31Airborne

so, from the dood who prefers a lil color in the water when he's fishing . . . yep, cover water but use your electronix to help you determine where the fish are holding. if you mark fish, then give it a try. no fish, move on to the next spot. with the water level being that dynamic, they're gonna pull back to a depth where they feel it's ~stable, esp the post-spawners. i'd start w/ 5-8', then pull back to 8-12'. shallower water tends to clear up first so don't completely ignore the skinny stuff. points will always hold fish. don't forget transition lanes - those places fish use to move to/from spawning grounds to holding areas.

+1 on Merc. A 150 or 175 would go nicely on that Triton you have in mind. The business model behind outboard engines will drive the market to 4-strokes exclusively. No money and no time for maintaining duplicate supply chains. It's just the smart move.

So, I'm a believer. I can feel the difference. The data depicting the sound difference under water is irrefutable. The density of tungsten allows me to use smaller profile weights. That's a huge enabler when swimming my t-rig or c-rig (I throw both a lot) thru heavy cover. I recommend staying away from the weights w/ the little plastic sleeves. I find they do more damage to line than weight without the sleeves. The pain of making this switch was the price - the Tn weights are expensive. The good news is more people are selling them so prices are coming down a bit. For me, the extra cost is worth what I get on the performance end.

+1 on Brwnbass' recommendation. Saw Chris Lane do this on one of the BASS fishing shows. It works!

I'm in, Steve. B

I agree w/ JDV - you'll get a lot of performance and life from the bigger battery.

+1 on Interstate wet cell batts. You can get them anywhere, lots of places honor their warranty.

welcome aboard! thank you for your service to our nation. Real C-c-c-c-c-c-av. Airborne earned his spurs w/ 2-8 CAV

Rick - you should reach out to Joey at Watson's and ask who they use. He'll steer you straight. Hope you're well. We need to get out again. Soon. B

+1 on braid or heavy (20#+) fluoro for flipping. i like fluoro for cranking (usually 12#), finesse (6-10#), and worms/jigs/etc (12-17#, depending on cover). I like co-poly for jerkbaits. light braid (15 or 20) for top water stuff.

I love'em, Phil. Def a big fish bait.

welcome aboard!

this is a great hull. have ridden in a few in my years - never had a bad ride. very good in heavy water. it looks to be in great shape so the garage-kept claim is easily believable. that Johnson motor is a workhorse - solid design, ~easy to maintain. like any marine motor, you'll want to have a tech go over it w/ a fine tooth comb.

Congrats, Doug! A bittersweet victory - we'll miss your skills and creativity.