WIGuide

The 6'8" M/F should work ok. May not be the best, but it'll get you by. If you're looking to upgrade, I'd suggest a 6'10" ML/XF St. Croix LTB. Absolutely great ds rod! Handles big smallies like a dream.

Not all inflatables are created equal, which is why a H.I.T model by Mustang was suggested. It must be submerged in at least 4" of water before it will inflate. Doesn't matter how much it gets splashed, it won't inflate until submerged.

CONGRATS!

It's not just the name. If you have a BPS near you go check them out and try them on. You'll find out whey there's a difference. x2

You also went from an entry level MG to an upper end MK. That alone can be the difference. Had you stepped up to the tour edition Motorguide, I bet you would have been pleased as well.

Maybe we don't have as big of matts around here, but usually I fish around the edges and cast into it. If it's big enough I'll go through it with my TM and move around as needed.

No tutorial needed to understand down imaging. Drive over something and look at it. It looks a lot more like the object than with regular 2D sonar.

Astroglass turned into Astro after being bought out by Brunswick in the early 1989 I believe. Astro and Pro Craft were sister companies until the Astro line was discontinued in the late 90's early 2000's.

Are you sure it's a P-Force and not a D Force? When you google the model number it brings up the D-Force rods. A discontinued low end rod.

I believe mine is the DotLine Telescopic lure retriever that you can get at TW. I'm pretty sure they used to make two models and I have the longer one, but even the shorter one should work well. I like them because I have direct contact with the bait and they flat out work. I've still lost a few lures, but far fewer than I did when I was using a plug knocker. I would recommend them to anyone who fishes since it will usually pay for itself over a day of fishing.

As long as the transom is structurally sound I wouldn't think there'd be an issue with it holding it. However, over rating a boat can be a bad thing as they won't allow you to insure it and the fact that if you're ever in an accident, your fault or not, they can come after you for negligence and possibly found at fault for the accident.

Do you know what you were running for WOT RPM's with the old prop? How'd it perform? Did it get out of the hole ok? I was thinking a 23 pitch would be on the big side. Maybe the lower unit gearing is different, but I've got a 17' Ranger with a 130 and I'm split between running a 22 Pitch and a 24 Pitch. My hull weight is 400-500 lbs less so I would think you'd need something smaller. Maybe a 19 or 20? hard to say without knowing what RPM's you're running.

I use the regular the majority of the time. I will throw the Poppin' Pad Crasher if the wind picks up a little since it makes a bit more noise. The nice part about the popping versions is it still walks easily, but you can make it pop when you want it to. I've got every color they make, and they all work. Pick one that you have confidence in and keep on chuckin' them!

So if I'm a young-ish guy who likes cork does that make me an old guy? My preference is cork split grip. I've got a few EVA rods and I don't mind how they feel or perform, I just like the looks of cork better. The St. Croix Xtreme-Skin is cool too, but again I like the look of cork better.

There's a lot of reasons I use St. Croix rods, and their customer service is definitely one of them. Amazing rods and amazing customer service. That's what keeps bringing me back time after time.

Awesome experience! If she was 50" that'd put her around the 40 lb range.

If you're looking to throw the lighter stuff on it, I'd go with a M/F or M/XF. I've got a couple M/F Legend Xtreme in the M/F and they're very versatile. I use them for lighter weight plastics similar to what you're looking for as well as jerkbaits, boot tails and a few other techniques. I would not step up to a MH to throw the lighter stuff.

Welcome to BR!

If everything checks out mechanically, that's not too bad of a buy. The motor is either a Johnson or Evinrude. Definitely not a force.

Definitely go with the adjustable! They let you find the comfort level that's right for you. I just wish they made them just a hair taller. Being 6'6" with a lot of legs under me the tallest one isn't quite tall enough.

Shop around online. Find out what other motors use the same lower unit (it's usually a hp range) and search for those used. Or find one that has a blown power head or some other issue. I picked mine up for around $300 with shipping if I remember correctly a few years ago.

^^^ The problem has been found!!! Haha sorry I just had to. W2S gives great advice, you should follow it. I do have to ask though, when you choke it in the morning are you doing it while you're trying to start it or are you trying to choke it and then start it. If you aren't turning it over while you're choking it has no effect whatsoever.

It could be a short, or it could be the pump. If I had to take a guess, I'd say it's probably the pump. Follow Way2slow's advice though and check the circuit first. Rangers have a quick disconnect on their pump wiring so just unplug the pump and test it out.

I'd definitely be grabbing for the Avid X!

I just use superglue. Sure it puts a few slightly harder spots in them, but I've had no adverse effects because of it. I usually squeeze the holes/cuts and put some on the joining edges and push them together. Because there isn't much to hold there, I take another drop or two and skin it across the top of the cut/hole. With the amount of northerns we have up here, I've had to fix a lot of frogs and never had an issue with the superglue method.