fishnkamp

SAS_RAIDer I have been running Daiwas for nearly 4 years. I have 1 Daiwa Exceler ( the predecessor to the Fuego) several original sized Tatula Type Rs and several Tatula CTs. I believe I am up to 8 or 9 so far. I regularly carry 12 baitcasters in my rod box along with 3 spinning outfits. Before these, I was a huge green Curado lover, but also owned some Chronarchs ( the E7 white ones) I have a friend who is as tough on gear as anyone out there and he fishes about 200 days a year. With all that I have never heard of a TWS breaking off. I would expect it was a Shimano fanboy that told you that. Seriously I would never be scared to run any reel from the Tatula family. I have to much personal experience with them. I fish the Chesapeake Bay and it rivers like the Potomac and the Susquehanna. In these waters we regularly chase bass, but often tag into snakeheads, pickerel and large blue cats. This is tidal water( pert salty) and these reels hold up fine season after season. Just wanted to help straighten out a myth I never heard before. You do not list where you are located on your profile, but if you are anywhere near MD and are willing to meet up I will be happy to put some gear in your hand to show you how they work. I have done this with many members from 3 different web boards I belong to.

Take a minute and look at this video. It explains how the brake system works and if you understand that and follow Brent Ehrler's method of setting it up it will work well for you. Remember the total weight of the bait you are throwing needs to fall within the weight range the particular rod you are casting is marked for. I forget where you are located but if you ever make a trip down to Baltimore I would be happy to help you figure it out.

My friend Brian "baybass.com" has a write up on his site about the Okuma RTX 30. We both fish bass, striper and occasionally run into big snakeheads with these reels, They are VERY light, well built and perform flawlessly. My wife and I run a bunch of Pflueger Presidents and she runs one Pflueger Supreme. Take a look at a Supreme as well. I would not hesitate to purchase another Okuma RTX 30. It balances really well on a lighter blank, mine is on a standard G Loomis Classic series 721 that my custom rod builder modified. We took off the full cork handle and the original seat and added a split Winn Grip setup and a real light real seat. Man that combo is perfect together. A couple of years ago we fished on Dale Hollow. The big smallies had just left the beds and were hunkered down in grass in about 20+ feet of water. They would only eat Ned rigs. We fished Ned rigs like that for 4 days as we caught 5 to 7 pound smallies.

Since these were not as popular as the ProCraft bass boats you will not find as many anglers that have had them. I loved mine. It had a Mercury 200 and ran that heavy hull at 72 mph gps. The ride and quality of the boat was terrific. We fished and played on it for over a decade until I moved and ful got too expensive. I sold it and rigged an electric only boat to fish our local electric only reservoirs for several years. Out of the 7 aluminum rigs and 2 fiberglass rigs my wife and I have owned over 40 years we loved that boat the most. I wish I still had it. Of course I am glad I only feed a 75 instead of a big 200 EFI motor.

I had a 1998 ProCraft 205 Combo. That was the best boat I ever owned. I fished tournaments out of it and ski and tubed off it. There were factory sun pads for those boats for the front deck and the rear deck. ProCraft made them, those used the "button" snaps you mentioned.You would have to go to a marine upholstery place to get custom pads made today. I ordered my boat with factory sun pads as well as the factory Bimini top including the extra section that closed off the rear deck area. I also purchased the ski pole and supports that went into the rear seat post and two support legs clipped into small brackets on the rear deck. I had a great multi chambered "Bat Wing" style tube. Man that was fun to ride. I had the factory ladder so I can not help much there. Sorry. As for the depth finder I used a ram mount located right behind the windshield so my Garmin GPS/fish finder sat a little towards me and was easy to see and adjust. I am sure you could do the same and a 5 or 7 inch unit should fit. I hope this helps.

Pflueger President reels have been known for long service at a reasonable price ($60) Since your budget is higher I would look at the BG reel previously mentioned but here are two others my wife and I love to user as well. One is her Pflueger Supreme and the other is my super lite ( but built like a tank for durability) Okuma RTX30. Both are equally dependable and each run around $100. We fish the Chesapeake Bay rivers for bass but often tag into big Blue actfish and Rockfish. They have a few seasons on them and not a moments trouble.

One nice thing about the Dobyns Fury/Daiwa setup is that you would be spending about $110 for a really good rod and somewhere near the same money ( less if you go with the Fuego since it is on sale most places right now)and getting a combo that you will be happily fishing a decade or more from now. I fish rods from Dobyns, Irod, and Powell a lot. Most of my 12 baitcasters have some version of a Daiwa Tatula, Tatula CT and one Exceler which was the previous model to the Fuego CT. I rely on those reels heavily for bass, catfish and rockfish. I fish on the Chesapeake Bay rivers so you can catch just about anything including big snakeheads and Blue and Channel Cats.

Yes the money is worth it as the components on the IRG series are of better quality. There is nothing wrong with a fiber rod but that series was brought out later than the Air and Genesis II rods. It was designed using the same blank as a Genesis II rod but uses less expensive components to compete in the lower price market. All the rod companies have been hammered to produce very high quality rods to fit in the $50 to $100 price range and then the $100 to $150 range. That is why Gary Dobyns worked on his Fury line of rods for over a year to find a rod blank material and group of components that would meet his strict demands before he would put his name on them and sell them. Now he pushed it even farther into his Colt series. Sometimes in order top get in a price range the factory will have to drop some of the "lifetime warranties" offered. Read each rods warranties carefully before making your decision. I own several Dobyns, Powells, and Irods. They have all treated me well. I have Dobyns Sierras, Champions, Irod Genesis II rods and a Powell Max I love. I would not hesitate to choose another one from either brand.

First of all the boat maybe a good value however I would have the engine checked out professionally and I would pump out and replace all the fuel. If the boat-engine and trailer check out having a little bigger boat could be cool. Sea Nymph made a decent boat back then.

Trackers are not fancy boats but they fish well enough. They have sold a ton of them. That should be a good first boat. Have someone professionally check out the engine, inspect the trailer frame well. The trailers can rust out or crack with age. A trailer can be expensive to replace. Inspect the tires and see when the last time the owner maintained the wheel bearings. I would naturally replace the bearings and seals once I owned it. If you can get the owner to take you for a ride have him show you how to run the boat including the trim. DO not worry about things like fish finders or batteries since they can be replaced easily. All lights and pumps need to be working though.

That Ranger model was a good hull. The engine series in general were very reliable. Remember "new" parts for that engine are not being produced however there is a bunch of "new old stock" out there. Keep in mind that a used boat is not only the boat and engine but also the trailer so spend a little attention on that too. Find out when the owner last serviced the bearings, look at the tires, lights, and the entire metal trailer frame. Older trailers can rust out or crack. To replace a trailer is around $1000 or more. I just spent almost double that for a really good trailer for my boat. Let me share an article a friend of mine wrote several years ago on the subject of buying a good used boat. He wrote it as he was spit polishing a 17 foot Ranger and searched for a 20 foot Ranger. Bryan is one of the best anglers I have ever shared a boat with and he is a very good writer as well. I have his article with many of the members on here that were looking at a good used boat. He covers just about every aspect of what to look for and what to look out for. So get a glass of your favorite beverage and find a comfy chair, then just enjoy the read and many of your concerns and worries will be answered. Go Here http://www.baybass.com/node/200 Feel free to "im" me with any questions you may have afterwards as well. My wife and I have owned 11 jon boats, canoes, and both aluminium and fiberglass bass boats over the last 40 plus years.

Since you live in Delaware, you are not too far from the Eastern Shore of MD. There is a couple of kayak rental companies located in that area. One is run by a fishing guide that guides kayak trips. You could easily book a half or whole day of fishing with him. This would give you the opportunity to see how he rigs his gear and if you enjoy that kind of watercraft. Living where you do you are close to lots of "ponds" or small lakes) as well as Eastern Shore Rivers. Check out Chris Dollar. http://cdollaroutdoors.com/index.php/kayak-fishing He can help you figure out what you can rig on your vehicle as well.

I would use the public landing. It may be inconvenient but safer. Just have two people go to the landing. One drives the boat and the other returns home with the truck and empty trailer. I have seen jon boat trailers modified into tilt trailers, which might help you unload, but I would not trust that you could safely recover the boat that way.

The CT was designed to compete more closely in size with some of the competition (like Lews). Personally I was lucky to fish a Daiwa Exceler (early non TWS reel) that a friend owned and loved it so much I sold off all of my Shimanos and BPS reels. I currently own about 7 original Tatula 100 series reels, Tatula Type Rs, Tatula CTs and one Exceler. The Fuego CT sorta replaced the Exceler in the lineup, but it is a nicer more refined reel in my opinion. I have gotten so used to all of the different Diawas I do not even notice which one I have in my hand at any time.

I would not make any changes to your setups. You are using your best reels on your two setups.

You could check with Abu Garcia itself. Otherwise there are plenty of guys here that have used DVT(Delaware Valley Tackle) He is one of our sponsors and offers both help and a discount to our members. Check out his add on the lower right hand side of this page.

Quarry Man if I remember correctly you are located in PA. I would take the rod with a bad guide to a shop and get it repaired. The last one I had repaired cost like $20. If you are willing to travel to MD I have an amazing rod repair guy. Toms Custom rods is located in Bel Air MD. Check out his website. http://www.tomscustomrods.com/ Tom has done some amazing repairs and customization to some of my rods.

My wife and I fish a bunch of Presidents and one Supreme. The main difference between the President and Pre Xt is the lighter weight of the XT. I have never fished an Xt but my wife loves her Supreme. If I was to do it again I would see if I could get a deal on a Supreme. Either way you will have a reliable reel you can use for decades. Most of our reels are either model 30 or 35 size ones.

I use nothing but 14 pound Berkley original FireLine and a leader made of 6 or 8 pound green colored P Line CXX on all of my spinning reels. That includes the ones I use in deep clear lakes. That combo has never let me down or cost me bites. Many of the spinning rods my wife and I use have Pflueger Presidents or Supreme reels on them. I always spool my reels half way up with Stren 14 original mono for backing. that allows me to fill two reels with one spool of braid.

The difference is the Genesis II components are better. I am not sure if the graphite is the same. I would check on their warranty too as I never looked at that. I have held both and both are quality rods, but I preferred the Genesis II rods myself. My wife and I both fish with several of them.

Oops I missed that one. I know PP bleeds a little but I have never had it discolor me or my gear.

What braid and type did you purchase. I use Power Pro Spectra and Suffix 832 on many of my baitcasters and I alsways use 14 pound Berkley Original FireLine on my spinning gear ( I use a leader on that setup as well). I have never had an issue with that much water or color coming off on my gear. The line does fade a bit but I have never had it discolor anything, me or the gear. You could have purchased a bad spool or it might be the brand.

If $150 is the top of your budget check out the Irod Genesis II rods. The model I would look at is this: IRG7113CC “Fred’s Crank Launcher. All of the Irod Genesis rods deliver exactly what they say they were designed to do. I do not own that model but do own several of their rods and love them. Another option is an Ike Delay Series rod from Abu Garcia. That model would be the IKECW710-6 That should run you about $150 also. Again I do not fish with this rod but do fish with his 6'4" delay series jerkbait rod and love it. Lastly Powell offers their Max3D series rods for $119 right now. Go to their website at http://www.powellco.com/Max-3D-7115-CB-GC-Mod-Fast-Medium-Heavy I do not own this one ( I guess you can see I do not fish deep cranks) but do own their Max model 683C ( pre Max3D series upgrade). That rod is the most versatile rod I own ( I usually carry at least 12 baitcasters on my boat at anytime). I use it for texas rigs, jigs, and lots more, but it could handle a ton of other stuff too. You may not be familiar with any of these brands, but I have friends that fish with all of them just like myself. My wife also fishes with rods from these manufacturers.

Check out the Pflueger Supreme reels. I fish a lot of Presidents ( between myself and my wife) and really like them as all around reliable workhorses. She added a Supreme when we purchased her Dobyns Sierra 705 SA spinning rod. It is her frog rod. That reel matched it very well and is silky smooth. I think it is much smoother than her Presidents or her Shimano Symetre she uses on her jig rod.

I have a friend that rents canoes at a nearby lake. He installs a crossbrace and a small trolling motor. He adds one battery up front and has good control.