fishnkamp

Thinking a little more go take a look at a Lund Pro V 1875 or 2075. They RE available with a straight bench or two buckets and extra fold down seats. That might be a great compromise,It is still a full blown bass boat with some extra seats that can flip up.

I own both would go Dobyns first Powell second.

Way2slow here are some pics of my Lowe just for ideas. I use both fishing seats some times and a leaning post other times Go take a look at a few videos on you tube. There are some Boat test.com's reviews that are pretty good. If I was purchasing another I would go for a 18 foot with 115 to 150 four stroke myself.

I own a Lowe Stinger 170. Mine is a 2010, the last year for that floor plan. I have had 11 boats in 40 years. This is one of my best boats. I would rank it 3rd behind my two big fiberglass rockets. There is tons of storage on the boat, it rides well, has a very wide front deck (wider than my friend's Z8 Nitro) and will store 12 rods up to 7 foot in the center rod box. The boat with a 75 HP (max hp allowed) runs in the high 30s and if propped right should hit 40 mph. Mine does not for several reasons. First I run an old 2 stroke 3 cylinder Merc ( bought it cheap when I repowered). I run on the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal creeks where the possibility of hitting something submerged is high, so I choose to run a performance aluminum prop and a Stingray Hydrofoil. This does not provide the fastest combo but rather the best overall and smoothest ride in rough water. This saves my internal organs so I will be satisfied running around 35. Overall it is a good boat. Their trailers, I not impressed with for several reasons. My main dislike is the hub and axle, the way the boat "sits" on the bunks etc. I have gone as far as I can to make the boat glide on and off that trailer. My next job will be to remove their welded on brackets and start from scratch so it is done right. I believe they specced one trailer and used it for too many models meaning none fit right. Anyway as it sits the boat takes off almost perfectly level, I have been out fishing and dealt with 20 plus mph with a legit foot to two foot waves and caught stripers ( kept hiding around some islands ( but had to run that rough stuff to get back). The boat is terrific when we go to Center Hill, and Dale Hollow out in TN/KY. These are more like the waters you would be running down in your areas I believe. I purchased this 17.5 foot boat because I wanted a boat I could run rigged with a trim/tilt plate and a 25 hp engine. I did this to fish a lake near my home and it had a hp restriction. With that setup and the right prop it came out level and ran 18 mph. I also knew I would move and could repower. If I was starting out fishing waters that had no hp restrictions then I would have looked at 19 foot boats. They can take much bigger engines and some have terrific storage layouts. I would automatically ignore the boats that have front livewells, to me that is stupid. Good Luck in your search. Check out Crestliner, Xpress,AlumaCraft, Triton, etc. I would avoid Trackers, the quality never impressed me.

Rick says a lot of stuff, I wonder if he follows that practice on his boat? I doubt it.

Well I think I would send that reel out to someone like DVT and have it professionally cleaned and checked. My wife and I fish Pflueger Presidents in 6925,30,35,and one 6940. She regularly fishes with her 25s, 30. and 35. She has no trouble bringing in bass up to her personal best 6.5 pound smallie. This spring she caught an almost 8.5 pound catfish on the same rig. Maybe you have damaged the drag washers by tightening it down to max and leaving it that way. You could just replace the drag components and see, but I would invest in the cleaning, inspection and repair by a professional. I would do it regardless of getting the new rod. There are techniques that work really well on spinning and baitcasters just do not do as well. If I were looking for a baitcasting rig to throw light weight baits like Sencos,tx riggs, floating worms even small hollow bodied swimbaits like a Skinny Dipper, I would look at a Daiwa Tatula CT 6.3-1 or 7.3-1 and a Dobyns Fury FR 703C, or perhaps a Dobyns Sierra SA682C or SA683C depending on your preference.

No for years many boat color schemes were white with a splash of colored stripes. If you order a boat often there are several color schemes to choose from. Take a look at the website for your favorite brand. They all offer different "stock: colors and often the chance to option to other combinations of colors.. Dealers around you may be just stocking what sells the best.

Is $110 too far outside your budget? If you can go that little extra then look at a Dobyns Fury FR703 or FR704. The Dobyns rods are really nice. They fish and feel more like a $200 rod. If that is too much then look at Fishin Factory Outlet. They have a Fenwick Aetos 6'8" Med Hvy that should work well for you. They retail for $180 but are on their site for $88

If your Cabelas carries the Alumacraft go check them out. Their boats across the lineup are better built than the Trackers are. As for a trolling motor, my preference is Minn Kota. I actually owned a 15 foot Polar Kraft that I turned into an all electric powered boat for reservoir fishing. I used 4 group 29 marine deep cycle batteries ( wired so each pair fed one motor). The trolling motors were Minn Kota Endura series 55 pound thrust motors. They were terrific.

None of my Tatula Rs have a stiff thumb bar. They are a tiny bit firmer than my Tatula CTs but about the same as my BPS Extreme reels.Where did you get it from? Do you have a tackle shop locally that carries Diawas, maybe you can check one out in a store.

JBFishing the Tatula is okay. I am pretty sure you would like the Dobyns Fury FR765Flip better for the same money,$110. If you order it from Tackle Warehouse they have some good deals on shipping. You would be looking at a Dobyns Fury 7'6"Med Hvy 1/2 to 2 ounce model Gary definitely 7-1 or 8-1 Never 5-1. Reels with 5 something to one are used for big deep crank baits to save your fore arm.

You failed to add the "value" of your time and labor. I realize it is offset by the pride of having done such a nice job. It is felt every time you and your dad get to catch a fish in it. See there are lots of things you can buy with money. I doubt you could buy anything that will mean more to you and your dad then having this boat to enjoy together.I am so happy I got to go on this ride with you. Enjoy the memories for a lifetime

To start with you could look at a Berkley Lightning Shock rod They have a 6'6" which i own 2 of. That rod has a good feel. I use it mostly for rattle traps and crankbaits. They also have the same rod in a 7 foot 1/4 to 3/4 that might work well for you. It retails around $50. It can sometimes be found online cheaper. You could look at two different lines from Abu Garcia. Check out Vendetta and the other a Veritas. The 6'9" Vendetta, or the 7' Med or Ned HVY would work. In the Veritas series I would look at the Veritas Micro series either the 6'9 med Hvy or 7 foot Med or Med Hvy. These rods run from $80 to $99 Lastly look at a Dobyns Fury FR 703C it is a 7" med hvy 1/4 to 3/4 rod. Dobyns makes a terrific rod. This one fishes more like a $200 not a rod that costs $110. You can look at all of these at Tackle Warehouse online. I own at least one of all of these except the Vendetta. I do own 2 Veritas and one Abu Garcia Ike Series casting rods. The entire Abu line plays very similar and they hold up well. Around here in MD. we use our gear for bass as well as stripers and big catfish. These rods hold up just fine to 20 pound cats and stripers like 14 to 36 inchers. My friend even has had to do batle with huge snakeheads on the Potomac River

Fine that eliminates fast current and big hp wakes from the equation. Money will make your decision or at least impact it greatly. For your purposes the first decision is can you tow a small boat or is cartopping your only option. If you can tow it will cost a bit more but a 14 to 16 foot semi v hulls are easier to find. Take a look at this whole thread petes67bird posted and has been updating for as while. He is a great person to ask about this subject since he did this very thing. If you can tow but still want a jon boat 1448s are much more stable and can be safer. Many of the boats of this size out there are welded hulls. If you need to cartop then I would look at G3s, Lowes, Alumacrafts etc both new and used.

The reason line twist is induced is the bail rotates almost a half of a rotation while the line is"loosely" coming off the spool ( remember at this point the lure is slowing down from being at the end of your cast and also from the resistance of the water. This is sorta like reeling while a fish is pulling line out against the drag. Years ago a Lake Erie fishing guide brought that to my attention. His solution, since we were fishing deep, was to slow the line a bit with my finger, then allow the line to pull off as the lure sunk and manually close the bail. I raise my rod up just a bit at the same time to be sure the line is tight on the reel before I turn the reel handle. It is a smooth motion and it just happens now that I have been doing it this way for maybe 15 years

Lets start this conversation a little different. I have owned 11 boats over 40 years and usually changed my boat based upon what was either needed or what operated in the type of water I fished most often. Based on the area around Tacoma Washington it looks like you have mostly bigger rivers feeding into Commencement bay and then a few lakes dotting the map down towards your Bass Pro Shop i and south of that as well. If I was going to fish those rivers a 12 foot cartopper would not be safe in my mind. It is fine if you intend to fish just the lakes I see there. I would look for a used Alumacraft, or G3 or one of those. Even new an Alunacraft would not cost much more than a Tracker and the Lowe or alumacraft should be wedded. You could look for a 14 foot V hull instead. It might be safer in the more open rivers I am looking at.

Always open and close the bail on a spinning reel by hand. Turning the handle to close a bail will often time induce line twist. Now go cast it a bunch manually opening and closing the bail by hand. Pay attention and see if you experience the issue you were speaking of. I know I have heard some people complaining their SHimano Symetre reels are binding up. If you experience the problem again then go get the reel professionally cleaned and serviced. That would be your best option.

Judging from the other companies in their portfolio, it sounds like they are looking to grow a company and stay with them as opposed to buying them to reduce competition. That is sorta refreshing. I hope both sides are rewarded as that will be a benefit to us the consumers for a change.

It depends on the the rods power , taper and action. Take a minute to read the Tackle Tour review of a Powell Max 683CEF Go Here. http://www.tackletour.com/reviewpowell683cxfast.html Now they are not seriously suggesting this is a good choice to throw 2 ounce swimbaits with, but they said it did it without feeling overloaded. They were amazed by how well this rod operated outside its recommended specs. I purchased one of these rods partially based on its' review. I agree it makes a terrific all purpose rod. I purchased it mainly to throw 1/4 to 3/4 ounce swimjigs, regular jigs and texas rigged creature baits. This is a great rod around docks, rocks etc. I am sure the Duckett would be as good. This would not be a rod I would choose to be ledge fishing Lake Chicamagua with while throwing a 3/4 to 1 ounce jig. I would do that with some 7'3" foot to 7'6" heavy stick.

Finnz922 awesome choice for an all around setup. Another would be a Powell Max3D 683CEF Look up Tackle Tour review Powell Max 683CEF. Again match it up with a Tatula CT 6.3-1. Lastly a Dobyns Fury FR 703C

To me my recommendation does not change based on your experience. I do not like buying beginner equipment and upgrading later. So go straight to a Daiwa Tatula CT. It retails for $129. It is just like all of the Tatulas. The are built well, cast smoothly and have very good drag systems. They are easy to adjust properly even for a beginner I fish with 7 Daiwa reels in the Tatula family. The Tatula CT is the newest version in the lineup. They are just workhorses

I would pick the 6920 Pflueger President. I fish with 25s 30s 35s and 40 and have been happy with all of them.

Man you were hot stuff back then. That was like watching some old videos from early Bass Masters and laughing at the old Rangers ans Skeeters. They look like bath tubs!

bburtam I have been selling off all of my Shimano Curados and Chronarchs. I replaced them with 1 Exceler ( it retails for $99 but I got it for $60) several Tatula Type Rs( found them on sale for $130 shipped regularly $199) and now two CTs for $100 shipped. I really like all of the Tatula variants. Go ahead and switch over you will love them.The CT is just a bit smaller in width and it sits a bit lower than the original Tatula. They redesigned the spool so you carry the same amount of line as the original series. When I am done I will own a dozen total. They cast well, are are super smooth and have very good drags inside. I fish for bass,stripers and often catch up to 20 pound blue cats while targeting the stripers. If you are interested in any of the CTs I have a source to get them for $100 shipped to your door. Give me an e-mail at fishnkamp@comcast.net and I will tell you how to get that deal

When you get old sometimes you can type faster than you can proof read! LOL