SteveFinMD

Since I don't fish tourneys I turned my live well into a storage area. My 1989 Pro17 has even less space than your boat. I gotta ask, didn't you look at the 175 when you were boat shopping? Even if you did there is a pretty hefty price difference just to get a little more storage space. Here's another idea that I hit upon not long after getting my boat...take less stuff. If you try you will be amazed at how much stuff you take that you probably never use. Good luck with your project, whatever you decide to do.

I used to have one on a small boat. It was OK. Showed the bottom and structure pretty well. I believe it lasted about three years before it died. I just fished wo a finder from then on since I had learned the lake pretty well.

BassPro had the 480 on sale a little while back. It was $50 off w a sale price of $150. Good luck.

What bassboy 1 said. My riveted 1989 Bass Tracker only takes on half and inch of water in six hours on the lake. I would not buy new...let someone else take the depreciation.

I have the Eagle 480 and like it very much. I think it is just about the best black & white unit you can get for the money.

Wow, Chirs, what a problem! Your fish is so big it broke the mold. Keep searching the net, you may luck out and find on the right size. I totally understand your concern about the cost. I'm afraid I would just have to hand a life size photo on my wall. Wait a minute...my wall might not be big enough for that catch. Good luck.

tipptruck1, Which baits are you using for muskies? I have been wanting to throw some in my local lake that is stocked with Tigers. Thanks

Some good advice from Way2slow. Could save you some serious headaches, and cash, in the long run.

I've been fishing that way for (GULP) fifty years. Too old to switch now.

Good luck w it and be safe out there.

Wow, makes me glad I am still running my 1989 Evinrude. Good luck with your motor. It has to get better.

Great job. Looking forward to the pics of those hogs.

Very nice. Let's hope your streak continues.

MattFly gave some good advice. My current boat is a 1989 model that I bought last summer. I am one tight SOB and I get a lot of enjoyment catching fish in my $1000 boat while the guy next to me has ten times as much invested in his. I did upgrade the TM and add a fish finder but my Basstracker Pro17 suits me just fine. Good luck with whatever you get.

Good choice. Let us know when you wet a line.

9 wt are typically used for VERY large fish in the 12 plus pound range, think salmon in Alaska. I have caught hundreds of small mouths and large mouths in 30 years of flyfishing on 5-6 wt rods w no problem.

Cabelas has some good deals going on right now on combos. I would look for an 8-9 ft rod in 5-6 wt. The best thing about the combos is that you get the rod, reel and a hard case for a decent price. I have bought four of them over the years and the quality is very good. Good luck.

Excellent. Great photos, great fish, great story. Thank you. I am certainly motivated to get on the water now if I wasn't before.

Thanks for a timely reminder. Sorry to hear about your friend....if someone reading this post starts being safer because of it his death will not have been in vain.

Some boats leak and some don't. When I bought my present boat it took on water at an alarming rate. I had the major problem repaired but it still takes on a couple of inches in the course of six hours on the water. That's not enough to bother me. Does your boat have a bilge pump? It's also possible that the water you are seeing came from splash over the gunnells. If it were me, I would take the boat out again and check it every half hour or so while keeping in mind the type of boating I was doing. Good luck w the new toy.

1. Wide brimmed straw hat from Wmart.....less than $10.00 2. Sun screen, the stronger the better. 3. Stay out of the sun.

Wooly Buggers, Wooly Worms, Clouser Minnows, Clouser Crayfish and poppin bugs.

It's hard to beat a lab. Your mom will love it too.

Looks very nice. Where in MD do you fish?

Some good info here. Thanks.