Jig Man

You should be able to use 24 volts and be fine. I ran a 20’ 6” Champion with a 24 volt Motorguide TE 82 for 14 years in all kinds of weather. It would hold in the wind until water would start to come over the bow. It’s not the trolling motor but the batteries that will keep you on the water. You might need another battery.

Single axel trailers are a lot easier to handle than tandem. I would always go single if I had a choice.

I have a 20’ glitter sled with a 250 Merc and a Humminbird one boat network (3 Solix Units, MK Ulterra 36 volt, Mega live unit) all networked via Ethernet. I used to have shallow water anchors but they proved to be useless for me. Since my stuff isn’t new then I am less than level 10.

It’s not as bad as you think. Propane tanks can only be filled to 80% and they are filling up to 75%. I heat with propane and they never go above what it takes to make 800 gallons in my tank.

Where are you? Do you have any metal shops in your area? It should be easy to find a piece of metal or even a piece of synthetic that will work. You can use the original piece and mark the holes to be drilled then attach it to the boat.

I know nothing about the Tatula. I do own 4 Premier rods. Two of them get used every time I go.

In SW MO we have 3; copperhead, rattlesnake and cotton mouth. We have copperheads scattered here and there around the farm. We have a slough down by the creek that cotton mouths like so we don’t let kids go there.

I run 3 Solix units. They are turned on in the parking lot. When I get back I clear the tracks and turn them off just before I load the boat.

My wife got me one at Harbor Freight yesterday. I tried it out this morning. It worked great.

7’ to 7.5’ medium and medium heavy cover 90% of what I do here in mid USA. My H rods rarely see the light of day. My 7.5’ m can handle cranks, swim baits, and shaky. It can also be used for Ned rigs. The mh can take care of the rest.

You might want to take a look at Bow to Stern. It is a sealant. I have been using it for years. Three coats are needed to seal it properly. I add a new coat about once a month.

I think you are asking too much for gel coat that age. Personally I think it looks good. I think you did a great job.

I fish a lot for smallmouth in very clear water with Ned rigs. I have experimented with several line types and weights. What has been the best overall for me is High vis yellow 15# along with 10# fluorocarbon leader. I use the Zman TRDs with various head weights. I like 7’ spinning rods with 2500 size reels. I want my leaders to be at least 10’ long tied on with an FG knot which has never failed.

I use both in my Verado and have since it was new. Quickleen for carbon and Quickcare as fuel stabilizer. I prefer to spend a little bit more now than a lot more later on if I had to repower.

I fish Table Rock Lake which has lmb, smb, and spots. Spots and smb were caught occasionally until the largemouth population was decimated by viral hemorrhage septicemia. In the years since that occurrence the largemouth population has come back. During the “comeback “ time spots and smallmouth populations greatly increased. It has been about 20 years since that time and things have settled down. All three species can be found in any part of the but in general the populations have migrated to certain areas. In some areas you will catch primarily one species and in others a totally different one. If I want to concentrate on spots I will head up the White river, for largemouth it’s up the James. Those brown fish are more numerous down in the area of the dam.

If I weren’t going to use it I wouldn’t have bought it. My setups are tools which are to be used when I’m on the water. I’m more into functional than pretty.

No see ‘ems are really bad at night on Table Rock.

I never even thought about something that shallow. The lake I normally fish is 43,000 acres with a maximum depth of 220’ so one day won’t change much.

Tom around here in MO there is a big difference in the amount of bites one gets with any fluorocarbon line compared to mono. I got some good butt waxings using mono while my partner was using fluorocarbon. Now my mono stays on the spool in the garage.

If you own all Shimano why would you want to change brands?

Have you looked the boat up at JDPower formally NADA? That will give an idea of its value. Just remember that used electronics aren’t anywhere near their original value, probably 20-25% of original.

I ran 87 in my Opti for 14 years. I used Quickleen. My boat was an 01 and I did have to get the fuel lines replaced as my tech said that ethanol would damage them and clog my injectors.

Big Hands I am in a situation similar to yours. I am in the process of setting up a finesse baitcaster. I haven’t bought anything special, just using one of my setups (Curado 70 XG with a Bronzeback ml rod). I had 6# Yozuri on it but wanted to try braid. I stripped off some of the 6# but left quite a bit for backing. I started out with 15# Power Pro and a leader. I have fished with it two days with no digging in issues. I plan to change to 10# soon so I can compare them.

On Keitechs I use 1/8, 1/4, 3/8 guppy heads from Dirty jigs. Today I used the 1/8 on the 2.8 and the 1/4 on the 3.3. Both worked.

I can not speak for your area but in NW Arkansas Beaver lake is clear with visibility of 10’ or more. My friend and I have caught over 150 bass most of which are smallmouth in the last 3 trips. The water temps are in the upper 50s to low 60s. The Ned rig and Keitech swim baits have been the best producers.