fishnkamp

Boating is a constant learning experience. I recommend learning to tow and turn it around in an empty parking lot. The first time you go to launch try going to the local ramp on a weekday when you can learn to back the boat down a ramp without the usual manic weekend crowd. The job of getting a boat on and off the trailer is different for every boat I have owned. As for a signal kit check the kits West Marine (and so does Bass Pro and Cabelas and many others). I got mine checked all the items included added a few extra items and now have a kit that makes me legal regardless if I am on any US fresh water lake or river as well as Coast Guard requirements for tidal water. Here is a picture of one possibility. I might add a couple of hand held smoke signal flares and a signal flag as well. My kit included some of these and came in a plastic floating kit. Check out all the kits from Orion. Check you local requirements.

We all have our preferences. Both my wife and use those exact reels. In fact we have several Presidents in 20, 30 and 35 sizes. What we do is load some quality 14 pound Stren mono on the reel so it is filled 1/2 way up. We tie on Berkley 14 pound test original Fireline braid. It is the same diameter as 6 pound mono. If I want to I will add a 5 foot piece of 8 pound mono on the end as a leader. Doing this means I get two reels spooled up with one spool of braid and the mono backing is inexpensive like $8 a spool. That setup works very well for us regardless if we are fishing here on the Chesapeake Bay rivers or out in Tennessee and Kentucky in those deep clear lakes. That line will rarely coil or give you any issues. I know that sounds a little complicated but once you fill one reel that way it becomes only natural. If you go bobber fishing just play with the leader maybe only 6 pound test mono for panfish. I use a good knot called a double uni or uni to uni knot to attach both the backing and leader to the main braid.

One thing you can do is just stop your trolling motor and fish your spot. The other boat then is forced to make his move and has no right to be mad at you for stopping and casting toward your shore target. I have done this several times while politely saying hello. Most anglers will then either reverse their direction or expect to go out and around you. If I am the boat faced with making the decision in that scenario. I would ask if they mind I go around them or just turn around and move off. If I am "invited" to go around I usually troll out a good distance before passing them. That too is a courtesy move. Never go by the other boat too closely.

You need to do a little research. I spent 5 minutes doing so here are some nice boats to go look at not too far from you. https://houston.craigslist.org/boa/d/2012-xpress-19-aluminum-bass/6640605975.html They are asking $22,000 They also have a nice looking 2013 Nitro Z-6 for $17,000. It is powered by a 115. https://www.texasmarine.com/default.asp?page=xPreOwnedInventoryDetail&id=5405431&p=2&s=Year&d=D&fr=xPreOwnedInventory https://www.captkirks.com/default.asp?page=xPreOwnedInventoryDetail&id=5234287&p=1&s=Year&d=D&t=preowned&fr=xPreOwnedInventory That is a used 2017 G3 17 PFX. New it retails over $26,000 The dealership is selling it for $15,995. All I did was a quick craigslist search as well as a google search for boat dealers in the Houston area. Good luck in your search, but it does take a bit of time doing some research.

Thanks everyone. I listed this here, not just for me but many members shared topics with him, especially when he was redoing the floorplan on his reservoir rig. He posted a lot of pics and he also answered a lot of questions too. You are right fishing partners are like brothers. We are blessed to spend quality time with them and the memories last well beyond the time are made. Ed had time to help everyone and that is why h is so fondly remembered by many. As long as I knew him he always had at least 5 projects going at one time. LOL. RIP my friend. You have completed your last project! We will carry on with the rest of them.

I had some issues with a newer G Loomis IMX spinning that I got to replace a broken GL3 rod. I paid the replacement cost plus the upgrade cost. I did not like the reel seat on the newer GL3 rod. The problem on the IMX rod was the reel would keep coming loose. I knew I was going to break it one day. I finally broke down and had my custom rod guy tear it down, turn it into a split grip setup with a new Comfort reel seat and Winn Grips. I liked our finished setup so much I had him do it to two other G Loomis rods.

I was uncertain where to post this but this board and especially me lost a good friend yesterday. One of our members lot his battle with cancer. If you had any dealings with him you knew him here as Kris, I knew him as Ed Kriston. We became good friends over a decade ago thanks to ham radio. Decades ago he was sponsored by Gambler and later did some mechanic work for them at some of the tournaments. I got him back into bass fishing and I am glad we spent some memorable days on my boat together. He was always kind and willing too share his experience and knowledge here and on other boards. He even became a moderator on another board. Please, if you ever shared a topic with him, or read his writings here, just give a prayer up for him, his family and friends! We will be coping with a big hole in our hearts. He left big shoes to follow in.

I can not say I am surprised by any move JM makes. If history tells us anything any boat company he buys is in danger of becoming extinct. I wonder how long the Ranger and Triton brands will last?

First you live in a state with more waters than most do. Seriously you have miles and miles of rivers, creeks, streams and parks with lakes in them. I lived near Duncannon for 5 years back in the 90's. I had many miles of the Susqy River, many small lakes and other big lakes to choose from. Having said that, most of them are best accessed with a 15 to 17 foot aluminum jon boat with a 9.9 hp outboard. I am not talking a fancy 20 foot- $50,000 fiberglass dream machine. Just a simple old jon boat. Yes a fancier rig with a jet is better, but not needed. Up by you, I have also fished Belltzville and down by reading I fished Blue Marsh. I fished Lake Wallenpaupack too. Take a few minutes using Google Earth and research your streams and rivers near you as well as a ponds. Consider getting a canoe or jon boat. Kayaks offer great opportunities too. Down near the town of Duncannon there is a place called Riverfront campgrounds. They rent boats and canoes. You rent them and they transport you upstream and you float and fish your way back down. Another good source is to check out your local fishing tackle stores. I do not mean Cabelas or Bass Pro, I mean the local shop. They always know the area and share with you opportunities. Just remember to spend a few dollars supporting them. One very good one (not local to you, but very informed) is Susquehanna Fishing Tackle in York,PA.

The Okuma RTX 30 is a nice reel. I own one and like it a lot. It weighs 6.6 oz. and has a 6-1 gear ratio.

Are you asking about a fiberglass or aluminum Tracker. Prior to becoming a "Nitro" the fiberglass rigs were called a Tracker. I used to own a Tracker 180FS, that rig was a fiberglass 18 foot fish n ski boat (their dual console rig) If you are talking fiberglass most of those old rigs did not offer a "removable" second console. The manufacture made two different boats back then. If you are referring to a Tracker aluminum rig I doubt they offered one either. You might be able to find a metal fabricator and make one but otherwise I doubt it is available.

CrankFate are you serious? Have you ever touched ANY of the Daiwa models that have an SV spool? I am certain you have not. The entire purpose of Daiwas SV spool and its complementary braking system is to aid with lighter lures and skipping. This design does restrict line capacity and that has to do with reducing the weight of the line and spool. This design does not encourage dirt intrusion. And NEVER EVER consider a Daiwa designed reel to be the same as something Abu Garcia sells. As I suggested before the OP would find a Daiwa Tatula CT in a 6.3-1 ratio a better choice for all the around use he was seeking. My 2 jig rods, 3 of my 4 crankbait rods, the rod I use for throwing flukes, Skinny Dippers, floating worms and Sencos, and my jerkbait rod all have had their Shimano Chronarchs and Curados replaced by Daiwa Tatula Type Rs, Tatula CTs or Daiwa Exceler reels in 6.3-1. My heavy jigs/big heavy plastics, carolina rigs, etc rod and my 2 spinnerbait & chatterbait rods all have 6.4-1 Bass Pro Extreme reels on them (next reels to be replaced). So I say from experience that the 6.3 or 6.4-1 gear ratio reels work well for all those techniques. Some anglers will only set up one rod and prefer a 7-1 reel instead. That is okay. In my case I also carry specific rods for Flipping/Pitching and Punching as well as for frogs. These all have 8-1 Tatula Type Rs on them. Everyone of these reels are super reliable, cast well and have good drag system on them.

You might try searching the thousands of topics already here on the board. We have no idea what you are going to use this reel for, so any specifics is difficult to help you with. However, if you scroll up towards the top of the page there is a search box. Put in each of these reels, one at a time, and read the tons of past topics covering these reels. There you will find plenty of members asking about these reels and their explanations of what they were looking for, as well as many member's responses with their real life experiences with these reels. There is a ton of archived material you can read and make up your own mind about these reels. Then I suggest trying each reel on your rod to see what feels best. For me, I prefer a 6.3-1 Daiwa Tatula CT reel for general all purpose use. I fish with many Daiwa Tatula, Tatula CT and Exceler reels. Some are 6.3-1 and a few are 8-1. The high speed ones are used on my Flipping rod and frog rod.

Hello My ears were twitching! LOL My wife indeed does use a Dobyns Sierra SA705SF. The blank does act very similar to my Champion XP 705C. Both of us love these rods. We use them for jigs fished deeper but primarily for fishing hollow bodied frogs and Strike King Poppin Perch. These are pretty light baits and require a good tip but plenty of backbone Her SA 705SF rates as follows: 12 to 20# line, 3/8 to 1 1/4 oz. baits. They list it as a Heavy Fast action rod and suggest bait as Carolina Rigs / Frogs / Jigs / Buzzbaits / Spinnerbaits / Walking Top Water Baits. Since Dobyns sorta run a bit light I think it would work okay, but I would call out to Dobyns and discuss this rod and the SA704SF as well. The "heavy cover" tends to make me suggest the 705 but let them give you their opinion. Mt many rod companies offer a lot of good choices in heavier spinning rods that still handle lighter baits like these. I would not hesitate to pull the trigger on one of them and then match it up with a Pflueger Supreme reel like a 30 or 35 size. Hers has been spooled with Power Pro Spectra in 40# test I believe.

There are a ton of correct and bad answers to this question since you did not mention what you prefer to throw on each of those rods ( at least in general). Lets assume ( and I know that is dangerous) that the following were true. Suppose the 6'6" medium power fast combo throws lighter baits well. Things like 1/4 to 3/8 jigs, texas rigged plastics, even things like 5 inch paddletail swimbaits (like a Keitech or Reaction Innovations Skinny Dipper). Of course it would also fish baits like 1/2 oz or less spinnerbaits and lots more. Suppose the 7ft mh fast rods handle many of the same baits but ones that run up to 3/4. This one would probably handle some buzzbaits, Pop R type baits as well. Your spinning rod should handle baits like Sencos, floating worms, small light weight tubes, grubs, shakey heads, drop shots. I might prefer to split some of these duties up with a second spinning outfit. It would be a 6'8 to 7 ft medium power fast or extra fast rod. I hope I got close to how each of your rods behave, I did not have any specifics on models or brands to go research. If I mentioned any baits you do not fish, I suggest you consider adding them to your arsenal as they work all over this country. Now you never mentioned what state you live in or the type of waters you fish. These factors enter into bait selection and thus proper rod and reel combos. For example, I grew in Maryland fishing mostly small fresh water rivers, creeks, ponds and small lakes. I never cared about what the bass living in the tidal rivers of the Chesapeake Bay ate. The bay's rivers include the Susquehanna flats, Middle River, Gun Powder, the Potomac and Eastern Shore rivers like the Choptank, Nanticoke and others. These water were BIG navigable waterways that also have relatively shallow flats choked full of big lily pads, and different grasses. This is hollow bodied frog country, good places to also throw a rat or walk a spook. My fishing waters were much deeper and MUCH clearer. I had no need to own a dedicated frog rod or learn to skip a light bait under a dock. There were none. I now fish all types of waters, from these dingy colored tidal waters to local lakes, to BIG DEEP lakes in Tennessee and Kentucky. I would never have needed gear to fish baits down 30 or 40 feet down in gin clear, water like I do now that I vacation on those Tn and KY lakes. I say all this to make you think about your waters and your gear. You could choose a 7' to 7'6" crankbait rod (medium power moderate action) to fish squarebills, small shallow to mid sized crankbaits (down to about 10 foot or so), rattle traps and even some larger deeper running spinnerbaits and chatterbaits. Another option was my earlier suggestion of a longer medium power fast or extra fast spinning rod. This would not be my first choice since I think the crankbait rod might be more versatile overall. If you fish weed choked waters perhaps the crankbait rod is less optimal and a 7' to 7'6" heavy frog/pitching flipping rod would be a good option. I carry 12 baitcasting rods and usually 3 or 4 sinning combos in my rod locker. As you can see I am much farther down the road of specialization, as many of us are, but I remember the days when I bass fished on just one stream and carried 1 rod. So let us know what you feel your rods do well. How close did I get? Then tell us what your fishing waters are like and I am certain you will get good suggestions for what to add to your arsenal. You do not need 1 jig rod, 1 texas rig rod etc, but bottom contact rods usually do well for many bottom contact baits. Crankbait rods basically come in two varieties, the shallow to mid depth ones and the much longer ones that are good for deep divers. That is probably not one for you now. The more "moderate action" rod is a rod that was designed so it helps you to keep a fish stuck to the treble hook. A faster action rod will tend to react to quickly on the hookset and usually causes the hook to pull more often.

No not really. They discolor more from use.

Oops I forgot that little detail. Good catch kenmitch.

How about a little info please. What year, make and model outboard. For instance, on my 2000 Merc 2 stroke 75 hp outboard there is a cover that you remove from the outer engine cowling. Then there is a cap with a dipstick to check the level. You can also remove the cowling and the reservoir is marked and easy to see.

That is not difficult. You will need to see how your boat has its wiring run up to the front deck. You will need to carefully remove the power lead coming from the battery. It will need t be replaced with a new wire( probably slightly larger gauge depending on what they used. I usually wire tie them along the bundle of wires in order to make the install a little more professional and less likely to give you issues later. For best results I prefer the power to be run all the way from the battery to the front deck and I always install a thermal breaker in the line near the battery. Minn Kota sells a good one. The transducer will also have to run all that way. In the past I have made a hole in either the front panel or near it and used a plastic wire cover to make the wires come out neatly. Lastly I often use a Ram mount so my graph can be moved around. Ram makes a good one but so do many others. If you want to you could also look at the Johnny Ray mounts. They are a removable but fixed location mount that does swivel. I have used mounts from both companies. Here are some pictures of the items I mentioned. and lastly if you go to the website for T&H Marine they have a "decorative wire cover " that looks like this. I hope this helps. If you have other questions feel free to ask me directly at fishnkamp@comcast.net or on here.

There is no question in my mind the Astro will run quicker but I would go with the Nitro for one reason. Mercury built both engines, however Force was their lower line of engines and it is almost the forgotten Red Headed Step Child. The Nitro engine is a true Mercury OptiMax, built as normal but with a decal that also says Tracker on it. I believe you will find getting any parts you might need much easier to get from your local Merc dealer for this engine. What you could do, is get the serial number off the Force engine and check with your closest Merc dealer and see if you can get parts like water pump kits, tune up parts, etc. I am not referring to engine overhaul parts necessarily, just parts like I have said,and fuel pump kits, under the hood fuel lines, things that an older engine might need to be replace under normal conditions. Around here, in MD, I rarely see a boat with a Force on it anymore. I see plenty of old Johnson/Evinrude, Mercury and Yamaha outboards still running. By the way, I used to own a ProCraft boat back in the 90's. That boat was built in the same building as the Astro boats, by the same workers even. My wife and visited that plant too. They were well made boats. If that was a straight Merc hanging on it's back, I would feel VERY different. I have nothing against the Nitro, as my wife and I almost purchased one just like it. Instead we decided to wait a few more years, save a little more cash and we purchased a 20 foot ProCraft powered by a 200 HP Merc instead.

The PA Fish and Boat Commission is the agency you register a boat with in PA, which is still the same as it was when I lived there back in the 1990's. He can contact them and get a replacement title.

Welcome to the forum. You will get a ton of options as you have seen. I have been addicted to this hobby for over 40 years and so is my wife. I have a bedroom/office full of equipment and my boat probably runs 5 mph slower than it could due to all the tackle aboard. LOL Having said all that we carry over a dozen rods for us to fish with and many cost well over $200 for the rod/reel combo. In fall we chase stripers. I need multiple rods that can throw rattle traps to cover different depths of water and this approach allows me to switch the weight and color of baits quickly. My wife does the same and she loves to fish spinning gear. Since these extra combos do not see all our everyday use we chose Berkley Lightning Shock Rods. These are really nice rods for an affordable price ($50) and they are matched with Pflueger Presidents. We chose a couple of 6'6" Medium action rods. I also fish two of the same rods in baitcasting models. Going this route you will get away for around $100 give or take. These rods are not quite as sensitive as my other rods costing $200 plus but they will perform well for you. Just my 2 cents from experience.

The owner should be able to get a duplicate title from the fish and game commission. At least that was how it was back when I lived in PA.

I believe it, does but not yards and yards worth. All of my Daiwas perform very well including my non TWS Exceler. If you do not trust the T Wing go for a Diawa Fuego CT, it is "basically" a non TWS CT reel.

For what it is worth I fish a bunch of Dobyns as does my wife. She owns a Sierra 705SF spinning rod. That is a very nice rod. It is her jig and frog rod. As for the statement that the Sierra and Savvy are the same blank that is incorrect. The Sierra series is a slower graphite blank than a Fury, Savvy or either Champion line rod. The Fury sorta made the Savvy the odd rod out. The Sierra line of rods perform very well, although I prefer my Champions and their quicker blanks) but since the Fury rods priced out for less than the Savvy rods and the Sierra was going to sell for right about what a Savvy sold for they were dropped. Gary originally continued to sell the Savvy with micro guides only because his customers requested he do so. After time he made the Sierra rods available in micro guides. According to him if he could he would not sell a rod with micro guides, but a portion of his clients want it so he does it. As for getting a quick answer to any Dobyns rod question pick up the phone. Both Richard and Gary are happy to talk rods with you. If they are both not available there are some great guys in the warehouse who know just about as much and will be happy to aide you. They have been really helpful for me in the past. I have one other source of good intel on his stuff if you need it. Email me at fishnkamp@comcast.net and I will give you the source.