kjackson

Tracker is out based on a ton of reviews and negative comments elsewhere. I do like the idea of the Ranger hulls being foam injected. It helps, I've been told, to quiet the ride. There are a few used Lunds in the region that I should look at as one of them might suit my needs. There also are a couple of Ranger Cherokees floating on the web, but I don't know enough about them to jump. I was hoping for a glowing report, but...

I'm getting close to dropping the dime on a boat. Yeah, I'd like the perfect used boat, but they are not that easy to find. I'm thinking really hard about the Ranger aluminum line. The deep vee version is about to come out, and it would be a good fit for what I want to do, but it is a walk-through, which I don't like. The next option is the bass line, and of those, I'm thinking that the RT188 might be a good fit. I will be trolling quite a bit as I learn the lakes, and I'll also be doing the usual casting thing. Downriggers would be part of my approach, and I'm not sure how I would rig those on the boat and not have them be a PITA to use. Does anyone have one of the new aluminums or have fished out of one? I have an acquaintance who bought the 178 and sings its praises, but he is strictly a casting bass fisherman, and he lives in Ohio, so it's not like I'm going to run up and test drive his boat. I stopped at Rogers Marine when my wife was in Hobby Lobby, and I almost walked out with the 178C in camo. There are a number of good things to say about that boat...it looks good. I don't know the dealer, but I was impressed by the boat. Comments?

Luhr Jensen's 1/4 Hot Lips...catches just about everything from salmon in the saltwater to walleyes, crappie--but not stripers so far, nor walleyes in Arkansas. Soft plastic favorite is any four-inch ringworm on a plain jighead...

That's the way I feel about some of the guys I've fished with in the upper Midwest...both Al and Ron Lindner are excellent at a host of species in both fresh and saltwater conditions. I've taken some of the walleye stuff I learned indirectly from them and applied it very successfully to fishing for salmon and searun cutthroat in Washington's saltwater. Dance is a bit the same way. You can watch him on TV and see some pretty standard stuff, but put him on the water, and it's a different story especially if catching fish is a challenge. But the remarks about the "best" fishermen being unknown are on the money. I know two guys who I would say are the best I know--better than any of the pros I've fished with-- but no one here would know them.

Al Lindner is very, very good; Dance is good as well; for bass only, maybe Alton Jones, but Zaldain is worth watching. David Dudley is also good...I'm seem to like the guys who have a background in fishing for more than one species.

And the reality is that you started with a pretty good package. Imagine what it would have been like if you'd had to replace the decks or the transom... The connection you have with the boat is a big plus, and the job you did was well worth it. I'd probably take one of these project boats on anyway because I do like that kind of restoration, but without a shop building, I'd be tearing what little hair I have left out trying to shuttle things around so I could use my current boat. I'd rather fish.

That was nicely done. Good refurbishing job. I've toyed with doing something similar rather than pick up a new or new-to-me boat that is more in tune with what I want. With all the older tri-hulls and older bass boats floating around, the economics look good at first blush. Then I think about replacing the outboard with something newer and more economical than what's on the boat, and the dollars don't look quite as good. And if I think of my time that will be spent on boat work rather than fishing, I go back to looking for a newer hull.

One thing worth noting, I think, is that these lures are not as two dimensional as they seem online. The "outer" minnow is not simply a mylar overlay, but it has a molded depth that adds to the realistic appearance of the design. You have to examine one in hand to get the feel for the design. I saw these at the ICAST show and was impressed by the look there, but it wasn't until I received a care package that I got to handle 'em. I have yet to fish the BaitBall series, but they look very fishy. On the plus side, these are designed by a working guide who started the company, so they should fish well. I know that there was a lot of testing and development that went into them before they were put into production. Having said all that, I'm almost more impressed by the "Hunt for Center" crawfish design from Live Target. It could be the real thing for the 'dad bite. I'm going to have to try that...

A buddy from HI said they were out recently. I did run into the 'bago when I was out in early December. I was hoping to get out after we got back from Florida, but came down with the bug instead. I'm not going out until after this next cold snap.

Thanks for that, Mitch. i almost dropped the dime with Cabela's until I discovered that taxes brought it up into the price range of one from Amazon. And if I wanted it shipped, instead of making yet another trip to Rogers, it would have cost more. Amazon got my bucks, and with free shipping, it will be here soon. I probably should have shopped eBay, but since I needed to meet a minimum for free shipping, it was a quick decision.

Where are you headed? I'm past due for some inshore stuff...

What he said…noisy buggers is right. We had a threesome going on in a tree outside our porch in Washington, and it sounded like something you'd call the police for. Before I spotted the raccoons in action, I was sure something was being eaten alive.

I like the idea of a recliners...I knew a guy in Washington that used one in his salmon skiff. That always was a head-turner on the water--a smallish, 16-foot boat with a recliner in the stern. It worked though, and he caught a lot of fish.

My go-to gloves now are fingerless models from Buffalo Gold; they're made of buffalo "down", the underfur. They are incredibly warm but very pricey. In the past, I switched back and forth between wool and fleece, with the nod going to fleece most of the time. When it gets really cold, though, I put on a pair of thin poly glove liners under the fingerless gloves. That little bit of extra insulation helps quite a bit, and doesn't interfere with feel. Add in a handwarmer and some extra layers to keep core temperature up, and I'm good.

Sorry for the delay...work keeps getting in the way of fishing. I kept my depth somewhere between 10 to 15 with occasional venture out deeper and ran a few bars as shallow as eight feet. I was playing with Strike King's 3XD, a small-bodied bait that will run over 15 feet with 150 feet of line out. Generally, I was beating the bottom or running just above. Since I wasn't really serious about trolling, I didn't play much with longer baits or other crankbaits. I did run a Shad Rap clone a bit in shallower stuff and ran a Rooster Tail over the stern for kicks. Haven't been out since, but I hope to get out after company leaves next week. I'm debating between the river and Beaver...

I'm in the market for a new lead-melting apparatus. My old Lee production pot didn't make the move to Arkansas, and now that I'm getting back into tackle tinkering, I want to pour my own jig heads. I'm looking at the Hot Pot ll, but I have no experience with this unit. I don't really see myself getting into serious production, so the small and less expensive melter looks good. Is there anyone out there who has used this or the earlier version? Suggestions? Thanks in advance.

Thanks. That should give fishermen something to think about...it does me anyway. That may be my winter mapping project right there.

Nice job on the buck. I'm new to Arkansas--moved here last year--and promised myself I'd hunt this year. That didn't happen, so next year is the plan. Went upriver from HI again and nearly zeroed. The word is that the walleyes are hitting, but I drew a blank there. Browns are spawning (again, the word has it) upriver in the shallow zone, but I didn't have the time run very far after giving the 'eyes a fair try. I pulled crankbaits downstream as I was heading back and picked up a rainbow and had a couple of hits. Water temps are dropping--47 to 51 was the range.

I'm going to give it a shot as well in Beaver. I've got some of the original flies but I'm going to add some from Spro and if I ever get my shop organized tie some as well. I did a bit of it when I lived on the east side of Washington but haven't done much with it in 15 years. I've got the rod, a 10-foot G.Loomis steelhead bobber rod that should be perfect for this and a spare spinning reel or two with good drags. As I remember, the original technique included four-pound test line. Is that what everyone is using? I would think six would be fine or perhaps braid with a fluorocarbon leader and loop knot to the jig. Any thoughts on using Fireline? It might help with the casting...

Launched last Friday and ran up to the 62 bridge. Caught some rainbows with the largest about 15 inches. I did catch a couple of bass--one of which was a meanmouth, at least, I think it was. Looked for walleyes and fall-run browns, but... didn't see a lot of bait along the way. The temps at the bridge varied between 49 and 51 degrees. There were four other boats in the area, so something is going on or at least some people think that something is going on.

Nice report; thanks.

Sunk ants are deadly...and flying ants fish well on the surface, in the film or sunk have been excellent for me.

"Official" word from another site is that if it has a gate, the gate will be locked. I doubt if this "shutdown" lasts more than a few days as it's just posturing, IMO.

Nice...have you found the river fish less susceptible to the influence of a cold front?

I also like them, except for my inability to find biters during the summer...but I'm working on that. There certainly is a difference in the eating, though. I've found whites to be a bit richer--more oils. Of course, the fish I've eaten have been from much earlier in the year, and I don't know if the warmer water affects flavor/eating quality or not. I much prefer white bass to halibut. The oils might make them good candidates for smoking--and here I'm talking Northwest-style smoking, which is very slow and uses a marinade/rub rather than just an hour or so on a grill. As for the catching, the last trip out was uneventful--had one strike (maybe) and one fish apparently look at the gear, based on sonar. But the algae was fairly thick, and I was fishing in mid-day. I'm going to drop the trolling and go back to casting/jigging until the lake clears.