kreed

Thanks, yall, it's not nearly the first big one to get away but it's been a while ;D . I truly hope my wife or kids will hook her though

The hoss hit a pumkin lizard. I caught the others on red bug U-tales and my bud caught his on a creepy crawler (jig) and a brush hog. We got a couple hits on flukes but really didn't find anything that they just couldn't resist. When the wind started to move the water we started jumping from point to point on the main body of the lake and getting a fish but no more from each one. We didn't get two fish in the same spot all day.

I gotta tell ya! I went to Lake Tugalo (GA) today with an old buddy of mine. I got a couple of throwbacks, then my bud got a couple, then he got a couple keepers and a walleye. Then I got a keeper and he got another walleye and another keeper. We got throwbacks all along every now and then. I was aggravating him about out-fishing me in my own boat just kidding around when I backlashed with my Team Daiwa (that almost never happens!) It wasn't a bad backlash just one you can pull right out without any knots or anything. Took all of twenty seconds maybe and when I pulled the slack in there was a fish on it! Now this lake has some good fish and I know that but it has a LOT of brush and if you have your drag set where it should be you will AND I HAVE lost a lot of fish due to getting wrapped up so I have the mind set that if it can break my 12# line so be it, I'm not losing one to brush again. I gotta rethink my position on this! The fish that was on when I got the backlash straightened out was without a doubt the biggest fish I've ever had a hook in. I finally got it muscled up toward the boat and seen the side of it as it went by a couple feet away. No kidding I've never seen a bass like that! Being conservative I'll say it was a good ten inches top to bottom. My rod bent double as I tried to pull it up to the top of the water. I thought the rod was going to break but it was worse than buck fever how I couldn't think for being so excited. Then I found out the fish could pull more than 12#. ONE OF THE BEST DAYS I'VE EVER HAD FISHING!!! The one that got away MADE MY DAY ANYWAY! Now I'm just hoping the next time I take my wife or our kids there that one of them actually land her.

A friend of mine has a boat VERY similar to yours if not identical and he has a five on it. It is not a speed demon but it moves the boat very well. Even fishing all day he can't run through five gallons of gas and doesn't have to worry about keeping enough juice in his trolling battery to get back to the ramp from a mile or so away.

Congrats on the new boat! I was in a ranger friday that was going waaaay too fast for me. I wished it had topped out at 55

thats too much like work! Actually I like to paddle some. Wish I had a canoe or kayak just to go paddling sometimes. Don't like em for fishing though.

Dont' feel like an idiot, most of us have had similar things happen. I'm glad it wasn't your trolling motor too! Now catch some bigguns!

I used one on a small boat for a while but was always being blown around so if it is possible I'd want a foot-controlled motor. ;D not sure how hard that would be to mount on a canoe though. As for power, my boat is a tri-hull fiberglass 15'6" long and 60"+ wide with a 45 lb trolling motor and it will scoot pretty good. Faster than the kayaks coming out of the rivers onto the lake that I fish. Not much faster though, them boys (and girls ) move!

There should be a way to close it so it don't drain while your moving. I'd really suggest an overflow just in case but I'm one of those that would need it eventually lol. My grandpa forgot to close the livewell on his boat one day and lost all the fish before he realized it. Not good when tournament fishing So is the drain always open on yours now? Should be a way of turning it off either on the pipe itself or somewhere easier to get to like the console area.

Be ideal to have one that is water powered, wouldn't even need a tank! Just use what your floating in lol.

I'd never heard of them before I read this thread. Just curious of what they looked like I looked to youtube for some videos. Check this one out. Seems too much like a parahna (however you spell it ) to me!

I leave mine in the boat, not on the deck but on the lower floor of every bass boat I fish out of. If you hit something hard enough to lose your box you won't even notice till you finish swimming yourself. My dad and his best friend spun out at 70 mph. NOTHING was strapped down. six or so rods sitting on top of the rod box and several tackle boxes and a cooler sitting on the floor. They were in a Vision bass boat with a Mercury 225. The rooster tail blistered their faces and a DNR officer who happened to be watching said they disappeared for a few seconds. Wanna know what damage there was to the boat? I'd have never believed it, but all it did was loosen (partly strip) the bolts in the seats where they grabbed on. They didn't lose one single rod!

I have one from Bass Pro, and one Everstart. I can't really complain about them but where I fish the road in is very bumpy and the bass pro one leaks. Next time I'll buy Interstate to try them. A friend of mine that works on boats says there is a BIG difference and he has always steered me straight.

The lake I usually fish is the same way. Whole trees floating down every now and then, but usually just after storms. I take it slow after dark but can usually just watch closely during the day. Last time I went I had to weave through five or six logs at one point. I've been told that is why there is a hp limit on motors there.

hahaha, great story! I went fishing with my boy one day and put him in the back of the truck, then I got the boat (big motor wasn't working or something) lined up on the trailer with the trolling motor and threw a rope to him so he could pull me on up till I could reach the winch and hook it. Made that six year old think he was superman to pull the boat up on the trailer

If you can wait till it is in the water to lower the motor you shouldn't need the waders unless your boat just sits lower in the water than the depth of the water is. I hope it's not, it'd work out good for ya, just need the sliders and a long rope. Let us know how it does for ya. Kevin

tntitans, sounds like your friends boat was pushing his truck. Maybe the boat trailer didnt' have brakes or they weren't working. I'll use cruise in anything as long as I'm not going up and down hills or around a lot of curves where someone could pull out easily. On interstates, always. One thing though, if I happen to be pulling something too large for the truck I'm driving I won't get fast enough to use cruise, or if I'm pulling something large without brakes. Thats just me.

I grew up fishing Rangers and will want one until I finally get one I suppose. Once I was fishing a tourny where about fifty boats took off at once on a windy day where the water was already white capped just because of the wind. I seen several boats being tossed like nothing (nearly all of them actually), but my grandpa's ranger just cut through it like a hot knife through butter. That was what made me love the rangers. A lot of times you get what you pay for but all too often you pay for a name. I can't say which it is in this case but I've never known anyone with a ranger that didn't like it. I could say the same thing about Visions as well though. Whatever he decides I hope it lasts a long time and sees a lot of father-son trips with lots of fish! Kevin

That is great bud! If ya happen on another one for that price be sure to call me! hahaha Nice looking motor, I can't wait to see what you buy to go with it.

I just remembered what the guy I mentioned before actually used on his dad's trailer. The magic mover type things you can get at wal-mart that you put furniture on so you can slide it around easily. Cheap and works like a charm. Just be sure to get the type that have a round center (I think they have a rubber center on the ones my friend used). Then again the rectangle one may work as good or better :-/

I've fished out of ones like the first one you posted and they are very stable to me. If you get an aluminum jon make sure it is not the narrowest or it may be kinda scary for carrying your son in. I don't mind them but I would be worried to death to take my son in one that is not over 30" wide. I was looking at the plastic boats and really had my heart set on a pro 120 but couldn't part with that much money. I found one on craigslist with a 15 hp motor for $1500 two states away but the guy was holding for two days for someone else. Just my luck I carry my son and daughter (just turned 4 and 7 yrs old) in my tri-hull fiberglass boat. For stability you can't beat tri-hulls IMO, except maybe pontoons. That brings up another question, have you checked on craigslist? May find much more of a boat than what you think you can afford.

I've seen those rollers but never seen anyone using them. That would be the way to go if you wanted to push a boat in. BTW, the fella that dropped that boat loves it now. He backs up to where the back of the trailer is just in the water and gives it a push. He just keeps the boat hooked on front till it is there I agree, this is a great site!

I tie my boat to the front of the trailer (I lay the loose rope on the front deck to let it come off as it gets tight) and float it off as well, then get out, get the rope, pull the boat over to a dock and tie it off. If your boat slides easy, you can do as I've seen others do and just back up to where you stay dry and give the boat a shove with your hands. Still have to have it tied to your trailer or hold the rope. If it don't slide easy and you want it to, just go fishing and before you leave re-cover the bunks with a slicker material. You can actually unload the boat with the trailer halfway in the water like that depending on how low in the water it sits. BIG TIP: If you make it where your boat will slide easy off of the trailer, DO NOT UNTIE IT BEFORE YOU BACK IN! Sounds simple I know but a friend of mine fixed his dad's boat where he could push it into the water, but his dad was used to floating it off and untied it before he had gotten all the way to the water and ended up sliding it onto the cement ramp. >

I don't know about ALL AWD's but my wife's Element does not have low-range, and you can't switch it to 4wd manually. Once a tire slips the others start pulling. To my understanding it starts off in awd every time you start off and then the rear wheels stop pulling after it senses it is not slipping. Don't know if that will help you any but that is all I know about it. I wish my wife's at least had a low range to help keep from riding the brakes down long fairly steep slopes.

My local wal-mart sells the wire ends (and the outlet if you wanted to make it plug to an outlet) so you can put the wire from back to front then just plug in your tm when you are fishing.