Bulletman20XD

Very easy and cheap to replace one or more guides. Mudhole has everything you need. Last time I took a rod to a local guy to replace 2 guides and to re-glue the front part of the reel seat cost me $65! I paid $130 for the rod new (Allstar's warranty sucks)! One of the guides came loose the first time I used it. So, I ordered what I needed and learned by trial and error (YouTube videos are very helpful) to do it myself. I am currently in the process of replacing most of my rods with Lews. All that have them know the hook holder is a hole in the bottom of the trigger. Although some may find it handy I hate it, so I install a hook holder on all my Lews rods. They are installed to exact same way you would install a guide. I love to tinker so it's a good way to spend my spare time.

You need to know and learn the "Three Cs" of competitive fishing! Many find it hard to split time between our sport and that of family issues, current careers and commitments. The most successful you'll find are those that have family that share their love for the sport and stand behind what you are doing or are simply single. Look at competitive fishing from the top levels down. Do you think any of them are successful if they miss a tourney or don't use every minute of practice time available to them? I was a Marshal for the Elites on Lake Dardanelle earlier this year. On day 3 I was with Jesse Wiggins. He is a very young man (and polite as you'll find) with a promising future. I had met his mom and girlfriend before takeoff that morning and later ask him about him getting married. He said he had told himself he would not get married until he had established himself more (wow he's already fishing the top professional series in the world and he's not established already???). He had told me the story of his brother who was also a good fisherman but he had already gotten married and simply couldn't find the time to pursue a professional career. Some pros have businesses outside the sport and have commitments which take away from the time they have. These guys are the pros that rarely rank in the top 50 or so of any given tourney. One of the top elite pros told me this earlier this year. "Competitive fishing is 90% finding fish and 10% catching them." I've been fishing tourneys since 1991 so I already knew this. I also almost lost my wife to fishing in my early days because of the time I spent on the water vs. the time I spent with her and our new baby (whos 26 now). I had aspirations of going pro and was well on my way but the fact it would cost me my family changed that rather quickly. I did not want to loose my family and being 10 years into my military career, I couldn't see wasting those tens years for something that had so many uncertainties! Ever since then, I only fish club tourneys and an occasional open or Big Bass tourney. My success in any of those is directly related to time on the water, being consistent, and not missing a single event throughout the year. No matter if you are a pro, fish clubs or trails and they use a weight or points system, missing a single tourney can mean the difference in being AOY and and a 10/20th place finish for the year. So what are the three Cs? Commitment, Confidence and Consistency!

Nothing is better at building confidence! Confidence in your bait, your ability to find and catch fish. This goes a long way toward winning tourneys.

Don't want to be the spoiler here but due to liability issues most clubs/tourney trails will require you to be 18 years old. Some will allow you at 16 or less but may require an adult to be with you or have a parent or guardian sign a waiver. Also many tourneys will have rules against fishing from a canoe again due to liability issues. Most have mentioned joining a local bass club which is great advice. These days there are loads of kayak clubs that may allow a canoe, but again may not allow you to fish alone until a certain age.

My first was a club tourney on Belton lake (Phantom Bass Club Killeen TX.). It was a cold, rainy day in mid December, I only caught 2 fish all day but both being over 5 lbs. it was enough for second place. Incidentally, this was also Keith Combs first club. His neighbor (Dave Hogue) had got him started and he was hooked. The following year Dave Hogue was AOY and I was second to him by 1 point. We were a Honey Hole affiliated club which the top 2 in each club qualified for the state Best of the Best tourney on Lake Limestone where I ended up 4th. Keith fished the club for the next couple of years. Fished lots of local opens and up and up and up. If you have not followed his career as I have most would not know he has won AOY in every club, and circuit he has fished with the exception of the Elites where he was 2nd to G-Man last year (neither of which are doing very well this year). I'm very proud of him for sticking with it and doing what he loves.

Basscat as well as all other bass boats offer locking storage boxes. Basscats alarms operates like most car alarms. You open a box and a light goes off activating the alarm.

Sorry, what I should have said is that most shops will not attempt to do so because of the risk of another catastrophic failure. Imagine a large chunk or an entire blade flying off at 6000 RPM!

I volunteered as a Judge for the TTBC on Rayburn back in May (TTBC is free). It was an experience for sure. However, because the launch site was actually nearly an hour away, they required us to assemble WAY too early to pick up scales, lunch etc.. then ride the bus to the lake. The blast off time was 7 a.m. but we were at the lake by about 5:00-5:15. THEN, wanted all 109 of us down on a large dock to be picked up by our pro one at a time. Most of the pros complained they were losing precious morning bite time (which they were) On day two many Judges and pros had figured out to make arrangements to meet at the ramp and help launch just as it is done at all the other tourneys. That saved a bunch of time. I drew Boyd Duckett on day 1 and had an absolute blast. I had ate dinner with him the night before at the social so we were already associated with each other. While on the water I had asked questions and he was all to eager to answer, sometimes rather bluntly! LOL The water was rough both days I volunteered (3-5 foot rollers) which was the worst part because of my bad back. These guys will not let up for nothing. So if you end up in the program be prepared! Boyd and I only ran about 5 miles south then 5 miles back all day. Day 2 I was with James Neggemeyer., We ran south about 3 miles for a while then ALL the way north up into the river. I have been chasing these little green fish all my life and near 30 years as a boater and have never been beat up so bad. You'll not find a nicer guy than James. Hes a big family man that preys prior to each days launch. I had bowed out for the next 2 days because I had a tourney of my own to fish but a few friends from San Antonio were there and were selected for day 3. The TTBC having a different format than all the other Elite tourneys is an experience. Some pros like it others hate it. Trip Weldon told us all to expect more tourneys to have this format. Judging and Marshaling are a little different. As a Judge you observe for rules violations and actually weigh the fish, and report it to Basstraks, and document each catch. You accompany the pro all the way to the electronic weigh in for verification. Whereas, a Marshal sits in the boat all day doing nothing but observing and making sure the pro does not violate any rules. When you get to the weigh in site you part ways--IT'S BORING, at least for me it is. If you are selected or volunteer for a tourney keep in mind you have ZERO say as to whom your with. The pros are just like you and I. They have good days and bad, some will talk your ear off and others will rarely say a word and a few act less than professional at times (some more so than others-- NJ must be a bad state LOL). It is something all bass anglers should experience at least once. For novice anglers it is a chance to learn from the pros lots of stuff in a short period of time. Advanced anglers will find it boring because for the most part the pros do nothing different than you may be already. Keep in mind you cannot assist the pro catch fish in any way shape or form. Some of them take this to the extreme and basically ask you to say nothing concerning fishing. You can ask questions but cannot tell them things that could help them on that or any lake on the schedule.

I drew Jesse for day 3 on Dardanelle back in June. He's a very nice young man (called me sir). He's very driven and wants to compete well every day. I expect him to do even better in to coming years!

I have not but a know several who have. Check out Southwest City Bass Clubs FB page (My old Bass Club in LR). Any of those guys would be glad to help with info. Some of the best guys I have ever fished with!

Over time, do the rattles start to crack the epoxy and paint trying to work themselves out with the side to side action of the bait?? I'm just asking because I am interested in finding someone who makes a quality wooden squarebill. I like the deep thud a ball in a wooden crank makes. All the ones I had from years ago are all broken and useless. I've seen a few made in that manner do just as I described.

$5K is not going to get you much of a boat that may as you say make you fall into a money trap. As already mentioned a used tin boat for $5K will get you a decent boat.

You mentioned that your motor charges the start battery. Unless you run for several hours each time out, your battery is not being fully charged. Not sure if you run electronics, live well pumps all day, etc.. but if so, its just a matter of time until you end up stranded. Where are you fishing--Lake Ashbaugh, Lake Charles or one of the many rivers in NE Arkansas (Black, Eleven Point, Spring, St. Francis)??? Some chargers charge differently than others and can harm your batteries if you hook it up that way. That being said, I owned a 3 bank 5 AMPs per bank XPS charger that had a bank go out while under warranty. BP did replace it with an identical charger that also quit while under warranty. I tired to take it back and get a refund, but all they wanted to do was replace that one. I broke down and spent nearly $300 on a NOCO Gen 3 charger which has 10 AMPs per bank. It has all kinds of sensors to avoid over charging that will damage your batteries. When a battery is fully charged, it will automatically switch that load to another lead which will charge that battery faster. If for some reason the leads get crossed or the battery has an internal short, it will shut down that bank. When battery is fully charged it goes into a maintenance mode to keep the batteries charged. Some boat manufacturers are now putting in NOCOs as standard equipment. I've had mine for 4 years now without a single problem. AND I just replaced one of my TM batteries a month ago. When I pulled it out I discovered that April 2013 was the purchase date. I have used the same battery brand for many years but have never had one to last more than 2-2 1/2 years. I attribute this to the NOCO charger. It may be a little more expensive than some, and by no means a top of the line charger. If it is making my batteries last twice as long, over the course of 4-5 years, it actually pays for itself.

As Tom said, a SS prop can be fixed, but repairs are limited to straightening, and welding of a crack, polishing and rebalancing. A chunk of a blade or the entire blade is missing cannot be repaired.

After near 30 years of boating I had never used a gravel ramp until last month on Falcon. The lake is so low the county ramp 30 miles north of the dam is the only ramp that is still under water. I had planned to fish the dam area and refused to make the 60 mile round trip from the county ramp. I had asked around the night before and learned that you could still launch from the state park but had to go out off the point and launch from the gravel marked by a large chunk of concrete. The guys that told me this had launched there that day with a heavy Nitro and a half ton 2-wheel drive Suburban. Having a light boat and a 3/4 ton 4 wheel drive I thought it would be no problem. Getting in was no problem, the getting the empty trailer out required 4 wheel drive to be locked in. I discovered I had launched on the wrong side of the concrete block, and there was a solid rock dropoff. My trailer's rear wheels had dropped off and the rock was acting as a large chock block. Luckily no damage was caused to my trailer. Point being if you have to launch this way under low water conditions there is no way of truly knowing what the condition of a gravel ramp will be unless you can get into the water and check it out beforehand. Waves caused by boat wakes and/or wind can change a gravel ramp in a single day.

You can find "locking" products online from Bass Pro to Cabelas to TH Marine. If you're buying a new boat soon, Basscat has a factory built in alarm system. Only one I know of that puts them in at the factory. Keep in mind that nothing is safe and if a thief wants in your boat he's going to get in. Many have said already to remove the electronics, and rods at night when traveling, but this is still not 100%. In December 1999, a week after I sold my 2nd Bullet, I had removed all my tackle, rods, reels etc.. and put them in my house. I came home to find all that stuff, along with all my guns, bow, jewelry, cash etc.. had been stolen (Never recovered) in broad daylight. Over $12K worth of stuff was stolen, insurance paid me less than $5K. The boat I had before that one was broken into when I lived in Hopkinsville, KY. All they got was my batteries and tried to get the prop but couldn't get it all the way off. A friend in Killeen, TX, always removed his tackle, and rods and put them in his garage. He also came home from work to find he had been robbed in broad daylight in a busy sub-division. Another friend in Killeen had all his rods taken off his boat while he was weighing in his fish at a tourney. Nothing is 100% safe--- I hate a thief!!

Bond--James Bond!!

Legend also built a Bullet knock-off in their early days. Friend of mine in San Antonio just recently sold his. Terry Oldham of Oldham Jigs bought the blown motor off of it.

With a boat and load of that size on windy lakes you'll want 100 pounds or more of thrust with a 52+ inch shaft. Of course with increased thrust the price increases with it. I think 112 lbs is as high as they currently make. Installing a TM is very simple until it gets to the wiring. Depending on the boat, upgrading to a 24 volt system will require some rewiring.

To lend credence to this post, after retiring from the Army, I owned a trucking company for 3 years. Then was a commercial vehicle inspector (DOT Safety Investigator) for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration for 7 years and have been working as a Transportation and Oilfield safety professional for the last 6 years. Boat trailers used for personal use are not regulated by the DOT but rather by state laws. Having additional/auxiliary lights may or may not be illegal depending on the state. Very easy to check in most states because their transportation laws are on the internet. Most states as well as commercial regulations lighting requirements are based on truck or trailer length and width. Rule of thumb is as already mentioned amber in front (based on length) amber mid way, red in the rear. Additional or auxiliary lights may or may not be allowed. The only state I have heard that has a problem with the LED lights under a trailer has been Louisanna. But this is also the same state that says air bags on a privately owned vehicle must be accompanied by coil or leaf springs. LA was also citing truck drivers for not carrying a copy of their DOT physical long Form (None of their business) instead of their DOT physical card that was ONLY required by regulation at that time. I could go on and on about silly crap DOT officers make up.

Bass Pro has a set about $20 cheaper than the Boat Buckle brand. I have "Heard" that they will not last as long as the Boat Buckles but do work great as well just not as long. That being said, if your only on the water a few times a year the Bass Pro brand will work, but for $20 more they should last a lifetime if they are taken care of. I personally have had my Boat Buckle brand for many years and they have worked flawlessly.

The 150 XR6 on the Ranger will drink more gas than the 200 Optipop on the Triton will unless you keep your foot in it all the time. Both motors will drink more gas than your current rig simply because of the weight and HP of them but I would not think it would be a considerable difference. Your Explorer will drink more when hauling them around again because of the weight of the boats. BUT how far to you haul your boat now? Do you expect a cross-country trip or are the places you fish close-by? Are the lakes you fish very big or do you expect to spend more time motoring than you currently do just because you have a bigger boat? I personally would only worry about the tow vehicle. Unless your Explorer is old and on its last leg, it will pull either of those boats just fine. When looking for a used boat, after finding a few in your price range of what your looking for, hours on the motor should be your next concern. After that having the motor and boat checked out at a reputable shop. Pumps and other electrical items are easy and relatively cheap to replace if needed but one or more cylinders down on compression are deal breakers. Newer EFI motors can be checked at the shop and give you not only hours but at what RPMs the hours were accumulated. Most bass boats will show the greatest number of hours at low RPMs. The info on both the boats you are interested from Craigslist are pretty weak but I guarantee you'd be more happy in the 20 footer. BUT not if the motor has 500-600 hours on it! A few things caught my eye with both boats. Ranger--From the 2 pictures it looks as though it has had little use and/or was taken care of very well, also could mean low hours on the motor--outdated electronics. But this could also simply be that both pictures were taken at a distance on purpose to keep someone from seeing it up close. No pictures of the interior. Could have worn out carpet and torn seats. The Triton has about $5000+ worth of goodies added (Electronics and Powerpole) but how old are they? Brand new trailer is a plus. Here lies the problem with the Triton. How old are the electronics and powerpole and what are they worth now? It has a new $3000+- trailer! That is a plus for the rig as a whole but it takes away from what the owner has placed in sale value of the boat! I hope you can see buying a used boat is risky business--You really need to research anything your interested in thoroughly before buying. Don't make a big mistake buying one on impulse, it could cost you thousands in the long run!!

New side/down imaging, no real need to comment on it everyone that has them knows how this helps. My Old Hound Dog lure retriever that I have had for at least 25 years. There is no telling how many times it had paid for itself. New "cooling" shirt technology. Living as far south as I do, some summer days would simply be unbearable without them! I fished Falcon a month ago in 105 degrees and stayed cool all day!

Most all have mentioned a weightless worm---but try this little trick. A white weightless T-Rigged Zoom trick worm with a 4.0 or 5.0 EWG hook and skin hook it. Use some ""Red"" Spike It and dip about an inch of the tail and a few short streaks up and around all sides. I call it the "Bloody Kotex". LOL Try fishing it with short snaps of the rod, like you would with a jerkbait. Try fast and slow, let the fish tell you what action works best. This is one of my go-to baits for clear/mostly clear water over grass.

Not necessarily--Because of the ripples/waves the wind creates it makes it harder for the fish to detect and to home in on the bait itself. The rougher it gets, the more action a bait may require. I once found a school of fish schooling in 30 feet of water with 2-3 foot rollers. I used a 3 inch popper and caught the **it out of them for about a half hour. The Whopper Plopper has become my new go-to topwater bait. I have all 3 sizes but the larger 130 size is my favorite. Like most larger baits it attracts larger fish. And they will smack the fire out of it making it a blast to fish!