Junger

That's what would be on my list. Let the wife unit handle the rest.

Yep, learned that the hardway recently on my trip to Sanibel.

Hi all, I'm getting an Ultrex with iPilot Link, and 2 HB Helix 10 G3N...I've read the Ultrex comes with a GPS puck for the jog feature which I think I will use a lot. To get heading on my Helix's, do I need another external heading sensor, or I can choose the Ultrex heading sensor to show heading on the graphs?

Welp, I don't have to worry about this one...no chance it'll fit in my garage. It's a beauty though and will be looking forward to the on water specs.

Try Oban Little Bay; it's not quite as tropical fruit/peppery as Oban 14 to me, but still has a lot going on. I got it at Costco for $30, but should MSRP around $50. Delicous!

Do you like peated whiskey? Laphroaig tastes like a bowl of campfire ashes and should be just a tad over $50. I love it. My whiskey journey started with scotch, but more of a brown liquid kind of guy now, and also enjoy the high proof stuff more. Tariffs really put a big price jump on Scotch and other imports in my liquor stores.

I fished a lot with my dad as a kid, then sports, video games, girls, college, and other things got in the way. Right around 40 years old I wanted to really spend more time with him and I figured his passion for fishing was something to ignite the process. I bought some rods, I found this site, and I started to glean what I could. Then I bought a small boat that was suitable for just him and I, and we have fished a lot together in the last 3 years. What was my initial notion to reconnect with my dad has turned into my passion now, and I plan to instill that to my kids.

And rods...I really liked the XML rods at $100.

Ah - saw you're dealing with a wavy area. Do you have cleats on your gunwale? If so, what about just some boat fender bumpers? But I tie up to a dock often for launching/retrieving solo, and I plan to use these for my new boat: https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Rite_Hite_Marine_Best_Boat_Tie_Up_/descpage-RHB.html

So after looking at boats the last two weeks and pulling the trigger, I was initially just going to wait to place an order with my local Lund dealer, which is about 70 minutes away because all their production slots were sold for the year for almost all models. But he said he didn't have any pricing info and if I wanted to I could place the order now for his 2022 slots, but the caveat was that he informally heard Lund's 2022 pricing was going up around 15% due to tariffs. After I heard that, I immediately expanded my search radius and I found a boat with 99% of what I wanted in Wisconsin. So just FYI, 2022 boats might see a significant jump especially for raw materials from China.

Thanks for all the input. I ended up going with the Lund PVB 1875. If I could fit an 18-20' bay boat in my garage, I probably would have gone that route but didn't want to go smaller than 18'. Now I just have to drive out to Wisconsin to get it....12 hour trip.

Lipless crankbaits, aka Rat L Traps...I seem to lose them within the first 5 casts and then I give up and switch to a spinnerbait or something that I can bump into cover.

Possible on most boats if one can cast left handed, and both cast overhead or 3/4 and watch the back cast so you don't snag eachother.

I went on a back bay charter in Key West in October and went out on a Yellowfin 24'...we were going in and out of mangrove cuts with the TM and it was really maneuverable. Check that boat out...and also Key West boats, which seem like a little more bang for the buck compared to YF. Both draft at 14" and under per their specs.

Thanks for the update, I was really leaning toward a bay boat, but I can't find one that has a reasonable layout that would fit my 21' garage. The Key West 18'8 bay reef was #1 on my list, but it won't fit because of where the trailer tongue swings, and the engine. I don't have any possibility of outside storage because of an HOA, and I don't want to drive 20 minutes and pay $200/month at a storage facility just to access my boat.

Yep, confirmed with a Lund sales rep. I may have to drive to IL to get a PVB XS or wait for the 2022.

Revisiting this as I'm getting more serious about a new boat...the overall length of 22'8" is with your motor trimmed up, correct? Is the height the engine cowling at 82"? Are the bigger engines taller/longer? I have a standard 7' high garage door, I will probably get the 150HP motor, but it all depends on what I can fit.

Prior to this, I purchased a 14' 1986 Bomber Scout to get my feet wet a few years ago. I got the green light from the wife unit to get a bigger boat after spending a time in FL doing a lot of family boating activities. This will be my first new boat where I can pick and choose the features I want, but there are the restrictions and considerations. 1) 21' deep garage, about 10' wide (I have a dual car garage but she is adamant that she keeps her spot, and she also needs to charge her EV battery) 2) At minimum, 4 people (2 adults, 2 tweens), but really only 3 people fishing at a time. 6-8 people would be great for cruising around with family/friends. A removable bimini top for cover would be a huge bonus for my wife's needs. 3) It will be used 70% of the time for bass fishing, many times in pad fields and hydrilla. This will be the primary purposes of the boat for me and my 2 sons. 4) 20% of the time, I will be cruising around the local reservoir with my wife and 2 sons, and maybe some friends. 5) 10% of the time, I would like to haul it an hour away to the Chesapeake Bay, or even 3 hours away to LBI NJ for bay fishing or sunset cruising, so it will be in saltwater. 6) Budget is around $60K without considering electronics or TM, so just the boat, trailer, and engine. I'm looking at the following, in no preferential order: 1) Key West 188 BR: 18'8 feet, but their website doesn't give a trailer/boat/engine storage length. 2) Mako 18 LTS: 18'6: The website says storage length is 23'8 but it seems like that is without a folding tongue, 5 additional feet from the boat length seems pretty high. 3) Lund 1875 Pro-V: 18'10: Storage length is 21'9, I think I can angle this in to fit my garage. Fits up to 6 people but doesn't have a max weight capacity. The Pro-V Bass XS is also in consideration and would be my #1 choice if I only focused on bass fishing. 4) Crestliner 1850 Superhawk: 18'9: Storage length is 21'9 too, and says max capacity is 8 people and max weight is 1,800 lbs. I'm leaning toward the bay boat for a more typical casting deck aspect and bimini top. While I may not get rod locker storage, I don't have it now and it's probably something I can live without. I like using a foot pedal TM too, I'm not sure I would get used to a remote digital one. Otherwise, I don't see any other cons vs a dual console bass boat layout. Any other brands, or features, or anything else I should consider? I may not get another boat until I retire down to FL.

I’m in Sanibel FL for a month and decided to do a little whiskey hunting. Found Wild Turkey Rare Breed Rye so far, which I can’t find in MD at all. Sipping on the neck pour hoping that TB12 is gonna lose!

By far it was a popper (Evergreen OB Magic Gill) from June until October for both numbers and size. It was a really weird spring bite for me, when COVID hit in March, we had a stretch of 60-70 degree days, and then it went back into the freeze during April and a really cold May. I had no idea where they were in the spring, so they didn't really start to bite for me until late May.

Yep.

I find gizzard shad in the most unusual places, there are some semi-shallow ponds in NJ that have them, deepest being about 10 feet. Here is a little park I take my kids to and I fish when visiting my in-laws in NJ: https://goo.gl/maps/sdxjbu4WdTmfoXn6A There are LMB, bluegill, crappie, american eel, gizzard shad, channel cats, and they even stock it with rainbows in the spring. How they fit into this pond...I have no idea. I even found them in parts of the creek down from Lake Needwood in the fall/spring. I have no idea where they go in the summer, but I presume they swim up Rock Creek from deeper sections up here to spawn. Not sure if they're viable in BH or what the impact would be, but they're definitely a resilient shad species...but they smell to high heaven. I hate them worse than blue cats.

There are lots of gizzard shad in Widewater, I think they survive because of the deep holes when it gets hot. I see thousands of them in the early spring in the shallow area by lock. They would probably be OK in Black Hills too, lots of vegetation and deep sections for the summer heat. And yeah, way more kayaks and recreational watercraft (sailboats too!) than bass boats during these times. The boat dock can be a clusterF because they like to blow up their yaks on the ramp, or they're chit-chatting while there are 2-3 boats ready to put in or take out. I've only fished there once in two years...I'd rather drive an hour away to fish the Potomac.

I have two 7’ M/MH AGS Tatula Elites with Alphas SV’s on them. I can throw 1/8 oz in-line spinners with 6lb fluoro or braid for good distance. The rod is rated for 1oz and I have thrown swim baits in that range on the rod before but 3/4 is more in the comfortable range. This rod is the most versatile one in my casting arsenal. Which Orochi are you looking at? I also have a G1 EMTF and it flings 3/8 and up. I’d say sensitivity is about the same in both, they’re both up there with my GLX 844. No experience with an Expride. Oh yeah...casting or spinning?

Very interested in the dual bearing supported pinion gear.