Further North

It's odd...or I am...but I just can't get into fishing tubes...

Emphasis mine...it's the weight that baffles me. The Abu Garcia Revo Winch that is on my dedicated musky rod weighs 10 ounces, has a drag that'll handle 22 lbs. and I can use it to lift a Volkswagen off the bottom of the lake. I'm skeptical that the Bullet has anywhere near the capacity to handle a musky...and it weighs in excess of 30% more...I keep coming back to: Why?

You tried the FG knot? I've used it on fluoro to 80# and it it works OK...biggest problem is the line diameter difference. Trim the tag end on the fluoro close, and build up a decent ramp...it'll work. I would have a problem with the doubled over 60# with the Alberto...and I'm just not a fan of the Uni-to-Uni because I find it difficult to tie...too much stuff to manage...

Can't speak to the Storm specifically, but I am on my 2nd Crestliner, no issues. First one was a 1996, 2nd one is a 2005. I have several friends who run them, no issues there either. Good, solid boats. I've had a Tracker as well, and while I won't join the crowd that has nothing good to say about them - I liked mine quite a bit, I wish I'd have kept it for a river runner - I think you will find the overall quality higher on the Crestliner.

You mean...politicians and our government lie to us?

No-can-do on Ulterras. The toothed belt length is programmed into the software that deploys and trims the motor. I asked right away...that motor head can be a PITA sticking up in shallow water.

It would. Be nice to not have to worry about running a $2800 (the Ultrex is $2700) trolling motor into the bottom... I wish they made a short shaft 112 Ulterra with iPilot Link. The shortest one they have is 60".

Dunno why I didn't think of E-Bay...I get all kinds of stuff there...

More time fishing and less time messing with the boat is what Terrova and Ulterra users experienced for years. It absolutely changes the way you fish. Combining that functionality with the responsiveness of the cable steer is what is revolutionary about the Ultrex. Give it power trim like the Ultrex and I'll upgrade tomorrow! ...What'd be really cool would be auto-power trim so that if the sonar senses bottom less than...say 6"...under the motor it'd come up by itself. With a way to disable it of course...or some fisherman would complain it'd snap the rods he left on the TM, somehow...

Yup. Emphasis mine...that's really it, right there. Sloanzp is a perfect example: He loves an area I don't like, and I'm really happy for him...he'd miss it if he left. Different people like different things, thank God. I've never understood people who live places like where I do...and try to convince others to move there...kinda defeats the purpose...

Yep, I do miss the food. We were down in St. Charles a couple weeks ago (the kid won a scholarship, got to attend the presentation and she got to help at a golf outing), had some real Italian food. Glad we could fit it in, but also glad to head back north after a couple days. Enjoy it, you're right about the best food in the world, IMO.

I suggest this theft deterrent system:

Sounds absurd...what do you do if you move to NC from a state that doesn't tile trailers? Or boats? WI doesn't title trailers, and I bought the rig used from a guy in Illinois...the boat and trailer are 2005s, any paper trail is long since lost... ...I'm not sure I understand why any state needs to know I have a boat and trailer...but whatever...

I throw Senkos on either the same St. Croix Spinning rod that kschultz76 uses, or on a St. Croix Avid X ML bait casting. The spinning rod is for wacky rigging, the bait caster is for weightless Texas rigged Senkos. Both have 30# Suffix 832 Braid in the bright green (so it is easier to watch the line move) tied to a leader of Lake Forks hybrid line. Works like a champ.

I prefer "real" leader material because it is tougher than "regular" fluorocarbon line. Cost isn't much of a reason to not use the leader material, one spool will likely last years.

The food down your way is great...but at 13 years and counting away from it, I've found ways to adapt. I cook my own with ingredients Amazon delivers fast if I can't find them locally. We get down that way just often enough to enjoy the good food...and be reminded of all the reasons we don't want to go back: The taxes you mention The overall cost of living High crime rates Too many people Traffic Crappy fishing, relative to here. Horrible hunting, relative to here ...and we didn't live as for into the area as you do. No way I could deal with it now, but it's cool that there's lots of people who can.

Asking questions about advice is completely different from arguing about it... When they argue, they really weren't looking for advice...they wanted you to confirm their bias...they tend to get really cranky when you use math and data. People don't like math and data...it induces cognitive dissonance when it is opposition to their biases. ...and yeah, I've got plenty of biases. Don't like walleye fishing, or trolling, or spincast reels...lotsa stuff...

Yup, that's kinda my mantra. I'd use the trolling motor to get to the nearest dry land for the swap.

Yep...for some piece of mind, cords can be replaced pretty cheaply.

Mick, I'm running a Suzuki 4-stroke* now (DF140) and I check the plugs...but didn't have to replace them as they looked just fine. There is always a spare set in the boat, just in case...it takes less than 10 minutes to pop them in if there's a problem. As a sidebar, what finally went bad on my last set of plugs was the resistor...the plugs themselves were fine. *Mine is one of the re-badged Johnson 4-strokes. Says "Johnson" on the outside, Suzuki everywhere on the inside.

You wouldn't damage it unless you're wearing metal cleats...I'm exaggerating a bit, to make the point, but both Motor Guide and Minn Kota build the units with the expectation that they are going to get used in a pretty rough environment... But as I said above, if you're managing your cable (I coil up my excess and secure it with zip ties, there's little reason to have much more than about 2 foot of loose cable and mine is more like a foot), there's not a lot of times you'll be between the pedal and the motor...there's just no that much room up there...

You change plugs every year? Seems like you could go at least several years on the same set.

A wire on the deck is no big deal unles you are somehow trying to stand between the pedal and the trolling motor and do something...and I can't think of anything important that needs to be done in that 12" space.

Interesting. I will occasionally rig a rod with Knot-2-Kinky which is a single strand "elastic titanium alloy". Pretty cool stuff, but knotting it always makes me a little nervous. I tie it to the main line (braid on gear rigs, usually fluoro on fly rigs) with an Alberto knot because the FG won't work (slides off the wire). On the business end I typically use a double surgeon's loop with a snap or a swivel-snap already captured in it. On most recent trip to Canada, our most productive lure was a #5 Mepps tossed on a custom built crank bait rod rigged as described above...50# Sufix 832 to the Knot-2-Kinky leader with a Mustad Fastach clip on a swivel. Landed too many smallies and pike to count and several muskies including a 37". I will take a hard look at the Mason leader material.

Looked at that pic and thought, "Keys won't work like that chucking flies."