Shimano_1

I'd say judging from your posts you got it all figured out. My bad.

Dont recall saying you cant be serious and not fish competitively. If you cant comprehend what my meaning was I apologize. Obviously he's not going to be able to be "serious" about it and spend time with the parents doing it. Apparently he wants to be able to enjoy it while fishing with them. The only way that's feasible is to "chill". As plenty of others are saying there will be a time I'm sure when he'll wish for the chance to do it again. Obviously no one has enough time to do everything they want all the time so we make compromises. If the goal is to spend time with mom and dad and enjoy fishing then a "serious" approach is likely the wrong one. Itll get easier I'm sure as age has a way of prioritizing things. Until then make the best of it Don't think everyone that tournament fishes is doing it because they feel they need to prove themselves. I like competing, adrenaline and surprise....money. I also like to bass fish. Just seems obvious to fish tournaments. I dont recall ever launching the boat thinking man I gotta catch em or I'm less of a man. To each their own...if tournaments aren't your thing dont fish em

Quit taking it all so seriously. If you're thinking you're a stud bass fisherman go fish some tournaments and you'll soon be more humble lol. I've learned all that the hard way. If you're not into tournament fishing or pursuing competitive fishing then there's no reason to be so serious. Understand it for what it is and what's been laid out for you here. My mom and I haven't had a relationship in many years so if I could have a good relationship with her while I caught a few fish I'd be content with having to teach her along the way. It's all perspective and obviously you're not gonna see things the way a 60 year old is and that doesnt make you spoiled or anything negative that's just life. We all take things for granted til they're gone, well most of us anyway. If it were me I'd just chill and try my best to make it all positive while I explained things to them and hopefully at some point you all meet in the middle and have a good time.

I realize what they were designed for that's been pointed out time and time again. However...every lake I fish is covered with standing timber and or a ton of thick vegetation. It's just not logical to go after big bass in the kind of cover with those hooks. I've had my heart broken more than once trying to finesse a 5+ lber out of those conditions. If i fished more open water etc then I'd have no problems with the stock hooks. The megabass just flat out gets bit so I have done what I've had to to make them useable for me in the lakes I fish....and first order of business was find a little stouter hook.

Different strokes for different folks. I've had boats for many years and have always used the traditional style. Once the boat is strapped down tight it's not gonna allow anything to move much. I've never had any adverse effects from using the traditional trailer to lower unit style. Used the motor mate for a little while because the boat came with it and it seemed fine too but I too have a new 115 mercury 4-stroke and have used the one it came with and will continue to do so. The my wedge just doesnt appeal to me. Use whatever you like I'm sure any of them are sufficient. My dad has a 95 stratos that he's used the traditional kind on for 15 years and has never had any problems.

It's easy to say just calm down and be patient but it is indeed very hard to do. Fished a tournament with my wife yesterday. She has no desire to fish but my partner bailed dude to family issues so she filled in to spend time with me. It was all good and she's good company but every fish I caught she'd grab the net then walk on every rod on deck in the process. I did ok with it and never said much but my heart broke a little more every time. I explained to her today that I greatly appreciated her going and had fun but....considering the $ I spend on my gear she needed to be a little more careful. I'd maybe talk to your parents sensibly and explain what you've outlined here. As far as your buddy goes I'd probably be looking for another buddy to fish with if he was breaking my rods then blaming me for it. Good luck! Pretty sure hower08 is saying your buddy should have replaced the rod he broke. If one of my buddies broke a 300 dollar rod he better at least offer to replace it.

Thanks! Never knew people did such a thing. May have to try it out after doing some inter webs searching.

Forgive my ignorance...what does clayed mean?

The lews tournament pro is fantastic. I recently acquired a lews custom pro and its definitively nicer to me than the tournament pro. SO has em for 189 for a 259 dollar reel. Smoothest best casting reel I've had maybe to date.

I've got mostly lews now with a couple shimanos left in the cycle. The lews custom pro has quickly became my favorite reel. I've used a bunch of them from all manufacturers and the lews are just killer for me and their customer service is top notch!

I've caught some good fish on the stock hooks but I've also broken and bent a lot of them. I realize what the hooks are intended for but I just cant make myself fish it on lighter line etc. I've used the owner st36 hooks and they're much stouter but also heavier and do change the suspension of the baits. I'm trying vmc 8540 hooks and had a good day with them yesterday. They're still light wire so you have to be careful but they seem stouter than the originals and are same size and cheaper than most.

Like always everyone is going to steer you towards daiwa or shimano. Personally of the 2 you listed I prefer the lews. They may be built in the same factory but I've always preferred lews in any price point to the revos. My fishing partner uses all revos tho and seems to love them. I'd get whichever reel "you" like and contrary to popular belief those doyo reels will actually catch fish too. Daiwa and shimano make fine reels no doubt, as does lews, Garcia, okuma and dare I say quantum.

Hackney already has his line of lews so I'm quite sure kvd stuff is coming. Should be interesting as it seems the hackney line and the jordan lee line from abu are targeting the budget lines of gear.

Read the owners manual and it should tell you where to oil. This has been discussed many times. Its essentially where your brakes are rubbing the drum dry. A drop or 2 of oil and it will go away if this is your problem. I've gotten to where I do this to all my lews monthly or so to keep them quiet. Some of the shimanos I've had were the same way.

In my experience there are several benefits to both as well as down sides. I fished glass boats for years. My last was a Triton 20x2 with a 250 pro xs. Super nice boat. Sharp to look at and nice and sparkly lol. Handled big water exceptionally well. Top speed a little over 70 so didnt get smoked on tournament mornings. It was a heavy boat and was a lot more strain on my truck. It used a lot of fuel as I'm sure most any 2 stroke does especially with a 250. Caused my truck to burn a lot more fuel. Was a lot harder to launch and load solo. I traded it in last year on a new Triton 18tx aluminum rig with a 115 pro xs 4 stroke. It's a nice boat but probably doesnt have the eye appeal to some folks. Top speed of about 50 which is plenty for me but does stink on tournaments. It towes a lot easier as it weighs a lot less. Makes loading and launching solo a lot easier. The fuel economy is the big thing for me this boat with the 4 stroke sips the fuel. It floats in a lot less water and honestly just suites my style of fishing better for now anyway. There's give and take with all and it's all relevant I'm sure depending on what you want from your boat. I'm sure a new glass rig with a 250 4 stroke would do much better on fuel than the 2009 model 2 stroke did. I will say the one thing I didnt take into account is that aluminum will dent and the paint will scratch much easier than the gel on a glass boat. I've put one small dent in mine that wouldn't have even put a mark on a glass boat.

Few of my buddies have a few of the halo rods and they're nice sticks. I'm not sold on favorite although I dont bash em cause I've never even held one. If they feel good to you and suite your needs get what "you" like.

Personally think maybe you're over thinking it. Cold fronts, water temps, barometric pressure etc can change how the fish behave. I caught a bunch a month ago on squarebills but lately it's been a lot more of a slow down with a jig kinda deal around here. Let the fish tell you what they want instead of trying to make em bite a crankbait. Kvd may be able to make em bite one but I'm not on that level so I try to figure out what the fish want. When they're aggressive a crankbait is hard to beat. When they're tight to cover it's a little harder unless you're grinding the crankbait threw the cover. I'd suggest just experimenting and you'll figure it out. Good luck

2/0 trokar with the weedless guards

My buddy had one of his garmin 73sv quit powering on. I spent an hour tracing all the wiring and checking fuses. His was the mounting cradle. I have the same units so I tried one of my cradles and it worked. Ordered him a new cradle and all has been well. Maybe something to check into. Try a lil contact cleaner on the connector to the cradle and see if it helps

I never keep bass never have. Have never had a bass for dinner. I dont care a bit that people do as they have every right to do so. I spend a lot of money to fish between my boat and gear and entry fees. If I'm lucky I get to go once a week. I'm not risking losing fish for fun or money by going barbless. If that is something someone feels the need to do they should do that.

Several guys I work with myself included could definitely weld it. We've welded pop cans together before. I'd definitely find a decent weld shop and get it fixed right. Maybe get lucky and find someone compassionate enough to hook you up at no or little charge. We could fix it up pretty easily if you were in central Kentucky lol. Good luck! And yes I said pop cans not soda lol

Its definitely a situational thing for me. I dont fish finesse stuff unless I have to so its not a go to bait but it definitely catches em for me when not much else will. It's not going anywhere for me anytime soon. Kinda like tight lining I hate fishing it but in some conditions it's the best approach

I dont think swapping it for the tatula would gain much. I've owned both and certainly dont find the tatula any better. I actually prefer the slx xt over either. Reminds me of the E7 curados just smaller. So far I've been really impressed with it especially for the money. They're all great reels tho and I'm sure he would be happy with either. Like everything else it's all personal preference

I have several of the new ones. Like them a lot but still prefer the older ones. The pro g was nice but the first gen were the best to me

Best reels I've ever used. Honestly no comparison to the mb. I know lots of guys say they're similar but the tournament pro is much smoother and just all around better feeling reel in my opinion. Of course it should be it was 60 dollars more. I'd love to run across a few in good shape. Sold all mine to a buddy and have regretted it!