Sooner Steve

Not worth a d**n. I hate it but that doesn't stop it from happening.

I drunk ordered new lithium batteries for my boat. Yeah...5 of them. One dedicated solely to my Garmin 126V and Livescope. Oh yeah. And a new 4 bank charger for them plus a new single 10 amp charger for the 5th battery. Oh well. Only one smart move here. Install them.

I have been told by guides it wont be full this year!

How long do you think it will take Fork to fill up?

I would expect feeding bass to be on the top of the structure. The marks that you are thinking are bass are probably carp, maybe catfish. I would want to see bait on top of the structure with marked fish underneath, maybe even trails up to the bait. That would be a scenario I would stop and drop a dropshot or spoon on and think I would catch bass. This scenario I would drive on by.

FC leader on 40lb hi viz yellow braid at Fork. As long as you are focused and go slow, everything is fine. I fished 2 days in heavy cover, using one rig and two straight VMC worms. Caught 45 fish on Saturday and Sunday. All under the slot.

Buddy of mine at Lake Fork purchased a brand new VX21 or VX22 a couple years ago with the wide front deck. 250 Merc Pro XS. 10k worth of Hummingbird. 80k plus. It's a lead sled "soak you" joke. 56 top end. He could not recover half his money if he sold it. I would not own one.

Oh now, that's patently not the case! Everything associated with a bass boat has gone way up over the last 20 years. But so has everything else. The technology we have now is amazing and almost unbelievable but it comes at a price. Design engineering is a huge part of the cost, finished materials, cost of manufacturing, ect. It's absolutely not that people over commit and buy them. That just keeps the doors open. The same way Bentley stays in biz: someone will pay. I understand that a lot of people buy way beyond their means, but a lot of folks also love the new technology and features and are willing to pay for it. There is always the used market.

I dont fish tournaments anymore other than occasionally a big bass tournament on Lake Fork, and it's no problem to fish a different qualified rig.

I remember when the TX Tournament 17 was promoted by BPS. They had a very remedial "LCD" locator that basically other than showing the depth was useless. The Tracker was a bad idea on any lake with wind. I also could not see how it could be stable as a platform.

It is ALL about who has operated and or maintained the boat. If you are patient and carefully look you will have the opportunity to buy a boat that has been owned by someone akin to the "little old lady who drove it only to the supermarket." A friend about a year ago bought a 1985 Bassmasters Classic Ranger 361V with a Johnson GT 150 and Evinrude trolling motor. The gentleman who owned it absolutely took amazing care of it. It looked brand new, boat and trailer. He paid 7200 for the rig. Even had new batteries and new carpet and upholstery, which he had custom made to match the old upholstery. As far as engines, I ran a Johnson GT 150 on an 88 Skeeter and it was flawless. I have heard many times that Mariner is the largest sold motor brand in 3rd world countries where maintenance is difficult at best.

I get the indication that you wanted an answer of how to have the shiny new rig that is very expensive and still maintain your current budget paradigm. It's not possible to have both. How do we afford a 60k bassboat? In my case the bassboat is the bulk of my entertainment. Also my kids are grown. When they were young I had a 2 man Buster boat, then a used Cajun. I would suggest setting what you feel is a comfortable number, then double it and that will get you started. If you can perform simple service and repair tasks safely and correctly that helps a lot.

I am going to be purchasing this power upgrade soon. Does anyone have any experience with the Nizpro Supercharger? I run a 2016 FX21 LE

You should say thanks and rig them both up.

Last year was extremely odd for Oklahoma and Texas lakes. We went from winter to summer, skipping spring. I'm not sure the fish recovered all year. At Lake Fork, there is a great situation for spring setting up. Lake is full, and some grass is already growing. I would advise everyone this: Right now, spend a good amount of time in 4 to 6 ft of water, temperature be damned. I have caught many, many big bass on Fork winding a 3/4 oz red or orange trap in 4 ft of water, close to a ditch or creek, but shallow! The wife caught her ladies record on McGee Creek 2 years ago Jan 25th in 3ft of water on a Biffle Bug. Water temp? 49. The old adage of big bass spawn first is absolutely a fact. If you're waiting on 55 or above water to go fishing, you're missing the giants. Those beds you see in April were used by the big girls in Jan-Feb.