Champ188

You couldn't be more accurate, wrench. That is spot-on.

Nothing at all wrong with a used boat ... this Ranger we have now is the first new one I've bought since they made their "team deals" so much of a hassle that the shallow disounts weren't worth it anymore.

He's a real equus africanus asinus.

Having spent many years as an outdoors writer covering the sport, I know for a fact that very, very few of the BASS Elite Series and FLW Tour pros are getting free boats. They get discounts, but even then it would surprise the average angler just how much of their own expenses those guys are paying. And the only people who are footing any bill for the boat companies are those who buy new boats from time to time.

I was fishing a tournament on the Arkansas River at Little Rock one day when my steering cable broke on an old Brute. I turned it for awhile with the little orange arrow until it stripped out, then I clamped a pair of vice grips onto the little shaft coming out the top and finished the day like that. Where there's a will, there's a way. LOL

Hey, don't you have some walleye to catch or kids to teach or ... something?

Never thought I'd say this being a MG man from back in the 1970s days of the old white Brutes with the little orange arrow on top, but I have two words for ya buddy ... Minn Kota.

I'm with you ness. Rather than be drawn to the glitter, my chick helps me buy (and pay for) our boat, along with all of the fishing gear in it; goes fishing with me in weather ranging from 20 to 100 degrees and often catches as many or more than me; runs the trolling motor at times; drives the boat off the trailer in the morning and backs the trailer down in the afternoon; and helps me wipe down the boat before we head home. Yeah, I think I'll keep the one I've got.

Good job, Dan. You have those striped fish dialed in.

I keep a top 10 list in my head of things a fisherman should never say. That one has to be no lower than number 2. Others include: "They HAVE to bite today. Everything's perfect!" "Don't worry. That storm's going around us." "Fog, schmog ... I know where I'm going." "Aw, that's just heat lightning." (for night fishermen)

No worries, guys. I'm still as conservative as mom, apple pie and Chevrolet.

Absolutely not, Stump bumper. Not even close. Just a little self-deprecating humor.

No, there's a little farm that raises them nearby and Donna is crazy about her donks. I just happened to snap that pic the other day of one that was up at the fence by the road. The more I looked at it, the more I thought it was probably a pretty apt representation of myself ... at least recently.

Vernon, you saved me from making a lengthy post. With your permission, I'd like to "borrow" every word you just said. Couldn't agree more on every point.

Great job, Bo. You nailed em again on a day when everyone I talked to struggled. That included a couple of pretty good deep fishermen. Was a beautiful afternoon. Great for photos.

Me and the four-leggers did the same thing yesterday.

Those look outstanding. Bet they work great.

According to the Ranger website, the recirculating livewell is a $97 option. You could probably take your boat over to the plant and get it upgraded for no more than that.

At ground level, greed is leasing out a Corps of Engineers park that was built with taxpayer money and charging $5 entrance fee to use it.

Enforcer, you called me out so ... For the record, I don't care how much money JM makes or has in his bank account and I have never suggested how he should spend it. What I have said is that I think he's made a lot of money by making sub-par boats and not standing behind them when they don't live up to buyers' expectations. For that matter, and I speak from experience and not just opinion, some of their store-brand fishing tackle is pretty shoddy, too. Yes, I've taken a stance against killing Table Rock bass. I've made certain to underscore that it's not illegal within limits and that it's only my opinion that we should 100% C&R. Yes, I've taken a stance against hooligan behavior by tournament anglers, many wearing jerseys. I've also stated that it's only my opinion that tournament anglers should do all they can to preserve a positive reputation for the good of the sport. If that's being negative, then I'm guilty and will continue to be.

Joe, I'd have to agree wholeheartedly with you. Mighty precious. You guys have a colossal time.

Solution: Send a couple of your old ones to Hughesy for new paint. I'm gonna have a few Rock Crawlers headed his way soon.

My opinion here goes back to the original topic of discussion. When Nitro Boats started in the 1980s, they quickly "earned" a reputation for shoddy construction ... stress cracks, busted hulls, hull-cap separation, etc. Resale value was awful and there are plenty of tales out there about owners being stuck with the bill of repairing them. If the newer models are better, as some say, then great. But it's hard to argue that Nitro has a poor reputation for quality. Historically, Ranger has been the polar opposite. Reputation is among the very best, as is resale and owner loyalty. With its top 3 execs packing it in, some of us are understandably concerned that Ranger quality will suffer in the name of profitability.

Enforcer, you say no one forced Ranger to sell. Absolutely right. Likewise, no one forces you to read posts you don't like, let alone comment on them with thinly veiled curse words and name-calling throughout. Practically every post on this forum deals directly with fishing. A few do not but are related. Why not skip the ones you don't like rather than suggest that people leave the forum because they hold a different view than you?

You nailed a point there I've been trying to make for a very long time. I fished tournaments on lots of levels for decades and still do occasionally. There are those out there to compete and others out there to be seen, and rarely do the twain meet. Usually, the ones out there to be seen end up standing in a group of their cronies at the weigh-in, toeing the gravel, blow-holing about the latest $1,000 they've spent on their rigs and watching the real fishermen (same group every time) pick up their checks. Pretty comical, actually.