AKMully

I'll give it a whirl this weekend. Thanks for the tip both of you!

I believe the dealership installed it so it's using the transducer on the trolling motor. I'm not 100% since this is all pretty foreign to me but I do know it is networked to the TM for the iPilot link and there is a GPS receiver mounted on the deck by the console. I'll take a look this weekend and see if I can find another transducer somewhere near the transom.

@eyesnskis So I went into the settings you described and found the issue, it was exactly what you mentioned. For some reason I only had the one side enabled. I do however appear to have another issue which I'm going to have to look into which is the L side view does not seem to be working correctly. If I'm trolling a bank the right side gives me a good view but if I travel the other way it doesn't seem to give me the same level of clarity from the left side of the same area. Not sure what that could be but at least I've got the R side view and the different screens all working properly now. Thank you again for your help.

I think this may be more what I need to do. When I get to the lake this weekend I will give this a shot and see if that setting was changed when I was initially trying to set it up. THanks!

So I'm new to fancy sonar units and this is my first season with the Humminbird Helix. I'm not sure offhand the exact model but its a 9" G2N with DI and SI that networks with my Ultrex trolling motor. The issue I'm having is the SI display is showing a split screen top and bottom half with the left and right side views and when I do the combo view with sonar and SI, it only gives me the sonar and the right side view. It seems to work fine when I use sonar and DI though. I have seen these SI displays show a line down the middle of the screen vertically and both views on their respective sides of the screen but I cannot get mine to do that in either just the SI display or the combo views. I looked in the manual but I didn't see how to change this setting. Could anyone help me out with what I need to do to get this corrected so I can start using this view more often?

Thanks guys. After looking at both I think I may have some sort of a combination of both brands. I didn't see any deep waterproof Plano's similar to the deep 3700 that BM offers or anything waterproof for blade style baits like the Blade Coffin. What would you guys recommend for a waterproof terminal box if you wouldn't spend the cash for the Terminal Coffin? I've tried smaller like 3600 style boxes but my hooks always get jumbled up since the dividers don't go all the way to the top.

I recently decided to start upgrading some of my 3700 style trays to waterproof ones and want some opinions from the more experienced guys on here about these two styles of waterproof tackle trays. In my opinion the latches seem nicer on the Plano boxes and they are much cheaper pricewise but I've always thought you get what you pay for in most things so I didn't know if the Bass Mafia coffins are worth the extra cash. I do think I will look into some of the specialized Bass Mafia storage like the Blade Coffin and maybe the Terminal one as well. What do you guys think? Is the price jump worth it or are the less expensive Plano boxes pretty much as good as the standard BM Coffins?

I recently purchased a Coho cooler from Costco. Very similar design to the Yeti soft sided coolers and from what I have read mine works as well as any of them. I can spend 6-8 hours out with drinks on ice and when I get ready to empty it it's like none of the ice has even begun to melt. I will vouch for the Yeti can coozie though. Those things are worth their weight in gold. They keep a can of beer ice cold for longer than anything I've ever seen before.

Thanks for this insight. I think that trial and error is what a lot of this summer and the ones to come will consist of. At least enough so that when this season is over I can retool for next year with a better idea of where to start from.

I totally understand what you are saying however when I purchased these casters I got them on sale at various times and kind of figured that it was a safe place to start and could cover some of the other options with these like the cranks and whatnot in addition to the heavier stuff. Plus my intent was to maybe use one for like texas rigs or something and the other one or two for jigs or the like so I don't have to keep retying and cutting my leader line on them if I run braid. I would probably prefer braid on the casters as I'm still not the greatest at avoiding birdsnests and don't want to ruin a ton of FC line with that issue. As for the spinning rods, no real preference there just whatever would give me the ability to cover the most bases without having to respool something different. This chart is pretty awesome though, I have always wondered which line I should be using based on what lures I want to tie on. It's a little easier to figure out the rod/reel for certain baits but I've never completely understood the philosophy behind line choices.

Hey guys looking for some pointers to set up my arsenal for most utility and to cover the best options to try and get fish in the boat on my home lake. I'm looking for line and lure type or technique recommendations for the following rigs: Abu Garcia Revo SX baitcaster combo, 7' MH/Fast 7.3:1 Lew's Mach II Speed Spool baitcast combo, 7' MH/Fast, 7.5:1 Lew's Mach Crush baitcast combo, 7' MH/Fast, 7.5:1 Lew's Custom Black spinning combo, 7' M/Fast (Not sure ratio on this one offhand) Daiwa Samurai spinning combo, 7' MH, 5.3:1 Daiwa Lady Samurai spinning combo, 6' ML, 5.3:1 I have a couple of ultralight setups too but I typically reserve those for panfish rigs and don't use them for bass. Any help/advice is greatly appreciated, I've been having a slow start this year with the terrible weather here in IN coupled with my lack of experience.

Thanks guys, these will give me a couple of things to look for this weekend when we trek to Cabela's. There isn't a ton otherwise close to us so I'm hoping to find a good rig there.

I've been looking for a decent 7' or so light or ultra light rod to fish panfish as well as smaller bass around my home lake. I don't want to spend a ton on the setup and am looking for something I can find in store at Cabela's (I hate ordering online and shipping). One option I've been looking at is the 7'6" BPS Micro Lite Ultra Light rod. It's very inexpensive ($19.99) and has great reviews on their website. Are there any other options you guys might suggest? Also what would be a good reel to pair with one? I'd like to keep the total for both under $100 if possible but definitely no more than $150.

No, honestly I hadn't even considered that. I already have a ton of them laying around anyways maybe I'll give that a whirl first. Thanks for the great suggestion!

Perfect, thanks for the info guys. I'll probably go the same route with the Rubbermaid/Tupperware type container. And you're right trees, it's the same as when I'm eating while wearing a white shirt. As soon as I think about being careful to not get something on my shirt I immediately drop barbecue or ketchup or something right on my shirt. I'm not too much worried about spilling it while using it on accident though, mostly like you said just leakage when it's in storage.

I'm looking for some sort of storage container that will hold 4 or so dye or scent bottles. I have considered just using a Tupperware or a freezer baggie but I'm concerned about the intense garlic smell as well as spillage and want something that will keep the smell in my boat storage to a minimum. Just curious what some of you guys are using that works well to keep the scent down and prevent any spillage on your carpets. Most of what I have is in the small bottles that are about the size of a large pill bottle.

This is a somewhat rudimentary version of the checklist but I created one based on the suggestions of @Way2slow. This will be laminated and under my seat with the rest of my boat documents for quick reference. Hopefully some of you guys find this useful as well. Boat Checklist.xlsx

That's a great list, thank you! I will be converting this into an excel sheet that I can keep on the boat for reference when I need it.

No joke, I'm kind of OCD so I can only imagine I'll be checking that stupid plug all the time because I just can't help myself ?

Awesome, thanks for the info guys. I'll be doing the hose test this weekend to see what I'm working with. Unfortunately for me we are only at the lake on the weekends or vacations so I won't be able to easily check on the boat every day.

Okay so follow up dumb question. It does have a switch on the console but I'm unsure if the bilge pump is automatic. It's a 2007 Bass Tracker PT175TXW. Is there a way to test this short of dumping some water in the bilge or does anyone know if an automatic pump is standard for this model? The place I bought it the guy said he thought it would be but didn't seem to confident in that assessment.

I just recently purchased my first bass boat and I was wondering if it is safe to leave in the water at my pier for a week or two at a time. I plan to take the sonar unit inside and lock it up and cover it while it is docked but at our lake place I planned to just leave it in the water during the week when we are not there and I don't need to charge the batteries. Is there any danger in this or should I be good to leave it docked when we are not at the lake?

I saw the tire condition when I went down to check it out but I figured I could buy the wheels and tires cheaper than they would sell them to me for. Plus I had them rebuild the carbs and put a new battery in so I figured anything else would end up jacking up the price more that I wanted to. You are dead on though about the spare wheels, my intent is to install the new ones before I bring it home and mount two new tires on the old rims for spares. My original question still stands though, does anyone know the bolt spacing? I know it is 5 lug but am unsure if it's 4.5" spacing or different.

No, that is helpful thank you. We have a couple of tractor supply stores here in town as well as a Rural King. I hadn't thought to check there yet but I can see what they have. I would prefer to find something like that that I can see before I buy since you never know what you are getting when you look online.

Hey guys I was hoping someone could help me out with some information regarding wheels and tires for a Tracker trailer. I recently purchased a 2007 Pro Team 175TXW on the stock trailer and am looking to buy new wheels and tires. I have not picked the boat up from the dealer yet, they are holding it until the weather finally breaks (if that ever happens!) so I can bring it home. My question is does anyone know what the bolt pattern is for that trailer? Everything I've found online points to 5 on 4.5" but nothing that specifically mentions this model of boat or trailer. Also is there a particular place online that you would recommend for purchasing wheels and tires that is a decent price and good service? A follow up question is there is no spare carrier currently on the trailer and I am looking to add one to it, do you have any particular models that you would recommend that are good quality and safe but still bolt on style?