FD.

Thanks for the volunteers. Tommy was first to respond and commit. Next time.

If I fished the Gulf of Okechobee all the time I would definately have an EPIRB on the boat. You can get them for under 500 bucks http://www.thegpsstore.com/ACR-2875-Satellite3-406-Category-II-EPIRB-P2421.aspx?gclid=CJWN6v_do64CFU5e7AodFw347w

You looking at the 921? Bring her down to Kissimmee and see how she runs against my 20 X2. It's the first big merc I have owned but the 250 Pro XS will put a smile on your face if that's a motor option.

My partner has backed out for this one and the entry fee is already paid. Going out of Camp Mack safe light to 3 pm.

If I had an extra 60K burning a hole in my pocket I would have a Jaguar or maybe a Legend Alpha 211. BTW, If you need something to fish out of in the meantime my old 201 pro is in the backyard collecting dust.

Oh man that's a horrible feeling. My old stratos went down twice in storms. Thankfully I was not on her either time. Do they even make the Storm anymore?

If you are using a texas rig then you need to use a lighter bullet weight or smaller (tungsten) bullet weight. I always choose the lightest weight I can get away with but I always use a bullet weight to help the plastic get through the grass without pulling on the nose of the plastic.

14 fish over 5 pounds in the boat in the last 2 years. I only caught about half of them. It's more fun to help others catch them. <==== Taylor, boated 3 this year including this 7 pounder. Living in central Florida and having access to many "not so public" lakes certainly helps. It think it also helps that we target larger fish both in tactics and location. Even if the little ones are biting we always wind up with a flippin stick in our hands punching the really thick crap trying to get a big one.

Mo ron

There are many public parks that offer excellent fishing from the shore all throughout central Florida. Between Polk county and the cities of Lakeland, Auburndale and Winter haven you have access to over 100 public fishing areas. Having a boat is always better but I think the Lakeland area gives you the best shore fishing opportunities.

It's a "Triton special edition " 4 bank charger. I don't know who makes it, and if I spend to 3 hours I think it's going to take me to dig it out and put it back then I am just going to replace it. The problem is this. All of the batteries are new. 3 of the banks/batteries are fine. One of the banks/batteries never gets fully charged ( I think) according to the lights. Each bank has 5 red lights and a green. The far right bank, which I think is my cranking battery, only gets down to 3 red lights and the green light never comes o. I have two master battery shut offs (trolling and engine) which I turn to the off position when I am charging the batteries. With the master off I should not have any electrical drain and with new batteries It should be no problem charging overnight. My only conclusion is that there is a potential problem with the charger.

thanks guys. The only issue I'm having is with the on board triton 4 bank charger. I don't have the manual and don't quite get it. Anyone thats got a manual let me know. Switching from Garmin (on the stratos) to dual lowrance is more difficult than expected.

Yep, I finally did it. 20 X2 with a Merc 250 Pro XS. Can you say rocket?

Depends on which side of the lake you are on and the direction of the wind. Up shallow, protected from the wind for a few days, you can get gin clear. Same day, other side of the lake, you get chocolate milk. The river channels and main lake areas are at best, stained tea colored with 2 ft visibility on a sechi disk. (We used to sample Kissimmee for the DEP) Plan on packing a lot of June bug or Black Blue flake.

The reason for using mono with treble hooks is the stretch. Normally with a treble hook bite you don't have a penetrating hook set and you want the shock absorbing qualities of mono to keep from pulling the hooks out of the fish. The very reason you don't like mono is the reason I do, in certain situations. Another reason I like mono is that it floats so I use it when I am fishing a spook or devils horse. I think it helps the action vs braid. I did not say never. I honestly can't remember the last time I had the hooks pull out and lost a fish on mono with treble hooks.

Veritas. The new paint job is awesome.

Like RW, I only use mono for treble hook baits. 12 lb berkely big game for me. I can't remember the last time I lost a fish or a bait on a spook or crankbait. Everything else is spooled with power pro. Even my light duty worm rod has 20 lb power pro on it. My carolina rig has braid up to the swivel and then flouro for the leader.

Unless it is super clear water 65 lb braid is the way to go. I like power pro but any braid you like should be fine.

Central Florida 1. Thousands of lakes to choose from. 2. Today was 80 degrees, partly cloudy with a light breeze. 3. Yesterday was 80 degrees. 4. The lowest forecast high for the next 10 days is 71 degrees. 5. I got a flip flop burn on my feet last Sunday. 6. Did I mention it is January?

The most important thing about an anchor has already been said. Always have a rope that is 3 times the maximum depth of where you plan to fish. Spend the money on a good woven rope. Also, tie a small cork or plastic buoy to the end of your anchor ropes. You will thank me later.

Just from the pic's I will offer the following: 1. In it's condition the price looks good. 2. Fiberglass is going to be more comfortable to fish out of than an aluminum. (from a former aluminum owner) 3. I had that motor on on a 17' triton and loved the power and fuel economy. 4. The boat looks like it has been well taken care of. 5. It's rigged and ready to go I would say go for it.

Don't forget the broom handle with 100 # steel leader- that's how we flip the heavy stuff around here.

<<<<<=========That's my daughter to the left.

Haines City private lake - no spawning activity in 65 degree water today. I did bag a staging 4lb female this morning.

Best line of the thread. Two of my favorite mountain biking spots are county parks with great fishing lakes. If I see someone that's keeping illegal fish I will go up to them and start asking a bunch of questions about the fishing regulations, pretending I actually don't know the rules. I'm not confrontational (cause you don't know who's packing) but if you ask enough questions they all get that look on their face and pick up and leave eventually.