DaubsNU1

@The Baron, outstanding! Congrats on the new boat, the PB...condolences on breaking two rods : ( Strong work saving for the boat, instead of loan and payments. Role model!

Wonderful! Congrats!

@ghost123123, yep, bad things can happen no matter how careful we are. Glad you were able to rope your boat. I grew up next to a public pool, and while not a great swimmer, I can get it done when needed. My TM has the iLink remote Normally I hit spot lock...confirm on the remote...watch for a few seconds to make sure it's holding steady...then walk to the truck. When I walk back, the remote takes a little while to see the TM. I may have inadvertently hit a button while walking away from the dock this time. I still get a queasy feeling in my gut just replaying the scene in my mind...watching my boat moving away from the dock.

@GRiver, yes, it was a PUCKER moment for sure! @casts_by_fly, I have not used tracks. Not sure what went wrong. I have used the spot lock like this probably ~20 times since getting the boat in early August. This is the first time something has gone a miss. @12poundbass, another boat just pulled out, and there were several kayakers around. Father's day weekend I had to swim for my brothers boat...cables on his Ulterra got hung up and the deploy feature stalled. Thankfully water temps were in the low 70's, and early morning = no breeze...short swim. Clearly I did not learn my lesson : ) @Woody B, cleat break...Ugh! @TnRiver46 Ouch! Good reminder to unplug my TM when traveling!

Love the new boat, and the MK Ulterra. Super easy to launch and recover the boat with the remote deploy and stow feature... ...however... ...you can see where this is going.... With the colder weather and water temps, I have been using rope / line to launch boat instead of relying on the Ulterra's electronics. Still using spot lock when loading out. Yesterday water temp was 49, atmosphere was 65...I was calling it quits, ready to pull the boat out. Stepped off the boat on to dock...moved the boat about 20 feet off the dock and hit spot lock. Something felt a little a miss, so I waited a few minutes to make sure spot lock was all good and the boat was holding steady. Looked okay. I walked the 40 yards or so, jumped in my truck and pulled around toward the ramp...and noticed my boat was heading ACROSS the lake(!!!!). Quickly drove down the ramp, jumped out, ran to end of the dock and pointed the remote toward the boat. I was able to gain control of the boat, turn, and remote drive it back to the dock. WHEW! Lesson learned!

What rod-reel combo are you using? I switched all my spinning rods to 10lb braid to either 8 or 10lb fluoro leaders. Throw my cranks with these set ups...cast like a dream!

^^ wise words from @Darth-Baiter ^^ I will add this...keep the broken tip rod. Broke the tip off one of my old Cabela's spinning rods years back...put on a new tip and shelved it. Seven footer, it was kind of wispy, not stout enough for my likes or needs. Then I discovered drop shot and NED rigs. This rod is now one of my favorites! You never know...

One of the many reasons I went with a Lund...the travel cover is incredibly easy to install and remove, and does great on the highway. Get the best you can afford, and don't look back. Buy-once-cry-once...quality is worth it.

I'm still fishing Cabela's branded rods purchased in the 1990's. Shimano reels from the same years. They seem to catch fish just fine.

Grew up in Nebraska, lived in Missouri from 1991-2005. Fished South Dakota and Iowa. Fished Canada three times. Missouri for LMB's. South Dakota for 'Eyes and SMB's. Canada for big 'Eyes and SMB's.

This discussion reminds me of the Chevy/Ford/Dodge/Ram/GMC debates (or Honda/Toyota/Subaru...) Each has their strengths and limitations. Good advice here along the lines of dealer proximity, getting the boat that fits your style, fits your budget, etc. Years ago if you would have asked me the answer would have been Ranger, hands down. Today...I have no idea which is best.

That is a darn good idea @Big Rick!! I had some old Fenwick Iron Thread on my casting reels for 10+ years. Worked well. Only changed because of line-fade.

I would always recommend storing inside. My old 1960 Rich Line was stored outside with a boat cover....and mother nature took it's toll. After moving to our new house in the country 5 years ago, that boat got to sit in the shop. Noticeable difference. Had some mice issues in the shop, but managed to seal up all entrance points, and got some mouse-be-gone-type stuff...haven't seen any in there in 2+ years. The new boat lives in the house garage during fishing months. When the water turns hard, it will be living in the shop. In my opinion, inside is always better.

@gimruis, looks like a good price for the service you received. I was fortunate to have a Dad who knew a lot about, well, pretty much everything. When I was in high school he was teaching me how to rebuild carburetors, replace clutch, brakes, wheel bearings, etc. A carpenter by trade, he knew home building from foundation to roofing (although we both agreed, dry-wall is something we leave to the professionals). We pulled engines, remodeled kitchens, finished basements, and did lots and lots of maintenance. Dad continues to be a great source of knowledge and wisdom!! I now get to pay him back by fixing his smart phone, computer, and technology. Tasks I am honored to help with. I like doing my own maintenance, and plan on servicing my Mercury here when the water gets hard. Right now it's ATV maintenance time, before deer season. On-line PDF manuals and YouTube make projects easy to understand and complete. I'm thankful I had a Dad to show me, the resources and tools needed, and the time to tackle these projects. You are 100% correct, preventative maintenance is better than fixing on the back end.

Ugh!

I'm still trying to dial in and figure our all the features and intricacies of my MEGA SI+ Helix units. I might try the FFS at some point in the future. I do not care if others use it. I don't watch TV fishing shows, and could not care less about tournament angling (in person, or on TV).

Lots of good advice here. Look the boat over closely, and ask lots of questions of the seller. My Dad always said, "when you are buying used, you are buying someone else's headache." Take your time. Fall is a good time to buy a boat...people looking to unload before they have to pay for winterizing and storage. Good luck!

I e-mailed Mercury customer service last night, asking if I can do maintenance myself? Received the following response this morning: Thank you for your email regarding your Mercury engine, serial # XXXXXXXX. We appreciate the opportunity to respond to your concerns. Anyone can do maintenance. Just keep receipts showing you purchased the required maintenance items. We hope this information is helpful to you. Should you have any further questions or concerns, please contact our Customer Service department at 920-929-5040 between the hours of 7:30 am and 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday, CST. Sincerely, Mercury Outboard Customer Assistance

Great information here, thank you all! I like doing maintenance on vehicles, ATV's, John Deere x750, etc. I certainly do NOT want to void the warranty.

Picked up the 2021 Lund with 90hp Mercury 4 stroke in mid August. Dealer fully serviced engine prior to my purchase (oil-filter change, lower unit change). Debating if I should do another round of service before storing the boat for winter(?) Or just pull plugs, fog the cylinders, and call it good. Thoughts?

Man, that stinks! Don't do too good of a job handling both roles...they may see this as an opportunity to eliminate the Marin County position, and give it all to you permanently. I've seen that in my workplace...

Was more in to waterfowl growing up and in to my 40's. Hunted whitetail a little while living in Missouri in the 1990's and early 2000's, but hated sitting in a stand. No patience. Decided to get back in to deer hunting in 2010 and headed to the Sandhills region of Nebraska and hunted public land. Tagged a few whitetails, then switched up to concentrate on Muleys. Lucky to tag this guy in 2017. Spotted him about a mile away...worked my way to 400+ yards, but too long for me...so I carefully got closer. Put the hammer down at 212 yards with the 7MAG. Wonderful public Muley! Few years later got fed up battling the "orange army" and seeing more hunters than deer. Nebraska has very little public land, and it's easy for out of state hunters to get over the counter tags. So started knocking on doors. Found a rancher who let me and brother hunt for three seasons. So happy my brother was able to tag his first buck ever! Two days later I tagged out on this buck Sadly, the next year our rancher said we could no longer hunt...another hunter leased his entire 20k+ acre ranch. So we were done. About a month ago I texted the rancher, asking how things were going. Last week I texted again asking if we might be able to hunt? To my surprise, he called the next day, and said, YES, we can hunt the last weekend of rifle season. No Muleys, but can shoot whitetails. I'm back in the game!! Cannot wait to roam the Sandhills on my ATV looking for deer.

In the early 1990's while living in Missouri, we fished Hazel Creek Lake -- 550 acre lake built in the 1980's, holds good LMB's, and is stocked with Musky. Electric motors only. Flooded timber. Got to talking with another fisherman who was throwing cranks, in the flooded timber. At the time I thought he was certifiably crazy! Showed me his secret weapon...a 15' telescoping lure retriever. Brilliant! I had messed around with a few different lure retrievers, never having much success. Picked up the stumpmaster and I can honestly say it has saved me many a lure. stump master-***

20+ years ago got to talking with bass fishermen while living down in Missouri. Local lake had lots of flooded timber...and he was tossing square bill cranks. I thought he was crazy...but said the bite was strong! He showed me his lure retriever called the "Stumpmaster" -- 15' telescoping lure retriever. I picked one up, and have saved myself a bunch of $$. Never really fished cranks, but a few years back, I found this site...and started reading, and reading some more. Started off with a few square bill KVD 1.5's, then ordered some 6th Sense 50x in a few different colors. Yep, you are going to want two or three of your favorite colors. Most lakes in our area are relatively small and shallow, so square bills work well. I started with bluegill, and chartreuse, and expanded from there. Good luck!

Appreciate the wisdom. Put eight fish in the boat yesterday, missed a few, and broke off two. Atmosphere was mid 40's, but water temps were 58-60 degrees. Nothing even sniffed the buzz bait, which disappointed me...one of my favorite lures to throw. Most were landed on spinnerbait, a few on a jig. Largest was on a black-n-blue fleck senko, wacky rigged on a drop shot. Right around 2-1/2 pounds. Hopefully back on the water this weekend.