There are MANY large Muskie in Spirit. Go back and look again. There are even more in West Okoboji. No kidding.
But due to the tremendous boating pressure of those lakes Muskie fishing is relegated to the hours of moon-rise and moon-set. Check it out.
The big mommas are keenly aware of moon phase.
Boat traffic intensifies around 10:00 am and continues until they run out of beer.
Was on Spirit 2 weeks ago drifting a point chatting with a buddy drifting his boat along with mine. We were maybe 70′ from a line of buoys. We looked up and saw a pleasure boater pulling his 7 year old daughter on a kneeboard right between us and the buoys. Un-f-ing believable. I shouted to the guy “You must not like your daughter” as he blew by us.
Daytime is not fit for fish nor fishermen until school starts again.

Everything is stock from Lund.

My biggest issue is that water “jumps” out this hole when you shut the livewell lid. Everyone I fish with thinks we are taking on water on our way to the bottom of the lake.
It’s a design flaw from Lund. They put a seat base directly over the rear livewell. I can reach into the livewell and stick my finger thru the hole at the bottom of the seat base.

If the overflow tube were lowered 8″ I’d never have this problem.

Mine works well also. Here’s what I do.
Use trolling motor heading into the wind to the spot I want to fish. Hit spot lock while still moving into the wind. Spot lock takes 15 seconds to locate and correct. By that time we have drifted back to the spot and only minor corrections are required.

If you see the motor revving up past 6 or 7 on its way to 10, and this is uncomfortable for you, cancel it and start over.

You’ve then wasted a minute on the water. Big deal.

Never considered Superior, but I will now.
I own lead set ups we use on Oahe so that sounds like a bonus.
4 hours to the cities? Closer to 6.
Multi species trip may be best. Or at least guided for a day, then repeat pattern on my own.
My son is a bass nut and loves chucking and reeling. I, on the other hand, prefer trolling and relaxing. And it looks like we could do both.

Thanks for the info all!

Accurate description of the lake.
Wednesday thru Friday morning, lake was navigable with a few exceptions. After noon on Friday, not so pleasant.
Weekends after 10:00 am., just stay in the coves.
Serious wakes on a calm day. I saw 5-6 footers.

Never been on the lake before.
Staying at Holiday resort.
Hoping to stay away from crowds/idiots.

If crappies can be caught off the docks, I may just do that.

The women chose this lake for the social and shopping allure.

I’d rather fish a glacial lake with smallies and walleyes where you see 5 boats all day.

Thanks for the info.

We’ve been fishin Clear Lake the last couple of years and it may be the best smallie lake in the area.
Roy is a trophy smallie lake.
Kettle has monster walleye. If you can get to them. It is very weedy.
Don’t overlook The Buffalo lakes and Red Iron.

Can you post photos?
That may help us understand what options you have.

So if I put a Helix 9di on the console, I need another unit for the bow connected to us2 transducer on Minnkota iPilot Link. What’s my best overall value for this location?

Ate a half a ball of mason’s twine once. It was left out after adding some brick to the front of the house by a contractor. Wrapped around auger and shaft hundreds of times. Considered trading it in in that condition hoping nobody would notice.

Holy Handgrenades. $599?
I need to look into that!

Looks like it’s time to rebuild.

Thanks Guys.

I think a boat is like a car when it comes to buying one. I tell my family this as a buying guide:
1 – Figure out your top dollar ($7500)
2 – Subtract 20% for unforeseen problems (-1500)
3 – Look for something in the 80% range knowing you have the resources to fix whatever it needs. ($6000)
4 – If making payments, take out the loan for the full amount ($7500) and buy the unit, then add whatever you need to make it whole with the balance ($1500).
5 – Then you have exactly what you want and in good condition.
6 – Re-read Rule #2 again.

If a guide is worth his salt, his integrity shines over and above his big fish photo shoots.
I’ve hired a bunch of guides in my life. I can honestly say that I’ve had some of my best times talking with the guide as opposed to reeling in the big one or worse yet having the big one suddenly appear in the boat.
IMHO a guide’s first priority is safety, but after that it is to impart knowledge and tactics to make me a better fisherman on that body of water.
I want to catch big fish, but I want the experience to be genuine.

(this is in absolute conflict with my philosophy on fake boobs , just sayin…)

I have an Explorer 1825 2010 model which is the predecessor to the Impact.
The boat does everything I want it to do.
Best gps speed was 47+.

I’ve been looking for the last two months for a possible replacement, and there isn’t one….for under $40k.

I’m keeping it.

Spare remote batteries for the glove box are priceless!
My $.02

I loved my Genesis. The auto deploy and stow were fantastic. So much so that I can’t believe I traded it in for the Terova with I pilot. But now there appears to be one motor that does it all. Cannot wait to get my hands on one of these.
Wait…. The cost how much?
My Genesis was $1800 back in 2002.
The Ulterra looks like $2300 today.
I guess the grand baby can survive for a few more years without my support. Let’s go fishing.

There are always areas to fish on Francis Case regardless of wind.
Find one of the creek inlets and stay in the creek. If it lays down, head out to the main lake.
2 areas to fish in windy conditions:
– Just north of 44 bridge on east shoreline
– Platte Creek.
Both produce fish. Although neither will be calm, there are areas within them, close to boat ramps that you can fish safely and comfortably.
You will work hard for your fish, but it beats the heck out of getting caught out on the main lake.

Good luck, be safe.

Roy lake is fantastic. The boys and I get up there every year. The trip I’m looking at needs to have ” shopping” as an option. Not an option at Roy Lake. Looking for something around Walker, Brainerd, Alexandria,…?

Not really sure of the “where”. Keeping options open.
Want to keep within 10 hours of Omaha.

Was it blowing 40 out there too???

I had ONE opossum get into my boat once and he found many nooks and crannies under the floor on top of the floatation foam where it was warm and pooped enough for me to think he was there for months. NASTY!

An ounce of prevention.
Those varmits get into places you’d never imagine.

Regardless of whatever you use to repel them, your best defense is vigilance.

Quote:

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We need to reduce the amount of lightning to zero which injures more people than wolves.

I find it funny when an accident like this happens it is suddenly a news story. Its like when 10 people get ill from poopy lettuce and all of a sudden it is all over the news and there is a massive recall.

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He he he… “poopy”

Hang on…
I’ve bought 10 boats in my lifetime and I ALWAYS thought I was going to keep it forever. So I’d strike that idea out of the conversation.
As for new vs used or “is it worth it”?
I prefer used.
A) Save money right now.
B) Not ALL new boats are bullet proof right out the door.
C) Hidden extras – electronics, trolling motors, radios, covers, etc… can be added to new, but normally come with used.
D) A proven Track Record – buy from someone you trust. But do not buy any boat without a test drive. If boat owner refuses a test drive, then I guess you have your answer. A forthright owner would give you the skinny on the nuances of said boat and how it handles different waters. New boat salesmen are normally “Yes, yes, no problem” people.

I know that when I’ve sold a boat in the past, I want the new owner to love that boat as much as I did when I got it.

And I look for that same passion when buying a used boat.

Best of luck in your search.

The Dog.

As mentioned, just change filter/fluids when you buy it.
Or better yet, have it inspected and have your offer hinge on the inspection.
A reputable repair shop near me did just that for me this spring. They found a few small items that needed attention and gave me an itemized repair estimate. I showed the estimate to the truck’s owner and asked for that amount off of my best offer. He agreed and I am very happy with the purchase. And the estimate cost me $66.00. Cheap peace of mind.

My home is a 1623 sq ft on the main floor ranch. The attached garage is 1611 sq ft. It is still not big enough. Once you have more garage space, you want even more because you figure out that you can wash cars in the winter (w/floor drain), pack trailer bearings on the boat without moving it out, store mowers and snow blowers side-by-side, have your own fridge, a slop sink, etc…..
All of this without ever needing to re-arrange things for the season. In other words, a place for everything.
All my guy friends love my garage, but I’m surprised how many women love it too.
For a boat, get as wide of a garage door as possible, and don’t forget about height. A tilted outboard on a trailered walleye boat comes within inches of hitting my 7′ tall opening.

When I decide to sell my house down the road, I cannot imagine anyone saying:
“Oh, the house is lovely, but the garage is just too big”.

Go big or wish you had!

I have an Explorer Sport 1825 w/ 150 Etec
The Impact is almost identical. I liked the layout better than the ProV for the weekend warrior. Just couldn’t see 5k extra for the few advantages.
IPS Ii hull is much drier than IPS I. I’ve run them side by side.
My buddy also has an Impact he bought from Al Lindner and he loves it.
The 150 on his and my boats is the only way to go. I’ll never buy another boat that is not maxed out at the hp rating.
He and I will get to 47-49 mph GPS at wot. Not bad for a weekend toy that pulls tubes too.

Yep, it was jumpy. A new sensor is $100 for this thing.
Thanks.

X3 on the crawfish boil.

But my favorite is still a shrimp boil.
Corn, potato, sausage, shrimp, lemons, old bay, beer, and water. That’s it. 30 minutes from putting water on the burner to feasting.
We use squeeze butter, old bay, and tobasco as condiments.
Roll up your sleeves and get in there.

You are half way there if you touch the bow into the v of the trailer. Yes you do need to make sure your trailer is at proper depth to allow power loading. After having both roller and bunk trailers I use this rule of thumb.
Roller trailer: Back in until 2 sets of rollers are wet.
Bunk trailer: Back in until 1/2 the bunks are wet.

Then just center boat between bunks/rollers as best you can and give a LITTLE throttle, just enough to touch the bunks and stop. Then steer to re-center on trailer and touch throttle again. You should feel the boat being centered on trailer as you slowly drive it on. if not, back off and try again. If so, keep pushing slowly on until you touch the mast roller. If a roller trailer, leave motor in gear and reach down from the bow and secure your strap and safety chain. If a bunk trailer, shut motor off and you should stay on trailer without a strap.

Practice this.
Go to a small, lightly used ramp and launch and load til you get the method down.
Please don’t be the guy who hoards a busy ramp for 15 minutes while others wait in line.
I once watched a guy from my boat start to COVER his boat while still on the ramp as a line of trucks waited to launch. Not sure if he made it out of there alive.

Good luck!