WIGuide

In years past the layouts have been lacking in a lot of aluminum rigs. The weekend angler would be fine with them, but if you look at most guys who fish tournaments, they have more gear than your average guy. Most aluminum's are marketed to the entry level crowd, so a lot of them are in that 16-17' range and lack space and storage. They aren't made to handle as big of water as the 19-21 foot boats. My friend has a Tracker 175 txw with the "smooth ride hull" it was anything but smooth when it got choppy. My old 16' Ranger ran smoother in rougher water than that did. Another plus for the glass boats is that they're normally rated for higher HP and are able to run faster. Another example including the Tracker 175 of my friends is that his has a 50 on it and will run 31 to about 33. It's rated for a 75 and even with that it'd max out at about 40. My 17 foot Ranger is rated for a 130 and will run into the low 50's. As far as durability is concerned, with fiberglass you need to watch out for rocks and metal. Wood generally doesn't bother either. Paint or decals on aluminum can be scratched just as easily. In recent years the aluminum boats have become better boats than before. Brands like Xpress, and Lund have been out to get a market share in the higher end bass market. They've adopted the size and layouts of the glass boats and are very competitive in the market In the mean time the entry level boats have gotten better as well. There are a few guys who fish out of tin's in the bass club I'm in and they do just fine. Definitely nothing wrong with them and they should be seriously considered, but in a lot of cases glass will offer you a few more options and amenities.

The gel coat is definitely got on that boat. Although it doesn't look pretty, it doesn't effect the structural integrity. It does however take a ton of value out of the boat so pay accordingly. X2 on the don't take the guys word that everything works, go try it out and find out for yourself.

My personal preference is the Booyah Pad Crashers and Poppin' Pad Crashers. They do everything the pricier ones do and I don't feel like I got kicked in the balls when a northern shreds one beyond repair or just takes it completely. They're soft enough you'll have a good hookup percentage, they walk well and they come in enough colors to keep everyone happy. My second pick would be the Spro Bronzeye Frog and Shad. 3rd in my book are the Live Target frogs. they are decent and have a very realistic body. The only real drawback for me is the price. I have a hard time paying twice what I do for something that gets the job done just as well.

I hear ya! As much as I fish I need to keep the expenses down when I can. If you have some extra change laying around though, a single pack might be a good investment to keep as your secret weapon to prevent a skunking haha.

They're definitely tough to beat for their price! I think something like a Strike King Dream Shot will get a few more bites on the really though days, but I reserve those for tournaments, or days that are REALLY tough. When you average a fish or less per bait it doesn't take long to burn through a few packs. The durability of the Killshot I thought were pretty good and like I said in the video despite not having that super soft plastic they have a nice action. It's nice and subtle like a good dropshot bait should be.

I'm guessing if you call Minn Kota they could get you another one. Also, if you tm went for a swim you might want to get that checked out if the head went under water.

If you get your max RPM you're turning with your current prop, along with the pitch of the prop, and top speed, we can better help you out.

x2 on w2s and further north. Take it out, run it, and find out what your RPM's are. Also, how much are you trimming when you're running it? Under or over trimming will cause you to under perform in the speed category as well.

Welcome to the forums!

Moving it would work, but if you're moving a lot it could be a nuisance. If it were me I'd get the 859 and network it with your other unit. You'll have mapping at both positions, shared waypoints, and other data.

I use an EWG for just about everything I'm texas rigging. I use them even with thinner plastics because they still seem to work very well for me. For my 4" Dingers I use a 2/0 Trokar Weedless Wacky hook.

Yes that is normal. As time goes by the line will fade as well. If I remember correctly, Stealth seems to come off rather quickly. A permanent marker run over the last foot or so of line should fix the issue though.

Yum's new line of dropshot baits is pretty good. I fished all 3 this past year and like them all. I did pretty well with the Killshot. Pictured is a 4 lb smallie that seemed to like it too. Here's a quick look at what it looks like in the water.

I'd fish them on either a M or ML rod. Action on rods is less important to me during cold water period as bass don't seem to fight nearly as hard as they do when the water warms up.

I don't think any knot is going to help walk a frog better if you're using braid. The line is limp enough there shouldn't be any resistance. Just be sure you're giving the bait slack after the twitch so it's not trying to turn a tight line.

I think a medium will work for what you're doing. It might be worth checking out a medium light as others have stated.

Either is pretty simple to use, but see if he can cast one of your spinning rods, if he can that might be the route to go.

It might be worth looking into a newer used motor. You'll save over new and still have a good working motor with more power.

If it's molded in good luck!

Trim tabs are cool to play with (the power ones) They can change how your boat rides probably more than anything I've seen. I don't have much experience with the ones that change from the pressure of water hitting them. The reason you don't see them on more bass boats in general, is because they aren't easily mounted on a curved surface. There are very few bass boats with a flat transom anymore making them virtually impossible to mount. Gambler used to (might still have them) design their hull around them making squared off pockets in the back if you ordered them as an option from the factory.

If I was in that situation, I'd probably fish it pretty hard the weekend before. I'd want to know where they are and what they're doing especially in the fall. Being that it's a week out though, I need to be prepared to throw all that info out. Ideally I'd like to think if you can figure them out on that weekend you'll have an idea what they're doing and where they will go from there. During the week I'd spend more time graphing around trying to find anything similar.

My personal best Largemouth came on the opening day of fishing season in 2007. She was 21 1/2 inches and went 6 1/2 lbs. I caught it on a white Terminator Super Stainless spinnerbait. It was one of their bleeding bait series ones with the red hook as well as a few red strands in the skirt. My day started off pretty well when I caught an 18" LMB in the first 20 minutes. I boated one other dink shortly after, and then that tank hit. I just remember how gigantic the mouth looked when she started jump boat side. Opening day of 2008 I managed to catch my PB smallie that was 20 1/2" and tipped the scales at 5 lbs. We were fishing in my dads boat which we were quickly finding out that his tm batteries were totally shot and needed to be replaced. As we drifted across a shallow stumpy flat (because the tm was completely dead) I coaxed her from a big stump she was hiding by. The last one is tied with my PB smallie. It came in at 20 1/2" and 5 lbs even. I think it probably edges out the other one just because it wasn't caught pre-spawn. I caught her on Sturgeon Bay this past fall on a drop shot. She was down in a small school on a channel buoy anchor. She put up one heck of a fight and was a beautiful fish. The picture doesn't do it justice.

This statement was taken directly from Shimano's website. "HAGANE is a Shimano reel design concept created to withstand continual use and extreme abuse. HAGANE is an innovation of in-built toughness and durability, working alongside Shimano’s precision engineering."

It really depends a lot on condition. If you have pictures of it, that could help us to better help you.

I'm not sure if they do or not. I've never tried it before, but I'm only about an hour and a half from the factory so I always just head up there. I don't see why they wouldn't ship them though. The only down side is you're limited whatever one they happened to grab if there's multiple of the rods your looking for, and it's possible there may not be any of the particular model your looking for. It's worth a shot though, I'd give them a call.