J-Doc

If you do not want to sell/scrap the boat, as much as I hate to say this (because I hate the expression).......buy once cry once. Regardless of brand, get an outboard YOU are most familiar with and most confident in. Opinions are like a can of worms. You'll hear horror stories on all brands. I've also heard incredible tales of maintenance free and incredible stories of "best motors ever". All from credible sources. At the end of the day, you're the one cutting the check and the one living with it. Do your own research and access it as best you can. I'm not familiar with the newer E-tecs the "big 3" of outboard manufacturers all make good products. Why your motor blew is specific to your motor. I've also heard of 3 blown Evinrudes from one local angler several years ago. Probably under propped and bad setup to blow 3 motors on the same boat.... If you buy a new motor and plan on keeping it for years, get what you want. If you plan on buying a used motor to sell the boat, get what you can and cut bait.

CLIFF'S NOTES: He hates 4-strokes with a passion He hates Mercury He loves old Rudes...

Remind me to bring some "marginal food" and cook it for you. Blackend with Cajun seasoning and ladeled with hollandaise sauce and I'll laugh while you literally pick up the plate and lick it clean.

It was meant as a joke only. A taste of sarcasm with a pinch of salt, a sprinkle of spice, and a tad bit of hipster. 🤣🤣

All this debate & beating a dead-horse discussion and no one has hit on the root of the problem with only one word? EGO All other sources derive from this one word. Competitive nature/drive Masculinity driven personality Need for speed Over confidence ("I can drive fast and safe" or "I know how to drive in rough water") Need for $60-70k truck to pull a $80k rig while using (4) $2,000 graphs, (2) $2.5k Talons/Poles, and $8k worth of rods/gear with only the LATEST AND GREATEST gear Need for a jersey with your name on it Need for a flat brim hat so you can look like Jacob Wheeler (hence the start of the Flat Brim Society) Need for the latest Chacos and Jeggings or Yoga pants so you can look like Aaron Martens Custom prop because you need to squeeze out another 1.2mph so you can post it on Bassboat Central.com and brag about it before take-off at the next local derby Need for sponsor wraps and stickers on said over-priced rig so you can look like a pro at local derby Need for the latest and greatest boat wax so you can show off said rig at the ramp after fishing and weighing in that 15lb bag etc. All of this is ego driven. Not trying to insult or disagree with what's listed above. I'm guilty of quite a few of these. You can justify anything above including how your graphs or Talons make all the difference for you. Not saying they don't, just saying.......it's an ego driven "need" at it's very core. You feel like that "thing" you need will help you. You convene yourself it will but at the end, your ego makes you feel better for having it. "Well I've got that new thing that's all the rage now so I'm good". It's ALL ego driven. Driving like you stole it in super rough water is an ego thing. Some will tell you "the ride is better to just get through it faster" or "I get across that stuff as fast as possible so I can save time" or whatever. All ego driven. No one will convince me otherwise so save your superbad online ninja typing skills for a debate with someone who will continue to engage in a debate. My mind is made up and yes.........I'm being closed minded on this subject (which I'm rarely closed minded and always open to a debate/discussion). I'm not always right and more often than not, I'm usually wrong. The recent events were all related to EGO. That's my stance and it's simple.

That last part about locals.... Oh yeah. I have seen if many times. It was a Hook Line & Sinker sponsored event launching out of Hickory Creek last winter. A friend and I were outside the mouth of Monte Ne and just A bit south of it. Sitting on a 20ft flat striper fishing. These jackals came screaming up the river with most of the using 4 blade props way over propped and too high so they could get their Rpms back up to recommended levels (bad boat setups). They would come within 30, 40, and 50ft of us just to reduce THEIR effort and cut a little off their path. Here we are, with rods out, fishing, minding our own business and within 30-40yds of the shoreline. There was plenty of lake left over the main channel side. No consideration for anyone other than themselves. And most of them were running $40-50k boats and some $60-80k. Every one of them...all driven on energy drinks, flat brim hats, and egos.

Gerald Swindle He covers what you said is needed. Trim angle, explains the trough of the wave and zig-zag between the valleys of waves. He also said slower is better. Keep nose of the boat light and wear a life jacket. Then he demonstrates it in the video. He also runs a hot foot but keeps a constant speed......not on and off. A hot foot is no different than a gas peddle in a car. If you know how to drive a race car correctly, you will appreciate having both hands on the wheel and being able to back off the power in a split second if needed without taking hands off the wheel. Swindle also covers this issue about the hot foot.

That' because the real estate value is notably more expensive around the precious "manatees". Ever notice that correlation? Property and speed limits or no wake zones?

No that's Trump. He's the golden scape-goat of the day for anything and everything.

That's good news.

Just spent a while in the local cave. It's been picked over pretty clean like a pork spare rib at a bbq joint in Memphis. Not much of anything left unless you'e a female with small feet, a really bug or really small person (clothing wise) or some oddball items. And baseball caps. Lots of caps. And Styrofoam fishing bobbers. Not much fishing anything left. All optics case clean. Not even dust left over. There are great deals on meat smokers though. Someone could get an awesome deal on a new smoker. Clearance sale.

One thing I liked about Cabelas. It was different. All that is slowly changing now. And not necessarily for the better. Some will rave about it, some will hate it, some will not care one way or the other. I would like to see it stay how it was.

If that's gar, thats a ton of them. I've never seen that many grouped up like that before.

Check page 15 in this thread for some nice screenshots I posted. Clearly shows shadows of the spoonbills. You only see this kind of clarity on larger fish and in shallower water. The deeper the water, the bigger the fish needs to be to show up. So in 50-100ft, it's harder to see a 10lb striper vs. a +50lb state record tickler. Especially if they are moving quickly as it will show as a streak or long line/arch.

In 3yrs of using side scan........finding a large school of crappie under a dock has not happened for me yet. But I do rarely use 1 side only. Typically when I'm scanning a bank, dock, or shoreline. You do see much clearer as the fully screen is projected. I have some great shots of the amphitheater in Monte Ne using 1 side only. And I agree......you have to know what you're looking for. I have more often than not, thought I saw fish and it turned out to be something else. THe more you use them, the better you get at determining "spots" that stand out. Typically a fish will project a shadow. The bigger the fish, the bigger the shadow. I have some awesome spoonbill sidescan screenshots I posted under the Sonar Training thread under the General Discussions forum.

They don't help as much as people think they do. I have a 10" HDS graph and I used side scan every trip out. I have my screen quartered up so I can use sonar, GPS mapping, side scan, and down scan. All on one screen. It's nice but its not the magic tool everyone expects. You also have to know what you are looking at in the display. If you can't tellif that mark is a fish 50ft on the side near the bank or if it's a rock ledge and not a fish, its not doing much good. I doible back all the time to see if I found fish only to find a rock or nothing at all. It has its place but it's primarily for locating structure and underwater features to fish, not fish on underwater structure. Sonar and downscan can be used in unison to determine what you are graphing. Sonar is best to use when jigging spoons or vertical presentations. Panoptix is another conversation entirely and I understand the theory of it but not the use. It' essentially live data like the old flasher units of yesteryear. Just using higher frequency and a different display. My last trip out, I will say the side scan located the stripers I needed but if you don't stay with them, they will completely disappear. Side scan will only work within so much range before they can roam out of its effective cone angle chasing bait so sometimes you need to move around more at a faster pace to stay with the bait they are chasing. I'e caught several stripers that were in a clear graph with nothing around. Simply appeared out of nowhere.

The touch screen models have had issues. Mine are the Gen 2 so I still have buttons. I chose buttons for that very reason and saved money. Always exceptions. Not saying all Lowrance kits are bad. I've been a Lowrance guy for many Years. I've heard some recent issues that have me questioning along with my own experience with their customer support.

I' told the average lifespan for a Lowrance unit is around 3yrs or less. Mine are 3yrs old and I sure hope they don't go out like some friends of mine. Unfortunate luck and out of warranty. Lowrance was of no help when called either. For the repair fee, you could buy another. I'm slowly becoming a Bird fan myself. Their new sidescan is better also.

10lbs is kinda the golden rule on Beaver. There are some who bring 20lb bags but 10lb is the starting point typically.

Was still low 50s last week. Bet its near 44 by now?

No I didn't. Would have been a good observation in hindsite.

Good info. True, I'd rather see the fishery continue to improve over any of my own quirks or preferences. All species.

Here is a comparison of what I referenced about skinny fish. Both of these were caught in same spot. One fat, one skinny. Probably nothing of concern, I just find it odd. I've seen this in most species except bass. I've left the bass alone this year for the most part. Focused on crappie more and now stripers since it's cooled off. I'm disappointed that the weather is going to be so cold. I was actually going to bass fish and see if I could catch a limit for once. I think I could have gotten 10lbs by myself. To some, that's nothing. To me, it's an accomplishment. 😁

Seems the more I fish it, the harder it becomes for me. Probably way over thinking it. I try to simplify it but I don' get out as often as I used to. I do have a go to bait in the winter though. I'l fish it all day and catch fish on it. Just takes me all day to get 4-5. Another fella could fish same bait with me and catch 30. I' Just "that guy" that can't catch them strong and I've accepted that. I fish for many reasons. Not how many I catch but as long as I catch something. I for one am looking forward to a good shad kill. The lake has had a buffet feedback on long enough. Looking forward to hungry fish in the spring. There is no reason fish should be long and lean this year but most I have seen in the past year from bass, walleye, and recently stripers are all long and lean. Caught two stripers from same area last week and one was a hipster wearing skinny jeans and another had been choking Little Debbies like a hoarder. Any correlation or explanation? Not sure. Maybe one ran from the dam and the other was a resident. Even the gizard shad are not as big this year I hear.

I'm gonna pass out......excuse me. Someone catch me. 🤣🤣🤣🤣