Fishing and boating products that just work

[trbr81]

Have been in the bass fishing game for over 40 years - during that time I have pretty much used it all - here are some of my favorites

Power pole - their products along with their customers service is great. my current one has been on two boats and is from 2005 - only issues I have had have been self induced

Bobs Jack Plates - what can you say about a piece of equipment that does what It is supposed to do backed up with immediate support from them. had an issue a few years back and they told me what I needed to do to fix it myself

Minn Kota - my days with mine Kota go back to the late 70s. Back then it was before weedless props and you had a basket around the blade for the weeds. In all that time I have only had one time where I actually had to have someone repair it

All Star Rods - wish they still made them. I have a bunch that have been abused and have never broke any of them

Reels - cant go wrong with anything Shimano makes

Lines - Trilene big game in 15 for mono - strong stuff

Lures - anything rapala, zoom, original minus-1, bandits, yammamoto and old Stanley vibra shafts - cant go wrong with any of them

Boats - I have owned Statos and Ranger - my current boat is a 2011 Z119 - great boat - dont see myself buying another one. Keep on updating this one and cant wait to get it on the Tn waters

Depth finders - cant beat the old hummingbird super 60 - had one for long time and never broke. Currently I have several Helix - all have been great. My new Garmin may be the best of them all. Kind of wish I had the newer lowrances but in too far on the Birds now. Have never had to get a bird repaired and their updates are pretty seamless

Bass Boat Tech- love their stuff and how easy it just fits and does what it is supposed To do



Tom

 

[ChooChooSnakeMan]

What I like are:

Boats - I have only owned (4) so limited experience but my current Skeeter FX21 and my Lowe aluminum 17HP work very well.

Outboards - I don't want to start any fights, we are entitled to our favorites. I was a Mercury only guy until the FX21 which has a Yamaha 250 SHO on it. The Lowe has a Merc 90 Opti 2 stroke. Both motors have been very good. If I were buying a new boat I'd lean toward a new SHO but if I could only get it with a Merc 4 stroke that would be ok.

Minn Kota - I've had both Minn Kota and Motorguide. Both have worked well for me but I think MK is a little better in my opinion.

I like Shimano Spinning reels and Abu Garcia baitcasters.

Fishing Line - Power Pro for braid and Berkley 100% flouro. For just regular mono I go with tried and true Stren.

Soft Baits - I've probably caught more fish on Zoom plastics than any other brand and I still fish Zoom a lot. Lately I'm fishing Yum and the Berkley Maxscent stuff (the General) works very well.

Fishing Rain - Cold weather clothing - I have Cabelas Guidewear and it is great. I know BPS took them over so I don't know if Guidewear is still available and if it is still good. Shoes - In non cold weather I have some Soft Science fishing / boat shoes that are great. I undestand a few months ago Soft Science exited the US market. That's a pity, their shoes were light, wide and comfortable with a removable insole that was easily washable. The whole shoe shed water very well. For cold weather shoes I like my Columbia waterproof mid height hiking boots. Regular height water proof shoes I've found catch water coming off my rain pants. For really cold weather fishing which I don't do anymore I liked Cabelas full height insulated hunting / hiking boots. This may seem trival but protection from the sun is important. I wear long sleeve fishing shirts, usually long fishing pants that aren't too hot. I like the Neutrogena 50 to 70 stick sun block. It applys easily and stays on. I also favor a full brim hat instead of a plain baseball cap. Trust me on this. Getting things burned and cut off your face, ears, nose, and arms is no fun. Protect yourself from the sun.

Boat Seat - Now that I'm older I just can't stand all day like I used to. Last year I purchased a Millenium B-100 seat and it is fantastic. I'm serious, if you have back - leg problems even with your current seat you should try a B-100 seat. The seat angle and construction just makes a big difference in how I feel after a day of fishing. I also like the way the seat folds to a smaller profile which makes it safer as it doesn't block near as much of my vision as the old style seat.

Tackle storage - In the last 40 years I've tried it all. I've settled on a large fishing back pack. It holds (3) 3600 boxes with a large and medium zippered compartments. I can keep pretty much everything I need and if I happen to be fishing in another boat it is easier to carry and leave my hands free for the rods. My current one is a Diawa but I don't think it isn't available any more. I've had it for a long time and it will need to be replaced soon. There are some very expensive units available but since I have the 3600 boxes I will go with a Bass Pro backpack that you can get without the boxes for around $40.00.

Electronics - I've always had Humminbird. What I have now is older technology but it still works well and I'm sure I don't use the technology to the fullest potential. The Garmin stuff looks nice, if I had to go with new and not Bird then I'd probably go Garmin.

Scents - I've used Spike-it garlic for many years. Maybe it is just a confidence thing but I believe dipping the tail of soft plastic baits in the chartruese garlic dye helps the fish to find the bait and to hold on.

Favorite fishing technique - Hands down finesse fishing with senko style straight tail worms. 2nd favorite is C'Rig and 3rd is Drop Shot. I need to hard bait fish more but casting and cranking waiting on the fish to grab it doesn't float my boat. I know there is more to it than that but my attitude shows my skill level with hard baits which isn't good.

Style of fishing - By style I mean run and gun or sit and grind. I have to say I'm more of a sit and grind. My fishing mentors were both sit and grind guys. Their attitude was: go to the area / type of cover - depth that the fish should be in for the time of season and if you're in an area that should have fish they are probably there you just need to figure out how to get them to bite. They believed that leaving an area too soon and running around just wasted fishing time. I think I need to be more balanced and willing to abandon an area sooner than I usually do.

Boat Care Products - I used to use the Lucas Slick Mist and still think it is a good product but lately I've settled on Turtle Wax Ice Hybrid Seal and Shine. It can be hard to find but it has some actual wax in it and I think it lasts longer than the Lucas stuff.

Well that's some of the stuff I like and have faith in. I'm looking forward to seeing some more posts on this subject. Thanks