payowcomesa

I picked up some deep diving kvd sexy shad baits and some shaky head jigs in diff weights. All I could find is 12" zoom june bug worms and some 4" swim baits. Plan to follow you guys suggestions and hit the topwater at sunrise, pitch some brush hogs and move deeper as the sun rises. I'm not much of a sacalait fisherman but I am bringing a jig pole and a spinning rod spooled with 6lb test and plan to hit some sunk timber with jigs after lunch. I have a lowrance elite ti with sidescan, not the fancy livescope. If we don't have luck the first day out I'll hit up the local tackle shops for baits and advice. Thanks for the help. Hopefully I can post pics of some fish on Monday.

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One thing I dislike with my pitboss xl is the left side opposite of vent (obviously) is significantly cooler than the other side.

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The smoke stack is the problem on the bigger units. They tried to make it look like a traeger and it pulls all of the heat to the vent side. I started with a 700 and thought I was upgrading to the Pro series and had the same issue. I removed the smoke stack, blocked off the hole and cut five 3/4" holes across the back and removed the plate at the bottom just like the original. It cooks evenly now with the only hot spot being directly under the fire pot. I have called them on this issue several times and even considered selling it before I just decided to modify it like the original series. That heat pan needs to be stainless but they rather sell parts. The other complaint I have is the heat settings jump in 50* increments instead of 25*. A 325* setting would be great. Who needs a 400* BBQ pit? I see the new grills have a new pid controller. I may look into swapping mine out.

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trailer shed inside a WMA in Louisiana

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I think I know this camp?

I have had several Hummingbirds and Garmins before in the $600 and below range, sometimes both brands at the same time up front and in the console, but for my new boat I went with a Lowrance Elite TI7. I have it mounted in the console and linked to a Ipad. I can see and control it with the ipad anywhere in the boat. The menu to navigate all of the settings are much more user friendly on the Lowrance, the touchscreen makes saving waypoints and backtracking brushpiles stupid simple. I hated the menu setup on Hummingbirds the most. The mapping is what I use the most and for me the interface on the Lowrance is the most intuitive. I have a satellite card and being able to see exactly where you are and where you want to go is great especially in unfamiliar areas and getting back to the landing after dark. The ability to make your own live contour maps as you fish is pretty cool and can be uploaded and shared on C-map. I still haven't played with it enough to learn how manipulate all of the functions or to really be able to read the sidescan imaging. I see stuff on the screen, trees, tires, lawn chairs, etc. but I am still learning how to read what is or isn't fish I see. My next project is to install a nmea network and plug it to my outboard.

On my new boat I did not want to put holes in the transom so I used a product called stern saver. It's just a abs block with industrial waterproof 3M stick on adhesive. So far it is still holding on with a side scan transducer mounted to it. The transducer mount actually broke and the block is still stuck on the back.

Also look into a epoxy called Weld-Mount. I get it from jamestown distributors. I use AT-8040 all the time to mount studs to hang electronics in aluminum enclosures. It has a 3500 psi shear strength. I have seen 1/8" aluminum tear before the stud lets go. I also glue din rail directly to aluminum back plates with it and have yet to have it fail.

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The business can still require a mask. Their store, their rules. If you don't like whichever stance the business takes on masks, all you can do is follow their rules or tell them in no uncertain terms why you are taking your business elsewhere.

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But they can be forced to bake a cake?

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I've never owned a boat before and have no idea what I'm doing

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I completely restored a 22' pontoon stripped down to the frame. New marine plywood deck, vinyl floor, stereo, furniture, console, wiring, panels, decals, bimini, repainted motor, etc. Cost me around $7K by the time I was done and took me two months working every spare minute I had including a trip to urgent care. Most parts I got from pontoonstuff dot com. I am mechanically inclined and this project sucked although everyone thought it was new when I was done. I sold it two years later. I would not do it again.

The lease has been recently acquired by Reggie Little, same guy that has 2 o'clock. Earl's grand daughter gave it up. His contact info should not be hard to find. He is well known in that area :rolleyes:. No idea what the cost is now but as long as you bring cash, you're in. Place is trashy, lot's of old abandoned camps made from old campers and school buses. The one access road is terrible, 4WD terrible. Most of the property is flooded during hunting season and the property is divided now. Majority of access is by boat. Great for wood ducks and crawfishing. There is probably an added fee to run traps. Deer hunting is limited as all of the established members have stands on the ridges that don't flood 100 yards apart. Good luck.

Chicot state park rents canoes and has designated canoe access camping sites. Just search "canoe camping chicot" and a few local canoe group articles will pop up explaining how to go about finding the spots. They are marked with signs on the trees and there are maps at the check in station. This is on my to do list after hunting season is over.

Terminators are really heavy, one of the heaviest tires available. They will suck some of the HP out of a stock bike. Ride well on hardpack and do very well in the muck. Be prepared to shift to low alot.

Zillas are much lighter, have good manners on hardpack and are great in the muck. My favorite all around tire on my Rhino. They do not rob HP and I don't worry about the axles. I run 28's. They are extremely similar to the mayhems in tread pattern(ITP copied the tread) but the mayhems tread is closer together which ride hardpack better but don't clean as well in the muck. Mayhems have a stronger sidewall thus they are a little heavier and ride a little stiff, IIRC about 5 lbs difference. Either one is a good all around tire for a hunting SXS. I get the Zillas for a really good price through a friend and they are very light, if not for that, toss a coin between the two. I think you will be happy with those tires.

Mudlites are an okay tire. I'm not a fan. The Zillas ride and pull better and are just as light.

Swamplites are a good riding tire on hardpack but have to be spun fast to clean them out. Good for trails and occasional mud hole.

Vampires are on the heavy side but are darn near bulletproof. They can run with no air. Ride on hardpack is rough and they are hard on bearings. They will dig to China until they bite. When you get stuck, you are really stuck.


Outlaws are the ultimate mud/muck/swamp tire. If you just want to put around in nasty muck they are the best option. No need to spin them. A set of 27's and you would use 4wd less than half the time you do now. They just paddle through the swamp. They are tough and the ride on hardpack is extremely rough and hard on bearings. The bike will shake riding on concrete. They were made for mud, period. There is a radial version that rides smooth but doesn't pull nearly as well. I had a set of 30's on a lifted, modded, grizzly when I hunted in the swamp. Hardly ever needed 4wd through the nastiest crap. Amazing mud tire.

Gorillas are almost the same mannered tire as outlaws except they tend to dig more to bite where outlaws seem to ride on top of the mud.