JohnCal

Thanks everyone, great advice

Thanks!

Wow, great advice fellas! Learn so much from this site. Will put all your advice into action!

I had a huge, by my standards, on my line last night. Still new to striper fishing but have been successful in past but this one was twice the size. I know I should have reduced the drag but didn’t. Anyways, the fish fought hard and eventually took a run under the boat. How do you guys handle this run under the boat. Line was so tight I didn’t feel I could walk to other side and bring line around. If I released line I feel I would have lost him for sure.. stilllearning, any advice appreciated!

Thanks everyone , great info as usual!

thanks everyone, will start my search for a rubberized net!

Should I add fuel stabilizer with every fill up? Do I need to measure it or can I use the whole bottle? There are so many on the market, some say for storage, some for cleaning, etc, not sure which one to use ? Thansk

I just got started into striper fishing and am looking for a good net. I’m on a lake and have quickly realized my old nylon net can be dangerous when trying to remove the fish and treble hooks. The hooks seem to dig into the nylon everywhere. Does everyone use a net for strippers when fishing out of bass boat or just lip them. What might be a good rubberized mid price net I could buy? Thanks!

Thanks everyone. I guess I will need to replace the pressure treated wood and while at it, adjust the bunks. I guess I’ll try an impact driver to loosen the bolts with the advice offered here. I’m still wondering why the carpet won’t protect the aluminum. Maybe I’ll call my dealer and inquire for advice. I wonder why we don’t hear and see examples of boats with aluminum damage from this, especially from people like me who may have never heard of this.

Got it done today. Put wood around it to one board they had on the back. Worked perfect after a few drops in the water?. thanks for your response.

I have steel pickings instead of wood for my boat dock lift for my bass boat. Any ideas on how to protect my boat should I hit the piling. I see lots of thoughts on wood piling but nothing for steel. And keep in mind you can put anything down from the top (like PVC) since it is part of dock structure. Any help is appreciated.

Thanks everyone. I’m attempted to loosen the brackets and move to the same distance as the trailer. My lift bunks are 28 inches and my trailer is 32 inches. I was going to move each side out two inches. However many nuts were nearly impossible to loosen and I had to give it up. I tried an impact drill with no luck. I suppose I could pay someone but I guess I’m just going to leave it as for now and try to stop being OCD on this thing. Although now I did read about the wood (even when behind carpet) affecting the aluminum of my boat.. one more thing to research and stress over. ?

Thanks everyone!

I just bought a new Tracker 190 and put it in my boat lift. The bunks are hitting one of the strakes which concerns me. I went and measured the trailer and those bunks are about 5 inches wider. So I was thinking of matching the distance on the lift bunks. The bunks aren’t angled like the trailer however. I really don’t want to change the bunks to angles. Will it hurt to have flat bunks against the boat in the same place where the trailer bunks normally hit? Any guidance is appreciated. Nervous new bass boat owner.

I think they ordered the universal transducer and no I pilot link. With this is there any advantage to staying with Humminbird fish finders? I’m also thinking about mega 360, or like alternative. That is its own transducer hooked to motor, correct?

So if I want down scan on the front, I should make sure the transducer is the Humminbird one?

I just bought a bass boat and need to decide quickly what type of fishfinder to put on the bow. I have an Ultrex 80. The dealer advised me that it has its own transducer on the trolling motor. Should I use this transducer or install one that comes with fishfinder? As of right now I have a Lorene hook shot reveal with split shot going on the hull. Should I get something different. I can’t afford live scan but do want the best other options for the front scope. I still have time to change my mind but need to tell them today. I read that you should get a humminbird if you have an Ultrex? Also, I have a 5 inch humminbird helix on the helm and think I should upgrade to a 7 or 9 inch. Any recommendations on make and models? Sorry, new boat owner and trying to make smart decisions. Any help is appreciated.

Thanks Sam!

Thanks everyone, great tips!

I’m really have a hard time of fishing in grass at nearby lakes. My favorite bait is the shakey head and every cast returns with grass/slim on the hook each time. I only recently encountered this issue as I’ve fished mostly light grass lakes in the past. I’m looking for some advice on how to fish these areas and what baits to use. I don’t want to be clearing this slime of my hook each time. I’ve heard to use spinners, crankbaits on edge of grass on deeper side. Maybe I need to get rid of my thinking to throw as close to shore as possible as this will obviously have to take me through the grass. Some areas in my region where I encounter this is Sandy River Reservoir, Diascund Resevoir, and Chickohoiminy Lake in VA. Awesome fisheries that I want to get good at but I can’t seem to get past this issue. Any advice on helping me improve with this skill is greatly appreciated. I’m not even sure what type of grass I’m speaking of but it starts just near the shore and is present until the water deepens.

I’m really have a hard time of fishing in grass at nearby lakes. My favorite bait is the shakey head and every cast returns with grass/slim on the hook each time. I only recently encountered this issue as I’ve fished mostly light grass lakes in the past. I’m looking for some advice on how to fish these areas and what baits to use. I don’t want to be clearing this slime of my hook each time. I’ve heard to use spinners, crankbaits on edge of grass on deeper side. Maybe I need to get rid of my thinking to throw as close to shore as possible as this will obviously have to take me through the grass. Some areas in my region where I encounter this is Sandy River Reservoir, Diascund Resevoir, and Chickohoiminy Lake in VA. Awesome fisheries that I want to get good at but I can’t seem to get past this issue. Any advice on helping me improve with this skill is greatly appreciated. I’m not even sure what type of grass I’m speaking of but it starts just near the shore and is present until the water deepens.

Sandy seems to have a lot of grass, which I still need to learn to fish in. Every cast ends up with the slime. How does Briery Creek compare on the grass?

Thanks guys, feeling better about my plans. Thanks!

I live in Richmond and have taken off work fro April 28 to May 5 to bass fish around here. I’m still learning and am trying to figure out the spawn vs post spawn. I know they are spawning now but what stage will they be in at the end of April. If it is post spawn is it true they will shut down and if so should I move my week off until later May or June. I usually fish reservoirs, should I move to the rivers in this time frame if that would work better. I just don’t want to use my week at a not so good time for fishing. I can take the week anytime I need to. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks Alex. I think I’m down to a Ranger 520/521 or a Triton. Still looking at Triton models to better understand my options.