enduro67

I used to use nothing but Shimanos (Sedona's and Sahara's). I was looking at the higher end models this year but felt their quality was lacking. I came across a Daiwa TD-Pro that Bass Pros sells. I bought one back in March and fell in love with it. They are on clearance now for $99 each (I liked them so much that I upgraded all 6 of my spinning rods). IMO The spool design is much better than Shimano's....have had absolutely no problems with loops or wind knots...even when my wife uses them. (Of course she has been well trained to stop the line on the cast and close the bail by hand). Not trying to get you to switch brands (I still use all Shimaon bait casters) but IMO there are better spinning reels out there.

Dale Hollow has some nice walleye in it. I caught one this spring while smallmouth fishing. I believe they are difficult to locate in the summer though and most of the fishing is done at night.

Well my problem was actually two fold. Overall sensitivity of the trolling motor transducer was never as good as the Dash unit. I originally had a LCX520c graph on the bow so I figured it was partly due to the lower power vs the LCX28C. So I bought the LCX27 the first of this year for the bow and it did seem to improve the performance but I never did a head to head comparison (too busy fishing). I was able to marks shools of crappie and detect brushpiles and stakebeds on Ky lake so I was happy with it's performance. Over the last month the bow unit started losing track of the depth from time to time and the color line was real thin and it flat out quit showing any fish returns at all. So I put a external puck on the trolling motor to test the display and it was fine. Finally got a slow time my fishing so took the motor in for a new puck. That fixed the really poor performance issue...now the question is will it show fish as good as the transom. I am going up to Minnesota in July and last year had trouble marking walleyes with the bow mount so had to flip the dash mount around so I could watch it as I trolled...hopefully the new display and US puck will solve my problems...I plan to take my spare lowrance puck for the trolling motor along just in case.

Well I took the motor to the shop. Of course they tested it in their tube and said it was ok. I had them replace the transducer anyways. Ran it over the weekend and it worked much better...showed shad and good fish echoes. Plan to flip the dash unit around so I can see both at the same time this weekend and do a trolling pass over the same structure just to see how much difference there is between Lowrances puck and Minn Kota's.

Thanks for the responses. I have not been able to find any bad press on them so mine must have a problem. I plan to pull the motor after this weekend and take it to get tested. I'll post back the results in a few weeks.

Let me rephrase the question.... Is anyone out there using a MinnKota Universal Sonar or USII with a Lowrance graph that is completely happy with it's performance. (Meaning good fish echoes, good bottom hardness distinction, good shad marking, etc)

I have a Minn Kota Trolling motor with the Universal Sonar Single Frequency transducer (200KhZ). I am using it with a Lowrance LCX-27C on the bow. I have a LCX-28C on the dash with a standard Lowrance transom mount skimmer tranducer. The standard Lowrance tranducer shows much more detail than the Minn Kota Universal Sonar. I have swapped the displays back and forth and turned up the sensitivity...it just seems that the Minn Kota transducer is not as sensitive. My question is has anyone else observed this. Is the Universal Sonar II any better. I called a Minn Kota rep and they say they can test it...don't really want to pull the motor off right now if it won't help.

Quote: You slide the o-ring to the middle of the Senko. Then just run your hook under the o-ring, but not in to the Senko. Apparently it prolongs the life of the senko. I still prefer to barely skin hook the senko through the o-ring...otherwise if you have a small bass grab the end of it the senko will pull right through the o-ring when you set the hook. It will still tear slightly when you catch a fish but you won't lose as many and you can hook it in different spots. I use the K-wacky hooks made by Falcon (available direct from Falcon online)...you can get them with a weed guard and weighted to allow you to fish the bait a little deeper or in windier conditions. I prefer the 1/32 oz and 3/0 hook. It also helps to keep the light colored side dropping downwards on a two tone laminate...just skin hook the senko through the o-ring about 1/8" down from where the darker color blends with the light color. Also my favorite bait is a Culprit Stinger in the Okee gold color. It is a two tone laminate with a bluish top and offwhite belly...looks very much like a minnow. It is a little tougher than the Yamamoto brand but doesn't smell funky like other knockoffs.

Sat the 30th is a full moon with the moon overhead peak time of 12:30 to 1:20 am. So I plan to fish all night to take advantage of both sunrise and sunset plus the peak in between. I've never relied on lunar tables and pretty much just fish whenever possible...but that particular night does look appealing. I'm not sure which has the better bite...new moon or full. But I will say that it is much easier to fish when can you see points and other shoreline features/obstacles...which is pretty difficult without any moonlight. Plus I tend to get overruns on my baitcaster more when I can't tell at all when my lure is going to hit the water. There is nothing more exciting than hearing a bass explode on a topwater bait after dark and having to wait to feel if it was on your bait or your parners. Now I have to wait for 2 weeks and hope that it doesn't rain that night. One tip I do have is to use the green led lights that clip on the bill of your hat...that way when you have to rety or land a fish it doesn't ruin your night vision.

I have the tricross comp and am very pleased with it...has 105/ultegra drivetrain with the relaxed geometry of a crossbike...plus the brake clearance to run the wider tires which you will need if you have to ride in much gravel. I bought a leftover 2006 model for $1200.

WTB Pure V... I have the team version and it is by far the most comfortable saddle I have ever used...no break in time and has held up well...check out the reviews on MTBR. Seems to me like after the first 4 or 5 long rides of the season the saddle soreness subsides...the best way to get over it is to ride all year long.

I looked at the Scout II and the Scout XL side by side at cabela's yesterday...the ScoutII had a distinctly clearer picture that the XL. I was wondering if that was just a coincidence or does the SR camera give a clearer image. I can't decide on which unit to get based on that observation....do I go with the pricier XL model which had the poorer quality image but larger screen or go with the Scout II and take a chance on spooking fish with the led's. I had done a forum search for "camera" and aquavu and came up empty. I just figured out that I have to change the date range so I'll try it again.

I have been considering buying one of the Aquaview scout II under water camera systems. Not so much for locating fish but more to use a learning tool. It always anoys me to locate fish that you think are crappie and fish over them without getting any bites or getting tailbites only to find out they are merely small bluegills. It would be nice to be able to drop the camera down and find out what's going on. So my question is which camera works better...the old IR illuminated or the new spectral cameras. It seems like the colored light would spook the fish more than the IR. Also how well do they work in stained water?

Has anyone tried tying a fluorocarobon leader on the end of your braid. I use the 8lb crystal fireline with a 8lb fluorocarbon leader for crappie fishing alot and on my light jigging rod for bass. I realize you have a extra knot to tie and worry about failing and it does cut down a little on your casting distance having a knot pass through your guide....but I have never had a knot fail on me yet (use the uni-knot) I love the sensitivity and sure hook sets of braid...my only dislike is that it seems to blow more in the wind than mono...or maybe I can just see the bow it creates better.

I have used both brands and in my opinion the Motorguide footpedal is very uncomfortable. It is too steep so it is very difficult to use standing up. I have one of the new Minn Kota Maxxum 80lb with the Universal Sonar and I love it...no more tangled or pinched transducer wires.