haggard

Boat also makes it easier to recover a snagged lure. Most bank beaters do better than I do in a boat. Hoping that will change in 2019.

First thing I thought was "you fished a local pond on Saturday and didn't ask me to go along?!" You fooled me until I read "100 yards or better". Almost fell for it hook, line and stinker! ?

Aren't they supposed to be hanging from the hitch receiver on the back of the Ram?!

Tilley T3 Cotton Duck, full brim. Underneath it reads: "It floats, ties on, repels rain, blocks UV rays, won't shrink, and comes with a four-page owner's manual ... Handcrafted with Canadian Persnicketiness."

Turtle tosser: That's got a nice ring to it. I hear a new username calling... You got it: I just Texas rig it with a 1/4 oz tungsten bullet and throw it on 12 lb test mono with a M/F baitcaster. As you reel in the turtle the four appendages fwap fast but not furious. Think of it as low amplitude, high frequency! In the lake I use it only in the shallows, coves, around docks, and out to about 100 feet from shore, most often in no more than 12 ft of water. Haven't really tried it out deeper as I don't think that's where tiny turtles are hanging out. Smallies seem to enjoy it. And largies too - just ask @LadiMopar Someone at the launch told me I should lost the bullet and put a smaller crimp-on weight a couple feet farther up the line, for better action. Haven't tried that yet but might work well on a spinning setup.

Gotta love the waves lines. They're kind of like waftotrons, but for motion, instead of smell. Glad you appreciate them. https://www.fastcompany.com/1673017/quimps-plewds-and-grawlixes-the-secret-language-of-comic-strips Link to the full length turtle-tossing video, which in retrospect, is WAY too long... apologies. Perhaps I'll learn someday. Or not.

Good advice, thanks. JB already has, too!

Gack! I love a small boat but you can put two people in an 8.5 footer?!

What's on your (chum)bucket list for the 2019 season? A few from 2018 that I didn't get to, so they're pushed out to 2019: 1st time catch a bass on a jig (came close in 2018, he chased it to the boat) 1st time catch a bass on a topwater lure 1st time catch and cook something. Maybe a trout, crappie or striper. learn fly fishing catch salt water species #2 (first was striper in 2018) What's on your list?

Doomsday turtle in green pumpkinseed (two tone earthy green with gold speckles). Thanks @LadiMopar!

Light lures & line. One reason the spinning reel is better than the baitcaster here is on a cast the line basically "falls" off the spool on a cast, whereas on a baitcaster the line is pulling/rotating the spool which introduces resistance. So a light lure on a spinning reel will cast farther. Also, when the lure hits the water it will more easily drop down vertical (because line falls off the spool), whereas on light lures the baitcaster's tension can cause the lure to pendulum back towards you as it drops, unless you strip line off the spool.

It's possible that with all the button punching the Hook 4 got put into a mode where it reads from some other map, chip set, or data set. I don't have mine handy right now but if I remember correctly it can be set to read data from one of several sources. Unless you very deliberately tell the unit to reset to factory defaults and erase the data, I think it's hard to lose all your waypoints and trails. Check the menus and try to convince the Hook 4 to read from your recorded data set, as opposed to some alternate / third party data set. If you get stuck, let me know and I'll throw mine on a battery and try to step you through it. Hook 4 is a great unit especially with GPS. For short money it gives you all the basics without all the complication of a fancier unit.

I love that Spro Rat. I've got a 30 and a 40. The action and sound on it is just great. One of these days I'll actually catch something on it.

(tournament rules aside) Fish naturally eat live bait. Using artificial lures should be considered cheating. But artificials are cheap, convenient, reusable, last a long time, and you can stick them in a tackle box for weeks and bring them back out and they still work. Can't really do that with live bait.

I had a 14 ft aluminum jon, probably a little on the heavier side for a 14' jon, and used a 55 lb. thrust trolling motor and it worked just great. Single 12 V RV/marine battery. The TM was cable steer, with foot pedal and had digital power management but was otherise very basic. Plenty power to move the boat around. Whatever you do, a circuit breaker or inline fuses is critical for preventing a fire if something shorts out. I used an inline fuse in each battery lead, as close to the battery as possible, plus an inline resettable circuit breaker (I think it's rated for 55 amps) at the helm. The trolling motor manual should specify the appropriate current ratings for any fuses/breakers.

I had a 2016 Tracker Jon 1448 MVX that was $3,500 out the door including trailer, comes with study casting deck and front/rear pedestal seat bases. Exposure to weather didn't bother it a bit (motor may be another story but that's easier to cover). Just saying there are options. If you have no off-street parking then yeah that can be a little trickier.

"Afford" says to me "saved and bought for cash." If you need go into debt to buy it, you can't afford it. In the past I saved and paid cash for relatively cheap boats ($3,600 or less). Now I've got two boats on a home equity line of credit (HELOC) with a reasonable but climbing interest rate. Not saying that's the right way to go but not saying it's wrong either. If you want to buy a boat that you need to borrow money for: 1) shop for a loan that will let you pay down principal each month, not just interest. My HELOC lets me "over pay" each month and the overpayment all goes towards principal. Try privately held banks or credit unions. 2) be realistic about budgeting, even if you don't have a formal budget: how much can you afford to put towards the debt each month. Don't let your desire for a nice boat cloud your judgement about how much you can realistically put towards it each month.

I use it exclusively because I like to keep it simple; too many choices can be overwhelming. I also don't often fish situations where less stretch is desirable (heavy cover/structure, or bottom jigging at great depths). For crankbaits and swimbaits (trebles, light hooks) I use a fast action rod rather than a moderate, so there's not a lot of shock absorbing action. The slight stretch of mono may help here.

Apparently a common problem with the Curado K, and mine does it too. Solution is to release spool tension with the spool tension knob, then the side plate should lock closed; then tighten the spool tension again. While I'm disappointed a reel at this price has this issue, I still find it dependable for my occasional heavier duty applications (thicker cover, deeper water). 10 lb test mono but I've settled on 12.

I had a 14' jon and loved it for its small size and shallow draft, but one thing I missed was storage. If you think you might want a livewell later, maybe get it now and in the meantime use it for covered/dry and secure storage. It's less cluttered than using a milk crate like I did.

Alllllright then... Bought a 2014 Tracker 1448 MV all welded jon & trailer. Cheap setup but thick aluminum and solid, quality boat. That boat died (no fault of its own) so I've been looking for the next boat and considered all sorts of types and brands. Yesterday I found a leftover 2018 Tracker 1548 Sportsman, basically the same boat but a little longer plus a few new features. Bought it. Yeah I guess I like 'em.

I started to reply then realized the thread is from 2010

What he said :D

Risk vs. reward. I don't generally believe in "investing" in a boat or a car; they're not investments; they're expenses (kind of like pet cats). Our elders know that because they've been through it before us. The payback isn't monetary; it's the enjoyment and quality of life you get from it. Your elders' reaction is natural, common and often correct. Consider the presentation. "I'm buying a bass boat and I can afford it" vs "I'm buying a bass boat because after reviewing our debt obligations and putting some $ aside for retirement and emergency cash funds we feel comfortable with this." General rule is don't spend more than you make. That said, some debt is normal and we occasionally cave but pick and choose wisely and don't let your desires get you in over your head.