@reelChris

So, to answer my own question, as per THIS ONYX OUTDOOR VIDEO, which I'm pretty sure makes the Bass Pro vests based on their identical appearance, product name (A/M 24) and the fact that the Bass Pro manual advises the use of Onyx rearm kits, the date printed on the bobbin is the date of manufacture. I hereby retract my earlier annoyance at Bass Pro.

After doing some more research, I'm not certain that the dates printed on the Bass Pro bobbins are expirations. Here's the bass pro bobbin: If you look at a Mustang rearm kit - the date printed on their bobbins is very similar to the Bass pro vests: Based on the info on the rear of the Mustang package, which has a separate expiration date exactly three years later than the bobbin date in the package, the bobbin date must be a date of manufacture, no?

Downsizing tackle is only half of the game. You're not really doing it right if you're not fishing out of a finesse bass boat.

Bass PROOOOOOOO!!!! Because of this thread, I just checked the bobbins in the two A/M 24's I bought during the sale a couple of weeks ago. Yup, expired in 10/2020. Back to the store they go. Thanks A-Jay, I wouldn't even have thought to look had you not said anything.

Kastking put out an email press release this week announcing its new 13 strand braid. Not a lot of specifics were provided, but Amazon already has two strengths on the site, 15 lb @ .17mm diameter and 30lb @ .28 mm. That's thinner than 832 (15 lb @ .22mm and 30lb @ .29mm) and Powerpro 15 lb @ .19mm. https://www.amazon.com/KastKing-KastPro-Finesse-Braided-Fishing/dp/B08RYJYNLF?th=1&psc=1 (For Immediate Release - March 22, 2021 - Garden City, Long Island NY) KastKing, (kastking.com) a division of Eposeidon Outdoor, Inc., introduced a new specially designed, extraordinary braided fishing line with 13 strands of Ultra-High Molecular UHMPE fiber -- KastKing KastPro 13X Finesse. Using a sophisticated hybrid fiber and weaving process, KastKing created the smoothest, most supple and longest casting braided line for finesse, and other techniques. KastKing KastPro 13X-Finesse braid line is not only extremely thin, soft, smooth, and supple, but also has remarkable knot strength and straight-line breaking strength. KastKing developed 13X Finesse for spinning reels which require a more supple line with no memory but also work great on casting presentations. KastKing has also produced a new 8-strand hybrid braided fishing line; KastKing KastPro 8X-Finesse. With almost identical characteristics of its 13-carrier twin, many anglers will opt to use KastPro 8X Finesse for its incredible value. Still soft, supple, quiet, long casting and great knot strength, 8X Finesse is a great option at a lower price. “After years of development and testing, the new KastKing KastPro 13X Finesse and 8X Finesse Braided line will be one our most important new product introductions in 2021!” says Al Noraker, KastKing VP of Business Development. “Finesse techniques with spinning gear are becoming incredibly important for anglers targeting a wide range of species from Bass to Walleye and more. They've needed a braided fishing line that delivers incredible casting distance, smooth and quiet performance through guides, industry leading sensitivity and ultra-thin diameters. KastPro X Finesse lines delivers on all these points and much more. “Most finesse techniques require the use of a thin, no-stretch braid combined with a short to medium fluorocarbon leader. X Finesse excels in knot strength and tournament anglers testing this new braid have rated it the best they've used.” On March 20, Tate Cui, Eposeidon-KastKing CEO said during a KastKing new product introduction event, ”…KastKing has launched KastPro 13X Finesse Braided Fishing Line. 13 strands of Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene, (UHMPE) fibers are crossed 36 times every inch (36 PPI) creating the smoothest, most supple and longest casting braided line for finesse techniques. 12 over 1 construction of KastPro 13X Finesse produces a perfectly round braid fishing line. It makes KastPro 13X’s surface as smooth and soft as mono line or fluorocarbon line. You can hardly see its PPI, which greatly reduces the friction through the fishing reel and the line guides of the fishing rod to deliver long, quiet casts… “…Why is the diameter of the 13-stranded line thinner than the general four-stranded or 8-stranded line? The answer is simple. Customized UHMPE fiber and a unique weaving process. The fiber of KastKing KastPro 13X Finesse Braided Fishing Line is a type of special customized UHMPE fiber. This UHMPE fiber is 1/2 to 2/3 thinner than normal fibers, and the customized fiber is stronger and softer, and ‘fuzzing’ does not easily occur when weaving. “Meanwhile, the weaving process must be very sophisticated. With 1 strand of fiber as the center core, the other 12 strands wrap tightly around the center core that creates a perfectly ‘full and round’ finished braid rather than quadrilateral like general 4-strand or 8-strand braided line.” KastKing CMO Tom Gahan says, “You could call X Finesse a ‘Boutique fishing line’, but they are not specialty lines. KastKing KastPro X Finesse lines can be used across a wide range of applications for freshwater and saltwater fishing. By offering a quality braided line at an affordable price KastKing set the fishing world on fire with KastKing SuperPower braid, which has been the best-selling braided fishing line for years on Amazon. Our price points for the new 13X and 8X lines are extremely competitive. That makes these lines attractive to professional and recreational anglers, alike.

Amazon?

The upside is price - the 190 is priced below the closest aluminum competitors. The downside is they achieve that by skimping on components. If you compare the 190 to a ranger RT188P, you'll see the extra $3k gets you three extra inches of boat length and beam width, an aluminum deck, a fiberglass console, 24v 70lb thrust trolling motor, bigger rod lockers, better fish finder, deck rod straps and various color choices. The regular 188 is $1k less that the P model and has similar features except the trolling motor and electronics are comparable with the tracker. And, ranger offers many options in terms of electronic, motor and trolling motor upgrades. Tracker offers almost no upgrade options. Trackers are great for what they are, basic boats. But if it were me, I'd spend a little more to avoid having to upgrade everything down the road.

No. But it is definitely possible to cram an extra group 27 battery in there if you reconfigure all 3 to maximize space.

Is fiberglass the superior material for pole anchors? Aluminum pipes can be found for about half the price of fiberglass of the same external diameter.

I don't, but I do know where you can get stainless steel rings you can tie off to a cleat with 550 cord and end up with essentially the same thing.

I've read about anchor pins made out of 3/4" schedule 40 PVC pipe. Has anyone tried that as a cheap alternative to fiberglass poles?

I have an old devil's horse that's missing the front prop. Is it trash or can I put a new one on?

Bass pro has Pleuger President XT spinning reels priced at $49.99. A reel trade in should get another $10 off that price once the Classic sale starts.

1/4" plywood is really thin. Any weight savings will probably be lost to the extra framing you'll need to keep it from flexing under the weight of a person walking on it.

Why not take the deck off and see what's under there first before committing? A magnet can help locate the screws holding it down

It really depends on how much you want to spend, how much time you have and how skilled you are at boat building. If you really want to go down a rabbit hole you can always use this 14' from Tiny Boat Nation as your model. TBN sells various kits of materials to help incorporate their ideas into your build.

I do the same thing except on the bill to avoid screwing up the painted pattern. Sharpie stays on pretty well.

You could consider adding a hydrofoil to your motor to get up on plane a little faster.

The Lunkerhunt pocket frog looks good and will catch fish, but short strikes rip the legs off and then they don't run right.

Fishing: Net, 3700 boxes, rod socks, rain gear, rags or baby wipes to clean hands with, polarized sun glasses, some way of keeping tools handy, tools including short and long pliers, small bolt cutters for cutting hooks, scissors, knife, bump board, live well additive Emergency supplies: dry bag with emergency clothing, dry box for emergency supplies, floats for your keys, day and night distress signals (flares & smoke/flag), radio if you're going to be on big water, spare truck key in your vehicle, spare boat key in your vehicle, full water bottle & a few power bars General stuff to have on board: extra props for both motors, waterproof box or bag for cell phone, sun tan lotion, tool kit, re-arming kit for any inflatable PFD you have, towel in case you fall in

Before you spend time packing anything, talk to your partner to see what kind of fishing they're planning on doing. You might not need jigs at all.

I think as long as you don't use a floating bait like a TRD you could catch something on a drop shot rigged ned bait, but it seems pretty unnecessary.

It's funny, I've caught pike on almost every kind of lure except full size plastic worms, but they really zero on in on TRDs. At some lakes I've given up using ned rigs because all I catch with them are pike. I'm not sure what the appeal is, it's such a tiny bait relative to the size of the fish.

A comprehensive first aid kit is a must for any boat, or car frankly. Keeping one dry is an issue though. Plastic bags always leak. Boxes are better but they're not always waterproof even when they say they are. I've started putting everything that must stay dry, especially extra clothing and emergency supplies, in dry bags. They're not too expensive and you can crush down bulky stuff like sweatshirts and towels into much smaller packages.

So looking at the various mounting videos for HDPE boards, it seems like getting them to adhere to a boat without bolts involves a lot of steps and voodoo. Is there any reason not to substitute ABS sheet, which appears to work better with epoxies and other adhesives? Edited to add - other than the price and how hard it is to find?