fishnkamp

Actually I own 6 G Loomis rods and am very disappointed with the rod changes since Shimano took them over. The rest of the industry has caught up with them and some have surpassed them. Recently I have been having mine made over with newer Winn Grips and American Tackle reel seats that are more comfortable and lighter. The results were amazing, the rods seem more sensitive and more comfortable. I started to do this because I broke 1 rod ( my fault but I paid the replacement cost) and the new replacement IMX rod came with a cheap plastic reel seat that kept loosening up during use. Terrible junk to be used on a $250 to $300 rod. I was sure it would break if I kept having to retighten it. The rod works terrific now. I was considering replacing the guides with microwave guides and really step it up. Actually I think I will just get my rod builder to start with a HMX rod blank and build em from scratch,, it will turn out cheaper.

Lots of guy remove the tube organiser but leave the rear support

Between the two reels you are considering I would pick the Shimano. Before I purchased a Curado I would suggest you give a serious look to the Diawa Tatula, Tatula CT and Tatula type Rs. They are really nice reels. I have been fishing a bunch of them for 3 years (with the exception of the ct, mine is less than 1 year old). At least put 1 in your hand and play with it. You may still like the Curado but it is worth looking at. For years my favorite reel was my Shimano Chronarchs, and then I purchased my first Tatula. I have sold off my BP Extremes, and am slowly selling off myChronarchs and replacing them with Diawas.

That looks nice I think it will work fine. If you are worried about them flying around I might put some stick on velcro on their back and on the fiberglass. Put 4 small pieces say an inch in from the corners, that would leave you the ability to grab a corner and pull it up incase you want to clean them or clean the fiberglass under them.

I fish a bunch of Diawa Excelers, Tatulas and Tatula Type Rs and my next one will be CT. I am quickly replacing my Bass Pro Extremes. I have a friend that I consider a torture tester, he fishes at least 4 times a week on the Potomac and Upper Bay. He regularly encounters huge catfish, carp ans snakeheads. He got me started with Diawas. here is a pic of one of his snakeheads, it weighed over 13 pounds. It was caught with 10 pound P Line Cxx in moss green ( a line he uses a lot0 it hit a spinnerbait. The reel was a Lexa 100 but he uses a bunch of Excelers, Lexas Tatulas and Tatula HDs. I figure if the equipment holds up for more than a year for him I will get a lifetime of use with it. I kinda get a mental picture of the monkeys testing the samsonite luggage! LOL Yopu have to be old enough to remember that commercial.

The Champion xps are really nice. Most people you se say they are dead do not fish them.

What did you dislike about the rod? I like the components so was the rod blank a problem. I have held one but have not fished one yet.

Makes no difference they will pair well. Just do yourself a favor put them on a rod. I have fairly big hands and I do not like to completely palm around my reels but some anglers like these really tiny reels. I suggest you look at all three Diawas and try them on a rod so you can see if it feels good. I personally love the reels. Some reels like a few of the Lews feel lost in my hand. The speed stick and the Mojo are nice rods. If they have them, check out Irod Genesis II and the Dobyns Fury and Sierra rods.. Also take notice of the Lews Tournament Performance TP1 Speed Sticks. If you have never had a Winn Grip in your hand you are missing out. They are terrific. I have been having a custom rod builder remove and replace the factory grips and reel seats on my IMX spinning rods. We have been putting on American Tackle comfort seats, and Winn Grips.. Another big advantage on the TP1 is the American Tackle Microwave guides. They are really special.They look weird at first but if you threw one you would like em. My buddy Tom Has been using now for a while on his custom and re engineered rods as he says.The Winn Grips have a bit of a tacky touch to them when they get wet. I fished Ned rigs on Dale Hollow this spring during the week just after the smallies spawned. We threw the on 1/10 heads in as deep of water as 20 foot over grass.The two modified G Loomis rods were terrific. At least make sure you play with one before deciding on a rod.

First that was one of Rangers best hulls. His price is in line and so is your offer if it is in good condition. That motor was well liked. A friend of mine has had 3 of the 300 series boats over the years. Another friend and member on here Kris just paid about that for his 300 series Ranger and it is about the same year. Just remember BASS ran those 300 series boats all over this country, Good Luck I think you will be happy with it.

I really like the Diawa reels, look at the Diawa Tatula, Tatula CT and even a Diawa Exceler, all of these can be found online at some discount prices as well. A Diawa Tatula retails for $149 and can easily be purchased for around $110 or less. Look here http://stores.sheltonsclothing.com/daiwa-tatula-100h-baitcasting-reel-right-hand-6-3-1/ That reel retails for $149 but is available for $99. I fish 7 Diawas and love em. I own Tatulas, Excelers and Tatula Type Rs. Take a look at Lews and Diawa reel prices online so you do not overpay. I got two Excelers this spring along with 1 Tatula and 1 Tatula type R and all were discounted online.. The Exceler sells for $99 and I got it for $60. The Type R sells for $199 and I got it with free shipping for $119. Just have some prices written down so you can determine if it is worth just a little more to pick up and take home right then.

A well tied double uni to uni knot has no problem going through my rods guides, even my micro rods. There are some other high quality knots that work well too.

Lets start here first. You have a Duckett Ghost with a Johnny Morris what? Is this a baitcaster and what is the length and what are the rod specs? Is this a medium , medium hvy, is it a moderate tipped rod ( like you would want for crankbaits, square bills etc) or is it a fast or extra fast. What lures do you fish on this rod? Next you have a 6'6"rod, is this a baitcaster or spinning and what reel do you have on this rod if it is a baitcaster what ratio is the reel, is it a 6.x-1, a 7.x-1 or faster. What do you usually throw on this combo. Now are you having trouble casting and backlashing with either of these combos? Your Johnny Morris reel should be a quality reel with a decent drag and braking system. If this reel is giving you trouble I would first make sure the line is tied on tight to the reel's arbor. In fact what line is spooled on both, often the line choice can affect your casting. Now to try to answer your question.. Everyone on here has their favorites but here are some ideas that will work for you. Generally I suggest the first three rods to own are a 6'6" spinning rod for throwing light weight baits like Sencos, grubs, tubes, light weight worms and creature baits texas rigged. Now my second suggestion is a 7 foot to 7-3 MH fast tipped baitcaster to do bigger plastics, jigs, and most all bottom contact baits. This rod should normally be rated for 1/4 to 3/4 ounce baits. In your case I would go a bit stiffer and go for a rod rated 1/4 to 1 ounce. That would help with throwing big 10 inch worms. Here I would suggest a rod like an Irod Genesis II IRG 704. Also a Dobyns Fury micro series or Sierra series 734C rod. This is a 7'3" heavy with a fast tip. This means it has a fast tip and a little more backbone than a normal 7 MH. It rates for lures weighing from 1/4 to 1 ounce. I think either of these two rods will do you well. They sell between $150 and $180 for the rod. As for a reel that is simple. Look at a Diawa Tatula or Diawa Tatula CT. Either of these can be purchased for less than $130 on line. These components will make a workhorse combo. I fish a lot of the Diawa reels and rods from both of these manufacturers. I would spool this rod with a mono backing and probably Moss Green Power Pro Spectra braid in 30 pound test and add a 3 to 5 foot leader of P Line CXX 10 pound test in moss green also. I like the cxx for leaders, that 10 pound test really breaks at about 22 pounds. My third rod I suggest is always a 7 foot Medium rod with a slower moderate taper, this is a rod designed to fish lures with trebles. I hope this breakdown helps you understand a bit more so you can more easily determine what you want. Now to help avoid backlashes we must start with the equipment. Any of the reels available that retail from $100 to $200 today, are so far advanced compared to most equipment sold just 5 years ago. A reel like a Shimano, or Diawa that retail in that range should perform well. There are a few important things to be aware of though. First, learn how to tie the Arbor knot well. Purchase a spool of quality mono like Stren Clear Blue or Bass Pro Excel in 14 pound test. Tie it on tightly to the reel. Never spool braid directly to the reel it can spin and act like the brakes do not work. Now spool 1/2 the reel with the mono. Tie a good Uni to Uni knot between the backing (mono ) and braid or Fluorocarbon line. Spool it on but leave about 1/8 of the spool exposed. Too much line can cause backlashes. Lastly I purchased a Berkley Spooling station years ago, it helps me hold the line and reel and spool my line on nice and tight. The other nice thing about using a mono backing is that it cuts the cost of spooling a reel in half or more. I hope this help explain how to do it so it works for you.

First lets address the black max reel. I would look at getting a Diawa Exceler, these are real workhorse reel. They retail for $100 and easily be purchased for $75 or less. I bought two earlier for $60. This reel is the Diawa Tatula's little brother. The Tatula and Tatula CT reels are terrific too. That is how I would fix the Black Max reel. I would use it with the Black Max rod or pick up a rod like the Powell Inferno or for less money look at a Falcon Bucoo Trap Master, it is a 7 ft. medium moderate tipped rod. I like mine for small to medium crankbaits, rattletraps, and even smaller plastics. I am sure it would handle the chatter baits and spinnerbaits as well. I also like a Quantum Escalade in the 7 foot MH. Sometimes Dicks Sporting Goods has these, that is where mine came from. Incredibly light rates for 1/4 to 1 1/2 ounce lures, great for all plastics, jigs, bigger cranks probably handle your topwaters and I use it for carolina rigs as well. If your Dicks does not have it look online at Field and Stream outdoors. Both of these rods can be found on sale at times for less than $60 each. If it were me, I would replace the Black Max setup with a Diawa Exceler 6.3-1 and then put it on a Falcon Bucoo trapmaster. Keep the black max as a backup combo. Now I would look at either the same reel in a 7-1 and the Quantum or I would look at the new Lew's Mach 1 Speed Spool baitcasting combo. It is a 6'10 mh fast action rod rated for 3/16 to 3/4 ounce lures. It would make a good jig rod, dock pitchin rod, a tx rig plastics rod, and a lot more. The rod is IM8 and the reel is a 10 ball bearing 7-1 model. It retails for $149 for the combo. They sell the reel for $119 by itself. I think it is one of the best bang for a bucks deal out there. In September a left handed version will be released. Do yourself a favor spool all of your reels with 14 pound mono 1/2 way then add your braid or fluoro. This does 2 things. The mono will tighten down tight and not slip on the reel arbor. It also will lay nice on the reel giving you a good bed for the braid. Make sure you tie a good tight arbor knot and tie a good uni to uni knot between the mono and braid or fluoro. It also cut the cost of spooling reels. If god forbid you have a major malfunction all you do is respool 1/2 a spool of braid or fluoro not 150 yard worth. I like Stren Clear Blue or Bass Pro Excel but any good quality mono will work. I was striper fishing a few years back and a 18 pound Blue Cat bit my rattle trap. That crazy cat nearly spooled me twice. es a cat can pull a bass inside out. I am not sure, but I think your mono may be slipping on the Black Max. I would tie the end of my line to a fence or other support, then walk off the line by walking backwards till you get to the end.I would cut my line off and retie or better yet put some better mono if that is what you want. Try some Sufix Siege in 14 pound test.

Nice that is sorta what the Ranger boat looks like. This one pictured is pretty.

i used to live in Pa years ago and it was pretty early on in my fishing life. The tournament trail I fished would disqualify you if you cranked the outboard up without your life vest and kill switch properly zipped and connected. This applied to you even if you did it just to put from spot to spot. This made me get in the habit of leaving the kill switch lanyard hooked to my life vest and always put it on, zip it up and hook it up! If I did not do the same thing every time I know I would get caught at some time. To this day every time I prep my boat I layout the life vests and attach the kill switch lanyard. I am kinda glad they made me get into that habit.

I second that thought. On these new engines they run so close to the ragged edge and a cooked cylinder is just asking for the manufacturer to refuse warranty, if i get past warranty I know I don't want a $4000 repair bill. A new engine cost WAY WAY more than I even want to think about. To save a dollar or two per gallon is too big a gamble. Go read the operations manual and break in procedure for the new motors, it is crazy!!! I am pretty serious about getting a new boat, I called a few dealers that were even 8 hours away from me, they were happy to have me drive that far but were reluctant to demo a boat because the engine was not broke in. I told them no thanks I would look elsewhere. My problem is we have only one bass boat dealer in the whole state of MD.

Take a look at something like the 23 foot Carolina Skiff Ultra Elite or perhaps a better option is a Bay Ranger 2350 it might do it all for you. I see it can go in as little water as 13 inches so it sounds like your answer. Go not know what it is going for. The one I saw had a 300 Evinrude Etec or some saltwater version of it.

First, the fiberglass boats are sooo darn expensive mostly because they are hand laid one at a time. Believe me, i have been in two bass boat factories. It is hand laid by some very talented workers who I still believe were stoned from the smell of fiberglass and resin. Maybe that is why they are so talented!! LOL I know I was before I left the property. A lot of people use the "Flats" style center consoles and some use bigger more traditional center consoles for a mix of species like walleye and stripers on some of the bigger deeper southern reservoirs. They lend themselves to multi species fishing well. Even can be setup for crappie fishing, but the larger ones you can trust out on offshore fishing will make it almost impossible to bass fish any shallow grass beds in my opinion. Do some research on some Tn, Alabama, and other states in the south, that have professional guides for stripers and such. See what brands and models they use. I will try to do a little and give you some ideas. Most offshore guys run 22 to 30 footers with 2 or 3 outboards and you could never fish the places I fished this April when I spent 10 days on Dale Hollow Lake.

That is an option. It should weigh in around 90 pounds. I would run it as is.As for a colorado no problem my friend Bryan tows his 19 foot Ranger ( with a 200 hp outboard) with his V6 Toyota Tacoma and I use a 2002 Chevy S10 ZR2 to pull my Lowe, no problems even when running those VA. and TN. mountains.

I thought it was just about what you wanted. I have nothing to say bad about the Tracker but it is packaged for price. by the time you bring up the trolling motor to 24 volts, add decent electronics and two batteries add a better charger you have added about $2500 to 3500 and it is important to compare boats like you saw today all decked out to an equally decked out rig.Now the kickem motor is the wild card. It can be a great asset if you decide to go and troll for walleye and trout in the northern lakes, or stripers here on the Chesapeake Bay. A set of rod holders and you can catch some big perch, stripers and cats, just minutes from my home, here on Middle River and the bay. Your arm could get a nice workout. I hope it works out it look like a safe boat to cover the water you want to cover. If you choose to get rid of the second outboard I know a couple of places that will gladly buy it, but I think it is a great asset. Something else to consider if you decide you want to fish in a smaller lake (possibly one with hp restrictions) you could launch and just run the 9.9 motor. This could be a benefit if you wanted to fish a small lake in Delaware or in Canada and New York.

I would advise you to think about a few things. First I really like the Etec engine but it saw in one video on the aluminum they took up the rear storage compartment behind the driver for its tank. Personally I would pick a 4 stroke for that reason. Ford or Chevy debate (Merc or Yamaha). Now check and see how many rods can be put in the Rt188 and 175 and how long. You know the rod tubes could be removed and tons of rods stored in the Z175 using rod socks. Take a look at the room in the rear compartment Make sure there is room for three batteries and the battery charger without losing a storage box. Personally it looks like to me the storage layout is better on the rear of the 175. The side boxes look bigger. Also I am not sure all of the compartments are going to stay dry on the 188. I think I have read a few complaints about this. Please, owners of the RT188 s chime in on this. I can see the compartments are well sealed on the Z175. These are my preferences, but I saw a removable cooler on one of the RT188 videos and it took up the rear compartment behind the passenger, maybe that was an option. I prefer the step up built in cooler and also the bucket seats on the Z175 are awesome. Just a few observations but only made through a video cameras lens. Go sit in them. When I owned my two fiberglass boats the biggest difference was 2 waxings a year and a full wipe down when I pulled out. Be aware i was running on the Potomac or Upper Chesapeake Bay both of which would leave a scum line quick. never had that be a problem fishing fresh water lakes. Otherwise not much difference

I have owned 11 boats over 40 years and I have changed my craft when I changed the water I fished mostly. I owned a tiny 12 ft jon to fish an electric only reservoir, 2 different canoes for fishing small rivers, a 15 ft tiller control 9.9 powered jon for fishing The Susquehanna River. The a !7 foot aluminum with one of the first jet powered outboards in the state of PA (before the factories sold them as a package.) Then finally some bigger Fiberglass missiles The big one was 20 foot with a 200, what an amazing 75 mph rocketship. And now I am back to fishing from aluminum. It is a very comfortable 17.6 ft 85 inch beam Lowe stinger 170 with a 2 stroke 75 hp merc. With some fine tuning, the install of a Sting Ray hydrofoil, and a complete custom rework of a prop I get a smooth quick hole shot with very little bow rise and a top speed of 33 mph. I think I could have added a bit more cup and gotten 37mph if I did not run the Sting Ray. I choose to give up the extra speed in exchange for better rough water handling, see I now fish on the Tidal Chesapeake Bay tributaries and the Potomac River. If you watched the BASS Elite Series tournament last year from the Chesapeake Bay you will remember the competitors complaining about the rough tidal waters. Any time the wind blows from one direction and the tide runs the other you will get 1 to 3 footers and a rough ride. Of course the tide changes every 6 hours and 20 minutes. Anyway, that is a long way of explaining what I mean about choosing your boat based on the requirements needed to be met in order to safely fish your chosen waters. In some cases we owned more than one of our boats at a time. Here is a pic with the old 25 hp engine that was setup special to fish a hp restricted lake. We fished it for 4 years before selling off the engine and trim/ tilt plate and repowering with it's current 75 hp Merc. She did 18 with the 25 hp. Same boat setup totally different for different needs.

silicone, gorilla glue possibly

Boy there is no problem finding a bunch of boats to look at in you state. Check out these as examples. Now I have no idea where these are compared to you, within your state but they are good examples of boats being sold in your state. I found them just with a couple of minutes of searching Craigslist Louisiana. check these out. http://batonrouge.craigslist.org/bod/5678004325.html http://batonrouge.craigslist.org/bod/5703590884.html http://batonrouge.craigslist.org/boa/5699611167.html http://batonrouge.craigslist.org/boa/5666031544.html

First, if you are unsure what you want, think it through this way. You seem to be really unsure of what is most important to you in a boat. Never go smaller for speed you will regret it. Pick the type of boat first, ( aluminum, fiberglass, tiller, side console, dual console), based on the waters you fish. Are you fishing small creeks and rivers, small to mid size lakes or big rough water lakes and tidal waters? Now look at those choices and determine what size is safe to run there and last how much horse power is needed to make it perform properly. If your boat is safe and has enough deck space now, then almost any new boat in similar size will have a wider hull, more storage and perform better than what you have now. If you are interested in another aluminum boat there are a bunch of really good ones including the new Trackers. If you looked your boat it is 17 feet long with a 71 inch beam with a 60 hp max. A new Bass Tracker Pro Team 175 TXW is 17 feet 7 inches long with a beam of 89 and has a max rating of 75 hp. If you choose a 50 hp 4 stroke they estimate top speed will be 34mph, a 60 is estimated to go max 37 and with a 75 hp 4 stroke they advertise a top speed of 40 to 41 mph. Now that is a much bigger boat, it is 7 inches longer but 18 inches wider and the beam is carried much further forward than on your boat. It is expected to go anywhere from 5 to a max of 12 mph faster, carrying a much more comfortable sized hull. These numbers are found directly on the Tracker website. Go to their website, drop down the mod Vee tab, choose 2017 models, then Pro Team 175 TXW. Next look under "Motors" tab. Now I am not saying to get a better performing boat you should go out and buy a new one ,there are lots of these "newer boats" (that is compared to your) that may be only a few years old and available for sale used at a decent saving. This is no knock on the boat but rather a statement showing lots of anglers buy this popular boat and then in a few years decide to sell it and move into a large fiberglass bass boat. I am not trying o talk you out of the excitement of ordering a new boat either. If you do you can choose higher end electronics and some other goodies. One other thing is that even though these newer boats with bigger engines go faster the fuel they consume may be not much different than yours does now. If you consider a Tracker Pro Team 190 that is a boat measuring !8 feet 7 inches with a beam of 89 inches. Its max hp is a 115 four stroke and it runs an advertised speed of 46 mph. Now that is hauling a much bigger hull with bigger decks, storage and seating room than yours. I am not even suggesting to go with a Tracker I am just comparing what they make now compared to back in 97. Take a serious look at Tracker, Triton, Ranger, Lowe, Xpress, Alumacraft, Polar Kraft, Lund, G3 nd I have probably forgotten somebody's toys.