12poundbass

Reminded myself yesterday morning to set my team at lunch....totally forgot. There goes my chance at the final Circut City card.

That awesome glad to hear. We were nervous too. I think I drove about 40 home. We didn't get an ounce of sleep for at least a week because we were always checking to make sure he was still breathing. Barely left the house. Our nurses in the NICU kept reminding us he wasn't made of glass.....he was as soon as we left the hospital. 7 years later he's all boy and we sometimes forget his first 52 days of life.

It's actually a combination of both.

I have the MG W45 and the foot pedal I hate as well! I've never used a cable steer but I imaging it's so much better. I got mine the year before the Xi5 came out and as soon as I saw the foot pedal for the Xi5 I said "uh oh". I'd guess the Xi5 is geared towards the walleye guys. Like you said the key fob is impossible too especially on windy days. I can't wait until I get a cable steer!

Another thing I forgot to mention which you may already know, is all the cool things the Ultrex can do when linked with a "fish finder" with GPS and mapping. Someone with an actual Ultrex might chime in and give better details.

If I could only choose one I'd have to say the Ultrex would be my choice. Minkota is coming out with a 15' Talon which is crazy, but deeper they'd be useless. Like Rich said 10' or so is more realistic. You can get shallow with you Ultrex and spotlock and be fine. The only way I see a shallow water anchor more useful would be bed fishing ( which I don't). Just like my opinion everyone has their own. It'll probably be close to 50/50 by the time everyone chimes in. You need to think about where you fish and how you fish. The weather conditions you fish I.e. a lot of windy days in relatively shallow water, Talons might be better. Fair to good conditions in varying depths probably the Ultrex. Good luck. Disclaimer: I have neither

Ice lol

That one doesn't look like it exists anymore.

You did some diggin' on this one.

Kinda hard not to over hype it after Harvey a week before. Seemed like Irma kept her power through the Bahamas but lost strength north of Cuba. Anybody talking about Jose? I heard them mention it on the radio this morning and that's all I've heard recently.

I've never gotten around to fixing my outboard because honestly I don't need it for where I fish. I have a 14' boat and get by just fine with my TM. A good charge will last you 8 hours or more, depending on how much you use it and how hard you run it.

Your dad was in the Pentagon?

Hard to believe it was 16 years ago. My son is 7 and we watched a couple documentaries on it yesterday and it was hard for me to explain and him to comprehend. That's a day in sure no one will forget. I remember learning about Pearl Harbour in school. Most of us probably weren't alive for Pearl Harbour and I'm guessing no one on here was old enough to remember it (maybe a couple). September 11th was like Pearl Harbour our parents and grand parents experienced. In our most vulnerable moment we as a nation came together! Let us never forget.

Tape

Set up a trail cam to catch whoever stealing your trail cam.

Glad to hear you made it unharmed. You go through a hurricane and only lose power for 6 hours? Not too bad. We have a wind storm here and lose it for 8+ hours.

Pretty sure it goes to the next available person. Double qualifying is quite common.

Same thing happened to me this summer. He's 7. Told him to hold the rope. He held it, and watched the boat. He didn't watch the rope go under the tire and snap. The boat launches and he's holding the rope! He's also yelling the boats floating away. By that time I noticed it already. Unlike you I had to swim. We had a good laugh after I got it back to shore.

Huk! They're adding new stuff almost monthly.

I'm guessing his screen name isn't real. D.B. Cooper maybe?

Senkos rock in Michigan. Try frogs in the pads.

You sure that's ONLY 5lbs? Looks like another pound or 2 should be added. Either way "she's a beaut. Clark"

Which color are the bass? Brown or green?

Just read your link. The comparison between Andrew and Irma is unbelievable! I was young went Andrew went through so my memory is foggy. I do remember though that it was a bad hurricane. Stay safe everyone!

Good write up. I know you're not an Ike fan (to each their own) I happen to be an Ike fan. I've read his book a couple times and his first marriage basically dissolved because of fishing. He also explains how he does his sponsorships. If I remember right he has 3-4 different tiers to his sponsorship. The more he gets from each sponsor the bigger their name on his boat/jersey. In return the more he gets the more he does. Ike fan or not he basically explains everything you've explained in his book. I'm not plugging the book, just saying it gives you and inside look into a professional angler the good and the bad. So much so some of his fellow anglers got upset at some of the content. Ike's lost sponsors because of his actions over the years. I've heard people like yourself say he's an a$$ and others say the opposite. The same can be said for probably every angler. Every dog has their day. He's toned it down over the years. I think age, new wife, newborns have slowed him down. Some of his antics are pure marketing which is pure genius. Win or lose you need to keep yourself relevant. Gerald Swindle, 2 AOY'S and 0 Elite wins. One of the most recognizable and well like anglers. Marketing yourself plays a big part. He's loud, he's funny, and he makes himself seen even when he has a bad day. I read an article a month ago about Mark Zona. He was quickly shooting up the ladder to the top. Then his wife dropped the bombshell "you're going to be a daddy". He quickly hit the brakes and weighed his options. He took the safe route and kept selling boats. Then KVD mentioned him to someone at ESPN and with a little nudge from his wife, long story short the rest is history. It really takes a special person and risk taker to take that step. You were there you know what it feels like. Most of us will only imagine. Over the years I've thought I'd give anything to be a pro but honestly I wouldn't want it. It would be fun, but it would be a lot of work and a ton of stress. I enjoy fishing and trying to figure out the puzzle. I wouldn't want my livelihood to depend on whether or not I had enough pieces figured out for that day.