K1500

Thanks for the tips and feedback and feel free to keep them coming. I will play with the finder (Lowrance HDS Live 7”). It is on the stern and I am usually fishing off the front. I also have the finder at the helm and fishing off the front I can’t see it anyway. My cheap hook unit on the front doesn’t seem to see the jig. I am sure adjusting the sensitivity would help. I do see it on the HDS sometimes and the vertical up/down jigging. I probably need to turn the sensitivity up. I am happy to hear my thought process on the value of a line counter isn’t too far off. I have a dedicated vertical jigging rod setup with my oldest reel, so trading out reels doesn’t cost me anything other than the reel.

I do a fair bit of vertical jigging and was wondering if anyone has used a line counter reel to more precisely control depth, especially when fishing for suspended fish. Sometimes I have trouble ‘seeing’ my jig on the sonar. The clip on line counters seem to be geared towards measuring line when spooling and not fishing. The Okuma Magda series is around $50-$60 or so. I’m open to any thoughts or suggestions.

Well, they are about to shut themselves almost completely out of the port market. So…stock up on bacon now if you live there.

Prop 65 and the crazy warning labels that it requires (that most manufacturers are not complying with). I read somewhere enforcement is being stepped up and it is easier for a big retail outfit to not shop than it is to comply.

I have the 7” HDS Live and can comment on the screen size (I don’t do live scope). Mine is mounted on the windshield area of a bay boat and I typically have it set to a split screen of the lake map and sonar. If I am doing a lot of sonar work, I will switch it to full screen. My opinion is anything more than split screen and the 7” screen is too small. I am sure a larger screen would be nice, but I am happy with the 7”. Some of the map symbols with a navionics chip are hard to read, but that is more due to me not wearing bifocals when needed. I believe the 7” Live comes with a transducer and is a dual core processor while the larger versions are quad core and do not come with a transducer, but I would double check this before relying on it. I don’t notice any lag or delay, but I am confident I am not getting the most out of my finder, as I am still kind of a novice when it comes to electronics.

Just something to think about…you can get a brand new 4x4 1/2 or 3/4 ton with a mid level package in the mid $40’s. As an added bonus the truck won’t depreciate nearly as fast as a car or suv will, and it makes a far better tow rig. Throw a camper shell on it and you have all the utility of an suv and the value and capability of a truck.

A bay boat is another option with more capacity. Mine is rated for 8 and seats 4 very comfortably.

As stated you are not exempt due to age. You are exempt due to age and not being equipped with a cutoff. If you have one you must use it. I think making a bracelet would be fine. You could also get a loop of Velcro and make an actual bracelet that would be easier to put on and off and clip it to that. You can also clip to your shorts belt loop/ draw string. The best place to clip it is your PFD.

The 4 blade props in my post are both Mercury Spitfire props. I’m new enough that I didn’t know they were anything innovative beyond the ad copy.

I can’t help you with the rods, but I have two Daiwa Fuego reels in 2500 and 2500XT. While I like them, I believe I like the Daiwa BG better. I think they are within $10 of each other. The BG is aluminum framed and a bit heavier, but it doesn’t have the stem flex of the Fuego. The Fuego is lighter and mag sealed, but it has a lot of stem flex. It probably doesn’t matter for function, but I find it kind of annoying. I fished one for almost a year before buying another, and I would swear that it didn’t have as much flex when new as it did after a year or two. Both are great reels and you would likely be happy with both, but I’ll be buying the BG moving forward.

I would expect some pretty big increases in MSRP over the next few years. Just look at the Bass Tracker that used to be $10k a few years ago, now it’s $15k. If you found the boat you want new and the price isn’t too bad and you have the means, I vote new/now instead of waiting.

That is true, but if you have too high of a pitch the boat will be really sluggish and never hit top speed. You should be able to hit redline for your motor with the correct prop. If you cannot do that, you have too much pitch and will never hit top speed, plus it will be really sluggish to get on plane. You were sluggish to plane and slower with your 21p three blades. To me that says you were quite a bit over propped. I’m guessing that dropping 1 or 2 pitches (down to a 19 or 17) would have perked the boat up nicely.

My understanding is they typically jump by 2. I would have thought if a 4 blade 19 was working to go to a 3 blade 17 or 19. If a 4 blade 19 was not giving enough of a hole shot and you wanted a 3 blade to go to a 17 or even 15. It sounds like you got the opposite advice. Disclaimer: I could have it backwards, so please verify before you take my advice.

It could have been a pitch issue (I assume they are the same diameter). My understanding is a 4 blade provides more ‘grip’ for a better hole shot and for better performance in rough water and during turns. A 3 blade is more efficient. I have heard folks say that moving from a 4 blade that performs well to a 3 blade you should step down one pitch (I.e. from a 4 blade 19 to a 3 blade 17). It all really depends on your motor and whether you can hit max rpm at wot. I have 4 blade props and they seem to work well for me, but they also seem to be less common than the 3 blade (which I haven’t used). I’m glad you got it sorted out, it can be frustrating.

The worn spots of paint on your old prop may be cavitation burn, which can be caused by a variety of factors. It’s never a bad idea to have a spare prop, and the aluminum props are cheap enough that it isn’t a big deal to keep a spare. As my earlier post indicated, I use a 19p 4 blade for fishing and switch to a 17p 4 blade for summer fishing and tubing.

Regarding alignment, it is more than being equidistant from the center of the tongue. I believe it is also the caster, camber, and toe angle. I have read that trailers that are out of alignment and have tires that scrub are more prone to bearing failure.

Thanks for the advice, I appreciate it.

I wonder if you have an alignment issue that is causing the tires to scrub and put abnormal wear on the bearings.

Yep, I just didn’t know if the 6-8 hours or so per day in the water would be enough time for electrolysis to become a problem. I assume it’s a good idea to flush the motor every day too, or am I being too sensitive to the whole thing? Many boats sit moored in salt all the time and go on long multi-day trips, maybe I’m overthinking it for a week long trip.

YZH 12 pound is a great choice on a baitcaster for a first reel or a 20th reel.

I’m headed to the Gulf in Texas for a week this summer and plan on bringing my 20 foot Lowe aluminum bay boat to fish for trout and reds. I will launch and recover the boat every day and rinse it off with fresh water at the end of each day. I have an aluminum trailer. The Mercury motor has anodes, and I plan on buying an anode for the trolling motor. What do I need to do to protect the boat itself? A four anode kit was an option from the factory, but the dealer didn’t order it for my boat, and searching online doesn’t show what those anodes were made of and how they were attached. Do I need anodes? How many, what kind, and how do I attach them to the boat? Thanks in advance.

Daiwa BG is aluminum and I like it better than the Fuego. I do have both.

I bought 3 cheap kayaks for me and the kids. They were/are fun for a few hours, but I am miserable for long duration trips. They were proof of concept for me to buy a 20 foot bay boat, which I absolutely love and can fish out of all day. I still use the kayaks infrequently for river and creek fishing, but the bay boat has been a major upgrade in my fishing comfort. If I didn’t have the means to afford a large boat, I would still be happy fishing out of a kayak, but I do believe a canoe would be better for my style of fishing.

I attach mine to the lanyard for the trolling motor remote.

It has been a rough fishing spring for the central US for sure, especially from a weather standpoint.