Bassun

@volzfan59 Did you figure it out?

I, admittedly, didn't read all of the comments - but I literally just went through this discussion a week ago. It doesn't matter what line, rod, reel etc. you are using. NONE! If something feels funny, set the hook. Period. End of statement. If you feel like you set the hook into a log, hold that pressure until you are POSITIVE it is not a fish. Worst case you set too early, or spook a fish yanking a limb around, or lose / break gear - it happens. But EVERY SINGLE SET you attempt - you are gaining experience and feel. Now as for feel, eyes closed works. You said you are fishing a lot of plastics. Here is what I would suggest. Focus on feeling the bottom. Is it rock? Mud? Grass? Is it small pebbles or larger chunk? Are there big rocks and logs down there too? Start letting your mind draw a picture of what the lure is doing and what the bottom looks like based on what it feels like. If you can see what the bottom looks like even better! Try holding your rod at different COMFORTABLE angles while you feel the bottom. You will find the one (or ones) that suites you best. As you get used to "seeing" what you lure "feels" - those odd feelings will start to stand out more. Like if you are on a pea gravel bottom and there is no grass or anything else but small rock, and suddenly your feeling goes "soft" -- you know that is most likely a fish. In grass, that same feeling would not stand out as much. But focus on building a mental image of what the bait is doing, and what the bottom composition is based on feel -- and in a few months you will be well ahead of the game! And if you feel like you are not making enough contact to feel the bottom well --- slow down. Honestly, fishing plastics "slow down" is almost always a good piece of advice anyway lol. Good luck and tight lines!

So here - you cannot find a used boat at a decent price. You cannot find late models at dealers, heck - you cannot find much of any inventory at dealers. A few conversations have drilled in the idea that they are following car dealership leads and do not plan on carrying a big inventory going forward. Kiss those last year model and off-season discounts goodbye. Those I've gotten to talk about it basically said they spend less, and make more by not keeping much in the marina. Less overhead, less taxes, and they don't have to drop prices to move inventory. People are getting used to the new approach so they do not seem pressured to change back to the "old way". They've, rightly, been able to "blame" it on Corona - but now that we have accepted that as ok it seems they are not looking to change back. I don't blame them... it's a business and they are there to make money. Maybe over time it will change back, but I don't see it anytime soon. Just IMO...

Look it's simple on my boat. Motors on, life jackets are on. Period. I don't care if you like it or not, it just is not worth the risk. Now once we are no longer running, then it's your call - wear one or take it off. If something happens while underway there's just no good reason to not have a jacket on. I'll be honest - I hate my inflatable (one of the cheaper BPS ones). It rubs my neck and just doesn't sit comfortably. It randomly fired last year in the garage and I haven't even replaced the can to rearm it. I may not. I have a few other life jackets (I always grab cheap ones at yard sales when I see them), and 99% of them I like better. My favorite is not one for active watersports, but a "fishing" style and is super comfortable. It basically feels like I'm wearing a fishing vest, only it's a life jacket. I hook it to my lanyard and it stays right there in my seat when I'm not running. Takes about 5 seconds to pick it up and snap the two buckles. Really I just put it on as I'm setting down - it's a habit like putting on a seatbelt. I would much rather have it on and not need it, then need one and not have it...

So I am not pro, but I have had my used 99' Skeeter SS 90 16'2" with a Yamaha for a couple of decades now. Here are some of my opinions. First, boat prices are crazy right now. I don't know if or when it will change to be honest. I think we are seeing a shift in how marina's etc keep inventory and it seems like we are going to see fewer and fewer new models on the "lot" - which also means we are going to see fewer end of year / last model year discounts. It also means used boats are going to continue to come at a premium. AKA - we are going to pay more now and have more trouble finding a "good deal" now than we have in a long time. I feel your pain as I am looking to upgrade myself. Used: You have to be so careful. I got lucky and bought mine from a friend who was meticulous with the boat and got a screaming deal. That is a great option, and one of the few ways I really consider a used boat that isn't from a dealer you absolutely whole heartedly trust. If you go that route, spend the money to have a mechanic check out the boat. Something to consider with buying used, if you don't have the cash in hand to pay for it outright and need to finance - your loan terms will not be as good. Higher interest rates and shorter maximum length usually. May not matter in your case, but it is something to consider. I will say that I absolutely love my little boat - if it is me fishing or me +1 angler. For two people, it's fine. It runs about 40-45 depending on the prop and load I have on it. It's small so it runs a bit rough, and in "big" water you are in for a ride. That said, I quickly learned that it is too small for fishing 3 comfortably. 18' for me is the minimum size I would want if I thought I would ever have more than 2. The 90 Yamaha has been fantastic. Only issues I have had is needing to replace the impeller, which is scary the first time you do it, but not a big deal once you have done it; and the electronic choke (which I think is in my switch to be honest). Rock solid and would put this same motor on another boat in an instant. I am actually thinking of keeping this rig after I get a new boat and doing a pontoon rebuild later and use this motor for that, but that's a different topic. If you can ride along or otherwise run other boats - that's, IMO, the best bet for finding what you like. But if you cannot - I would look for something that firstly fit's in your garage. Folding tongue will help, but measure your floor with the doors closed to make 100% sure of exactly how much room you have - it would suck to end up with 6 inches too much boat. Honestly though, with your budget at 15k, I'm really worried that you are going to struggle to find what you are looking for, unless you know someone looking to unload a used boat. Tracker aluminum is probably going to be your best bet new, like GM4511 said - and what I would suggest - but finding a new boat rigged for 15K is going to be a challenge I'm afraid. Good luck!

I have an ascend. I got it because it was the best priced sit on top I could find. For me - it works just fine. Rarely used, and mostly sits around. I did add an anchor kit and few do-dads, and when I have fished it I liked it. But - it is heavy - and you will get your butt wet lol. Seat is horrible. It's certainly not like the little yaks I've used before that are a breeze to pick up and move around - she's heavy. It's a little unnerving to stand on, but it did fine. I just couldn't justify the cost of the more expensive ones. IF I were to yak fish alot, I would upgrade. Once in a blue moon - it's fine IMO. I, knowing what I know now - would have looked much harder in the used market first.

It took me for ever to find mine. It was hidden in the middle of a bunch of wires right at the engine.

Check around the motor for an inline fuse. Really dig around in the wiring. I did the same thing once during a night tournament. Tried swapping batteries in the dark and reversed the leads. POW! Nothing. It was a mess figuring it all out, but for the electrical - I found an inline fuse in the wiring right at the motor which had done its job. As for raising the motor, there is usually a hydraulic release screw (or manual tilt/trim screw) whatever you want to call it. Just find that, and you can release the motor to trim manually. Most I believe are turned counter clockwise to release. I figure you will find the fuse and not need to manually tilt anyway. Good luck!

Hey folks -- I've never ran a big tin boat like the griz 2072 or crestline 2070's etc. on the lake. I've ridden some smaller jon's on the river, and they beat me to death. How do they ride in normal, say 1-2ft chop, conditions? I have a 16ft skeeter and it's time to upgrade in size. But, I want to have something I can also run in the river so aluminum is the next stop. I kind of figure getting something like that with a small draft would be the better bet in the river, but I just don't have any experience with them so wanted to ask the folks here who do. The plan would be a side console, and rig it just like a bass boat, only have twice as much space and 4 times the carrying capacity that I have now. Looks like the 150 merc on it would push around a big load with no problems. Any insight?

So apparently a proper soft reset seems to have been the ticket. Cut power supply (switch or unplug) reconnect. Press the "pages" button and continue to hold it in, while still holding the pages button, power on the unit. Continue to hold the pages button through out, and for an additional 15+ seconds. Once done, it started the basic set up questions (language, knots vs MPH, english, etc). Following that the sonar appears to be working (hard to tell in the garage, but - it at least has some info scrolling at the top vs just a solid white screen before. Hopefully this worked and helps someone else down the road.

Hey folks - running a new Ti2 9, and things work fine except for the normal sonar. Running an Active Imaging 3 in 1 transducer, downscan, sidescan both work fine (charts, etc do too) but when I try to use regular sonar nothing happens. It is just a white screen like it has been stopped (but it hasn't and doesn't say "stopped"). I've tried stopping and restarting, resetting sonar settings, and power cycling and fiddled with every option I could find, but nothing. I did some google fu, and found there was an issue with an older SW version where the sonar would show a version of 0.0.0, but this shows 5.4.0. I also read to update the overall software, but it is current with 20.0.1. I assume there is some goofy setting that I'm not thinking about, any ideas?

Hey - quick question that I cannot seem to find an answer to here or on the C-Maps site. If you subscribe to Genesis, and download a composition map, is it only usable while you have an active subscription, or once you have it you have it and are good to go from then on? I get you would not be able to update your own maps, etc. and they have the free Social Map. I just cannot figure out if you can only use the composition maps with an active subscription (IE if I do a month only, then head to the lake 5 weeks later - it's unusable) or if once you have them downloaded you can use them forever. Anyone know? Thanks!

LOL - that is exactly me. I feel a good tick or whatever, something in that set comes out automatically. If its just a lite nip, followed by something better - my speech reflects it lol. After a successful hook set, "There we go!" seems to pop out a lot. BUT - my favorite saying is about mid-fight when I anxiously say, "Get the net!" Doesn't happen nearly enough...

Nope, just like taking pics of line and contemplating lol

FC a must? None. I use fluorocarbon leaders a lot. I run straight fluorocarbon for ultralights in gin clear water. Either could be replaced with something else IMO.