Fir3hawk

Just picked up my second bass boat. Upgraded from a 86 TX-17 2004 PT 175 60hp Merc 2 stroke Lowrance 5 HDS Motorguide 55 thrust 12v

Well truth is I've been looking for a few weeks now pretty constantly. Good boats priced decent are going fast. Ended up calling some guy off craigslist and asking him if he wanted to go to Hillsdale tonight and this little dingy followed me home... Doesnt necessarily fit every criteria to a T but it's a nice upgrade for not a whole lot of money and should keep me satisfied for a few years.

Welcome from just South of you in Lenexa!

I sold my 17' Bass Tracker a couple weeks ago and am looking for a new boat. I'm not 100% certain what kind I want so hoping to get some feedback fron local guys on what the pros and cons are of the different hulls and what works on our lakes. Budget is $5000-7500 Primary use is fishing. Primarly bass but would also like to Crappie fish and hopefully get into Walleye in the future. Ability to hold 3-4 people, and tube would be awesome Would like it to fit in my garage. approx 7.5'w x 20'd. Probably 17-18' boat. Ponton would be too big Runabout probably too big and bad for fishing Fish and Ski would be awesome. Havent found much decent in my price. Looked at a couple and they seemed much bigger than my '86 TX-17 Deep-V not too familar with these. I went out with Brian and liked his. Probably a bit more stable but assume it would be slower if tubing is desired Bass boats are great but typically 3 people is about all they will hold. Not ideal for tubing, but managable. Any thoughts?

Bass Pro in Olathe is doing Demos in their pond this weekend, check their olathe locations facebook page for timings. I have a FS10 and love it. I found a Jackson Cuda 12 and used it for a while but it was too big for my garage (with a Camaro, 17' boat, 2 kayaks, etc.) and heavy/long to load in my truck bed. Fantastic kayak but I use my kayak for quick trips to small lakes (Olathe, SMP, Lenexa, etc.) where im going alone. Found the Cuda to defeat that purpose. If I didnt have a boat I wouldve kept it.

Been lurking the thread but figured I'd post up. I'm located in Lenexa and picked up my first boat last Spring. Been fishing for about 4-5 years now since when I was a kid pretty casually but hoping to get a bit more serious and hopefully keep the livewell full. I've been sticking to small KC lakes mostly (Olathe, Lenexa, etc.) but hoping to spend some time learning LaCygne, Hilldsale, etc. this year. My impeller was showing signs of needing replaced last year so I just ordered the parts for it. After that hopefully I'll be ready as the bite picks up.

Cabela's has them if you have one close by. Every where else I've looked (Dicks, Academy, Bass Pro) doesn't have the Bass-X yet.

Well I went ahead and ordered what I wanted. Came out to be a bit more than I really wanted to spend but I figure they'll last me a really long time and if I don't buy what I want then I'll just want to upgrade sooner. Ordered a St. Croix Bass-X 7' Medium Fast (BXS71MF) along with the Shimano Sahara 2500 (SH2500FI). Gonna pair that with Berkley Triline XL Monofilament 10# line. Bought it online because I had a coupon code and it won't be here until March 9th. Hoping it'll be sooner than that though.

Academy has them on clearance by me.

Alright folks I believe I've got it narrowed down to 2 reels and 3 rods. Reels: Shimano Sahara SH3000FE - Last years model $45.08 on clearance (SH2500FE is $59.98) Shimano Sahara SH2500FE - 2017 model. $79.99 The new model is lighter, they removed the reverse lock, and its a 5# more drag (15 vs 20) and added a bearing (4 vs 5). The handle is also a bit bigger and t-shapped. Rods: Shimano Crucial CRS-70MB - $79.98 clearance. Feels pretty similar to the compre however no split grip and it's cork. Shimano Compre CPS68MC - $84.99 clearance St. Croix Bass-X - BXS71MF - $99.99 with a free shirt. This is a new rod I like the split grips a lot, and the bass-x is cork so I think that's the one I'd want the most. Again, top of my price range and it's a new rod so the only place I've found it (locally) is Cabelas. That with a 2017 Sahara is $180 plus line and tax puts me over $200. I may be able to find a coupon or buy online to save tax.

Went to Cabelas on my lunch and was unimpressed. Abu Garcia Vertias didn't impress me much. Not a horrible but rather have the Phenix Maxim for $20 more. I couldn't find a shimanno rod to save my life, went up and down each isle twice. I know they had a few Compre when I was there a few weeks ago. They had a ton of the St. Croix Bass-X which I believe is a new rod and I liked it a lot. Top of my price range though. Tried out the Triump as well and wasn't very impressed. The handle felt cheap to me. Bass-X was a bunch nicer for not much more money IMO. Right now I'm between these models I believe: Shimano Clarus Shimano Compre Phenix Maxim St. Croix Bass-X They are all in the $89-109 range. Any recommendations in the $59-79 range? Would like to get a better deal if possible. Also, Cabelas only had the old model of Sahara and wanted $79 or $89 for it so that was pretty disappointing as well. Bass Pro or Dicks trip in my future I suppose.

I actually looked at the Saraha when I bought my Pflueger 4 years ago and loved it I just couldn't beat the 59-79 deal they had running on the President at the time. Good catch on the Crankin stick, I actually just saw that on the weekly add that came in the mail and hadn't looked at it in person yet. Compre seems to be a heck of a rod I'm just bummed it doesn't come in cork and the comments about it being top heavy but I guess we'll see when I put a reel on it. It's also at the tip of my price point. I'm located in Lenexa, usually fish smaller lakes around Joco but planning on hitting the bigger lakes (Hillsdale, Smithville, etc.) this year now that I'm starting to get comfortable with my boat I bought last spring. I'm also planning on trying to do a Beaver Lake or Table Rock/LOZ trip this summer. Also, thoughts on the St. Croix Triumph? I'm hoping to go look at that one tomorrow. A little cheaper than the Bass-X

Hey all, Got a boat last year so I want to pick up another rod/reel to have as a backup and loan out to any friends/family that may come out on my boat. My current rod/reel setup is a Pflueger President spinner combo. President 7' MF 1 piece rod. I plan on using the Pflueger with my new rod/reel as well but the new one will be my primary rod/reel. I fish freshwater lakes in the Kansas City area. I will be fishing from a TX-17 Bass Tracker, Ascend FS10 Kayak as well as off the shore. I typically fish for largemouth bass and crappie. A little bit of river fishing as well. I'd like to get into Walleye fishing at some point but Bass is what I like/want to catch. I've been looking at rods and reels and like the Shimano Saraha. I see they have a new model out for 2017. Here's a few rods I've been looking at. I like the split cork handles btw. Bass Pro Crankin’ Stick - $59 - Don't know much about this one but price is pretty good. Abu Garcia Vertias 2.0 - $79 - Seems to be a popular rod. Not sure I can put a Shimano reel on an Abu rod. Shimano Clarus - $79 - Like this one but seems like it may be over priced? Shimano Compre $89 - Held this one at my local shop and really liked it. Lots of people say they are top-heavy. Wish it had a split cork grip. St. Croix Bass-X $99 - This looks to be a very nice rod but at the very top of my price range. Phenix Maxim $99 - Liked this one a lot as well. Again at the top of my price range. I'm leaning towards a 6'6"-7' MF for rod type. 6-8' Probably looking at 6-8# Monofilament line.