Jig Man

Thanks for the reply. I think you are right about the design guys. I think that their geek brothers work in the sonar industry. You have to have a geek degree to use one of the new ones.

I have the original SOSpenders that I bought when they came on the market. I have never liked them because of the tired neck, shoulders, and back at the end of the day so I usually wear a regular vest. I have some age and medical issues (3 fractured ribs and a ruptured lung). They tell me it will be a few months before I can freely move without stiffness and pain so I figure it is in my best interest to get the most comfortable one on the market. I have done some research and the Mustang gets good reviews. What else should I be looking at? I am not concerned with price, just comfort and functionality.

I'm pretty sure that Brunswick owns Lowe so a Merc is all you can get.

I had to download a photo reducing app in order to post pics here.

2d sonar is a cone figuring the exactness is a trigonometric function and I don't remember which one it is. Generally speaking at 200 kHz the cone widens out until it reaches the bottom of the water column. The bottom of the cone has a diameter of approximately 1/3 of the depth so in say 15 feet of water you would be seeing a circle with a diameter of about 5'. Down scan is a whole different animal.

I like the Zoom swim chunk best.

You might be surprised as to how long you can be out with a good battery. You will need a battery with lots of reserve capacity (rc) don't look at mca or cca. The larger the number the longer it will last. I would get no less than 180 rc. Batteries come in series size. Go for at least a 27 series, 29 or 31 would be better. You will need a charger for the battery. It needs to be recharged after every day's use.

5 people will fill a fish and ski up the the bigger they get the fuller it will be. Have you given any thought to a deck boat?

I did not see any spinner baits or buzz baits.

I buy the Shakee blade from Barlow's and use jigs for the heads.

I don't have a K but have 3 70s I use one for shaky, one for ned, and one for cranks.

You won't have any trouble pouring that mix. It melts about 100° cooler than lead.

I don't know of any bait caster and rod that will do what you want and be in that price range. Lots of spinning combos will do that job very well.

It sounds like you need a larger battery (27,29,31 series) depending on how much space you have and how much you want to spend. The larger series and more CCAs will help you with this problem. I am running 3 units, power poles, aerators, off my cranking battery. If you don't have an onboard charger with banks for all batteries you would be better off to buy a charger for the cranker and hook it up after every trip to make sure it is always topped off.

I think you should all 4 get in a boat and see how it does size wise. Think about what each person will bring along as well as the fishing equipment needed and how much space it will take. I'm betting even a 17' will be tight quarters. Get a 24 volt trolling motor and an onboard charger with banks for each battery. Get the bigger gas motor you can always back off on the throttle but can't make a smaller motor go faster.

I drove to a Cabela's to buy the guide wear. I tried it on and could not get a comfortable fit. So I went to Bass Pro and tried on the 100 mph. It was really nice. I couldn't swing bibs and jacket on the same trip so I bought the Jacket and got the bibs later. It is the only rain suit that I have ever had that keeps me dry.

No it is Ruby Red. Race was a bit too light for my boat red.

Don't worry about what you have heard. How does that rod work for you? Different people will have different opinions of what is best of all around use. Use it for various applications and see how it does. Then you will know if you need more or less power and what type of action.

Here is what I went with. I don't have a pic together as I just got the truck and we have had slick roads. Hope to pair them up on Friday.

I soak my fish in milk, mustard, egg and sea salt. The milk and egg are so the corn meal sticks on well. The mustard is to add a little flavor and color.

I was in a similar situation. I took the boat to 2 different dealerships (Chevy and Ford). I unhooked the boat in the lot and had a salesman park different colored trucks in front of it so I could see what I liked.

www.clearcastmarine.com

I switched to AGMs about 5 years ago. They are completely maintenance free. I don't ever want wet cells again.

You can tell them you want to test drive it also. While you are at it ask for a written compression test.

I ran a Dual Pro 3 bank in my Champion for 14 years.