fishthumper wrote:

Even with Great handling technique, there are times that a fish dies. I like to feel that myself and my fishing buddy have excellent fish handling skills on large pike, But we still end up with a fish that dies from time to time. I hate it, but it happens from to time.

Absolutely true on the mortality front, I would imagine sadly its quite high for unexpected/unprepared catches, but also an unfortunate reality for experienced anglers.

Appreciate the link, Gimruis. I took the survey and indicated my preference is to prioritize strengthening our existing fisheries. Admittedly my interest in muskie fishing has waned in the past few years, especially during the times of the year when FFS is a massive advantage.

The West End in St. Lous park would be #1 for recent grads, but its fairly pricey. There are a bunch of apartments over there, central park west is nice.

I am not really in the market because I already own too many rods, but the Thorne Predator series are the best rods I have ever used.

Its not a cost thing for me either, I have not decided if I want to stare at a screen even more than I already do with my current set up.

I wish it was as simple as “to each their own”, but this technology is going to start (or has started) impacting fisheries. I can definitely feel the divide in the muskie world, fish are seeing far more baits than pre FFS, which hurts success rates for anglers fishing without it.

I completely understand the hesitation to give the DNR more power, but if we are being honest, fishing and hunting are already heavily regulated. Eventually every sport has a moment where they need to limit technology, whether its golf clubs/balls, baseball bats, or only allowing 3 shells when duck hunting. There’s countless examples technology being limited for the betterment of the sport, fishing should be no different.

Yes, I would support a ban, but its a tough call for me. I brought it up in another thread, but the impacts on muskie fishing are not as often talked about here, but are fairly significant IMO.

I don’t think it will ever happen, but I could foresee a world where its banned on certain lakes.

I think the youtubers like them because they are getting them for free via sponsorship. People seem to generally be satisfied with them, I’ll personally stick with Daiwa.

I have concerns about how FFS is impacting fisheries, but at the same time am strongly considering adding it to my boat this summer. I bet many here feel similarly conflicted about FFS.

I often hear “if you don’t like it don’t use it, aka watch your own bobber”. I would counter that by saying when the technology starts impacting the success rates of an “normal” angler I start to question things.

Muskie fishing in particular is an interesting example: of course you have a chance at catching one without FFS (its not even useful in some situations), but it seems to be getting harder due to them seeing so many more baits and being easier to find/pressure with FFS. I would bet the differential in success rates between someone pursuing open water muskies in June with FFS vs. someone without would be massive to the point where I just have less motivation to even try without FFS.

I found this muskie podcast with Pete Maina interesting, it probably goes harder against FFS than I would, but they make some good points: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9B4JOt3QWfk&t=1s .

buckybadger wrote:

$100k + boats…my random guess is fewer than most people think

I’d bet the number of boats in the $30-80k range that are financed is more than most people think

I think this is spot on, I doubt many boats above $100K are financed, but I could be wrong. I would imagine most people taking out a loan on a boat top out around $75K.

My wife was shocked to hear a salesman selling someone next to us on a 7% 25 year loan at the boat show. I cant imagine being underwater for 20+ years on a boat.

You will have a hard time finding any Ranger, Lund, or Crestliner without a Merc hanging off the back these days. Its too bad because I would prefer a Suzuki or Yamaha personally.

I would be looking for a 17.5 – 18.5 aluminum boat, anything glass in the same price range will be older and/or have an undesirable motor on it. 115-140hp is fine on a 17.5, you will want a 150+ on anything over 18′. You can save money by sticking with the Fishhawk/Competitor style boat as opposed to something deeper like the sportfish/trophy, along with getting by running a smaller motor. It would depend on where your fishing and what is most important to you.

Many boats in the year range you will be looking at will have outdated electronics, I would be looking to spend around $24-28K and plan on outfitting it with a new TM and depthfinder.

Surprised to hear this, I have been impressed with the vortex pro lodge I bought earlier this year. I will say, each of the big 3 make a really solid shack at this point.

Otter makes the best hub in my opinion, the no trip door is a game changer. Cant speak to using it in the summer, but it did fine in the December rain I had it out in.

I have slowly been switching over to Daiwa the past few years. I second the Legalis or Fuego being the best reels you can buy in that $100 range.

I have kicked around redoing the entire floor in my 2006 sportfish 18′, the quotes have ranged from $4,200 to $5,8000. I have not pulled the trigger yet due to cost. Thought about trying to tackle it myself, but not sure I have the time or patience.

Fully support the shift from 6 to 4, should have been done a while ago.

I guess I need to turn in my man card, I love having a 5.5′ box with a topper. Im a weekend warrior and dont work in the trades, and my F150 short box feels huge compared to my old SUV. Also used to live downtown, try parking in half the ramps down there with a crew cab long bed, it gets old pretty quick.

My otter sled and pop-up fit perfectly in the bed and sit there all winter, and never had an issue packing for longer fishing trips with 3 guys.

I recently got the Meater 2 Plus, it was the best wireless option I could find after doing a decent amount of research. They have sales on the original now, but the 2 has many advantages over that model.
I have been impressed so far, it is supposed to last 15 hours, has 5 temp sensors in the meat, and an ambient temp reading on the outside.

I like the idea, but I think it would be really tough to get to that retail price point with a 150+ motor on it which is what most guys would want.

I loved my old tiller, but I moved on to a full windshield and am never going back.

I am similar to others here, I give it 3-4 years, then reel it backwards onto another reel and get another 3-4 years out of it.

I would be surprised if you got more than $100 for it, most are going in that $75 range from what I have seen. All those listings for $150-$200 are not selling, the used market is flooded with everyone moving to electric.

Thorne Bros has the newer Clam X-400 with the wider door marked down to $350, I am debating between that and the Otter Pro Lodge.

Scheels has the last year model Diawa Fuego’s on sale for $55, I ran one most of the summer and was pleased with its performance.

I too am surprised to see the pricing on many used sleds, but there is no crash coming. Most of the impact is just general inflation along with manufactures raising the prices on new sleds. Its tough to compare pricing now to what we were used to 10-15 years ago because 10,000 in 2010 is equivalent to around $14,500 today.

I dont think depreciation curves have changed all that much either, but the starting point price point has. There are still deals to be had (mostly in the spring) for someone with a mechanical background. I am a cynic when it comes to sledding due to the numerous issues I’ve dealt with in the past, but there isnt a better machine to get you away from the crowds when there’s a foot or 2 of snow on the ice.

Great info Brian. I throw a lot of blades and rubber so the Beaver has not made it into my line-up yet, but I just added one to my Christmas list.

Well, this season is officially a dumpster fire. Athan looks great at times and terrible at others. Nubin has been serviceable at RB, but not that explosive and a clear tier below Darius Taylor, who will likely transfer to a better program next year. The defense without their top 2 LB’s belongs on a D3 field, and I am starting to think Tyler Nubin is not the first round pick everyone says he is.

The only saving grace is they still have a chance at Wisconsin given how bad they have also played lately.

A Thorne Brothers custom rod on their predator blank would be 100% made in the USA and a phenomenal rod, but they are not cheap.

Wouldn’t be my top pick for reliability, but a hell of a lot more fun to drive than a Pilot or Highlander and definitely capable in the snow.

Appreciate the feedback Frydog, I think your thoughts are right on.

Tillr – I was at Thorne the other day and they said HB was going to run the $500 transducer rebate again in late November. I see there is no rebate active now, so if they do not restore it that will just push me further towards Garmin or waiting for a Gen2.

After talking to a few different retailers it sounds like the HB stuff is sitting on the shelf far longer than Garmin, so I would be surprised if they didn’t need to run more promotions just get product moving out the door.

That loss definitely hurt, so many ups and downs throughout the game. I thought Athan played well most of the game, but that last 3rd down dump to the TE was inexcusable. PJ has been getting criticized for passing there, but I thought it was a great play call with terrible execution, that routine throw should have ended the game.

Another year of mediocrity, can’t say I am surprised, but I am disappointed.

I appreciate all the feedback. I would be happy to go back to the tech of 25 years ago if everyone else did. We used to pile up walleyes lining up cabins and marker buoys on spots not shown on the paper maps. Those spots are overrun now and the tactics we used no longer yield the same results.

Hydro – glad to see some positive feedback on live, and hope you continue to enjoy it!

Nice fish! Wish I could say I have had the same success, but have just picked up a few smaller ones. I cant complain too much though, time on the water always beats sitting at home and the weather has been great.