kjackson

AKA squawfish, but definitely pikeminnow. Catch one of those in the Columbia River in the summer, and you can get paid for fishing. I disremember the total, but fishermen have earned a lot of money catching them-- I kinda recall one guy getting something like $55,000, which isn't bad for a couple of months work...

Well, so much for the Lowe hulls...back to Lund/Crestliner/Alumacraft. I ran a Fisher for a bit as a project boat for articles, and it did not impress me. Part of the problem was that when coming off plane, it would take a serious dive to the right which included a rather dramatic turn in that direction. That and another hull that had so much calking on the hull where the owner was trying to stop leaks left me kind of cold about the brand. Not that Lund doesn't have its problems. Saw one newish Lund that had been moored in saltwater for quite a while. The electrolysis was so bad that even the aluminum seat bases were crumbling.

I'm looking for input on Lowe's FM 165 or its earlier version, the Sea Nymph. The hulls I'm looking at are not the smallish red boats that seem to be everywhere. I've not found an FM165 nearby to look at, so before I hit the road-- are there any problems with this model? Any good points, bad points, neutral points, things I should look at? TIA

Will give him a shout.

I have no idea. I thought I would see if there was any interest here before I got serious about finding anew home for this rig. I have several fly rods that are collectible, and I will be unloading them somewhere this year possibly. For those who would ask-- I have an unused Wright & Mcill bamboo, another bamboo that was a prototype built for the Eddie Bauer store back when they sold more than clothing, a Hardy glass rod and a couple of G.Loomis rods that are extras.

I know it's not likely, but I have a 12-weight rod, a G.Loomis CrossCurrent, that I'm going to sell. I realize it's like using a .50 caliber to hunt whitetails for fishing around here, but I thought I'd check here first. I have a matching Orvis Vortex reel and SA line to match it.

Thanks in advance for any advice. I've done quite a bit of electronic shopping and have options. I know Lund, Alumacraft and Crestliner and feel comfortable with them--have to double check the transom on older Lunds before I'd commit, though. But I've no real experience with Lowe boats, and I'm thinking the FM 165 series might be a valid choice. Does anyone have any experience with that hull? I think I read somewhere that Lowe doesn't use wood in their boats, which would be a positive.

Thanks, Wrench. With a 90, I'm guessing that it's at least a 17 Tyee if not an 18 footer. A 16 might work (had one for a year), but the longer boats are too big as I have storage issues, and I have to jockey them around by hand a bit.. The windshield would play havoc with a backcast for sure. I had hopes for it and wish it was a 16 Alaskan.

Wrench-- Thanks. I'm interested, but all you need to do now is tell me the year and model. I can look up the stats and pix online. Was this the boat that was at the local marina (Johnson Brothers)? I'm really all over the board on what I want, could use, would work, which probably is why I've not settled on "the" boat by now. I've owned three Lunds and wish I'd not sold two of them and have run a Crestliner project boat for a while, and was able to do a longish test on an Alumacraft. I've not done anything with a Lowe except for a brief photo shoot at one point, but I've been thinking the FM160-165 series might work well. I've also considered the Tracker Grizzly 1648 side console, but I'm not sure a jon-style is what I want.

I'm very close to changing boats and could use some advice. Currently, I have a mod-vee jon built by Starcraft/Sylvan/Smokercraft with a 50hp tiller Yammie. I need a bit smaller boat and am thinking something in the large 14 to beamy 16-foot range would be about right. I'm looking used unless I win the lottery, which would be interesting as I don't buy into that game at all. I've had a good many boats in the past, and I've run more and ridden even more than that. What I think I want is an aluminum semi-vee, and I need one without a built-in gas tank. If I had unlimited funds (see lottery remark above), I would opt for one of the newer Lunds with a side console. I really do not want a bass-style boat with a large, enclosed rear deck as I do like to troll on unfamiliar waters, and an open cockpit works best for that. I will be fishing in Truman, the upper end of LOZ, Stockton and may make a run or two down to Venice for reds and trout. In my boat shopping, I've hit Craig's List, the Facebook market page and boattrader.com. My problem comes that there are so many choices and so many different boats with which I have no experience, so I'm leaning on OA folks to provide input and advice.

Thought there are some on the site interested in fishing and new fishing gear... https://asafishing.org/events/icast-invites-anglers-to-participate-in-the-inaugural-anglers-choice-award/

Just saw a notice that Charley's is going out of business as of October 1.

Well, that was an interesting trip. Since the only reason I had to visit a fly shop is to buy a set of guides for a rod I'm re-wrapping, I decided to head to St. Peters and hit Costco, Hobby Lobby (looking for a specific braid in a color I didn't buy last time) and then hit somewhere for lunch. The problem I had was that the mapping program on my phone had laryngitis or at least wasn't speaking to me, so I had to try to juggle the phone to watch the map while driving in traffic, and that meant I had to stop a lot to double check my location. Costco didn't have the two things I was after, and Hobby Lobby apparently no longer carries that braid. Sigh. By the time I stopped wandering the aisles at HL, I had to head back to pick up my wife. I need to lose 15 pounds, anyway.

We are heading over to Augusta this week to a meeting for my wife where I'll have four free hours. Is Feather-Craft worth the two-hour round trip from Augusta? Since I already have enough flies, materials, hooks and gear to last a lifetime, I'm wondering if I'd be better off doodling around the St. Peters/St.Charles/O'Fallon area instead of fighting my way into St. Louis traffic. And if anyone has a great recommendation for a BBQ joint, I'm open to suggestions. Thanks!

Sold.

Sold

It's yours.

The iBall backup camera makes hooking up a trailer easy...assuming you don't miss the routine, stop, get out, estimate how much more you need to back up to finally get close enough to hitch up your water ride. Granted, the iBall isn't as sweet as the rear-view camera in my new 4Runner, but then again, me backing the old Tundra needed all the help I could get. Basically, this is a three-part system: the power cord for charging the camera (duh), the camera with the magnetic base that can tell you how far you're out of line, and the inside viewer. The view screen is powered by the cigarette lighter, and the camera is charged before you leave in the morning. It's a sweet setup that doesn't require you to fork out $40K for a new rig. Amazon has these listed at $200 with knockoffs listed something less. I'd like $75 TYD.

I'm getting tired of moving stuff around on my tying bench, so I'm starting with the big stuff before I move on to the too-small-for-my-eyes hooks. On the block are Mustad C70S D in 4/0, 5/0 and 6/0 plus a box of C71S SS circle fly hooks in 4/0. A ride-along is a pack of Eagle Claw's Laser Sharp heavy-wire bait hooks in 2/0. There are 25 hooks per box, and alas, I was not able to fish where I wanted. They were to go a long with a 12-weight fly rod...but that's a story for a different time. Amazon has 2/0s for something around $14 a box. Sooooo how about $30 for the lot TYD.

Just got through rooting in the basement with the idea of working on my old Orvis rod--got distracted before I stopped all the old guides off-- and looked at a box of older crankbaits, some mine and some inherited. Speaking of vintage fly stuff-- I have three vintage rods I ran into recently: A Hardy fiberglass rod, an unused Wright and McGill bamboo and a bamboo rod that was made in England--likely by Hardy according to one expert-- that was a sample built for Eddie Bauer in Seattle back when they sold fishing and hunting gear. I picked up all three at an estate sale along with some other things...

Marty-- Garage sales are work, and I hate work...besides, we would have a serious parking problem where we live. And to top it off, I would have to sort through stuff and really do a deep sort to get rid of the stuff I'll never use. I've tried doing that, and then I get distracted by things I've been given or accumulated or projects I want to do--like put new guides on my old Orvis fiberglass fly rod.. I need to do it, though, or the kids will be selling pre-Rapala Wiggle Warts for a dime.

Still looking for a home for this... don't worry about the Yamaha line on a tank. A new tank is perfect.

TTT--both lines are available.

Here's a 3600-size box of Northland jigs--ain't gonna count 'em as I'm too lazy--that I've had around for a couple of decades. There are two sizes, one of which I'm guessing is ⅛ ounce, and the other probably 1/16. Eight compartments contain weedless version in both sizes, using a two-pronged, plastic weedguard. The other 9 compartments are standard roundheads. There is one caveat: the eyes are painted and need to be cleaned. $28 TYD.

That is a killer smallie color...