The Baron

Well that’s disappointing. 🙁 We’re still about 5-6 weeks away from any chance to fish, from the looks of our long range forecast.

I’ve thought about this more, and to build on my own opinion… I really think knowledge of where the fish are is the master key. So the biggest cheat code of FFS (yup… I’m going there. lol) is guys with less knowledge can find the biggest fish out in open water, fish that before FFS we wouldn’t have known were there and/or only the old masters would have the hard earned knowledge, confidence and faith to fish for. And the next component of skill to present the bait is also diminished when you can see your bait so steer it right to the fish and see how the fish reacts. Now, guys with FFS still need to have an idea where to look for fish at any given time of year, but they get real time confirmation so the search time can be a lot less and there’s no guessing. Give me and a better fisherman both FFS and I’m still gonna get whooped, but give me a season learning how to use FFS on my local lakes and I’ll bet I can catch bigger fish with a lot more consistency. I’ll learn where they are and how they act, so the knowledge gain would be dramatic. Just my extra .02 cents worth (CDN funds, so nearly worthless. haha).

Boy, lots to chew on here. I feel like catching big bass is about knowing where they live, so knowledge, and of course skill to know how to present the right bait to them at the right time. A little luck never hurt, but I rely mostly on the latter and my results show it. I’m working on the knowledge and skill though. I believe you’re right @Swamp Girl about size in the north. Talking largemouth, anything over 4# here is a very good fish but you can expect a good angler to catch one regularly. Over 5# is a really good one, but likely happens a couple times a year for an experienced angler. Over 6# is a once/season event for a very good fisherman who spends a lot of time on the water but could be a once in a lifetime fish for the average angler. Over 7# is a freak. The blessing for my area is the same weights apply for smallmouth. In fact, 4’s and 5’s are very common on Lake Ontario / the St. Lawrence River, with 6+ not at all uncommon.

Hey, that’s doubles digits. Just say you caught a 12 and leave it at that. 👍🏻

I’m really struggling to decide between Garmin or Humminbird for our brand new 19ft. Lowe boat setup. I want to start with a 9” flush mount in the dash (Echomap UHD2 or an Xplore 9) then will get the compatible trolling motor (Force or probably an Ultrex). No screen at the front for now but saving for a 10-12” there next year, possibly with FFS. I’m really torn which fork in the road to take. We have a local Minn Kota sales/service shop that’s great to deal with, but I’ve got a Garmin UHD on our current boat now and really like it so hesitant to switch to Humminbird. That said, the Humminbird side imaging looks nicer than my Garmin. GPS lock, waypoints and auto pilot routes are big features for me and both seem to have their own very functional versions. Any suggestions one way or the other?

Nice one @Team9nine! 😎 update from Canada: it’s dark and cold 😒

Thanks guys. I’m kinda leaning toward a Garmin Force to sync up with Garmin electronics, but gotta talk to my local guy about it.

Good to know. The boat does have a cutout for the trolling motor foot pedal. Our 165 has a refurbished MK Powerdrive with an add-on GPS/Spotlock kit. No foot pedal, just a remote. It’s been OK and we love Spotlock, but would prefer a foot pedal. So I guess that’s a cable drive version? I’ll be going into my local dealer soon to discuss options. First priority might be pull our Garmin UHD 93sv out of the little Tracker and mount it into the console/dash of the new Lowe. Then a trolling motor with Spotlock. Electronics at the bow might have to wait until our old boat sells.

As the father of two teenagers, I almost understand these comments.

100% the Bass Resource gang gets a say - and I’ll just show my wife the posts to prove I’m only following the great advice. 😊 But yes, my top priority is a trolling motor with Spotlock - I put one on our little 165 and we’ve loved it. For a 24v 80#-ish I’m not sure if that means Terrova or Ultrex or ?? but there’s a local dealer I can work with. Probably at the same time will be a 9”-10” nav/fish finder in the console and a 10”-12” at the bow. Just down/side imaging for now. We’ll see how the bank account is doing after that but I’d like to add a couple of shallow water anchors (likely 10-12ft Talons based on what little research I’ve done so far). For how we like to fish, those upgrades would really make this our dream setup.

Welcome, from Kingston!

Welcome, from eastern Ontario. I just saw online a 10# largemouth was caught in BC - I didn't even know BC had a largemouth fishery!

Well, I did a bunch of research and also found a good unbiased review on YouTube that was very helpful. Also turns out a buddy owns a Lowe Stinger 198 and has been very happy with it. So I made up my mind and bought a boat today - a brand new 2024 Lowe Stinger 195 Bass with a Merc 115 Pro XS at $10k off sticker price on clearance. After shaking on the deal the sales manager told me that with our weak Canadian dollar and threat of tariffs, their purchase costs are going up substantially. He said all prices are going up so I snagged a great deal just in time. The deal was already signed so I don’t think that was a sales pitch. So, we just bought our dream boat. Time to start thinking about add-ons. 😎

I’m still on the hunt for a 19ft-ish aluminum bass boat for the coming season. Does anyone have experience with the Lowe Stinger series? A local dealer has a 2024 Lowe Stinger 195 on clearance, making it an attractive option. I just don’t know much about Lowe boats and internet searching didn’t come up with very much - a few new boat walk through videos, no long term reviews or info on the ride.

Have you tried changing colours? (sorry… colors) 😝

I’m so happy I have no desire to own a $100k boat.

Once Christmas is over and winter really locks in, I pretty much suffer through it. I do a little rabbit hunting for fresh air and fun, go the gym, fight whatever gd cold is going through our house (I’m sick right now) and hopefully just stay busy with work. Watch YouTube videos about fishing, maybe get to the shooting range on a mild day. Thankfully we don’t live in a really cold part of Canada, but winter is usually a damp cold, add some wind and the odd ice storm and it’s miserable. I used to not mind winter when I was young, but now I dream about spending Jan-Feb in Florida (the pre-global warming Florida, not the snowy nonsense that is currently happening). Hopefully I’m able to spend some winter time in the south when I’m retired. 🤞🏻

I don’t wanna give up all the Canadian secrets @Pat Brown but when the fishing really gets slow, or if you’re just in a hurry, you can try a CIL wobbler. 😉🤫

Good to know - thanks!

I'm looking at stepping up to a bigger aluminum bass boat, from our Bass Tracker 165 Pro. A dealer not too far away has a 2019 Lund Renegade 1875 in great shape, with a Merc 115ProXS (that's the max. hp). I'm very tempted, and I can go see what I think about the layout and features but what I can't tell is how do the Lund Renegades last over time. I expect this boat would be it for several years, so I don't want it to turn into a rattle trap or leaker. My primary concern is it's a riveted hull (i.e. not welded), but I'm a small lake/calm seas kinda guy so won't be pounding it in rough water. The only thing that bugs me about our little Bass Tracker is the under seat storage is always damp-wet. I'd hope our next boat has dry storage. So, are there any Lund Renegade owners here? What was your experience and thoughts on the build quality of the Renegade?

I would have to post a picture of my wife to participate in this post, and I doubt that's appropriate. 😬 No hope of catching a 10 up here, but "someday" I'll go south. Heck, if I went south and caught a couple 6's I'd be thrilled!

Man, that's a tough call. I love SMB and LMB. If I was forced to choose, I'd say largemouth just because I like the way we fish for them. And high jumping SMB are a blast, but there's just something about how a big LMB wallows and you see that huge mouth - I think seeing that for the first time got me hooked.

Did @AlabamaSpothunter just call this Canuck a Yankee? 🧐🤔😝🙃

Wow, that’s pretty awesome fishing for anytime of year.😎 We’re in a cold snap here, and it feels like it’ll be forever until I’m fishing again. When I do get fishing again, I sure hope to catch one over 5#. I couldn’t crack that nut last year, several 4’s but the magic 5 never bit. 6’s can happen up here too, but they’re rare. A 7 is a once in a lifetime bass and could happen with a smallmouth just as easily as a largemouth, although my boat’s too wee to spend much time on Lake Ontario where the really big smallies live. It gives my hope to have the little boat ready to unwrap in April and go after some shallow water pike, to get warmed up. Hopeful a warm spring.🤞🏻

Oh, man - I hope you can recovery at least a photo from that card. Don’t let it ruin your memory though! (darn - no pun intended. 😬😝). Good on you for prioritizing the release though. Fish like that deserve such respect. 👍🏻