Tennessee Boy

Welcome to the forum!

Welcome to the forum.

Welcome!

@Brad Reid your response to this thread and others tells me that we think alot alike when it comes to fishing. I've always been fascinated with the role that randomness plays in fishing. We all go fishing hoping the fish will tell us what we are doing right and what we are doing wrong. The answers we get are probably 95% noise and 5% science. To truely seperate the science from the noise would require several lifetimes of fishing experience and a PhD in statistics.

Welcome to the forum!

Welcome

It’s a challenge to translate what you see on the screen into your position on the water as it relates to what you are trying to fish. A couple of buoys make it easier. One great tool that we have not mentioned here is a heading sensor. Having the map orient itseft to the direction the boat is pointing when it’s not moving is very helpful. I don’t think I could have given up using buoys without a heading sensor.

Easy fishing doesn't always lead to easy catching ?.

Humminbird 360 imaging is like side imaging except the image is generated by a turning transducer instead of the moving boat. The concept is fantastic. The actual implementation leaves a lot to be desired. The quality of the images is MUCH lower than with side imaging. It also doesn't work very well in water over 20 ft. I still find it very useful. It helps me find cover in shallow water that I otherwise would not know was there. It is very helpful in showing the location of off shore structure in relation to the boat as you are fishing. It also shows you any irregularities in the structure that might not be on the map. It's always reassuring to know that the ledge you are fishing really is there. ?

25 years ago I might drop a buoy 30 times on a single trip. I have a couple of buoys in the boat now but I can't remember the last time I used one. I have an Ultrex with 360 imaging. Spotlock is one of the most useful features that has come around in years. I can sit on a spot, jog 5 feet in any direction, follow a depth contour, circle a spot, and see what I'm fishing with 360 imaging. It's so easy now to fish off shore structure that it's taken some of the fun out of it.

First welcome. I'm sure you will get a lot of different advice on the forum. Here are some of my thoughts. I would not worry about your rod and reel combos at this point. You seem to like them and that's what's important. I would suggest you focus more on what's working for you. I'm not saying you should never try different things but you'll have more success mastering a few techniques. A texas rig is a technique that works for beginners and experts. I would work on becoming a great texas rig fisherman. Find what works best for you and try to improve on it. Try experimenting with your presentation. Try fishing faster and slower. Try different weights and try the bait without a weight. Try differnent colors and sizes of the creature bait that's been working for you and try different baits. Look for patterns that work and repeat them. Are they hitting in shallow water or deeper water? Are they close to cover? What type of cover? Most import, keep fishing! You'll only get better.

Welcome!!

It looks like you are very responsible with your money. You were one of the kids that did not eat the marshmallow. If you don't know what I'm talking about search for "marshmallow test" on youtube. I'm sure a boat is in your future. I'll always be in the "never borrow money for a hobby camp" and it has served me well. My first boat cost $4000. It produced as many good memories as the nicest Ranger on the water. I can promise you this. If you love fishing as much as I do you will love your first boat. It doesn't matter if it cost $5000, $20000, or $75000.

Fishing is good for the soul. For me personally, depriving myself of fishing would almost be as bad as depriving myself of family. Not everyone understands that because not everyone feel that way. That said, fishing doesn't require a new boat on a 10+ year loan. My advice is to set up a boat saving account and have $217 a month automatically transferred into it for as long as you enjoy fishing. In a year or two or three take the money and buy a cheap used boat or kayak and just keep saving every month for the next boat. You'll be earning interest in the process. There will always be something tempting you to borrow money. Your grandfather is a wise man. He knows borrowing money will make you poor. Saving money will make you rich.

Does it really matter. This is how the fishing industry works. You buy a company with a great brand that fishermen grew up loving. Then you find a manufacturer that can make the products cheaper. They can probably make more money selling Abu Garcia branded clothes than they can selling Abu Garcia reels that have to compete with all of the other brands of reels made in the same factory in Asia.

I don't know how high you filled the boat with water. If it's higher than the water line when the boat is floating then the pressure on the rivets is higher than when it's in the water. I would be surprised if they would agree to repair a rivet if just a drop of water is oozing around it. If it leaks on the water more than is acceptable to you then I would take it back.

Let me guess. You took a job in a aquarium shop and then got fired for fishing out of the tanks. ?

Welcome!

We've actually got Tilapia in Tennessee now. Never thought I would see that.

There are many factors that determine what feels cold when fishing in the winter. I've found that if the fish are really bitting it feels about 20 degrees warmer.

Love winter fishing if the temp is above 40 degrees or so. A mild day (say 60 degrees) in the middle of winter is the best time of the year to be on the water.

@Scott F I hear you. Health insurance cost make no sense to me. There is an area outside of Nashville where my wife and I have talked about retiring to. Health insurance would cost us $9,000 more a year there than in Nashville. The crazy thing is, people who live there go to Nashville if they need expensive surgery or cancer treatments. If we ever move there, it will have to be after Medicare kicks in for us.

Welcome to the forum. Can never have too many folks from Tennessee.

Good advice @Brad Reid If I told you how much money I make, I don't think you would be impressed. I don't think anyone would be impressed with the six year old truck that I bought used, my 2300 sq foot home, or my aluminum bass boat with a 90HP outboard. You might however be impressed with how much money I have saved for retirement. My truck gets me where I want to go, our house is bigger than we need, and if I don't catch fish it's not because of my boat. I've lived modestly and made savings a priority since I got out of college. I work, my wife works, and our savings work. Most years, our savings makes more money than we do. Compounded investment returns can make anyone rich. Credit card interest can make anyone poor. It's a lesson everyone learns eventually. It seems like most of the post on this web site are from people asking for advice on what tackle to buy. I assume the goal is to catch more fish. My plan for catching more fish is to retire in my fifties and replace working with fishing. That sometimes means I have to smack the bait monkey upside the head when he starts messing with me.

I'm gonna try to remember to reply to this thread in 1291 days.....make that 1292, I'm going fishing on my first day of retirement.