KLoell

Finally pulled the trigger on my first bass boat after fishing out of a pelican bass raider for years. Purchased a new to me 2014 Skeeter TZX 190 with 43hrs on it. Can’t wait to upgrade the electronics.

Solid points again. I appreciate the time and info. I plan on storing this next to the garage as there is no room for it. Is storing this year round for 3-4 more years going to leave a lot of wear and tear on the boat? Also, I understand WRB isn't a fan of Cabelas but with it being one of the two closer Nitro dealers I'm still curious to see if anyone has had any experience with their service department?

I’d be willing to drive a good ways if it meant getting a better deal. I’m currently located around central Indiana. Should I be finding other nitro dealers for a cheaper price?

Great point about the close proximity to a dealership. I have a Cabelas and another Nitro dealer close by which along with the price of the Z18 are the two major factors in why I'm currently eyeing the Nitros. Unfortunately those are really the only two dealers close to me. I live within 45 min or so of two or three decent sized lakes and take a week long fishing trip each year. I currently have a Sun Dolphin little plastic boat that I've been fishing out of for years that is perfect for little strip pits but is a chore to load up by myself and fit everything in. I think I could justify buying a full sized boat but time will tell. Would an aluminum boat like a Tracker be a better first time full size boat to get a feel for things? Or is there not really that much of a learning curve making the move to a full size boat?

I'm sure there are thousands of posts like this but none the less I am in the market for a new bass boat this spring. I would like to pick everyones brains on any advice or things you wish you did when purchasing your first. I am currently looking at a Nitro Z18. The only things I'm certain I want to add is an Ultrex and better Electronics. Are there other things more important to upgrade first before those two things? Would a Nitro Z18 be a good first time boat? Am I overthinking all of this? lol Any advice and help is much appreciated.

No need to enter any codes at Tacklewarehouse. TW already has their prices marked down and free shipping over $50. The rod I'm looking at is actually cheaper on TW than on Kistlers website.

A group of friends and me make a trip to Linton/Dugger every spring. I usually make a return trip in the fall. Love it there.

Do you happen to know the water temp that day? I’ve been trying to figure out the fall bite and have only been able to pull out a few here and there. Nothing like the spring time when I’m able to catch big numbers. I’ve heard that the fall bite can be just as good. Just haven’t been able to figure that out yet.

I remember seeing someone mounting their transducer to an old trolling motor they dissmanteled and mounted it where the motor and prop used to be. I tried searching through the pages to find a pic but no luck. I was curious to see if any of you have mounted their depth finder the same way and could you possibly post a few pics? Thanks in advance!

Anybody getting out during the holiday break?

@IndianaFinesse Awesome info thanks for the reply. Is 20’ - 30’ of water too deep for jerkbaits? There are a few spots I know of that are rocky flats in about 15’ that drop to deeper water. Should I try dragging a drop shot, Ned, or stick with jerkbakts in that deep of water along the drop off?

Was thinking about going out the day after thanksgiving. Should be in the low 50s high 40s for the day. I’d imagine the water temp to be in the mid to low 40s. I’ll be in the central Indiana area and fishing a clear, rocky, deep, quarry of decent size. I’ll be fishing from a boat with a depth finder. Any suggestions on what to throw? Areas to target? Is smallmouth fishing any good in cold conditions?

I plan on getting out Sunday. Not sure what I’ll be throwing. Last week water temp was about 53 and windy. Didn’t have a single bite. Any suggestions for me for this weekend??

@Scarborough817 The jigs and spinnerbaits where the skirt is banded slide into little slots on the box to hold them in place. At the top of those little slots there is little cuts that allows you to tuck the spinnerbait arms. Somewhat along the lines of how a safety pin works.

These work great for my cranks. Plano also has a spinnerbait box that works great for spinnerbaits and buzzbaits. I also use the same spinnerbait box to hold all my jigs.

The annual fishing trip with a group of friends is coming up beginning of April. We camp and fish at the Green-Sullivan State Forest. We always have a big fish fry at the end of the trip so the main focus is usually panfish. There are plenty of strip pits everywhere in the area, with some of the more accessible/popular ones being Airline, Wampler, etc.. Was curious to see if any of you guys ever fish out that way and had any suggestions on which strip pits to possibly check out? Thanks in advance!

Thank you for the info I really appreciate it. I just updated to the newest software. I'm still not sure that the down imaging is going to show on the depth finder.

It may be an update issue. Its not a matter of not being able to see it but nothing shows or scrolls across the screen for the down imaging views. Do I need a card to do any software updates?

I took my Helix 5 G2 Chirp DI Gps out for the first time today. The sonar worked just fine but I could not get the down imaging to work. Am I missing something? Do I need to do anything setup wise or should it be good to go with no setup?

Caught my new personal best Sunday 3/26 in between rain showers. Sitting in about 3' of water on a shaky head. 8lbs 7oz! Shortly after this we had to pull in to shore and hide out under some trees to wait out the rain.

Got all this for $25.00. Clearance rack had all sizes and types of Trokar, VMC, Lazer, some elaZtech plastics, and other random things all for $1.00!!! I didn't have a cart so this was all I could fit in my hands walking to the cashier. I may go back tomorrow too good to pass up!

Went bass fishing yesterday wasn't having much luck. Decided to give the crappie a try and unexpectantly had one of my better days of fishing. Every cast for about an hour was a crappie! All around the size of the one in the picture. One of of my goals this year is to get better at locating and catching crappie. I'd say this was a good start to the year!

Is there a way to look up what is public water and what isn't via a website?

Hey guys I'm looking for a fishing resort or lake that is good fishing for Bass, Crappie, Bluegill within a 4 hour drive or so from central indy. I have a group of friends and we go to the sullivan pits every year for a week. Wanted to maybe explore the idea of somewhere else this coming spring. Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks guys

Just starting to get into depth finders and have a lot to learn and this ^^ helps a ton. I appreciate the awesome info.