid/AC710HF ( 7'10" heavy power /flippin). I love the viento, its so smooth, but after trying it, I liked my old Team Daiwa-S 103SDL for flippin better. So it went back on that flippin stick. I am now using the viento on a 6'6" MH X-Fast tip, Pinnicale. for soft plastics and C-rig. It works great. Put 10# P-Line Floroclear on it and the twitching bar works great for crawling a tube slowly on the bottom. Works great for a shaky-head too.

"Electronics and water don't mix well' I guess you don't use a TM, depth finder, GPS, or an outboard? just grab the old paddle and row. Yes, I think $600 is overkill. But I am not going to knock it before I try it? No. I always said "I would never buy a reel over $150". then I used a Shimano Chronarch. Like it and bought two. Then said "none over $225". Then tried a Chronarch MG. Yep, I have 3 of them now. I also said "I would buy nothing but shimano BC reels" I now own shimano, team Daiwa, and Pinnicale reels. So I never say never anymore. I don't see myself spending $600+ on a reel. But If i ever try one and like it....well you know what might happen.

There will always be someone trying to build a better mouse trap. Rod or reels. Some might work some don't. Some might just not be what the fishing public want. All we can do is wait and see. Remember back a few years, In the 90's cabela's was selling their rods that had no eyes. The line ran down the inside of the rod. I would see them advertived all the time in their catalog, But I never knew anybody that used or tried them.

Heavy cover and big fish

instructions? who reads instructions? That is one proplem when buying a combo set up in a store. Alot of the time the instructions are not on the reel. Not the same set on instructuction you when you buy the reel seperate in abox. I see this all the time a Cabela's, BPS, Dicks, Gander Mountain....ect

People don't car or don't know any better/ How many times have you seen boats that sit outside all year without a cover? I see alot of them. My boats sit outside all winter . I keep my motors is the lowest postion I can so the water can drain out. I don't turn them as you do, but I grease the cable before it gets stored. Do all the othe winterizing stuff. As Jim Blair said, I do keep both boats on charge all winter ( all the time infact) and have never had any proplems.

roadwarrior, Bass-Brat Thank you. HPBB

Ok, your going to get 10,000 different answers to your question Use Line "A" its the best No, use line "B" it is way better than line "A" line "A" might work great for one guy and not the next I know when you walk into a takle shop and look at all the different lines you this "where do I start" well, you alread have. You know a few lines a that you have tried are OK, but not what you are looking for. get a note pad and write down the line name and size and color. What you liked and disliked. Which one did you like the most? use that line as starting point. try some different lines ( maybe ones guys suggested) is it better than the one you like so far. write it down. If it is better than your other line. Now that is your new starting point. Just try new lines, you might like them or not. line change from year to year. You change. What you don't like now, you might later. the line you have tried. You said "they don't hold up in rocks and weed". well other guys might fish them in rooks and weeds and they hold up for them. It could be your fishing style. each line is different. One more question you say they don't old up. you mean you lose fish? they break? what? Are you retieing offten? I don't mean between every cast, but are you stripping about 10 feet or so of line off and retieing a few times a day? If you don't do this no line hold up.

That depends on each club. just ask.

I have a 55# power drive on my small boat. the 55 is a good motor. the only problem I have is the streering is slow. It always seem to me that the streering is one step behind what I want to do. The cable steer is quicker. I have a Motor Guide Tour 109# with cable streer on my big boat and its alot quicker steering and more responsive However if you are just starting and want to save some $$$ the power drive will work great. there are many people that like the power steer motor over the cables. You also have the abillity to get a auto pilot and the wireless petal with the power drive. Which are verynice.

I am not familiar with that reel, but I have an old Shimano. Bought it back in 83 when I was 10. First BC I ever had. It had no magnets, like today's reels. And the break set up was harsh, just a knob on the side that put pressure on the spool. Over head cast are hard. I get lots of backlash. Keep using the side arm. If you can master that reel you can throw any of today's BC with ease. I still have that old Shimano. And use it regularly. Works great. After I throw it I realize how easy today's reels are