Tennessee Boy

I certainly agree with the importance of being polite on the water. I enjoy finding fish almost as much as I enjoy catching fish so relying on someone else to find my spots is allowing them to have all the fun. I will say this. When I'm on the water, I try to be very observant. I watch for bait fish. I watch the birds. I'm not going to ignore other fishermen. If I see a boat setting on a spot all day, I will remember it. I'm not going to move up on them to mark the spot or try to see what they're throwing but I will remember. That spot does not become off limits to me because I saw someone fishing it.

If you have two batteries and a 12V trolling motor then you will need to wire the batteries in parallel NOT in series. If wired in series you will be sending 24 volts to the trolling motor. If two batteries are wired in parallel, you can charge them as one with a single bank charger. I think you would be fine with one battery. My first boat was a 17ft Bass Tracker with a 45lb thrust trolling motor. I had two batteries wired in parallel and I could fish for two long days without charging but I used the outboard to move from spot to spot.

You didn't give us a price range. So I ask myself what would I want folks on this site to say if my wife ask the same question. I'm very picky about the tackle I use so I wouldn't want anyone to try to pick that out for me. I would suggest this. If he loves his boat. See what brand it is and order him some branded apparel (hats shirts etc). Most major boat manufactures have a great selection on their web sites. If he doesn't like his boat and can't wait to replace it then this is a bad idea.

As a member of the forum and on behalf of a grateful nation, I thank you. (I won't try to speak for your mother.) Now I've gotta go throw away all my lures except for my green pumpkin trick worms.

Yes. Bass love blue plastics because they look black to them ?

Alewife and a chocolate lab.

It's important to understand the shape of your sonar coverage. I'm assuming you have a 20 degree transducer. Always think about the cone of sonar coverage. Keep a picture of it in your mind. It's width is about 1/3 of the depth. As long as something is inside of that cone, you will see it on the screen. Things move through the cone because they're moving or you're moving. You're in 6 feet of water so you're looking at a cone shaped area of water thats about 2 feet across at the bottom. You're not looking at a lot of water when the depth is only 6 feet. Your speed appears to be 0.2 MPH so you're not moving very much. It looks like you've marked several different things over the period of time shown on the screen. So my guess is you're looking at several small fish that have passed through that small sonar cone in the last 15 seconds or so.

Congratulations! My first boat wouldn't run without gas either. It was very annoying at times.?

I looked at both in 2018. They were basically the same boat with some minor differences and had slightly different prices in 2018. I went with the Ranger because I liked the console better. I doesn't seem like they are investing much in the Triton brand so resale might not be as good a few years down the road.

Congratulations Dirtyeggroll MD

Beautiful lake and some nice looking fish. Thanks for sharing.

Yeah, I think it's all in your head Catt....but I'm ordering some of those worms just in case. ?

I'll suggest a reason for purple's success. I can't prove this. Let's just call it an untested hypothesis based on the scientific research on bass vision. Purple is a combination of blue and red. Bass can't see blue but people can. To bass, purple is a very dark red. A dark dried blood colored worm might look the same to a bass and work just as well but might not be as appealing as purple to us humans. So purple is the compromise that appeals to both bass and humans. Again, this is just a theory.

I've kept a very detailed fishing journal for many years. I've noticed my color preferences have changed over the years and I can't really explain why. For example, in the late 90s I caught a lot of fishing on watermelon seed. I hardly ever fish it now. It never stopped working. I just moved on to other colors over time. I will say that purple has been always been a favorite. I suspect it's the most popular color of all time. I strongly believe in the research that shows bass can't see blue and that has simplified my color selection. I probably won't buy any more blue lures after the 50,000 that I currently have are gone.

Charlie and his ideas and lures are classic. He’s gone but his family still runs the business in the same place. I always prefer doing business with companies like his. The ones that started with a guy who’s just wanted to find a way to catch more fish. It seems like those companies are slowly being replaced by the companies trying to find a better way to market the stuff they buy from China.

I don't think you can beat yellow cat (what foreigners call flatheads). Everyone raves about crappie, sauger, and walleye and I like um but nothing taste better than catfish to me. I keep saying I'm gonna try asian carp but so far I've never been in the mood when one jumped in the boat.

I fish my favorite colors the most. I catch the most fish on the colors I fish the most. My favorite colors are the ones I catch the most fish on. So it could be more about my preferences than the preferences of the fish. Maybe anglers in different regions have different color preferences just like people in different regions have different food preferences. I'm just sayin....

So very sorry for your loss.

This link will show you all of the skirt colors available for the Rattlin Booze Bug https://lossel.ipower.com/fwo/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/skirt-colors.jpg

I've been told that Ranger dealers cannot sell below list price. They can reduce their fees. I negotiated the dealer prep fee down to $100. Some dealers were wanting as much as $600. It's probably possible for them to throw in a few free things if they are motivated to sell. Also, cash does not appeal to them. They make more money when they finance a boat.

Wow, that’s amazing. Thanks!

Here is a list of adapter cables https://www.minnkotamotors.com/learn/technology/trolling-motors/universal-sonar-2 Make sure your Ultrex has the Universal Sonar transducer. The have a new mega model that only works with Humminbird units.

Yes, I've caught more fish on a Texas Rig than anything else. I also catch a lot of fish on a weightless soft plastic rigged weedless, but as @J Francho correctly pointed out, that ain't no Texas Rig.

I'm a software developer. I work from home and this virus has increase my workload considerably. I'll be glad when it's over so I can rest and maybe go fishing. I am thankful to have a job and feel for those that don't.

One thing I've noticed is how many different baits are used by the top ten anglers in a given tournament. That's not always true but it is most of the time. Kind of makes me think it might be the fisherman and not the bait that's catching all those fish. ?