31Airborne

welcome aboard! yep, summer is a tuff time for fishing, kind alike the dead of winter. it's slow and sometimes painful. there are fish to be caught tho'. if you give us an idea of where you've been fishing and how it'll help us give you some ideas on adjustments.

Yep, you can do that, Steve. I had my 1198 networked w/ a 2nd GEN Helix on my old sled. Worked fine. Once you see the images on the Helix you'll get the 2nd one. Just sayin' . . .

Took a little more detailed look at the pics, Steve. First thing to stand out is the deck layout - it hasn't changed much from Stratos to Triton. Same-same w/ the lines and features on the ass-end. Just no mistaking an Earl Bentz boat. That motor has reputation of being a solid performer, very reliable. It likes gas and oil but if it starts and runs without issue that wouldn't bother me.

Nice, Steve - congrats! One of the best hulls ever built right there.

+1 on BPS 100mph gear for colder wx. I've also used Guidewear but I like the pocket layout on the BPS gear better. In warmer temps I use a North Face 3/4 rain jacket. It's made of breathable material so it's quite as stuffy as the rubber-coated nylon Funky warned you about. This jacket is washable .

I like the 7/0 J-hooks for big worms. Owner and Trokar both make heavy wire versions.

Steve - try the Seaguar Abras-X (I like 12#). Casts very smoothly, pretty tuff line. Holds up well in brush, rock, other chunky stuff.

Toobie - I use it for jerkbait applications. I like the fact it's buoyant. The floating line allows me to detect those subtle bites I often missed w/ fluoro. Yes, it has more stretch but that works to my advantage in jerkbait presentations. Gives the fish a little more time to get the bait good, prevents me from pulling it away from the fish. I'm experimenting w/ it as leader material for c-rigs. Not enuff data points yet to offer an opinion. I use P-Line fluorclear. Have had no issues w/ it. Very durable, supple.

Steve - it's brwnbass' fault. He started it w/ "wolf vomit".

So, I couldn't let this go. Like I said, I'm scarred for life. I did a google search on "wolf vomit" and got a interesting assortment of hits. For starters, there's a song out there called "wolf vomit" by Revenant. They're a metal band (2000s definition, not '80s or '90s) and released this as a single in May of 2017. I'm referring to it as a song because there are lyrics and instruments involved but I'll be damned if I can figure out what those doods are singing about. Just below the Revenant single is a collection of You-toob vids of wolves and coyotes feeding their respective young. It involves - wait for it now - sharing regurgitated food. "What's for dinner, maw?" "Your fav, dear - wolf vomit." For complete transparency it's only right that I tell you I did this via the routine google search option. I wouldn't dare put something like this in as a "do you feel lucky?" kinda search. I'll leave that to Brwnbass.

"wolf vomit" - that image is now etched permanently in my mind. wow. if you're catfishing and are having trouble getting bites the Gulp! stuff will fix that. they love it.

The Gulp! stuff is the real deal. Have not tried Maxscent.

+1 on the Revo Winch. I have this reel on all of my crankin' rods. I use a 7-4 MH/medium rod for my deep divers (I rarely use anything bigger [deeper] than a 6XD or DT20). This rod handles both easily - casts a mile, doesn't beat me up on the retrieve, plenty of backbone for fighting fish down deep, plenty of give in the tip to keep me from pulling the bait away from the fish. If you're gonna throw the deeper diving baits (like the 8 or 10XD) a heavy rod may be better. Recommend experimenting with your options before locking yourself in. You may learn than one rod may not work for all of your deep diving bait options.

+1 on HB products - not only superior in terms of capability but also much easier to use/learn. The 9" screen is plenty big enuff to give you the resolution and visibility you need to manage a day on the water. Think you'll be impressed w/ the detail of the images.

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.