Jig Man

If ride is your priority then buy the Ranger.

I am currently running a Nitro Z20 with a 250 Mercury Verado. If I had do overs I be running a Phoenix or a Bass Cat. Take time to research the available electronics. Many companies have gps/sonar units which work with specific trolling motors. It is amazing to see all of the functions that are possible when they are matched up. Spot lock and spot lock jog are super cool and extremely valuable to me. Shallow water anchors are a good option if you are an extremely shallow water guy. I had them but they were not a good choice for me. They also work best when paired with specific trolling motors and sonar/gps. The best advice I can give you is take your time, research boats, trolling motors and electronics. And take test drives because you are going to be spending thousands of dollars and it is best to get exactly what you want first time with no regrets.

I always have at least 1 tied on when the water is above 50°. I have 2 setups with them in the boat now. They are going to get used today. I don’t mess with itty bitty ones. 99% of the time I use 1/2 oz with a trailer.

Have you tried an Auto Parts Supply store like Auto Zone or O’Reillys?

I just put them together and do a double wrap granny knot then cover it with some black tape. I have been doing this method for many years with no problems.

I leave top water baits at home in the winter and jerk baits home in the summer. For all of the rest, I carry as much as I can stuff in the boat.

I fish a lot of clear highland reservoirs. They are rocky so there are lots of hang ups with bottom baits. I tried the braid with leader for a couple of years and got tired of retying leaders in the wind. One trip I got beat like a read headed step child by a guy in the back of my boat using fluorocarbon line while I was using mono. After 2 trips of that I bought some fluorocarbon. I now run it on most of my setups. I use 10# and under on spinning set ups.

I fish a lot of hair jigs that I make. I use a lot of colors depending on the time of year and water conditions. I swim twitch mine most of the time. I rarely let them come into contact with the bottom.

I use Curado 5-1. They also make a good Arig reel. I bought them on facebook Shimano Buy Sell Trade.

On that cattle thing, cattle lie down when there bellies are full. They have 4 stomachs they have to chew their cud. Cattle start eating before dawn. Well fed cattle will graze for a few hours then lie down. By 9:00 or so they should be getting full and go lie down. In 4-6 hours they have digested their food and are up and grazing again. That is an every day event no matter the weather.

I’m in the other camp here. I don’t use anything except 7 and faster. I can always slow my cranking speed down to match the retrieve that I want.

Colorado.. copper, silver, white, chartreuse sizes 3,4,5 Willow...silver, gold sizes 3,4,41/2 Barlows

When I sold my last boat, it had 4 year old blue tops going strong. My boat has 3 1/2 year old blue tops in it now.

Spray the line with a treatment and it will quieten down.

You can get a y plug cord and hook two together or get a 4 bank charger. I have had good luck with Optima blue top.

Your current cranking battery is very minimal. Instead of putting in 2 more batteries, if it were me, I would get a good dual purpose battery and give it a try. Your Helix units shouldn’t draw enough juice to give you problems with a good cranker. Look for a battery with lots of reserve capacity (200+) should do the trick. Then if you have to you could add a house battery later but I doubt you will need it.

When that happens to me I have usually forgotten the spacer, a bead or put the blade on backwards.

I had them put on my boat when I bought it new. I didn’t use them very often because I don’t normally fish that shallow. Once I got a trolling motor with spot lock they were useless so I sold them. Now there is more room in the bilge area and I am hauling 84# less around with me.

I have been using bait casters for a very long time. I have an assortment of Shimanos. I just got a Curado DC from my daughter for my birthday. I haven’t fished with it yet but have made a bunch of casts in the yard. It works like a charm going with or into the wind. I plan to make it my windy day spinner bait reel.

We have lots of rocks and wood. A rigs get hung in them a lot so I always throw them on braid. I have tried lots of baits and have caught more fish on flukes than any thing else.

I have not had that rod but have had several Lowriders. They are very good rods.

X2. I have been doing this for 20 years. I can compare weather, lake levels, baits, etc when planning trips.

I had 2 of them and got a crack at both. 1. Bass fishing guide. I did it for 6 years. It was a pretty good gig except most clients had a very low skill level. 2. Be in retail boat sales. I got a job as sales manager at a boat dealership. It should have been great fixing people up with their dream boats or quality preowned units. It turned out to be a nightmare.

I turn mine on before the boat gets launched and turn it off when it is in the parking lot.

I use 3 different fluorocarbon lines on my 70s, 6, 10 and 12 #.