31Airborne

Well, I just bought a new one about 4 weeks ago. There was no mention of Triton going away. There is some consolidation going on - brands, styles, manufacturing - but, like others have said, I doubt one of the top selling lines will be part of that.

try Coca-Cola - works fast, cleans up easily. speaking of Plano, those blue anti-rust thingies that come w/ some of their boxes really do work. you might wanna pick up some (you can buy the tabs separately from TW, other places). put a couple in every tray.

it's all up to you. hair is the most buoyant but least durable. rubber gives you buoyancy with durability. I use silicon for most of my jig, spinner, and chatter baits because of the wider variety of colors, patterns. I use rubber for my mop jigs. I reserve hair for my float-n-fly jigs. others will chime in w/ their thoughts.

I have the MK Ultrex w/ iPilot on the new sled. Kinda hard to pass up on that kind of technology. One less thing to manage.

I picked up my 4th Triton this past MON - another 21'er. You will be pleased with the storage layout, the ride, and the quality of workmanship. You won't be disappointed. Fished out of (but never drove) a 20' Stratos. A lil heavier than the Triton but overall performance was indiscernible. Smooth in heavy water, smart deck layout. About the same on top end speed. Both are Earl Bentz hulls, btw. You will have a ~small learning curve as you adjust to driving the bigger, more powerful 20' rig. Chine walking will be an issue if you trim up too fast. All a matter of practice and repetition. A good day on the water fixes this easily. The Tr20 is a mid-range performance boat. It's designed for ~optimum top end speed while giving you stability and security in choppy water. (The X-boats - Tr20X/Tr21X - were the squirrelly ones. Designed for top end speed [my Tr 21X did 83.1 GPS]. They took a little extra time to get to know, learn the feel on.) Do not think you'd have any major issues picking up on the feel for either of the options you list above. When I made the move from an 18-6 to a 21'er I never looked back. The extra room, extra power, extra range are all things you'll come to rely on in short order.

+1 - they killed the design. I got the jersey hoodie and it rocks.

Karma - it may be a case of weathering. Weather (esp extreme heat or cold) will ruin fishing line. If you've kept the rods spooled w/ the Fuoroclear in places where they're constantly exposed to the ups-n-downs of weather that's prob the case. I use Fluoroclear on my jerkbait rods. I like the fact that it floats. Allows me to pick up those subtle bites. I've had no issues w/ breaking.

Doug - Merc is saying their new 4-strokes weigh the ~same as the Opti-maxes. I went with the Pro XS on my new sled. Airborne needs all the ponies hims can get.

Like any new bait, it always takes a lil time to figure out the when/where/how pieces. For me, the bladed jig is something that comes into play during the shad spawn, when fishing over/near grass, and when fishing stained water. I'll use it interchangeably with the spinnerbait in windy conditions.

When this happens or when the follow your crankbait without biting it try slowing down the retrieve or use a stop-n-go retrieve. Way to stay with it!

I'm trackin', Andy. It's smart business - especially in manufacturing - to limit the models/variations and focus on a narrower line. That's how you eliminate variance, enable quality. My FoM partner's Skeeter had a SHO 250 on it. It was bullet proof. Great hole shot. A little slower on top end speed but that prob a function of how much crap he kept in the boat (besides me).

Ummmm, I got a slightly different story from the folks at Watson's. Yes, Merc is trying to recapture 4-stroke market share but there was a reason they didn't go higher than the 225 on their new model. Their engineers believe the aggregate emissions rating for Merc marine motors will drop low enough w/ the HP ratings they'll offer on the new line to continue making the more powerful 2-strokes w/o EPA penalty. The Pro XS may be replaced at some time but it won't be soon, according to the Watson's staff. Now, if California invades the rest of the country and attempts to overlay its obsessive-compulsive environmental laws on us marine motors will be a thing of the past . . . period.

What Nobby said - I use jerk baits year 'round, not just in cold wx.

I use them routinely throughout the year, not just in cold temps. Yep, they're proud of them but they out-catch all the other brands hands down. I pushed back from paying their price for a couple years. Finally got tired of my partner out-catching my LCs and Rapalas 5 to 1 (no kidding). Bought my first couple then and haven't looked back.

Not a dummy bait and don't feel bad. Have had many outing where I threw a crank bait 1000s of times and never got a bite. Here are a couple things to consider that may help: 1) The bait has to hit something. If it's not banging off of bottom, rocks, or submerged wood you're not deep enough. 2) Match the hatch. This means color, size, and shape. 3) Don't be afraid to throw weird colors (chartreuse, bite orange or yellow) in stained water. 4) Bigger doesn't always catch big fish. My best crank bait fish have all come on smaller profile baits. See #2 above. 5) Use the right gear. I use a MED power, medium action rod for squarebills and medium depth runners. Anything stiffer will pull the bait away from the fish when you load it up. I use a MH/moderate rod for deep divers. I usually spool w/ #12 fluoro. If the water is gin clear I'll go down to #10. 6) Change out the factory hooks. They're not always the best quality. I like Mustad triple grips.