Scott F

You’ll have to replace the transducer. In addition to the transducer cable, the thermometer cable is also in there. You might be able to buy a 4 conductor shielded plug and receptacle to put where the wires were cut, but they will probably cost as much as a new transducer, be difficult to install and still be under water. Much easier to replace the transducer.

Go to the fishing department at WalMart and buy the least dorky, Strike King, POLARIZED sunglasses they have. Dark colors for bright days, Amber for overcast days. Water color and fish species don't matter.

I’ve been using one for many years. At first, it was for security reasons. Now, I have a second boat and use the same trolling motor on both boats so switching them is a breeze. I also have used the bracket on a couple of different motors and it did make installation of the new motor easy.

Years ago when I used to crappie fish in the spring, this is how we’d do it. I’d put a spinning reel on my fly rod. I’d only use a few feet of line and wouldn’t cast out, just drop the crappie jig along side some brush, stake bed or tree. I’m sure it would have been used for bass too. I don’t remember the term used. Might have been noodling or something. Now, noodling is the term they use for pulling catfish out of the water by hand.

By using a backing plate, washers, and quality hardware.

NOBOBDY is ever sorry that they upgraded to an 80 pound thrust instead of staying with a smaller trolling motor. If you have the space for the extra battery and can afford the added expense, get the bigger motor.

I'd only seen the photo while viewing on my phone earlier. Upon further inspection, it appears that the powder came from the hole in the riveted plate. Those pins that you removed, did they go into the hole in the picture? What's behind that plate? slonezp I think has it right. Foam that has been crushed to dust.

Looks like dried battery acid.

My #1 rod and reel right now, while I’m chasing summertime river smallies is a St Croix, 7’Avid MF, spinning rod, with a Quantum 25 Smoke high speed reel.

A wiper is a hybrid between a striped bass and a white bass, and are raised in a hatchery so they never see saltwater. They are then stocked in lakes. None of the ones I’ve ever caught will jump but they are a lot of fun to catch. They hit so hard, they will rip the rod right out of your hands if you aren’t paying attention.

I live in Illinois and bought a new boat in Michigan. I paid no tax to the dealer in Michigan but paid it to Illinois when I applied for my titles for both the boat and trailer.

Guys who say a lake is hard to fish mean that they can't catch fish there. I fish a lake in the spring where I can literally catch 100 fish a day. That's an easy lake to fish. In the summer and fall, I can barely catch anything at the same lake. Then, it's a hard lake to fish. If you know what you are doing and spend enough time, you figure out what to do and the lake becomes an easy lake to fish.

As has been reported here many times, people have had braid dig in to the spool, probably while trying to unsnag a lure or from a backlash, and on the next cast, the lure will abruptly stop in mid-air and snap the line. To keep it from happening, posters will use 30 pound and higher braid which, being thicker, will be less likely to dig in. Myself, I only use 20 pound braid on my baitcasters and have not had the misfortune to lose a lure due to the line snapping off mid cast.

Of course you can use it. Be aware that to have the most success, very light, slow falling, presentations work better, than heavier jigs although there is no question the heavier jigs will still catch fish. For the lightest presentations, the rod you have won’t be the best tool for the job.

Not that I understand one word of what you wrote, but I think you explained why rod balance doesn’t mean anything to me. ?

If you use braid after fishing with a line that stretches, you have to adjust your hook sets. People who rip out the hooks from a fish are still setting hooks too hard.

And just exactly how does closing the bail by hand have any effect on line twist? ALL spinning reels will twist line. It's just the way they are designed. Pulling the line off while casting and then winding it back on twists the line. Try duplicating the same action by pulling a garden hose or an extension cord off a spool and winding it back on like a spinning reels does and see how fast they get twisted up. Reeling against the drag doesn't happen very often compared to reeling the line in on every cast. Mono doesn't like being twisted and shows it much faster that braid.

I've never owned a Quantum bait caster, but I've been using nothing but Quantum spinning reels for many years. I've been using them since before I knew who KVD was. In the last 10 years, they've all been Energy's and Smoke models. The only issues I've had are on the reels I use for jerkbaiting where the anti-reverse clutches take a lot of abuse. I've replaced a couple of clutches. I'm sure, unless they make a lot of changes I'm not happy with, my next spinning reels will be Quantum's too.

Balance means almost nothing to me. I've never considered it when purchasing a rod or looked for it when combining the rod and reel. When longer rods came into fashion, most companies lengthened the rods handle probably to keep the rod balanced. When I was having most of my rods custom built, I always asked the rod builder to keep the handle as short on my long rods as they were on the shorter rods. The long handles always got in my way. I'm sure that effected the balance negatively, but those rods were, and still are some of my favorites.

Ive caught 3 walleyes that were 28-29 inches long while bass fishing. None were in water more than 3-4 feet deep. All three came between 11am and 4pm. Two came off a dock and one was on a rock pile so shallow it had a buoy to keep boats from hitting it. I also had a 25 incher that I caught on a topwater bait. Just like bass, walleyes don’t read the books telling them how they are supposed to act.

Which one you buy depends on YOUR needs and budget. Without knowing either it would be hard suggest anything.

I’m in a fishing club where our main function is fishing for river smallmouth. 2/3 of our members use kayaks for fishing the rivers. For a long while, I didn’t know anybody who used a kayak for anything BUT rivers. Depending on the amount of current, guys will launch and paddle upstream for anywhere from one to three miles, then float back downstream. Where it is too difficult to paddle against the current, you float downstream, then get a shuttle to take you back to your car.

I’ve been boating a long time but I’ve never heard the term “head-to-toe” speed. What does that mean?

I got my 1648 jon from a custom jet boat builder who finished off exactly the way I wanted. I may have paid a little more, but getting the boat I wanted was more important to me than the money. He is up in Michigan. Where are you located?

Mount the side imaging transducer to the transom now and if you get an outboard, you won’t have to remount it. 14 ft boats are never going to be the most stable platform especially with added casting decks. You might consider just adding a floor to the front, ahead of the seat but not as high as the bench. Easier and cheaper to start. See how that works first. You can always add the bigger casting deck later and you won’t be out a lot of money if you don’t like it. I can see that this 14 footer is not going to be your boat of the future. Don’t spend a lot of time and money on a boat you won’t be keeping very long. Use your time to be out fishing, not working on projects.