james 14

It looks like a Humminbird would be the cheapest option for getting an SI unit at $800 for the 598ci. If I went Lowrance I'd have to get an HDS5 or 5x AND add the Structure scan which costs ~$700 on it's own. The advantage with the Lowrance seems to be that I can use the one LSS for both the bow and helm units if I had two...they also have a bundle option. I still think the HB may come out cheaper. I'm just weighing options at this point. I still need a boat! (coming soon I hope)

I have a Doel-Fin I can send you if you want. I'll ship it to you for $20. I used it once and pulled it off my motor when I realized I wouldn't be able to get my setup correct to make it useful. It's not doing me any good just sitting in my garage.

I know it's just a guess but I'm curious. A ) A boat rated for a 200hp running less than WOT B ) A boat rated for a 115hp running WOT at the same speed We'll assume both boats are on plane and the boat rated for the 200hp is larger in comparison (as you would expect). One boat is lighter but the other isn't working the motor as hard.

That was downright hilarious! If Swindle's relationship with Lucky Craft ever changes to where he needs a new boat wrap I want to see Cottonelle...or even Huggies. His new nickname for me is "The Maintenance Man".

I'm in the market for a used bass boat and whatever I end up buying I'm going to want it to have it checked out buy a local marine shop to make sure there are no surprises. What would be a recommended protocol for protecting myself and ensuring protection for the seller so they're willing to leave their boat somewhere? I don't want to pay for something only to have it checked out and it be a POS and, likewise, I'm not sure I'd want to hand my boat over to someone who hasn't payed me for it yet. I thought about paying a deposit or having the seller drop it off at the shop where I've already pre-paid for the service. I've never owned a anything other than an aluminum jon so I'm not 100% what to check for. I know to check compression, transom, floor, hull and, of course, do a water test but beyond that I'm not completely sure. Is it even necessary to take it to a shop? I read somewhere I could actually buy a tester to check compression myself.

I think you'd be well-served to try using a shorter rod. Even when standing (if you can figure out how to do that safely) you still won't be very high off the water. I fish off a decked out jon and I'm even considering trying out a 6.5 or 7ft for some applications...mainly tight quarters or places where I need to make more accurate pitches. The shorter rod allows me to make a better motion with my arm without letting the bait hit the water.

You really have little to worry about so don't feel like you HAVE to wear something if you don't want to. However, the advice you got about not using movement to announce your presence is very good. I usually whistle since it's less likely to disturb any game that may be nearby. Statistics on non-hunters getting shot by hunters who are legally hunting are EXTREMELY low. We did the research on this to combat anti-hunters trying to prevent additional lands from being opened in the area. If I remember correctly it's something crazy like ONE incident nationwide. It's been a while so the exact numbes evade me but my point is, as I started with, that you really have nothing to worry about. Go fishing without fear.

Not so sure about that...at least not according to Tracker's website. Z-6 is only 250lbs heavier and 7-10 mph faster. However, the 190 is a foot longer and rated for up to a 135 which will certainly yeild more mph but I'm not sure how you go about getting a motor that's not a Merc.

Hit the lake Saturday. Started off in a place I knew held fish and within an hour and a half had almost 10 fish in the boat with the biggest 5 going over 15lbs. Almost all fish were plump and ready to spawn. Several of the smaller ones were actually "peeing" like bream do when you catch them off the bed. We could've milked that area and probably wore em out but we had several other spots to check out. None of them panned out quite as well but we did manage a few more here and there. Here's Robert with the biggest...complete with the cig hanging out his mouth.

Yeah, Lee, take him there...he'll never want to fish in FL again.

Went again today. Fog didn't lift until noon so my hopes of warming water throughout the morning were dashed. Had to leave right about the time things got warm but action was still slow. Won't be back before the tourney so I hope something changes and we don't have another month where it takes 5lbs to win. Going to Istokpoga Saturday. What lake(s) do you think would be a good option for replacing Pierce next season?

Did you ever figure anything out? It was a SLOW day for us...not impressed with that lake at all. We need to get it off the schedule next year. There are plenty of other lakes out there that are much better.

Thanks, Lee. I was out there last year for the first time for our club's two-day classic during mid-late March and we fishing it pretty much exactly as you did except that we didn't get on the Skinny Dippers as much as we should've. The frog bite was on during pre-fishing but slowed down come tourney time and we didn't adjust well. We spent a lot of time in the backwaters (where the muck scrapings occur) but I think we were too late to be in that far and most of the fish were out around the outer edges. I'm planning on taking some more time in and around those bulrush edges moving a little slower with the SD's and Speedworms weightless and even with a splitshot. I imagine that's where they're staging pre and post spawn. We also had a HUGE issue with wind at that time last year. For two guys in a 14' jon it was not fun and even somewhat dangerous. I was originally planning on being there tomorrow but my wife's family went and planned a New Year's lunch so I'll be at Pierce instead since it's closer and that's where our next tourney is. I'll try to get down there later this week. Hopefully the weather will hold up.

Will probably be out there sometime next week. Has anyone been lately? I've never been there this time of year and don't have a lot of experience on the lake period. My guess is that some fish will be starting to bed with the warming trend and recent passing of the full moon.

You didn't read FishinDaddy's post. Riverhills is above the dam so there's no way there is any salt in the water. I usually fish from Fowler and go North. There are plenty of fish from there up through the narrows. Past the narrows it gets pretty slim until you pass the lock up near Trout Creek.

I think about everyone of these apply to me.

Never had a problem with a Palomar. Just wet it well when you tighten it down and it should be fine.

I'm not fishing it but bass will be spawning at that time, however, your pro may not be on that pattern. You're going to have to be prepared for just about anything. You can get by with the following setups: Punching Weightless fluke, senko, 10" worm Buzzfrog and/or soft plastic swimbait such as the RI Skinny Dipper Whatever your favorite bed fishing setup is In addition to this an early shad bite can be found in spots yeilding some topwater action or even action on squarebills, lipless' or sus. jerkbaits. Anything can change with the weather. A front will shut them down and make the punching bite the go-to approach. A warming trend can can yield some fast and fun action on buzzfrogs and weightless swimbaits. Be prepared to follow up with a weightless worm.

What the heck is that thing! Maybe I won't buy and Rage afterall! That's just scary right there.

Slowing down would be my weakness. I grew up fishing weightless worms almost exclusively and I guess I thought I had risen above such things as I "got better" at fishing. About the only thing I do slow is flip but that's not always the right technique. So the past year I've been trying to experiment some without much success...mostly because I just wouldn't slow down. Actually most times I haven't been able to slow down due to the wind. However, there is brightness on the horizon and I'm looking forward to the next couple months as my club's tourney season comes to a close and our bass enter the spawning cycle. I've found success in a few new techniques that will help me put more fish in the boat and likely win even more than I already do.

They are nice baits, indeed. I would like to see them make a swimbait of some sort. With the A-rig craze I'm surprised they don't have one yet.

I had an interesting observation when beach fishing for snook this season. It seemed the lighter I had my drag the less the fish tried to fight and virtually eliminated any jumping from the fish which only served to either throw the lure or cause his teeth to saw further into my leader. I just followed them down the beach until they tired out. I rarely have the chance to "play" a fish here in FL where the slightest wrong turn will bury the fish in some kind of cover so it was definitely a learning experience. I'm still figuring out how to apply it as I attempt to use lighter and lighter lines these days. Skipping jerkbaits under docks with 8lb test can be frightening.

I got back into tourney fishing last year after giving it a brief shot several years ago as a kid. My partner and I have managed fairly well, winning more tournments than any other team in the club. However, I'm not satisfied. I'm not satisfied because for every one we've won there's another we should've won. This isn't a big club and none of the other teams are huge threats so, naturally, we have a few tourneys every season where everyone gets skunked. These are the ones that bother me the most. The ones where all we have to do is go catch a limit and we're going to win. My partner and I are power fishers to the core. If we can get that bite to work for us we're going to catch 20lbs and lap the field. More often than not, however, power fishing won't get it done. I can't bring myself to slow down and throw a Senko all day but if that's what I need to do to get a limit in the boat I'll do it. I'm looking for any suggestions on getting that limit. I know things change with the seasons but let's assume locating the fish isn't my problem. This is FL and apparently our fish are tempermental. I know I can go up to AL and fish with my dad and catch 12"er's all day long throw sqaure bills in the creek mouths. I hope I'm asking this the right way. I know this is the biggest thing I have to work on to further improve my tourney success. I will also say that a typical limit for us involves catching fish 3-4 different ways. Rarely do we pull a limit all on the same 1 or 2 tactics. To me this seems to be the heart of the problem and I'm not quite sure how to fix it.

So did John Cox in an FLW event there last year and I believe he won it. My partner and I fish out of his 14' Lowe Mod-V with a 25hp Yammie on the back. It's not so bad if the wind isn't kicking and we don't have to run very far, however, this year the wind has SUUUUUUUCKED and I fished yesterday on a lake where I had a 20 mile run to get to my spot. I spent over 2 hours just driving but, since I won, it kinda worked out. BTW - what was stated earlier about FLW rules applies only to the main Walmart Tour. Everstart and BFL are as follows: All boats must be propeller-driven, a minimum of 16 feet in length and have a rear deck (with a seat if requested). All boats must be equipped with wheel steering; no other steering device will be permitted. No barges or similarly cumbersome craft will be permitted.

It may also help to stand up on something to simulate the height you stand above the water on the boat's deck. Really this is only relevant for pitching or flipping.