Johnbt

"I am a firm believer that a fisherman should hold the rod with their dominant hand and reel with their non-dominant hand." I don't feel that way. But I'm righthanded and I've done it that way since lefthanded casting reels became reasonably available and affordable. I wanted a lefthanded casting reel in the '50s, but got by with what I had. Fwiw, my first spinning reels were for saltwater fishing in the early '80s. "I’m left handed but bat and golf as a righty." My father was right handed, but golfed and batted lefty. I write, throw, bowl, and usually bat from the right side, but putt better from the left side. Whatever works is good.

"they all look extremely ugly and ancient?" You probably wouldn't like any of my Conquest rods either. They are simple, functional, and I think quite attractive. They're fishing rods, not fashion statements. __________ You say 1994 like that's really old. That's cute. You're funny.

Quit overloading it and making the top bulge. I'm speaking from experience.

"Izzat like a 64(ish) Galaxy convertible in the background?!!" It's a 1964 Olds Jetstar 88 2-door convertible with a 330ci V8/245 hp. It's big and slow. It was an Olds for poor people.

I took a new 2012 Grizzly 1648, added a hinged deck on the back supported by 2"x2" aluminum angle I cut with an angle grinder, some glued down indoor/outdoor carpet, two screwed down battery boxes for the Maxxum 70. I have a 9.9 for reservoirs, but usually use an Endura Max 55 for all the small lakes we fish. The Endura Max and the fish finder are run off a third battery by the transom. The Polar Kraft in the background is my buddy's antique 1648. All of his homemade decking is framed with aluminum and decked in plywood.

Does Simms even have stores? I've only seen their products in stores.

Never fished one. It's been 40 or 45 years since I got interested in largemouth fishing, so I guess I never will fish a tournamet. The guy who taught me to bass fish for big fish used to fish tournaments and after a few years even he got tired of it. Fishing is relaxing. Tournaments aren't. Ever see a guy in tournament sitting there watching a bald eagle dive for fish? Or watch a great blue heron stalk a fish? Me either. We decided to concentrate on catching big bass and fishing where we wanted and when we wanted.

"Boron rods made in the 70 & 80s were nothing special." Compared to the metal rods I had that were made in the '50s they were great.

"SOLID, COMFORTABLE DECKS Boat decks have to absorb heat, vibrations and sound, retain fasteners, remain firm underfoot and last for the lifetime of the boat. We use ¾-inch 7-ply marine grade plywood, covered by our limited lifetime structural and deck guarantee, because it fulfills these requirements better than aluminum." www.trackerboats.com/quality-manufacturing.html

That's terrible news. It really sucks. My wife is sitting across the room and says to tell you that she is a breast cancer survivor - and it's been 17 years.

I just did a Build Your Own with a 250, power poles, better batteries, better fish finders, jack plate, and some other stuff. Total $69,490

"Honestly, who cares about what's on TW?" Lot's of people I know. You start with their price and then shop for deals, both here and overseas. And honestly? You said, ""their higher end reels are as expensive as Japan Made Shimanos and Daiwas"" And honestly, they aren't. Maybe Japan Tackle or Digitaka will have an ABU prototype that costs more than the higher end Daiwas or Shimanos, but many of them are never sold in the states. If you have some additional pricing info to share, well, go ahead. I'm glad I'm in the know and buy the cheapest things I can from Japan, but I'm always on the lookout for a better supplier. The reel dealers in Japan have been great to deal with.

www.abugarcia.com/products/max-x-baitcast-combo?currency=USD&variant=42039890083979&stkn=846e8546609e&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAqL28BhCrARIsACYJvkdwvB4aFts6EH8EA5rF8HsehDWSbUMY6mGdeujaSA7WsjILfxf1PaYaAkE_EALw_wcB Max X Baitcast Combo, 7' MH Right $54.99 $89.99 The banner on the home page says free shipping on orders over $50 and to see details.

"their higher end reels are as expensive as Japan Made Shimanos and Daiwas" I just looked at some casting reels on the TW site. ABU has a $550, but Daiwas run up to $750 and Shimanos up to $600. It's all play money past about $250 or $300. Play, as in it's a hobby and I'm blowing my play money budget on it (if I actually limited myself to a budget.) I could be down at the bowling alley every week spending $75 on three games, shoes, a burger and a pitcher of beer, but I don't. Or maybe it would be $100 these days from what my wife spends to take our 2 little grandsons bowling once a month. I bought 3 ABU Premiers in 2012 and they are still fine reels. Meanwhile I have purchased more Daiwa Steez than Shimano Metanium and certainly prefer the Steez variations more than the Metaniums even with the brass gears I added.

Even no wake or 5 mph is dangerous. If you hit a submerged stump or a large diameter submerged standing tree at 4.5 mph while sitting in a bass boat seat on my 1648 and you're coming out of the seat and landing somewhere in the boat or the water. If you have both feet back under the seat you'll probably end up on your face on the floor. One time with both motors running at 2/3rds and the boat at 4.5 mph we hit a submerged sandbar in a reservoir. Luckily it wasn't a stump, but we stopped in about 2.5 feet. We both ended up landing on our butts sorta of hanging over the gunnel. The Maxxum prop and motor bent all the way back under the boat and took some paint off the hull. It cracked the bottom of the upper housing, which I replaced, and I had the local MK repair shop replace the armature assembly. They had one in stock and did the job the next day. No harm to the prop or the shaft and I'm still using the repaired motor. I learned a lesson that day. Slow down.