Nice_Bass

or...that's not how it really works anymore... your decking will not eat a hole in your boat...

that is a rotund fish! Would have thought bigger, and must have looked it reeling in as well. Proving once again how scales are needed, and guessing weight of fish is impossible!!! I would have overestimated by a good pound, pound and half for sure. Great catch.

Stay cheap until you build confidence and I don't really have any others to add other than if I were to have only two I would have a Matt lures baby hardgill and a mini MS slammer on the rod that you are using. I also don't really throw giant baits and most of the folks here are going to know more than me, so listen to them. These are the two I use 90% of the time now. best advice for getting started for me though is to give them a fair shot. Don't pick it up and make some casts and give up on it, etc. I still find myself doing this with giant baits, thus why I have not figured out they do catch fish (yet in musky lakes I catch bass on musky baits lol).

hoping we helped more than hurt! I have a 75 on mine and it is great. it sounds like for the fishing you do you could get away with the 170, but again with the fam on there the 175 will be far better.

Kershaw scrambler. my everyday carry as well as used to field dress, etc. it is folding, but is about perfect imo. if you want one on a sheath, still should look at the Kershaw's.

I guess I threw all of BPS under the bus, but Wayne's situation is similar to mine. Around me, they did not really seem like they knew what they were talking about, at all. I would not trust them at this point to do a whole lot unless I was broken down in their parking lot lol. I never did actually take my boat for any reason into them because when I talked with them, they kept giving me wrong info etc about many things on the boat/engine/etc. Since it is not your first boat you know your way around, go in and talk to them and see if you can talk to the guys in back and not just the salesman. Your folks may be really good so I don't mean to sway you one way or the other without really knowing.

also, I bought mine from a dealer about an hour away. Stay away from bps and those folks, imo.

I have a 175 and if I were you I would go with that. For fishing it works just as I need it for the most part (of course there are plently of things I would change.) But for when I bring my family out, the extra space will be critical for you as it crowds quickly with their bags, etc. the 170 looks a lot narrower to me, and specs say it is. Also, I am sure my wife will love me putting a picture up on the internet without makeup on, but oh well!

The waves get out of my way!!! (I don't fish the GL, unfortunately all that often.) If I had to do it over, would have bought an express over tracker for sure, but money and marketing got to me and I took the easy way out. Back to topic though, I do prefer an aluminum on LOZ believe it or not. Much easier to get in between the docks fishing them and don't have to worry so much about scuffs when fishing next to bluff walls. Boat lanes at loz September through memorial day- wide open lake. Boat lanes Memorial day through Labor day- 4am to 10am weekends, much better during week. For sure eaiser than the Toledo Bend as I am not looking for stumps and boats, and 50ft cruisers pretty easy to spot. If I could do it over, I would still fish a tin boat right now...but that's only because at the time I could not find a fiberglass that had a beam that would fit in the garage.

While farming does have a large share of the blame- increases in tech and application has been helping albeit not quickly. Recently, there are plans being put out by the EPA, IEPA in Illinois called the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy to help alleviate the run off problems. Really came into play along with other states due the hypoxia zone all the way down in the gulf of Mexico. Watersheds are vast. Anyhow, at a smaller scale, you can see it here in some of our lakes very quickly nonetheless.

He is not fishing the Bend! And great lakes wins... Largest lakes in the US- North largest manmade lakes in US- North Tracker or Xpress- Xpress!

Snowman 1: So Kevin do you really think the Hydrowave will work everywhere, at all times?!? Snowman 2 (KVD): No.... Caption: Hell has frozen over.

yes- bigger ones only in the 24-25inch range. Really looking for 30in plus, and obviously 30# plus after that.

I fish lake of the Ozarks all the time in my tracker 175. it is not nearly the boat that some of the newer ones are, however it handles the big water just as good if not better than some of the fiberglass rigs (albeit 15mph slower). I actually prefer it moving in and out of docks. Mostly fish glaize to bagnall and everything inbetween.

conquistador conquest bullet swimbait jig head. Best hook I have found on a jig head and extremely affordable.

Starting to get really good in Central IL...you know, for being in Central IL. Starting to wean through some of the smaller fish to get to some decent sized fish. Still no giants for the year however they are out there.

Did not wven want to fish for bass this weekend...caught some good fish though.

I am one of those cross fitters...but not one of "those" cross fitters...Apparently this is the workout I am doing in a couple hours. #front squats Every 2 minutes for 12 minutes Set 1 – 3 reps @ 75% Set 2 – 2 reps @ 80% Set 3 – 1 rep @ 85% Set 4 – 3 reps @ 80% Set 5 – 2 reps @ 85% Set 6 – 1 rep @ 90% # clean up 3rds 7 Hang Squat Cleans (135/95lbs) Rx+ 155/105lbs 14 Pullups (Rx +Chest To Bar) 21 Box Jumps (24/20) Immediately into.. 1000m Row

Not sure on the Thurs/Friday tourney.... cant believe there were tourneys that many days in a row and fishing was still ok on Sunday lol! 25 great bag anywhere you go...pretty excited I will be headed there in about 5 hours!

what motor are you running the prop on and what are you getting for rpm's loaded and what performance are you looking for?

new rims for the boat trailer...and new ss prop. everything working great. and then I figured I needed a couple new ms slammers and minis. and then I figured I would get a new reel... I was going for no new tackle purchase this year...broke that pretty quick. still need to sell a bunch of swimbaits and other gear to make space at this point.

is what it is I guess- I support the HS tourneys and they don't do anything that other folks don't already do as well in non hs tourneys, it is just the sheer number of them now is ludicrous. at Clinton on the 12th there was: 4/12/15 Illiana Bass Anglers 10 boats 4/12/15 Illinois Bass Federation 30 boats 4/12/15 Lexington Bass Club 20 boats 4/12/15 Illini Bass Fishing 75 boats 135 boats in tourney format on a 5k acre lake is just crazy. Anyhow, looked at the results and about 8 pounds won it on two fish. I guess if I cant beat them, I should join them. Not really in love with the tx scene but do enjoy it occasionally but I could have cashed a check out there with 4 fish apparently. fished for only about 4hrs from about 1130 to 330-400ish. If I remember correctly Bwell helps put that thing together, and I fully support what they do either way.

Fished Clinton on Sunday- looked like a big hs tourney going on and I was a bit frustrated at how many boats were out. Seriously, I kind of like tourneys but in this area of the country there is just not enough water imo. Anyhow, did not see them catching much but I was able to land 4 keepers and lost two big one that looked around 5ish. Fished about 4 hours at windblown main lake points, but at the very shallow end right at the bank is where fish came from. All caught on 2.5 square bill. had never really thrown one until sunday for the most part, but it seemed to fit the bill as I just tried to cover any water I could not find 2 boats on already. At one point, I was fishing a point and a boat came up behind me (as in at my back, not off stern and were trying to cast to where I was fishing in another 30 seconds) and another boat came up on the other side of point I was casting across and not one of them even looked at me. I put my tm on high and drove back and forth across it 2 times, turned big motor on, trimmed way up, and drove slowly away. Not proudest moment but the folks that were working the boat for the highschoolers were not teaching them well at all.

seriously....put it in a 2 liter of coke for a couple of days soaking and then scrub with tin foil soon as you get it out. Cheap and without the chemicals. Just the ball pretty cheap I guess if rusted too bad- but would assume you would rather just replace the nut and keep the ball.

great to hear- grew up fishing out of a Cajun of about the same year in red. Good memories from that boat!