Nitro 882

I hadn't really thought about it personally but, last year, when my son came to fish with me in Florida, I took him to one of my "hot spots" in the pads. After about an hour without a fish he finally said "Dad, can we move a bit. I have named every lily pad in this area. Guess I'm an 11.😴

Thank you all for your input. Very helpful to this old dinosaur. I knew I would have to get a much larger graph/screen. Hell, I can hardly read the 7 incher I have (screen that is.) I just mentioned the Helix 7's to give you guys an idea as to the level of technology I'm used to. I think I've seen where some guys mount the transducer on a separate "shaft" so it can be directed independently from the trolling motor shaft. You've brought up a good point. I need to closely monitor where the tech development is so I don't end up with an obsolete, less effective, more "user unfriendly" unit. Fyi, I have a flip phone currently. Thanks again for everyone's response. I feel really good about being able to, at least, begin the shopping phase. You all seem to have developed a preference, and I just have to pick my particular "flavor". As I get more into it, I'm sure I'll have questions, and I'll tap you guys again. 😎

That's friggin awesome. Thanks pal.

Happy Holidays to all. My son is pressuring me to add FFS to my Nitro nx882. I currently run 2X Helix 7's Si/Di, 1 up front 1 at the console. More than enough tech for this 78 year old but the young'uns want to play video games. Anyway, I've attempted to "search" but all I find are explanations of technology but no guidance as to what, exactly, I need to purchase to add this capability to my particular rig. Any help is appreciated.

I'll be heading to Florida for my annual 3 month winter vacation early in January. When I left for home last spring, Toho looked more like a golf course than a lake. The fishing was good but it was getting real tough to get around to my "hot spots". 😉 Had the heat alarm going off frequently as the intake on the lower unit kept getting plugged up. I don't want all the hydrilla gone but I'm wondering if "mother nature" has made any corrections and thinned it out some. I call on "mother nature" because I've heard that it is not economically or politically possible to mechanically or chemically eliminate the problem. I look forward to your input. Thank you.

FWIW. I have vortex bearings on my trailer. These are supposed to last 6 years or 100,000 miles without having to touch them. Thats their claim but I wouldn't/couldn't go that long without maintaining them. Anyway, they demand you use Lucas Marine (blue) to maintain the warranty. They must think very highly of the blue stuff to offer that kind of warranty.

I'm pretty sure traditional sonar will still be allowed.

Just more evidence of the potential impact of FFS on the future of bass fishing. I saw a video in which Chris Zaldain was interviewing a young man who claimed to be a tournament fisherman but mostly was a guide in Texas. The question was about the value of FFS to his reputation as a successful guide. The guy stated that during his last 90 outings and using his new FFS his clients had boated 87 bass over 10 lbs. When Zaldain asked how many over 10 lbs. does he think he might boat without FFS the answer given was 8 or 9 maybe. FFS had made him a highly sought-after, and profitable guide but he commented that he was seriously concerned for the future of bass fishing. Having the ability to identify and then target the "big mamas" in a lake would, no doubt, have a negative impact on future recruitment in that body of water. Please understand, I'm not for or against FFS. I'm simply noting that it dramatically changes "angling" as we knew it.

Full disclosure, they had officials on board at Lake Fork immediately weighing and releasing those precious specimens. Thankfully.

I caught part of the final day of the Elite tourney at Lake Fork Sunday and I think I saw my lifelong passion die. I'm 77 and not too "techy" so the advances over the years with sonar units have gone unnoticed by me. What I watched Sunday shocked the hell out of me. Apparently this new Forward Facing Sonar is the latest thing in marine electronics and it changes the sport of bass fishing, or fishing in general, forever. I tuned in and watched an angler (may have to change that term in the future) stand on his trolling motor and stare at his graph for at least 5 minutes without making a single cast. Compare this to the old days when VanDam would put his trolling motor on high and run down the bank rapidly firing a spinnerbait until he found fish. I thought the first guy was an anomaly but as they went from contestant to contestant, much to my dismay, they were all doing the same thing. Not fishing but hunting fish. Not only hunting fish but selecting the size fish they want to present their lure to. Does the term "shooting fish in a barrel" ring a bell? We all know that the younger crowd is all into technology. If I have issues with my laptop or mobile phone I just have my 7 year old granddaughter fix them. Therefore, it is not surprising that 5 of the final 10 on Sunday were tour "rookies". And I guess it's not surprising, considering the "video game" mentality, that a 19 year old won the trophy. If you don't think FFS is a game changer consider not only the 5 rookies competing on the final day but that all 10 finalist broke 100#s with over 130# being the winning weight. Lee Livesay won back to back Lake fork tourneys a short while. Not terribly surprising as it is his home lake where he has guided for years. He didn't make the cut his time so he hung around and offered expert commentary. As he watched some of the anglers working areas of the lake that he knows like the back of his hand he would chuckle and say "I would never have considered fishing in those areas in a hundred years". Some of the guys bragged that they never moved around. When they got to the spots they had found during practice they got on the trolling motor and never got off till quitin' time. To me, this is the same as "bed" fishing. you "see" the fish and throw a variety of baits at it till it bites. In the :good old days" you would pull up on your spot make a few casts and, if no bites, move along on your "milk run". Now you can see that the fish are there right in front of you and you just have to find what presentation or bait they will respond to. I know every generation has had some new fandangled gizmo that the old folks will bring about the downfall of civilization and I don't want to be that guy. Just saddens me that the sport I love and thought I knew has become another of those many things that has past me by. May the FFS be with you.

Just fyi, I remember a 18# plus bag and I also remember a late March tourney where a guy won with 7 lbs. 6 oz. for 2 fish. One was 5#'s so he got "big bass" money also. Don't get me wrong. Mass has some good bass to be caught. I wasn't in the tourney but I was at a tourney weigh-in and saw a 27# bag in Central Mass.

Belonged to a club in Massachusetts a few years back. They kept records of all the catches over 20 tourneys at different lakes. The average winning bag was just over 12 lbs.

Nearly 60 years ago me and my new bride spent a few days (honey moon) at a fish camp on Bull Shoals. At the general store on site there were 2 huge largemouth up on the wall behind the counter. The old gent running the place claimed to have caught both while trolling in a little john-boat w/ 5h.p. motor. He had his rod/reel mounted under the 2 giants and it looked like salt water sized gear. I commented that it must have been a hell of a battle due to the immense size of these brutes as a 2 lb'er was about as big as I'd seen to that point. He laughed and said that once the beast was hooked he hauled it across the top of the water as fast as he could. He made a statement that I still smile at. He said "as long as that fish was in the water he was in his territory. When I get him in the bottom of my boat, he's in my territory." Fyi, one fish was just over 8lbs. and he said he spun the boat around and trolled back over the same spot. The second trophy was just over 9 lbs. He proceeded to tell me another story about another visitor to the camp that had, just the other day, caught his first bass that weighed 8lbs. I said that I thought that was as good as it gets. He said "no, that was the worst thing that could have happened to him. He will fish the rest of his life and not catch another like it."😳

I have heard for years about fishing very sloooooow for bass during the many cold fronts that come through Florida in the winter. Well, just to add to the confusion surrounding the subject, I fished for about 4 hours one morning last week very sloooow with a t-rigged black/blue w/ blue tail stick bait. Not a sniff. About 3/4 the way back to the boat on one cast I, being increasingly frustrated, reeled the bait in very faaaast and a fish blew up on it right at the boat. Hmmm, I thought. I picked up a rod off the deck rigged with a weightless U-Vibe Magnum Speed Worm and began buzzing it across the surface. Caught 4 nice 2 to 3 lb'ers in the next hour. My experience concludes that if the fish are in a feeding mode they will take your slowly presented offerings. If they are NOT feeding aggressively, you can get them to react to fast moving baits that make a lot of commotion. That's all i got to say 'bout dat.

I stayed there many years ago. I thought it was a good place for some guys on a fishing trip. Not so much for ladies looking for a "Florida Vacation". Suitable fishing accommodations but far from 4 star. Very rural. Nothing real handy. Had to ride down the road a few miles to get cell phone service. Probly like your fathers fish camp. I liked it. The wife, not so much Spiders as big as your fist but, not to worry, the snakes eat em readily. Bear in mind, my stay was about 15 years ago. I don't want to discourage anyone from staying there. I'm sure they have made necessary improvements over the years.