J Francho

Two: Meh. One new, the other maybe five years old. Everything that looked cheezy on the new was ratty on the used. Not impressed. Reminded me of a Ranger Bay I really wanted to buy, before I bought the Bullet. I expect more for the money. There isn't a single model in their line up that I'd even try to fish from. We had a Sea Ray stern-drive bowrider when I was a teenager. That boat was awesome, but not a fishing boat. I have three kayaks and an 18' pontoon boat as well, so I'm covered there. I'm not ruling out a little tin can tiller either. I still love that style boat. We have SO MUCH water here one boat will never cover all the bases.

Or did they?

This is a great point about evolving tastes and opinions. You could substitute P-Line CXX for around 1/2 the times RW recommended YZH. Same caveats: use line conditioner, look at the line diameter, etc. I would still recommend 20-25# CXX for any swimbaits over 1 oz. For everything else that doesn't require braid, I've totally replaced it with Invisx or Tatsu. If you had asked me the same question in 1998, I would have said Trilene 8# XL for spinning and 17# XT for casting. I think it's cool that you can still get al of theis, and you really can't go wrong with the recommendations from years past. It's just so much better now, with what I'm using.

also: Full throttle rpm is 5500-6000. https://www.mercurymarine.com/en/us/engines/outboard/fourstroke/30-60hp/

Try to get some seat time. I wasn't impressed with the Robalo.

If the prop is chewed up, get an SS prop, and repair the Al prop to keep in the boat as a backup, in case you spin a hub or something worse. Forget all the other upgrades, they aren't worth it and the boat was never designed for performance. Mid 30s is typically how fast I usually drive anyway, and it's perfectly respectable for a tin boat. Good luck and stay safe.

@haggard congrats on the Montauk. My best friend in school's dad had a 17' that was awesome. Robalo is out. There's a couple dealers here and they don't exude a solid feeling in a test drive - felt chintzy. Grady white has almost the same boat as the Dauntless. It doesn't exactly turn my screws, but it would work. @slonezp I do know what you mean about the layout on Pathfinder. I dig that it's a fishing machine. Truth be told, the 24 CE Yellowfin would be my pick, and there's really no family features on that boat other than a back rest that goes in the stern rod holders, lol. A pump out head, lots of seating a T-top, and a table conversion for the bow are the concessions I have to make. Everything else is fair game. That Scout 251 XSS is starting to look really good. BW disco'd the 240/240 Sport platform for the new 220/250 boats. They removed all the things I liked, and added to the stuff I didn't care about, making a good looking boat that I wouldn't buy. I get what they are going for, but the new designs have zero personality.

The kids call me a caps lock every once in a while

Line is probably the most personal and deep rooted opinion you can form about fishing tackle. I don't even bother telling people Tatsu is the best FC anymore.

That thing is a monster. What lake?

I wouldn't get too fancy with a Tracker. It's meant to fish as is.

I'll leave it to @roadwarrior to explain what is happening here, but it looks like he and @.ghoti. caught some toads.

I have a good friend that uses Cortland lines and does great.

Trim all the way in, peg the throttle until you're at top speed/rpm. Trim out until your bow is out of the water, but not porpoising.

Not much from the 1st century makes much sense.

Refers to the hook, which was called an angle.

I get mail from AARP.

You'd be surprised how bad it can get when current and wind work against each other. I think the worst conditions involving this I ever experienced was in the canal that connects Lakes Marion and Moultrie on Santee Cooper. Absolutely brutal, and that is a pretty narrow strip of water.

I can't specifically tell you what to get for your boat since each boat is different, but for my Bullet 21XDC with a 2.5L Pro Max, I found that a plugged and cupped 27 Trophy four blade gave me the fastest hole shot, and enough lift to plane at pretty slow speeds. Top end was cut down to around 72 mph, but that was fine for me. I'd blow out if I let all 260 horses go at once, but you learn to modulate your foot, and get the right "catch." When I put a 29 3-blade on it, I could run at 85, but it took a half mile to get on plane, and forget doing anything less than 60 mph. I had my manual plate set to about 1/2" below pad.

Every.Single.Time.

I've used Tatsu on a reel for over 4 years, and Invisx for more than 5. I'm sure you'll be good. I've got some on a big spool that is three years old, and have no second thoughts about using it to spool up some new reels.

Yes.

Only when the water is wet I do remember a tournament where we were mid cold front, and it would flip flop from sunny and breezy to overcast and still about every half hour to 45 minutes. The swimbait got bit well in the sunny conditions, while a spinnerbait was better behind the clouds. It was more than just coincidence, but I think it was just that day. I don't draw too much other than it's an interesting deal for the day.

This was a deep-V by Sea Nymph. That boat was a beast. I love all the crooked horizons this series of photos. That's my dad and his "fancy scale" to weigh all his 2-pounders.

Just add an L and an E, and you have LOVE. I always took this as the meaning.