flyboy

I was fishing a tournament about 30 years ago and ran full out to the first place I wanted to fish. I caught great fish on this spot for a month prior to this tournament and had all the confidence in the world in this spot. When I got there, three boats that were not in the tournament were camped out on "My Spot." I was so mad that I basically crossed my arms on the wheel to turn while running full out and launched my partner about five feet into the air and fifteen feet or so from the boat. That was bad enough but the worst part was he was one of my best customers in the business I was in at the time.

WIN222 Thanks for the info on the manual retraction. Sounds like that is info you can't get from online sources. I have 8'3" doors on my garage which I purposely built to accomodate my boat with the Power Pole. The Talon is going to provide more clearance than the Power Pole. Hey GarTracker Looks like WIN answered both of our questions.

GarTracker I went to the Talon web site and I was unable to figure out if there is a provision in the event of power failure. I noticed it said that the unit has a quick adjustment that allows for total removal of the unit if necessary--it would be difficult on the water I think. I also sent a message to Minn Kota and asked the question. I'll let you know if I hear from them.

I need to check on the loss of power issue. I know the Talon only uses a motor so that is a must know. I Garage my boat also and on a FX 21 on the Skeeter trailer the clearance is 83". I have 86" clearance and I have to lower my Power Pole a little to clear or it will touch.

I have a Power Pole on my current boat which I just traded on a new boat. I opted for the Talon based on space and the lack of a hydraulic reservoir. I was at my dealer, Sonnys Marine, the other day and they were installing dual Talons on a FX 21 like the new boat I am getting. If you don not have a hydraulic jack plate the Talons bolt directly to the sides of the manual jack plate--the motor won't have to come off for installation; it will with the Power Pole. Overall the installation of the Talons is much cleaner--the only dislike I have for the Talon is the fixed position of the unit. When I had someone fishing the rear of my old boat I would partially deploy the Power Pole and it would be out of the way for casting; can't do that with the Talon. Most things are trade offs. This decision is like that. A few weeks ago I asked the same questions on the forum and some guys sent links to videos on the power pole. I can't remember the name of the thread, but it can't be more than three or four pages deep on this forum. The videos made me decide to go with a Power Pole again and then the other day when I was pulling the trigger on my trade I saw the Talon being installed. Good luck with your choice. I don't think you can go wrong either way.

By far the best and coolest photo editing I have seen in a while. On a serious note; what is the best way to pass a kayak? If you stay up on plane and go as fast as is safe and practical you leave hardly any wake. If you come off plane, you send a wake during the process and a little wake during the idle portion. When I am sitting still I prefer that bass boats don't even trim in any and just get it over with. I really want to know how kayakers feel.

Hey Scrutch Your situation is one where I think I would have the trolling motor you have. Fishing in current for long periods where the trolling motor has to be on for long a duration has to be tough on the operator and especially tough on the batteries. I fish a lot of heavy grass that is also tough on the trolling motor but in recent years I have been poling in those situations for stealth. I am amazed how much closer I can get to a bed with the pole versus the trolling motor. Poling is a lot of work but it pays off. I used to do a lot of flats fishing in the Keys so the poling sorta comes naturally. The stealth required while stalking a Permit or Bonefish pays off with bass also.

A few years ago I was based at DCA and we used to frequent a fish market in D.C. that was on the Potomac, just south of the 14th St. Bridge on the D.C. side. This was around 1990 so don't scold me if the market is gone. When we were there the market offered Largemouth for sale--this always puzzled me because I thought it was illegal to sell gamefish commercially. I was wondering if that market is still there and if they are still selling Largemouth? If so, how do they get away with it. Maybe since D.C. is not a state they are immune to federal laws regulating sale of gamefish.

One last point nobody has raised. I have fished for three days and was unable to charge the batteries. On the third day I noticed that the batteries were a little weak but still did the job. For those of you who have the 36v systems, do the three batteries last noticeably longer without a charge?

The reason I started this thread is I have been fishing my 20i with a Fortrex 80 for two years in a lot of different conditions except strong current and have not had any problems at all. I fish my buddie's Z21 that has a Minn Kota 101 and I feel my trolling motor does as well as his and mine is quieter. I can run my motor on 25-30 lbs. of thrust and do great until the wind starts howling. It even handles grass and most weeds on the low setting--I even went across about a half mile of solid hydrilla on Okeechobee once but that did require all it had. I like to cut weight as much as possible since I carry way too much tackle so it sounds like there is no legitimate reason to go to the 101. I am going from the 20i to the FX 21.

I have ordered a new boat and decided to go with a 24v 80lb thrust motor. I decided on a make so let's not discuss that, instead I would like feedback on the 80 vs. the 101 thrust. In the past I have had 12v and 12/24v motors and I think everyone knows how those performed. My last boat had the 80lb 24v motor and I was always amazed how it ate weeds and would move my boat to the point if I cranked it up to 75 lb of thrust I had to make sure of my footing lest I get cold and wet. I decided to go with the 80 on the new boat because I think the performance is more than adequate and I wanted to reduce the weight and maintenance of another battery. I feel like I have thought this through but I can still change if I want so I thought I would seek input from the forum.

I have had a lot of issues with my Humminbird 1197C and 797c in the last year; the issues are solved now. Thanks Humminbird, your customer service is amazing.

I am going to start running a SHO on a new boat in a few weeks and want to get feedback from the forum about it's charactoristics, care and feeding and the like. I don't have any four stroke experience, but it looks like all the common sense things we do with the two strokes will keep you out of trouble. I am really excited, especially about the quiet.

I just traded my Skeeter 20i for a new FX 21. If anybody is looking for a like new 20i I think you could get a great deal from the dealer. PM me and I will give you details.

Appreciate it!

Sorry to jump in. You will need an SD Card to do updates. The updates will be downloaded to the SD card and then taken to the unit to do the update. WARNING There is a note in your manual about the sequence to follow when you do the update. Be certain to follow that sequence. I believe it says to return to original factory settings before beginning the update or it can lock up the unit and the only fix it is to send it to Humminbird. Excellent help is available on the phone while you are out on the water learning your unit and doing updates.

Bocabasser You are right about fishndaddy; he is a great guy and he has helped a lot of people on the forum. I think he lives in Lakeland and specializes in lakes that are a little south of here; Toho, Kissimmee, Lakeland phosphate pits and so on. He and I talked a while back about a buddy of his that was fishing a tournament up here and I gave him a few spots where I had caught a few. I think he elected to take a gamble that day though and make a long run to a place he had caught fish once. Have you been able to make it up to Okeechobee? I hope to make it down before it gets too hot.

Pondboss Table Rock for a honeymoon? Boy do I have a suggestion for you. This is not going to be cheap but it is your honeymoon; you have to splurge. A few years ago my wife and I spent a few days at Big Cedar Lodge. We were on a driving vacation and did not have our boat with us so we hired a guide while there. Check out there website; it is probably the only lodge of its type that the website is spot on. The developers of that place did not miss a trick as far as decor and landscaping go. If you are an outdoorsman and you had unlimited funds it is the way you would build your weekend lake cabin that could entertain about a hundred of your best buddies in style. The cabins are perfect for a honeymoon. Don't stay in the main lodge if you want something intimate. The guide they fixed us up with was great and showed us miles and miles of Table Rock with plenty of smallmouth. As I recall the food at the lodge was good but not fantastic but there are plenty of choices around. Branson is right up the road if you are interested in a show. Have a great Honeymoon.

I retired to a home on Lake Harris almost two years ago and have been fishing it regularly but have not been able to put together any patterns that I have confidence in. I have fished with several locals, fished a few tournaments and gathered as much information as possible, but no real luck. I found bedding fish and can catch them but I would prefer to leave them alone. I have been flipping the grass and throwing lipless crank baits with minimal success. I found a load of offshore hydrilla yesterday that I hope to develop before FWC finds it. I fished Okeechobee for years and seemed to always be able to do well there but can't get into the groove here. I went up to the Saint Johns and Lake George in February and did well so I am pretty sure my Mo-Jo is still there. These lakes are different but I can't quite find the key, only glimpses. The wildlife here is fantastic--there is a concentration of birds of prey like I have never seen before and migratory birds of numerous types. I have a group of white pelicans that have camped out side my window for the last couple of weeks. The other night I decided I might hire a guide for a few days that specializes in the Chain, but internet results only turned up a couple of guides that fish shiners and specialize in crappie fishing. Anybody know of anybody that makes a living guiding on these lakes that usess artificials? Thanks in advance.

Great guy mister Grigsby. I was at the weigh-in and I felt great seeing him win. I went up to Palatka hoping he would double up but it was not to be. It goes to show you how unfair fishing can be some times. The situation up on the Saint John's and Lake George was so similar to what we had down here on Harris I thought Shaw would dominate. Hope he is the last man standing on the podium real soon.

Go to a large parking lot like a shopping center, home depot etc. (when they are closed) and practice backing and parking between lines. While at the ramp area always use the staging area to make final preparations and be prepared to launch when you pull onto the ramp. So many times you will see someone staging on the ramp and trap all the rigs that are attempting to pull their boat out of other ramps and causing a line of people waiting to launch. It is much more relaxing to stage your boat away from the ramp and be confident that all preparations are in order when you back down the ramp so that you can concentrate on putting the trailer exactly where you want it. Enjoy your new boat!

That's the plate I used on mine. I was thinking of the stress on the transom and jackplate during the demo, especially the section where they started with both poles all the way down and got up on plane. Awesome product demo to show strength.

That is an awsome video. Thanks for posting it on this thread.

Definately going to stick with my power pole based on the video. I'm not sure who built the jack plate on that boat but they should use that video. Man I think I have been through that cut many times. I think it is just west of the river out of Okeechobee.

Skeetercaster I live on the Harris Chain and watch tournaments on the chain closely. It has been "rumored" that some guys that are coming in with the bigest sacks have been locking through on the Beauclair/Apopka canal; a committment of about 2 hours to get there. Keep in mind it was during the height of bedding/sight fishing period and I can't confirm facts. There are some bargain properties down there right now and if the lake comes back you may have hit the jackpot. Good Luck