casts_by_fly

I think you have it correct. On the black there will be one wire that connects the two. You don't have to touch that one. Then the front battery will have all the other things connected while the back doesn't have anything else. Move all of the 'other things' to the back battery.

So a helix 10 and a LVS32/34/blackbox/10" headunit will combine for about 5-6 amps. A group 31 AGM is about 100 AH. Since you have two in parallel, you've got about 200 AH capacity which should be WAY more than you'd ever need. That said, 12.2V is around 65% full. I'm thinking there are a couple things in play here. 1- the connections sound like they are all on one battery with the second battery in parallel off the back, as opposed to both in parallel but with a primary connection on each battery. What is happening is that you're working the battery that the main connections are on a lot harder than the second one backing it up. Long term, I'd swap one of the terminals if you can so that they are drawing through both batteries the same, if for no other reason than evening out the wear on the two. If the Humminbird is connected to the 'primary' battery in your setup and the Garmin to the backup (for lack of a better term), that could explain why the HBird fluctuates so much and the garmin doesn't. To that end, for the next trip out I would separate the batteries and run one as a dedicated electronics battery to see if that solves your issue. It should be a simple swap and easy to test. 2- It could also be that the units have different sensors and processing of the voltage sensor readings. So the same battery might show differently on each unit. Similarly, the voltage at the terminals won't be the same as at the unit due to losses in the wires between the two. A long skinny wire (humminbird helix power cables for instance) will drop move voltage than a short fat wire. If you have both on the same battery and no motor/alternator playing with voltage, then you can get a gauge on how they are vs each other. 3- Maybe most importantly, you're getting a low voltage alarm but has the unit every shut down or given problems? The min voltage spec is 10.8V. Do you just have your low voltage alarm set at a high number that doesn't make any real difference in use?

So if I'm reading you correctly, you have two lead batteries that are in parallel which supply both the big motor and the electronics? Correct? You say you have one battery for garmin and one for HBird. But you say that the two group 31 are in parallel and also connected to the motor? is that correct? When you have the big motor running it will show 14V. That's the alternator output on the motor, not what's in the battery itself. The alternator outputs at a higher voltage than nominal 12V because that's how you charge. When you crank the motor over, you're drawing power from the battery and the battery voltage will dip as you're seeing. When you stop cranking the voltage should recover (if the motor isn't running). You have a 4 bank charger, but you've desribed 5 batteries? Three for the 36V trolling motor and 2 group 31 (one of which is connected to the 250HP, but in reality both are since they are in parallel). What are the 4 'banks' each charging? Presumably one bank on each trolling motor battery and one bank charging the 12V 'system' of 2x group 31 in parallel? is the bank on the group 31's connected with one cable to each battery or both on the same battery? That isn't surprising if both AGM are connected to the big motor and you were running the big motor a bit. It would have kept them charged up through the day and on the run back to the dock. 12.6 is nominal full voltage on a lead battery, so nothing abnormal there.

That was my first though, hence a picture request.

Not a mountain lion, but got this snap last week 3/4 mile from the house.

A 3/16 plus small swimbait will be plenty of weight. put up a couple pictures of your reel and the last couple guides on the rod.

It would probably give it away.

Guys- he’s talking about 8-10’. I don’t care if you are using 80lb power pro on a 500 size reel or a double quad uni knot connection- you’re going to get more than that. You can pull out 10’ of line from the reel (past the tip) and get more than that. There is a fundamental rigging issue here that requires a picture to diagnose.

I’m predicting that the lm record won’t be broken. I’m not saying where the SM might be broken, just that I wouldn’t be surprised if it is in the next 3 years. And if it is, I know the lake that will do it and why. It might be the first lake I put the boat in this year. But I’m not putting the name out into a public forum.

pitching to cover or dragging (or other)? I’ve never been a cold water jig fisherman as much as I know they work.

if there is cleaner to be had then sure. 1’ isn’t what I’d call muddy though. I’m talking 6” or less type muddy. I’d probably go home if that was the case. But if the water is 1’ dirty then I’m looking for cover on the sunny side of the lake. At 48 degrees I’d expect the fish to be closer to the winter end of their range than the spawning end. In that scenario I’m looking for the steeper transition zones moreso than the flats. also, I’m ignoring ffs for the sake of this post. I have it and would use it (maybe even in the 6” muddy scenario) but not everyone does. And the thought process would still be the same for finding where they are. Just easier to confirm with live imaging.

yes.

it’s a light oil with a needle applicator that I can get easily and works well. I’ll also use it to lube anything that needs a light thin oil. Door hinges are a good shout. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005KW7NA8?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_3

fish them all until you figure it out. Like a jay said, take your time- you’re not in a tournament. If it’s really cold still, find a sunny shoreline. Wind blows baitfish food around and they follow it. I hate fishing muddy water so I don’t. In the spring, warmer water is better generally speaking.

talked with the guys this week. It’s in the shop this week and should finish next week. We decided on mounting options, chargers, etc. I think I’ll pick it up on Saturday the 22nd.

If you’re thinking explode, then the zodias is a natural option. I have the 6’9” ml and like it for lighter stuff up to a 3/16 and 4” plastic.

not in any way. I was a little worried about that when I ordered it but definitely not the case.

The expert amistad might work. I used my regular expert amistad for a-rigs (among other things) to just over 2 oz. It was pushing the rod, but it managed. The XH is a bit heavier. But if you're going to do that, have a look at the Cara big bait rod. 7'9", 1-5 oz. I picked it up for the same things you're describing. With a 6" magdraft and 3/8 oz owner beast I can see I'm going to like it based on yard casting. I didn't cast the 8" magdraft yet, but I tied it on and flexed it in the house. 2-3 weeks and I'll have it on the water. I'm confident in it.

Falcon Cara heavy cover jig. 7'4", Rated 1/2-1 oz, heavy, fast. But its a 6 power falcon heavy which is on the lighter side of heavy. And the 'fast' action isn't really that fast. It's got a nice top third bend for what you're describing. And it was designed to drag football jigs.

No, it's the 'i dropped my rod over the side' device.

New or used?

The head turner is a 'heavy' but it's not. Look at the lure rating to se that its rated for 1/4-3/4 and I'd say that's pretty accurate. Other makers might label is 1/4-1. It aligns with a MH in a St Croix power wise. That's the difference between a 6 power heavy and a 7 power heavy. So a 1/8 oz weight plus a modest plastic is going to put you at 3/8 or 1/2 oz total bait weight pretty quickly. Compared to the HCJ, the head turner has about the same power in the butt, but the last 1/4 of the rod has a much faster taper and a lighter tip. That much lighter tip will let you throw a lot of things on it.

Yes, but he was asking between the two JDM versions. Handles and knobs will be the same. And I think the spool external specs are the same on both reels, just that the met 100 has a smaller arbor to allow a bit more line. Not that I find the 20 Met to be lacking in that area.

Pretty sure the 100 has a little deeper spool and that's it. the 100 is a 2023 release model while the regular met is a 2020. but the frames and everything else are the same.