Wayne P.

senile1, I tried both Hotspots and Hotmaps Premium East in 2006 and preferred the Hotmaps due to the bodies of water contained. I got the Hotmaps Premium South 2007 also. The most important choice one has to make is to be sure the waters you are interested in are included. The 2008 version of Hotmaps Premium has more lakes that I fish regularly, but I haven't purchased that version. I probably won't upgrade any more since I have gotten away from the tournament scene and glitter rockets. Small bodies of water (1,000 acres >)are what I concentrate on now. My GPS usage now concerns saved waypoints and a map is not even required for that. I defer to Jig Man for his opinion of the newer versions.

The gear ratio is 4.7:1

The 565 has a higher resolution display and a dual beam transducer with 20 and/or 60 degree coverage.

Jig Man, I really don't like the 1' contours for a couple of reasons. First, for regular navigation, its too much clutter on the screen. Second, the accuracy is not absolute since it seems the contour lines between the actual survey points are filled in for a general contour of an area. I know of several places that the software contours are completely opposite of the actual contour such as a long point represented on the map is really a steep drop off and some places show a steep drop when a long sloping point is.

When I go fishing, I like to catch all that bite so I use the regular Octopus hooks. I only use the circle hooks for pre-tournament practice when I don't want to catch any. Do you remove the barb? I do, it makes removal easier for you and on the fish.

senile1, the only extra button pushing required for Lowrance units is to tell the unit to use the inserted Navionics software. You do that once the SD card is inserted and don't need to do it again unless you tell the unit to not read the Navionics card. That procedure is outlined in your manual in the mapping section. Not all bodies of water have the 1' contours, only the HD surveyed ones.

Yes, but not for the line visibiliby issues some are concerned with. I use the fluorocarbon as weight to make the braid sink for weightless soft plastic presentations. The uni-uni connection is the only one I use. As far a line twist is concerned, using braid does not lessen any twisting caused by the tackle or presentations, its just not affected by twisting like the stiffer mono lines are. XPS is my choice for fluorocarbon line.

Thanks Jig Man, I know the limitations of the lighter vehicle and drive appropiately. Even trailer brakes won't save one from the stupidity of others: been there, done that. A 21' fiberglass bass boat, tandem axle trailer with disc brakes on both axles, when pulled with a 2500 4X4 pickup won't "stop on a dime". Drive defensively !!!!

Fishing Doug, do a web search for Jack O'Conner. He was probably the most adamant proponent of the 270 Win. and may have taken the most game animals with it.

Hookemdown, I know several hunters that use the 7mm Rem Mag. for whitetails. They mostly hunt open fields and feel that they need the extra speed of the mag. and better ballistics than the .277 caliber. I have the (.284) 7mm Weatherby Mag and it is way overkill for whitetails for timber hunting which I mostly do. For whitetail only hunting, the 270 Win would be a better choice over the .30-06 since a heavier bullet is not necessary for clean kills. The lighter recoil of the 270 (due to a lighter bullet) promotes more accurate shots also. edited: I reload for the 270 Win. , .30-06, 7mm Rem Mag, 7mm Weatherby Mag, .30-30, 7-30, .308 Win., .243 Win., 300 Win. Mag., and 44 Mag. Some of those for rifle and pistol.

CFFF 1.5, the aluminum prop suggestion regards the replacement/repair cost difference between the aluminum and stainless prop when (not if) you destroy it running in shallow water.

I am picking up a new TX170 tomorrow and I am not getting a trailer with brakes. The rig is light enough to not require brakes especially when towing with a full size truck. I'll be towing mine with a Chevy Colorado or a GMC 1500. I am just sold my fiberglass bass boat with trailer brakes. 71Rig, an electric brake controller is not needed with hydraulic surge brakes.

Did you get the 90HP jet or a 90HP prop motor?

Your boat brand, type and max RPM's would be the starting point for a prop selection.

I use that type, but I have the FitOvers with gray and amber lenses. Wearing them for 8-10 hours gets uncomfortable. I added thick material neck straps to cushion them some, but its still bothersome. Due to my perscription, I cannot use the wrap around style frame perscription glasses. Most of the time I just wear polarized clip-ons or polarized perscription sunglasses that let in a lot of side light (not good for bed fishing).

If the water temp is around 40 degrees, a blade bait would be a better choice.

You can install the supplied transducer on the trolling motor with a trolling motor adaptor or exchange the transom mount type for a trolling motor/in hull type transducer. Both types use a large hose clamp to hold it. Mount the display where you can see it easily. Since you didn't include the brand of sonar unit, you can check the accessories section of the brand for the proper mount/transducer. This is one type:

Easy solution: get some Mojo weights and insert them one into each of the leg strands. Lubricate them with water so they will slip thru the rubber leg material, then put a drop of super glue on the weight so it will help hold the lead in place. Squeeze the weight a little to close up the hole. I do that with the Bobby's Perfect frog to add weight for mat fishing. You can vary the total weight with your Mojo weight selection. I dont' put anything inside the hollow frog bodies so it won't interfere with the body compression when a bass takes it. If you need rattles, use the ones in the picture:

The H2O has a "background map" which has some roads and some bodies of water with representative shoreline outlines ( no contour lines ). I use the Navionics Hotmaps Premium East and South cards as well as some free download maps that I got from the Lowrance site and put on another SD card.

Simp, the mapping software by Navionics, Lowrance, and others works quite well IF it includes the bodies of water you fish. Before you purchase any, check each site to see if it has what you want. Several lakes that I fish are not included in any software I could find. Most users prefer the Navionics since some bodies of water have 1' contour lines rather than the 5' or 10' that most maps do.

The author is out of touch with the real world of fluorocarbon line with the "low stretch" comment in the crankbaits section. After I read that part, I disregarded the rest.

PM sent

My packages of Eagle Claw hooks state "American Made" and my packages of Owner, Gamakatsu, and Daiichi hooks state "Made in Japan". It kind of follows the auto industry as far as quality products. Edited: I just found a package of VMC hooks stating "Made in France" That is really a shame when a French company can make a better hook than a USA company !!!

I've been using Spiderwire since it was first introduced. I prefer the second generation Original which has a little more body to it than the first generation. The 6/30 is my favorite size, I wish it was still in production. I still have some partial spools of the Original. All of their new stuff has a larger diameter in the same pound test. This is one case where newer is not better. I wasn't aware that Berkley had any involvement in the Spiderwire brand, but both Spiderwire and Berkley are owned by Pure Fishing.

Snag Proof Bobby's Perfect Frog. Don't try to keep the water out. Just give it a squeeze after a couple of casts. You want the body to collapse easily when a bass takes it to get the most consistant hook-ups.