wishin4fishin

Can't say I've ever seen this Shimano design Stringjam. Where can I find it? I didn't see it at ***, do you have an online source?

OK guys, point me in the right direction if this has been covered a million times already, but what are your favorite lipless cranks / traps. I've mainly stuck to the Bill Lewis stuff and a few Rattl'n Rapalas. If I were to start shelling out a few more bucks for the Lucky Craft, Jackal and Megabass offerings, am I going to get significantly more strikes? What about XPS? Strike King? What do you guys like? Again, sorry if this horse has been dead for a while, it's dead of winter here in KY, let's beat on it some more. :

Reorganizing tackle, watching KVD Vids, and lots of essential bathroom bass reading In Fisherman, Bassmaster magazine, last year's Cabelas Catalog. He he he

It's true. The woman loves her shoes, whether she wears 'em or not. I think the rods are gonna stay put. Thanks.

Hey guys, I need some opinions. The last couple of years I started replacing some of my old Quantum rods w/ a few Loomis IMX. With our first baby on the way and space becoming more and more of a commodity, I'm thinking about moving my rods from my man cave in the house to a rod rack in the garage. Problem is, it gets pretty stinking hot here in central KY, and the inside of that garage truly becomes an oven - upper 90s - for weeks at a time. I'm assuming I don't want to subject my cherished IMX rods to this kind of torment? Any suggestions?

Thanks. I knew somebody on these forums had to have spent some time w/ these rods. Sounds like the Cumara doesn't exactly have same build quality as my IMX rods.

Yep, a couple of the reviews I've already read were over at Tackletour, that's part of what led me to make this post. I think I'll run a search for 'Steez' and 'Cumara' here on the forums

Hey guys, Anybody have experience w/ the Shimano Cumara or Daiwa's Steez rods? I've read a few reviews now and more than one have touted that these latest offerings are at least as telegraphically sensitive as my beloved Loomis IMX sticks. Opinions? Has this already been covered?

Thanks guys. I should probably find a marine fishing forum, huh. I probably should've thought of that earlier. I knew Penn was known primarily as a saltwater brand.

Anybody have any experience w/ a Penn Sargus spinning reel? I'm a Shimano bass man in KY, but once a year I take a vacation w/ family to the Florida panhandle and I was wondering if this corrosion resistant Penn spinning reel might make a nice addition to my bass arsenal but also allow me to fish for reds and snook once a year in Appalachicola. I've never owned a Penn, but I've heard they are a solid reel. Any opinions?

I checked it out. Nice looking boat, and plenty fast. I'm not even a 'blue' person, but I like it on this boat. But I'm wondering if I'd be better off w/ something a little newer, although I probably couldn't find a more recent bullet than this one that's still in my price range.

Thanks, most of these sites are new to me.

Funyons, Chex Mix, Jerky and a Diet Red Bull. Can't go wrong. And, um, a roll of Tums.

These are my opinions and mine only. My opinions are drawn from how I like a bass boat to perform on the water under power and while fishing. Since everyone has different tastes, everyones opinions will be different. First, we're looking at what you can buy with $17,000. You'll be looking at a boat at least 5 years old if you're looking for something running a 200 and at 18 1/2 to 19 1/2' long. 1. Build quality. All of the brands you've listed are well made boats. There is no point quibling over that issue. 2. Resale value. Tritons and Rangers hold their value the best. They've spent huge amounts of money building that name in the industry. Their boats also cost huge amounts of money. If you're looking at one of those brands you'll be looking at an older boat vs the other brands given your price range. 3. Speed. That's relative. Do you want a fast boat in calm water or a fast boat in rough water? The Triton, cat and Stratos are probably on the higher end for speed, Skeeter in the middle, Champion after that and the Ranger way at the bottom. If you're really interested in speed then you want to go to a Blazer, Alli or Stroker. Since you don't seem comfortable with the Triton's chine issue I'd suggest not thinking about any of those 3. They definitely require a set of driving skills and a boat like an Alli is sort of different to fish out of. 4. Fishability. Basically, the flatter the hull, the better the fishablility. Ranger wins most of these comparisons hands down but loses on speed and rough water ride due to that flatter hull. Everything else is personal taste. Storage layout, how the boat sits in the water, compartment latches, livewell systems, etc. You really need to get out on the water and spend some time in any boat you're considering and this part of the equation is just as important as the how fast and how does it ride part. 5. As for the skill level to drive at WOT. All boats will chine walk to some degree at WOT. Some more than others. You need to spend some time in the boat at first with an experienced boater who can teach you how to drive a bass boat beyond 65 mph. It's not that difficult. I hope this helps. Again, I can't stress enough that you need to spend some time looking at boats and narrowing down your choices to just a couple brands and models. Thank C7, I really appreciate the time you took in responding. ;D This is exactly the type of information / opinion I was looking for. I'm assuming the Champion hull is more of a V hull as opposed to the flat bottom of the Ranger? A guy I graduated high school with is a tournament fisherman now and he's been in Champion boats for years. I just got a hold of him a couple weeks ago, I hadn't talked to him in years but I think he'd let me tag along for a day of fishing. But actually, I'm not at all put off by a boat w/ a learning curve. If one of the faster hulls takes me a whole season to get the hang of that's OK. Like I mentioned I'd rather buy a faster boat once and plan on keeping it for a while as opposed to buying a slower boat and then deciding to sell after just a couple seasons. Most of the water I fish on here in central KY is pretty smooth. Thanks again for the great info.

First, we need to make a little correction. Enlighten me, oh sensei.

I recently started a new topic on this forum regarding which glass boat manufacturer I should consider. I'll be buying my first used glass boat this year, probably a 19 or 20 footer w/ a 200 horse motor, and I have several manufacturers I'm considering. I really did not get much response to that question, probably because I framed it up as such a broad-based question, and also because it's a topic that I know has probably been beat to death here anyway. But after some prompting from Mr. Carp7 to do some more in-depth study I'm learning a little more about characteristics of each of the big-name manufacturers. For instance, I've learned that a Champion or Ranger is probably going to ride a little better in rougher water, and that a boat like a Triton for a beginner like me, is probably going to have a little more of a learning curve at wot due to Chine walking, etc. And other things too, some boats are going to have more storage or creature comforts, etc etc. So my new question is, how would you categorize all these big name manufacturers as to fishability, build quality, resale, skill level needed to reach and maintain top end, etc. Fishability is most important to me, but I'd be lying if I were to say that speed doesn't matter. I've owned sports cars all my life, and although I don't plan to fish tournaments, I'd rather get a fast boat now that I could learn to handle by next fishing season as opposed to a slower hull boat that I'm gonna put up for sale in two years because my skill level increased. So what are the differences between these manufacturers in terms of the above mentioned criteria: Basscat, Triton, Stratos, Skeeter, Ranger, Champion. I would throw Gambler and Allison in their but I don't think my budget could handle even a used example of these so those have been ommited. Or if I'm leaving out a no-brainer manufacturer that should be included feel free to fill me in. If you're still with me, thanks for reading this far down! I'm really hoping to get some responses this time.

No, you spelled it correctly. It was my fault, I was lookin at the first post and somebody had spelled it without the 'e' so that's what I googled first. No big deal.

Found it. The guy's last name is spelled "Weakley" not "Weakly"

Great googly-moogly. Anybody know where I can find a bigger, better version of this photo?

Sounds good except 4 the bubbly. Not a champaign kind of guy.

Yep In the last 3 months or so I've read probably dozens of carp7's responses and I do believe the man knows his stuff. It's because of guys like him that I come here w/ questions. These forums are a tremendous resource.

Excellent point carp7, So maybe the more appropriate and pertinent question to post would have gone something like "Rate the following manufacturers in criteria of: performance, build quality, fishability, handling, appropriateness for beginner, storage, resale, etc. etc. And yes, I do have a good friend who has been in bass boats for almost 20 years who has insisted that he tag along and join me for the test ride when i find a boat I'm interested in. Whatever I look at, I'm going to be taking it out first. I've read most of those articles you referenced for me.

I have about $17000 to play with for my first used glass boat and have narrowed my criteria down to a 19 or 20' boat w/ 200 horse motor. I'm sure this question gets asked here all the time, but I went back several pages and didn't see this specific question. Which boat manufacturer? Right now I'm looking at Ranger, Triton, Stratos, Skeeter, Basscat and Champion, just depends on which one is in the best shape. Is there any reason to lean more toward one than the other based on brand? I mean, if I run across a 2001 Basscat and a Ranger (insert any brand) in identical condition w/ same motor, is there any reason to lean toward one manufacturer vs the other? I'm sure mods get tired of this one but I'm really curious about opinions. (If I'm forking out this much dough I need all the help I can get.) Thanks everybody.

Thanks for all the suggestions everybody. At this point I'm rethinking the whole rig. Maybe I try a braid w/ a fluoro leader. Maybe I go straight fluoro. Not sure yet what I'm going to do, but all this response has been awesome. That's why I love these forums. Thanks!

I think I just gagged a little myself. I forgot about that nasty gelatin slime that those things come packed in. My Dad always called them canned 'Monkey Peters' I just couldn't eat 'em after that.