Jig Man

I have 50 of those nasty metal pins that haven't been used since I bought the Teflon pins from Cadman. I bake with the pin in the jig and take it out after cured while jig is hot. I don't have any chipping around the holes. Bending the pin lets most of the paint break and fall off.

Like all outboards it needs to have the lower unit fluid changed at least yearly and a new impellor at least every 3 years along with spark plugs every now and then.

I've never bought used but have sold a bunch of units both here and other web sites. If I were buying used, I'd look for a site like this one and how many posts the seller has. That should help you determine the reliability of the seller.

Charlie Luna used to have them standard on his Cobra boats back in the late 90s. They were fine but you had to keep them closed or they'd corrode.

OK you are talking about assembling jigs not making them. That is probably the way for you to go. Buy prepoured heads and the accessories and put them together. If you are making them from scratch you'd have to buy the mold $35-50, lead pot $50, skirt material $.50 to .75 per jig, hooks / $ .15 to .50 per jig just to name some of the stuff you'd need.

I booked it out on NADA. Taking into account the age of both boat and motor average retail is $16,100. I wonder why the motor is 2 years older than the boat. Johnny Morris' Tracker Marine is way too big to have to use 2 year old motors on a boat. Very few even put one on a year model older. If I were wanting that boat and willing to buy it I'd offer 14,250.97 and see the counter. Don't even round it off to the nearest dollar. That would give them something to think about, thinking you know more than you actually may, and you a bargaining point to start. Don't feel bad about offering lower than they want. You never know what they really have in it.

Did I miss something? I was wanting to see the mold itself.

X2

No matter what bait I choose I want to fish it parallel to the bluff.

Your link did not work for me. If your mold is metal, heat it up a bit. Warm up your injectors. Reduce your plastisol heat. Inject at a slower rate. One of those or maybe all of those may help you solve your problem. I had to do all of them to get one of my molds to work right. Trial and error added to experience is your best bet.

On the serious side I have asked this question of biologists and have been told without cutting them open they can't tell except before the spawn in the spring.

Depending on where you are located should help you make up your mind about your motor choice. Around here I know at least a half dozen places with good qualified Merc. techs. I know of only one place where they specialize in Yammys and no place where they know squat about any other brand.

Let us know how it goes.

INMO your boat size, lake size, fishing style, wind conditions and time on the water should help you make that decision. My friend and I fish the same water. We both have 20+ foot glass boats. He has always had a 36v and I have always had a 24v. His is the 106 MG and mine is the 82 MG. Neither of us has a problem with power and we both fish windy conditions on Stockton and Table Rock lakes as well as the current on upper Bull Shoals in the early spring. I have been running 82s for 12 years and currently have 3 year old Optimas in mine. They are holding up all day long so far.

Not all brands of boats will give you that option. What boat are you going to buy.

If properly maintained they will go or a long time. My Optimax is almost 13 years old and has given me no problems. It gets a thorough check up yearly by a certified tech and he does what ever is needed to keep it in good shape.

Most of what I do is finesse fishing. I always point the boat into the wind for maximum boat control. I use what ever size weights to allow me to fish the bait the way I want to fish it. I may use anything from a 1/16 head to 1/2 oz on the same bait as the wind dictates. I have an 82 # thrust trolling motor and don't fish with anyone who doesn't have a strong one. In my type of setup boat control is the most important factor that there is. I never drift as I lose all of my boat control and presentation.

I make my own so I don't carry brands.

Kind of sad but true in this day of planned obsolescence in which we live. I jumped over the Gen 2 to the Touch and don't have it mastered yet now Gen III seems to be on the way.

I carry 2 5' Fenwick HMG rods that I use for finesse fishing. They handle grubs and my buck tail jigs very well. I have caught bass to 6.5 # on them. I have Shimano Symmetry 1000 reels mounted on them. There are only 2 kinds of line that I use on these reels; Original P line in 6# test and Power Pro braid in 8/1. I use the braid most of the time but switch spools to mono when it is windy. This has worked for me since I bought the setups in 2001. I don't use them every trip but they never leave the boat.

I wouldn't need a boat if I could hover like a humming bird. Till I figure that out I'll have to keep the boat.

Messing with battery acid is one of the major factors for me moving to AGMs.

If you want it to stay put get the 2" ball.

X2

This will be very interesting to watch. Some of the boat companies that he has bought have disappeared like the Kenner which was beating his Mako. Some of the others have been reduced in quality in my estimation. He has improved the quality of the Nitro in the last few years. It probably will take a few years to see which way he goes.