Captain Phil

Aluminum bass boats make sense in today's world. With new fiberglass bass boats starting in the 40K range and gas prices rising, things are getting out of hand. My buddy just bought a new Skeeter and it cost him over 50K. I talked him down from buying a 70K boat. I've had dozens of boats in my life both fiberglass and aluminum. Currently, I'm fishing out of a Ranger aluminum RT178 with a 75 Merc 4 stroke. I've owned fiberglass Rangers, Skeeters and an 80 mph Gambler. I've owned aluminum Trackers, Star Crafts and a Lowe Roughneck. Aluminum boats have the advantage of being lighter and needing less power and fuel. The only serious drawback is how they ride in rough water. They don't need big engines to perform well. My 16' Lowe Rough Neck was plenty fast with a 60 Merc four stroke. If I had powered it with a 40 instead, it most likely wouldn't have made a big difference. Does anyone need to run 60 mph plus to catch fish? In my opinion unless you're on a tournament trail, owning a fast bass boat is a separate hobby than fishing for bass. It's a boat ramp ego thing, not a must have fishing tool.

I bought my first Shimano Chronarch 100 casting reel about 20 years ago. They made them for at least ten years, The early Bantam reels that you asked about were not even close to the quality of the Chronarch. What initially attracted me to the Chronarch was the weight. These reels fit into your hand perfectly and are very comfortable to fish. As a tournament fisherman, I needed to be able to cast for very long periods of time. Ripping a rattle trap all day is hard on your body. When you hold a Chronarch 100 in your hand, the first thing you notice is the compactness of the reel. When you turn it, it's very smooth. Casting with that light weight spool is easy and backlash free. It can handle light lures without a problem. These reels are 7 to 1, so they are a little fast for spinnerbaits. You can spend more money for a reel, but you would have a difficult time finding a more pleasant reel to fish with. Everyone has their favorite reel. I've fished with people who love Lews reels, Ambassadors and even a few old Mitchell 300s and Zebcos. To be honest, the fish don't care if your reel cost $50 or $500. As long as you are happy and can stay on the water, you will catch your share.

I haven't bought a new fishing reel in years. My favorite reel is the Shimano Bandam Chronarch 100. In my opinion, it's the best bass reel ever made. It's light, strong and smooth. I buy them on EBay for around $100. NOS reels are around $200. I fix my own reels and have a number of parts reels. New parts are available.

I spent my life doing stuff like that and never worried that I would do myself any harm. After 74 years, it caught up with me and I had to undergo a quadruple vertebrae fusion last March. I'm mending well, but it was no picnic.

I will be installing the Quick Steps as soon as I receive them. I'll post pics and my thoughts. Thanks for the input.

The side steps are not much help when you are loading the boat on the ramp. Climbing over the front of the boat to walk up the trailer while it's still half in the water is not some thing I wish to do these days. My wife has a bad knee which makes getting in and out the boat difficult. I ordered the Trick Step kit that is made for the Ranger RT178. Thanks for all the help. Makes things easy when you have someone to ask.

Thanks for the feedback. After looking at the videos, the Bow Step is cool as it folds away for towing. It does look somewhat rickety. I'm not sure that would work for us as we are older and could use all the support we could get. The Trick Step seems a bit more solid. They also make one specific to the Ranger RT178.

I own a new Ranger RT178 aluminum bass boat with a Ranger Trail trailer. I am considering the installation of a three step ladder system on my trailer to make getting in and out of my boat safer and easier. Any advice?

The Devil's Horse has been deadly in Florida for as long as I can remember. One local angler made a great living for years fishing Florida tournaments using nothing else. His nickname was "Top Water Charlie" and he was a living legend. He's gone now. I fished against him many times and it was a humbling experience. There is something about that lure that attracts big bass. They seem to want to kill it. Big blows ups are common. I use two colors, chrome with a black back and an orange belly and a green one with black spots. I change the hooks to number six Gamakatsus. Best d**n top water lure ever made. We miss you Charlie....

Bright blue bird skies positions bass into and under cover. It also reduces the size of their strike zone. Many bass fisherman believe this makes for bad fishing. What you must do is fish closer to the fish, slow down and make multiple casts to the same target. This is perfect conditions for flipping in those lakes where water clarity is compromised. Slow rolling a spinnerbait in and around a pad field can also work if you get close enough to the pads. How close? It may be inches, not feet and certainly not yards. Most weekend bass fishermen don't fish close enough to the fish. They make one fishless cast 3-4 feet from the cover and move on. Someone who knows better, works the cover multiple times from different angles and catches fish.

Been hooked dozens of times. It normally happens for two reasons, attempting to unhook a fish with your hands and pulling on a lure that has been snagged. I use long nosed pliers to unhook fish these days and I never pull on a lure that is going to fly into my body. My customers often hooked themselves or each other. If the hook wasn't too deep or near their face, I could always remove the hook with the string method. Always separate the hook from the lure before you attempt this. I carry some cutters in my tackle box for this job. You can remove hooks with a string from yourself if you are creative. Some hooks are just too deep to be removed without surgery. If the hook is into a tendon, you could do more damage by pulling on it. I never tried to remove hooks from someone's face, I took them to a doctor. The worst hookup I ever had was when fishing by myself. I caught a 3 pound bass on a Devil's Horse and tried to unhook it with my hands. The fish jumped and was hooked in the mouth, my chest and the palm of my hand all at the same time. Luckily I had my hook cutters with me or I would have been in real trouble.

Eco boost engines are not anything like older V8 truck engines. Would I buy a 2020 Explorer to tow a fifth wheel, of course not. The mileage I gave is not towing, it's regular driving. I use regular fuel. The base engine is as fast if not faster than my wife's V6 Avalon. My Ranger RT178 is a 17 foot aluminum bass boat with a 75 HP 4 stroke. Florida is a flat state with few hills and I don't tow very far. If you need a truck, buy one. If you want a comfortable roomy gas sipping SUV with power to pass and your boat is less than 3,000 pounds, you will do fine with the 2020 Explorer.

I've owned dozens of new cars in my life. My first new Ford was a 1967 Mustang. My 2020 Ford Explorer is the nicest SUV I have ever owned. So far I have 7,000 miles on it with no issues of any kind.

Florida strain bass are genetically different from LMB found in other parts of the country. Many years ago, Florida LMB were stocked in a few California lakes. I heard this was done by members of the Air Force carrying tubs of bass on cargo planes. I'm not sure if that is true. Those huge bass that are being caught in California, Texas and Mexico are decedents of Florida strain fish. The State of Florida has a large bass hatchery in Central Florida where they raise fish to export out of the State. I believe there has been so much interbreeding that having a separate record would be difficult.

Mounting a fish head used to be popular. I caught my first big bass when I was a teenager. It weighted 6 1/4 pounds on a grocery store scale. I cut off the head and hung it in a big tree in my backyard. After insects cleaned the head, I mounted it on a plaque and painted it with shellac. I kept it for years until my wife made me throw it out. The lake that I was referring to is Lake Apopka. On Sundays, we have a local Harris Chain tournament that's been going on for as long as I can remember. Winning anglers have been making the long run to Apopka for years. The five fish bags they weighed were shocking with 25 pounds or more being common. Back in the 40s and 50s this lake was known for it's big fish. The 17 pound bass pictured on the top of the Hedden lure boxes came from this lake. It collapsed in the 60s due to sewage pumping, farm runoff and actions by misguided local officials. Since then, the farms have been closed and the State has been attempting to restore this lake. A couple of years ago, my fishing partner and I fished Apopka for a few months in a row. The water is ugly. The bottom is covered with silt and the lake is full of huge alligators. The fish are congregated around a spring in the southwest end of the lake. Clear water flows out of this spring and it looks like a big eye in the murky lake water. We caught 5-8 pound fish on every trip. Grass is starting to take hold in the lake and the State has been stocking it with bass. At the moment, it's very lightly fished. If you break down, you could be there for some time. We caught fish all along the southern lake shore from the spring all the way to the Winter Park City ramp. The shad in the lake grow large and are feeding some very big fish. It's not the kind of place where you would go fishing with your family. If you are hunting a real Florida giant bass, you are in the right place.

Good guess. Rodman has some big fish for sure. It's prime was in the early eighties. This lake is in the outskirts of Orlando not far from the theme parks.

To grow big fish, you need a few things. First, you need the right genetics. Second, you need the right food and third you need a year round growing season. In 1932, Florida and South Georgia had all those things. Due to transplantation, Texas, Southern California and Mexico do now. I am not familiar with Japan or other foreign countries, so I can't comment on that. There is a public lake in Central Florida that may contain a world record bass. At one time, it was known as the best bass lake in America. It fell on hard times, but is making a comeback. Anyone want to take a guess what it is?

I hope you're right. I am taking delivery on my new boat this week. I've dusted off my flipping stick and am going to fish for big bass exclusively. If I catch the world record bass, I'll let you know. ?

How many bass anglers were fishing in 1932 compared to how many there are today? Anglers are better. Lures are better. Knowledge is as easy to gain as your nearest computer. You can see bass underwater from the console of your boat. On Saturday, your TV shows the best bass fishermen in the world fishing live. Today, a potential world record bass is caught before it can reach world record size. The next world record bass will be artificially engineered or will come from water where no one fishes. If someone does catch that fish, my hope is it will be released.

I believe it's possible even bigger bass than the world record have been caught and released. There are orange grove ponds in Central Florida that have grown 17 pound plus fish. Years ago, I saw one of them mounted in a tackle shop. That bass was every bit as big as they claimed it was. A thirty pound bass was supposed to have been displayed at a Worlds Fare. I think that's a stretch. If you did catch a world record bass from your favorite fishing hole, would you tell the world about it? Who is going to pay a million dollars for a fish caught on a 12" shiner? The two largest bass caught in Florida in recent times were two 17 pound fish, one caught in Lake Rousseau and another in Rodman. Go back almost 100 years, remove 99% of the bass fisherman and all the electronics and it's not impossible a Lake in Georgia grew a 22 pound 4 oz bass.

I have a 2020 Ford Explorer with the base Eco Boost 4 cylinder engine. The Explorer went back to rear wheel drive in 2020. That engine has 300 HP. It drives like a small Expedition. I get 23 mpg in town and 27 mpg on the highway. It is much stronger than you would believe. I just bought a Ranger RT178 with a 75 Merc 4 stroke and it tows great.

Bass Pro Shop started out selling fishing tackle out of a gas station. Today, they are one of the most profitable privately held businesses in the country. You can't get to where they are now selling Zoom worms. I have never had a problem ordering anything from them on-line. Their stores are something nice to do on a lazy afternoon. I like their outdoor clothes. Their prices are decent. The Orlando store has the worst managed inventory in the country. They are always out of everything you need. If I need fishing tackle, I go to my neighborhood tackle shop.

I can relate to all of this. As I got older, my energy level has decreased. I have been tested for low T and have been getting shots every three weeks for years. This has been a big help. I have back trouble and underwent a spinal fusion in March. Recovery has been slow, but I am back fishing now. What you may be experiencing is depression. This is very common with older men and not something to be ashamed of. You need something to reignite your passion. I just bought a new boat and can't wait to get back on the water. Kayak fishing is fun when you are young, I wouldn't want to do it now. You should also find a new fishing buddy. You won't have trouble finding one if you try. The fact that you are posting about this is a healthy sign.

I am not a big believer in braided line. It has it's uses, but I don't find it to be best in every situation. I often tie floro leader to my mono in clear water situations. As long as the line diameter isn't too different, you can use a blood knot like you would for trout. If I was going to fish clear water all the time, I would use straight floro with a mono backing. I can't remember a time when a mono blood knot failed me. I have lost some big fish using braided line when the knot to the lure failed.

My wife and I went to the Orlando Bass Pro Shop last Saturday. We hadn't been in a long time. We were shocked to see all the bare shelves that had been picked clean. There was only one or two bass boats on the floor and we were told they were not for sale. The salesman said we would need to order one and wait 12 weeks for delivery. They had plenty of shirts and shorts. Why even have store if there's nothing you want to buy? They should change their name.