Tennessee Boy

About 30 years ago a buddy of mine bought a new high end boat at a dealership 2 hours away. He drove home and took it to the river to break it in. The boat would not start. It was under warranty of course but instead of driving two hours back to where he bought it, he took it to a local dealer and left it. They fixed it and took it to the river to “test it”. They somehow hit a dock and ripped a gash in the fiberglass. They fixed the fiberglass but he basically paid full price for recked boat. It was the equivalent of a $90K boat today.

It an 18 foot aluminum Ranger RT188.

I personally refuse to use braid that is larger in diameter than the mono I would use instead. In my opinion the advantage of braid is the smaller diameter. If you need 50lb line then use 50 lb braid. Don't replace 12# 0.011 in diameter mono with 50# 0.012 diameter braid. If the small diameter braid does not work well on your baitcaster then get a baitcaster designed for braid, use a spinning reel, or stay with mono.

Absolutely. Depending on how you use your trolling motor. If you're like me and move around pretty slow they don't use much power at all. I measured the current pulled by my 24V 80lbs Ultrex. Here's what I found. The first number is the trolling motor speed setting. The second number is the amps pulled. When I'm fishing the trolling motor is on 3 or less 80% of the time. 10 - 41 9 - 31 8.5- 27 8- 23 7.5–20 7-17 6.5-14.5 6-12 5.5-10 5-8 4.5-6 4-5 3.5-3.5 3-2.5 2.5-1.5 2-1 1.5-0.7 1-0.5 0.5-0.5

You just need to do the math that @MN Fisher has already done for you. I run 3 Humminbird Solix, MEGA Live, MEGA 360, Target Lock on a 75 ah lithium. I’ve never run out of juice but I’m rarely out more than 6 hours. If I know it’s gonna be a long day I’ll put the units in sleep mode when I’m not using them. I also have a switch to move stuff to the cranking battery if necessary but that has never happened.

I think the upper line test rating on the rod, not the maximum lure weight is a more accurate way to measure the rods ability to deliver force for the hook set. This of course is limited by the drag setting and the line strength. In reality it takes an unusually strong hook set to pull drag, break the line, or break the rod. It’s the anglers ability to effectively set the hook that is usually what limits the force delivered to the hook when the hook is set but a stiff rod will compensate for a weak hook set. Interesting idea but there are so many variables to consider.

Or maybe a famous coyote

My grandfather taught me to fish. He’s gone but I feel like he’s with me every time I go fishing. Using your dad’s tackle is a great way to remember him. As for uses for your rods, the perfect setup can only be determined by the person holding the rod. Everyone has a different style of fishing and a different way of casting. I would encourage you to experiment and see what works for you. All of the buzz around technique specific rods just make a simple process seem complicated.

I'm gonna say I'm a 6 or 7. I typically measure success by my 5 biggest fish. I got started thinking that way when I fished tournaments in the 90s and just never stopped.

Do you fish a continent different than an island?

A couple of months ago a guy on spring break fell into the river in downtown Nashville. There was huge search effort to find him and it took about two weeks. They found two other bodies before they found the one they were looking for.

I've had to back a hook out that was in past the barb around 5 times in 50 years of fishing. I've had to push the point back through the skin once to cut the barb off. I've made one trip to the doctor to to have the barb removed after it broke off while I was trying to get the hook out. Those were all painful memories but not as painful as the memories of some of the fish I've lost over the years. No way I'm using barbless hooks as long as barbs are legal. Yes I know I won't lose that many fish. It's not the number of fish I'm worried about. It's that one fish that I don't want to lose.

If it doesn’t have a transducer cable, it doesn’t have a built in transducer or someone removed the cable. Can you post a picture of the trolling motor foot? This diagram from the current Terrova model's manual shows where the Ethernet and transducer (Dual Spectrum CHIRP) cable are on the motor.

A trolling motor with a built in transducer will have a transducer cable that you attach to the fish finder. If the trolling motor is networkable (i-pilot link for Minn Kota) it will also have an Ethernet network cable that you attach to the fish finder’s Ethernet port or to an Ethernet switch. If you only have one fish finder you can connect to the fish finder. If you have multiple fish finder’s network together, you connect everything including the trolling motor to a separate Ethernet switch using Ethernet network cables. It’s call an Ethernet switch but there are no mechanical switches on it. It’s just has 5 Ethernet ports and a power port that you mount somewhere on the boat. It’s basically the same as a Ethernet switch you can buy at Walmart for $20 except it has different connectors and it cost $300.

I can’t speak to the transducer weight issue. It’s the transducer cord that most people complain about. The trolling motor shaft slides up and down so you can’t attach an any cord to it. This video shows one man’s solution to the problem. It doesn’t look like a very appealing solution to me.

You’re losing way too many fish. I can’t say why. Is your hook big enough to handle the size bait you’re using?

If you never start the outboard and just use the trolling motor to get around, the operating costs would not be that bad. 😆

The only downside I see with the Ulterra is if you want to add a forward facing sonar transducer or 360 imaging you will not be able to mount them to the Ulterra. Even adding another transducer is difficult but there are some awkward 3rd party solutions for that.

1.8 MPG at top speed. 2.7 MPG at 30 mph which is the top speed I’m comfortable with most of the time. That comes out to a little over a $1 a mile at 30 mph. So it would cost me about $3 just to get out of the creek that I usually launch in and another $3 to get back to the ramp. I guess someone that pays $200K for a boat is not worried about gas money.

Payton Manning, I tend to overthink everything and I’m a Vol for life. Also, I sometimes yell Omaha! when I change lures. I’m not sure why.

I would think the answer lies in adjusting the way you cast. I would be interested to know what diameter braid and mono you’ve been using. I agree with what you’ve read: mono is easier. Many overcome the challenges of braid by using braid that is as thick as the mono you would use in a given situation. Learn to cast with the right line for the way you are fishing, whether it is braid or mono.

Minn Kota remotes have a reputation for failure.

I would think you will want 100 lbs of thrust. You already have the 24v so go fishing and see how it works.

Solix 15, two Solix 10s, MEGA 360, MEGA Live on a Target Lock mount, Ultrex I-Pilot Link. I would say I’m a 8 on the ATS.

It depends on the reel and the way the level wind wraps the line on the spool. On my Shimano Scorpions I go down to 0.009 in / 0.229 mm. On my Diawa Silver Wolfs that are designed for braid I have no problems with 0.004 in / 0.102 mm.