fishnkamp

To throw a frog most frog rods have a bit of a soft tip since the frogs do not weigh much. They transition to a heavier rod quickly in order to handle the fish in the junk. I think they should work fine.

It is funny, one of my favorite rods that I own is a Powell Max 683 which is the most versatile rod I have ever owned and that is exactly what Tackle Tour said about the rod before I purchased it. I own two of their fly rods from back in the nineties, and they had a great reputation for quality fly rods back then. It seems to me, all or the trouble I have seen has been in the Powel Max3Ds. Maybe they need to go back to the original Powell Max series. I have seen too many of their new ones split or break between the handle and the first guide. Too bad, I would love to get another 683 in the original Max series, but do not trust it in the 3D series.

Yes, but I would use a line like P Line CXX in moss green in say 6 pound test. It is very abrasion resistant and breaks a whole lot higher than 6 pounds. I use that cxx in both 6 and 10 pound test for almost all of my fishing. If I am fishing really shallow clear water than I use some Abrazx fluoro in 6 pound test, There are lots of good knots available to tie them together with, but the two I like best is the Double uni knot and the FG knot, I have tried a ton of different line for my spinning reels but my go to, and only one I use anymore, on my and my wife's reels is Berkley Original or Fused FireLine in 14 pound test. I run a 4 foot leader on everyone of them. For the last 5 years all I used to tie my leaders was the double uni knot and I have very good luck with it. Recently i had seen a video on the FG knot and tried it. It looks like a nice option but not as fast for me to retie with. It is however smaller and I think just as strong or stronger.

For $60 a Pflueger president can not be beat for the quality and durability. For a rod look at several. First a St Croix Avid X AXS68MXF. This is a top quality 6'8" spinning rod. It will handle lightly weighted ned rigs, senkos, drop shots,, texas rigs etc. It retails for $200. Another great option is a Dobyns Sierra SA 692SF or 693SF depending on your preference. I would use my spinning rod for these techniques. I would suggest you upgrade your baitcasting setup to throw spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, topwaters and jigs etc. For a baitcaster look at a Diawa Tatula CT. This is the newest version in the Tatula lineup. These are very good casting reels with a good smooth drag. These reels run $130. Here is a few nice options to match that reel up with. First, go to Irod rods and look at the Irod Genesis II series. There is a rod called IRG693C “Harold’s Lone Star Special” These rods are lightweight, well balanced, very sensitive and are built with top notch components. They run $150 The same thing is true of the Dobyns and here I would suggest a Dobyns Sierra SA 683C. This rod sells for $160. You will notice I suggested a bunch of rods that are less than 7 foot. I believe you will find it easier to fish with these rods instead of a 7 foot to 7'6" foot rods while fishing on a kayak. If you were fishing from a boat I would still suggest these rods as they fish extremely well for your intended purpose. By the way, I fish with rods from all of these companies so I know they are solid equipment. There are lots of other good choices, but if you are going to UPGRADE your equipment, step up to that $150 to $200 rod category. As for the Diawa reel it compares very well to other brand's $250 reels. Good luck hunting your next toys.

Your tadpole is too narrow to safely add a full deck and stand up to fish in any water that allows gas engines. I see that type of thing done a lot on electric only reservoirs around here in MD. Here is a pic I found online but notice the deck is not all the way back and there is a seat to fish from so your stability is better than if you were standing.

All you need to do is measure the boat on the bottom at the rear transom.

The length is fine and the beam is okay but that has nothing to do with stability. The measurement you need to be concerned with is the bottom width. If you look at a new Tracker 160, the new model has a full raised deck. The dimensions are 16 feet long, 70 inches wide at the beam and it has a 48 inch width across the bottom at the transom. Measure yours and if it is 48 then build your deck like they did on the new ones. If you are only 38 or 40 I would not raise the deck up level with the sides of the boat. Catt are you sure the old ones were 48 I could not find the specs for the old model. Do not compare the stability of his boat to the stability of a Pro Angler 16 it is a wider deep vee hull and the Pro 165 had a 72 .5 inch beam. I am not trying to be hard nosed, just trying to suggest he be careful. If it has a 48 inch wide bottom okay, but again I think it may only be a 40 inch bottom. I ran a 15.75 foot 42 inch bottom width Polar Kraft so it was only inches shorter and I would never have built a raised deck. It was a mod vee also. It had the same floor plan as Tracker's Panfish Special with stick steering. The boat was a terrific fishing vessel but would have been very unsafe to stand up on top of, the center of gravity would have made it so.

Hey I just saw this. i am sure you wan a new trolling motor but here is a Minn Kota 39 pound thrust and another old trolling motor and the guy only wants $75 for both. First the Minn Kota is only a few months old and you might be able to offer less and get it. https://poconos.craigslist.org/bpo/5765795807.html

Go here and read a long posting by Chris, my friend. He has successfully done this just this past summer. The boat has since been out fishing over a couple of dozen times and is completely dry. You can also shoot him a message. Kris is a member here as well but has documented his process in depth on that site. He used 5200 around every rivet , inside and out, then painted the hull inside and out with bedliner paint. It is completely dry. The boat he has redone was given to him free by a friend of a friend, and it suffered abuse since that owner had installed decking and used pressure treated lumber. Wherever the pressure treated wood contacted the hull there were tiny holes caused by the chemical used on the wood to treat it. You would not believe how nice the boat is now after three months of hard work. This time a complete frame was made to support a two level floor out of Azek which is plastic wood. Here is the link to hi new old boat. http://www.*/bass-fishing-forum/index.php?topic=130307.50

The Sierra series is one step below the Champion series in the Dobyns rods. The Sierra cost $169 and the same action in a Champion is $249. The rods like any rod in any series will handle about the same, so as you go up in their lines the quality and performance of the graphite and components increase. I have handled some Fury, Savy and the new one the Sierra and like each one. There are a few rods that only exist in one or two of the lines so sometimes you have to choose that line of rods. I recommend you find a dealer and get them in your hand. Another option is to call out there and ask one of the customer service people they are very helpful.

If and when you are ready to make an upgrade the Mojo is good, but here is my suggestion. First determine your budget, If your budget allows you to spend up to $120, then seriously look at the Dobyns Fury series rods for $100. If you can spend up to $175 look at the Dobyns Sierra rods and rods made by Irod called the Genesis II series. Now perhaps you decide "upgrade" is the wrong word and you decide to add to your arsenal. I would suggest looking at the same rods but at a rod that covered another technique. The rod you have is a bit on the stiffer side, all Abu Garcia's run a bit heavy in action including my Veritas rods. Your rod specs 3/8 to 1 ounce, which means it is a great texas rig, carolina rig, jig rod, but only if you are fishing lures or rigs that have a 3/8 ounce or larger weight. If you threw a 1/4 ounce texas rigged worm or jig you will have a hard time feeling it. That is fine if we build you an arsenal to complement it. I would pick up a 6'6 to 7 foot medium power, fast action spinning rod to throw lighter baits on, like Sencos, Ned Rigs, drop shots, and lightweight texas rigs, along with grubs, tubes and a host of other light weight ( anything between no weight to 3/8 ounces) lures. Along with that, I would look at the Dobyns and Irods for a 7 foot medium power moderate action baitcaster to throw baits that have treble hooks on them. The moderate taper keeps you from tearing the hooks out of the fish's mouth while fighting it. Look at the Irod Genesis Gabe Rip Rap Special it is a IRG 703cc, a Dobyns Fury FR705CB,and of course an Abu Garcia Veritas 2 Winch 7 foot medium moderate rod. These rods will cover your crankbaits,rattle traps and a lot more. This approach will allow you to successfully fish a bunch of the standard bass techniques with only 3 rods. Now under my deck is about 14 more, but I am afflicted with bassitis... Others here have correctly steered you to baitcasting reels that hover around $100. This is a price point that you get some real workhorse reels. If you can find a deal on a Daiwa Exceler reel for $60 it is worth it. Do not pay over $75. I love the reel and fish two of them. Daiwa Tatulas are the next step up, They retail between $120 and $175 depending on the model. You can easily purchase a standard Tatula off the internet for $100. A Tatula CT ( the newer slightly smaller version) can be purchased for $129. These are top notch reels that compare well to other brand's $250 reels.. I own 7 of these. I sold off a bunch of Shimano's and Bass Pro Shops reels and replaced them with Daiwas. I like they drag adjustment outside the reel, they cast really well and have a very smooth drag while fighting a large fish. My equipment gets tested each year as I fish for large smallmouth bass in clear lakes, largemouth bass here in MD.'s tidal rivers as well as big stripers here as well. I hope this helps

Consider an Abu Garcia Veritas 2. They have three versions and all run a bit on the heavier side so you do not want to go to heavy. I would look at a standard series (they have a frog series and a micro series as well) Look at the 7 foot 6 inch medium heavy which specs as 3/8 to 1 1/4 but could handle way more or maybe the 7'9" 5/8 to 3 ounce. Try to find them locally to handle them. They should run you around $100 unless you find them on the internet on sale.

Boy Timsford and I agree. I would suggest a Diawa Exceler and a Vendetta,or go find a Berkley Lightning Shock rod. Sometimes you can find a 6'6" Lightning Shock rod from WalMart on clearance for $40.

If I were looking for a rod to cover your needs I would look at two different options. option 1 would be a Dobyns Sierra SA702 SF or SA 703SF. My preference ( and I have had both in my hands) would be the 703, but you might prefer the 702. My other suggestion would be a ST Croix AXS70MLF. I realize this does not seem to match your "mod" designator. All three would do what you want. If you can put them in your hands I think you will be happy with them

Have you looked at some of the inflatable float tubes and float pontoon boats. I have seen some really neat ones on my local waters. I know the fishing kayaks are really popular as well.

Okay since that is your budget seriously look at the Rangers but do not overlook a Triton, their 186 was a very good running hull. There are lots of good hulls out there. I agree about the Skeeters, nice ride, hard for me to lift the hatches with my big hands. If you find any of the mid 2000s or older Stratos boats they were great hulls. The 285 Pros XLs specifically should be in that range. I have a friend that wrote what I consider the best article I have ever read about buying a used boat. He should know he has done it a bunch of times. Anyway Brian is a terrific angler, can drive any boat to its max and fishes about 3 times a week so I figure he has had plenty of time to gain personal knowledge. I suggest you go get a glass of your favorite beverage, climb into a comfy chair and take some time to read his article. Please understand he loves, loves, loves the mid 90s Rangers and that is his dream machine. Your budget allows you to go newer. but all of the elements that go into is decision making are spot on for you. http://www.baybass.com/node/200 I have shared this a bunch of times on here and everytime the individual has learned a lot and came back with some specific questions, so please feel free to do so,

what is your budget and are you looking new or used?

I suggest you save a little money and go to Bass Pro. Pick up this dual charger and permanently mount it in the boat. I have been running one for 6 years and it is great. http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shops-XPS-Intelligent-Technology-Series-Onboard-Marine-Battery-Charger-XPS-iT-10/10/product/10224686/

Be very careful, that boat does not have that wide a bottom. This will make it very unstable to stand up on a raised deck. That is why you are not finding anyone else who has done it. I suggest you enjoy it as it is. If you want a boat wide enough to safely do it, trade it in on a wider bass boat that is already done or a extra wide v mod jon, most of them already have a front raised deck.

Too bad if you were Md, Va, PA, pd DE I was going to offer to put some rods in her hands. I is really getting hard to find the right actions in a 6 or 61/2 footer.

Welcome to the site, there are a lot of good people willing to share their knowledge and experience here. My wife is 4'11 1/2 so I feel you. First lets choose a reel and for the max bang for the buck get her two Pflueger Presidents and make them 6930s, it will feel good in her smaller hands and they are as reliable as a reel gets. They will cost $60 each. Between myself and my wife we have had a bunch of other reels and now have changed all 9 spinning reels for bass to Presidents. Some of ours are less than 1 year old and some are over 10 years old. We have 1 other newer reel and it is a Shimano that cost a lot more, but it was specifically purchased to give us a high speed reel for frogging. For a rod consider two price groups. First under $90 and second the $100 to $130 range. I know this would be just a tad over your intended budget but one rod over it may be worth it for covering all bases. I think her Berkley rod is fine for throwing some light finesse type stuff like Sencos, grubs or tubes. Her next need should be a little heavier rod with a soft tapered action for treble baits I would consider another Berkley rod. It is a Berkley Lightning rod Shock series. Get the 6'6"medium it is a moderate action rod perfect for rattle traps and crankbaits. This rod will also allow her to fish some jerkbaits, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and light bodied minnow baits like Rapalas as well. This rod will cost you around $50 unless the local Walmart is closing them out for the season, then it will be around $30. Another good option in this price range would be an Abu garcia Vendetta in a 6'3"MMF, they run around $75 from Dicks or Tackle Warehouse and of course any of these may be available cheaper from other online sources. For this purpose in a higher price rod I would consider an Abu Garcia Veritas 6'6" Med, it runs $100. Lastly I would consider a Falcon Bucoo 6'6" Medium which will also run around $100. The third rod should throw worms, jigs, carolina rigs etc, This would be a workhorse of a rod. Again look at an Abu but this time the Veritas 6'6 MH, Another good choice is a Fenwick HMX 6"10 MH which runs 1/4 to 1 ounce. It costs $89. I know she wants to stay with a shorter rod but it is worth it for some techniques to have the longer rod. My wife's rods are all 6'6" or less except for her frog rod and it is a 7 footer. It is an Irod and is so light she got used to it quickly, no choice if you want to throw frogs. One more option for this rod would be Carrot Stix Wild Wild Orange Spinning Rod 6'7" Med Hvy also from TW for $100. This would give her three distinct combos to cover most techniques and each of these suggestions, with the exception of the Carrot Stix, I have either fished with or own and fish with. All of them are quality pieces that should provide good service for quite a while. You are a lucky man if she appreciates spending time enjoying this hobby with you. We dated all thru high school and college and after i introduced her to panfish and then river smallmouth she became addicted to fishing. We have owned 11 boats over 40 years along with a ton of tackle. I get to fish lakes all over the US with her and get to employ some amazing guides at each lake as well. The funniest thing was for one of our anniversaries I offered to get her a diamond necklace or another G Loomis rod. She chose the rod. LOL True story !! It was a 6' GL2 721 which she still loves to fish with. I have left you with a bunch of research to do, let me know what you think. lso where do you live? Anywhere near the mid Atlantic?

There is definitely an issue with them cracking on the transom. I know this has shown up as a concern on several boards and it is real. Let me ask why does it definitely have to be aluminum? Take a look at a Phoenix 618 before you make that decision. I have driven one and it is a fantastic boat and they can be purchased right around $30,000 with a lot of your wish list checked off. They are super comfortable and built with exactly the same components as their larger much more expensive models. I priced one this last April from the Sportsman Center in Tennessee and with 2 Hds 8s and a few other extras it ran around $33,000 Now if it really does have to be aluminum then look seriously at these boats the Express X18 or X19 ( their top of the line series). You have a bunch of Xpress dealers in TX but check this deal out in LA. http://bayououtdoor.com/Details.aspx?ID=b3f51260-3a76-40eb-a66a-00659fa83df2 Now that is a super deal. They have the same boat in a bright red look here http://bayououtdoor.com/Details.aspx?ID=a35728d1-4359-43a4-9c82-690548d56f69. These are really about $34,000 boats but at $28,000 they are really nice boats. I would also look at the G3 19 Talon DLX Check this one out this is a great deal also http://www.blackbeardmarine.net/pre_owned_detail.asp?veh=4739103&nv=y Another really good boat to look at is Crestliner VT series and Triton 18tx these all get good reviews. I personally run a Lowe and I do not recommend them. The dry storage is not dry and their trailers do not fit their boats well. I have spent a good amount of time reengineering them to launch and recover and still have to get my feet wet. No fun up here in the cold north. I

Those seats on the Phoenix are amazing by the way. they wrap around you like a Recaro bucket seat. I forgot to mention that. The 618 is really price to be competitive with a Nitro or Triton. I truly felt it was built closer to an older (pre JM) Ranger or Bass Cat. They fly, handle well and look beautiful. Sitting still they look like they are flying. One other thing if you notice the way the boat sits in the water the front deck sits low enough to make it a good pitchin or flipping deck for around docks and things. Some of the new boats do not sit low enough to do that well.

Well I can give you a personal report on the Phoenix and only my limited opinion on the Skeeter So here goes. My wife and I have owned 11 boats in over 40 years. We had gone from little to bigger all the way up to a 20 footer with a 200 merc. That ProCraft was gorgeous. Anyway we had gone back to aluminum in order to fish some smaller hp restricted lakes near our home and a second aluminum reservoir electric only boat. Now we have moved and fist the tidal waters here on the Chesapeake Bay. We vacationed in Tennessee and Kentucky back in April. We took advantage of the large quantity of dealers out there. I sat in Tritons, Skeeters,Phoenixs, Bass Cats Stratos,and Nitros. I found the the Skeeters and Phoenix to be laid out well but I think you will agree with me, you will have more usable storage in the 618 than in the 190. The one thing I would suggest is not to get the carousel in the front storage and get the shelf instead. The carousel was a neat idea, but not worth it. As for the ride it is excellent in the 618. It really reminds me of the old Champion ride but this is a wide bodied boat. They found some nifty ways to store/ hide things and keep them within an arms reach, and I loved it. My wife wants to order one next year, so what is a guy to do? Oh Well! I have ridden in a new 20 or 21 foot Skeeter back at an Elite series event and was impressed with the Skeeter ride and love the SHO motors. When I order our new rig it will be powered by either an SHO or a G2 Etec. i have never been a Opti fan. As for price a 618 starts around $32,000. That was what I was looking at with a Yamaha 175 SHO, and a pair of HDS8s at the time (April 2016) from The Sportsman Center near Dale Hollow Lake. Here are a few pics of one we test ran on the lake.

You would be surprised how many mid 80s to 90s Rangers have been really nicely kept and are available for less than $6000. It does require patience to find a cream puff, but those hulls were built like tanks. Here is an example of a clean one for $4000. You are right though, they are older boats, but not everyone can afford to own a $80,000 rocketship. This one was just listed on craigslist here in MD. In the picture it looks like it is a 300 series garage kept boat. The owner said everything worked and he just had his dealer service the motor completely again this spring. A purchase price like that would allow someone to get on the water for a reasonable investment of money. I would add modern electronics and perhaps a onboard battery charger and go fish for a while. If this is his first real bass boat it might serve him well for a few years and return most of his investment back when he wanted to upgrade in the future.