Pro's - what equipment do you have on your boats?

[Micro]

Since I don't know any Pro's personally, I would like to know all the equipment you have on your boats? maybe one day I'd like to layout my boats like the ones you anglers use.

[WAZ]

First thing you need, either a rabbits foot or horseshoe.

[groovymoe]

The first thing I would buy is a case of c-4, and a good detinator. Then once you have the cooler full you can go use things like a good depth finder, G.P.S., compass, radio, downriggers, planner boards, drift socks, rod holders, etc. Blast on!!!

groovymoe

[s.f.]

best place to see it all and get advice is at a pwt or rcl event. better yet, enter as an amatuer or co-angler into one of these events. any pro that is worth his salt will answer any questions you have and will gladly demo the equipment. or feel free to contact any of the npaa registered pro's to talk with personally through the main npaa office.

[Todd_NE]

Micro,

I'll take your post literally. The Annual Walleye magazine from In-Fisherman typically has a layout of a tiller and/or console "pro" boat in their boat rigging section. You could also look back through some back issues to find this.

If you are serious about having a boat like the "pro's" use or seeing a list of equipment, browse the WalleyeCentral Classified ads. Many boats are quite reasonably priced, taken care of, and with few hours. Look at all the options and pictures of the boats.

On my boat I prefer Mercury Motors, Panther Kicker Lift, Pinpoint electronics, Fish-On holders, Garmin GPS, and though I have a cable Mototorguide bow electric, I'm going back to MinnKota (the Motorguide has been perfect though, just can't go back to a cable steer no matter how hard I try).

I'll get beat up for saying this, but I really think the world of goodies and boats out there for us anglers is unbelievable. There are very very very few bad products out there. Almost every electronic, motor, rod, reel, boat, etc is quite top-notch!!!

Look back at tournament boats from the early 90's (Lund 1800, Skeeter 1775, Starcraft Aluminum, etc) to now compared to a 1/2 ton pick-up from the early 90's to now, the boats have moved LIGHT YEARS ahead of the automobile pace in my humble opinion. Unfortunately, the price as a percentage of median income has risen too...

Todd

[Chad]

I think the real question is : "WHAT DONT THEY HAVE IN THEIR BOATS".

The pros I know have a little bit of everything. As with most folks the older you get the more stuff you have.

[eye_guide]

Micro,

As far as what the pros use it comes down to about the same as it does with the regular people---what they feel confident in. One of the main things to take into consideration is how long it will take to learn how to use it. If you spend all your time messing with your locator you can end up losing alot of fishing time. I do alot of guiding and am starting to hit the tournaments hard. I have a Vexilar Edge on the console and an X-85 on the bow along with a Globalmap 1600. You should check out the Edge. It is an awesome unit, decent price, has 1600 watts of power and extremely easy to use. You can literally fish within a couple feet of a weedline/rock edge in 20 feet of water. A good way to figure out what you might want to go with is just start asking people at the boat ramp who have a locator you might be interested in. You'll find that most people will be happy to tell you all about it since they usually have the best one out there, lol. Hope that helps a little.

[JimStolpa]

Todd,

If you like Motorguide and don't want a cable drive just switch the the Excel series.

Jim

p.s.Tough not to get caught up in that Tundra thread huh.

[Todd_NE]

Does the Excel have the "guide" feature - I didn't think they did???

I agree on the Tundra post. I remember how much I used to let this board influnence me, so I know that it affects others perceptions unfairly. There can be a lot of people sharpening axes and knives from anonymity on here which I hate.

Todd

[RVRRAT]

I agree with eyeguide on locator's.I to have a x-85 on the bow and a Vexilar Edge on the console.The Edge is by far the easiest to use and has resolution second to none.The people from Lowrance could learn from Vexilar and get rid of that menu driven set up with too many features that do not get used.There is no comparison in performance between the two units,Edge rules.

RR

[Andy Z]

I guess the main thing to consider is every pro has good equipment. I'm going to tell you my equipment is the best because I need to sell these products for my sponsors. Of course, I fully beleive in the products I endorse. The main things are good Sonar units and good GPS units. Lowrance makes great units. Global Map 3000 and an X-15 are a good combination. More importantly, you need to be comfortable with the tools your using in your boat. It's far more important to understand your fish presentations and boat control rather than other things you may not use. TR-1 makes a good auto pilot system.Might make your trolling program a little easier.RAM products has excellent rod holders and mounts for your electronics along with many other applications that work real well. If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me at walleyefs@aol.com

[Texeye]

This may sound crazy,but one of the best innovations to come along the last few years are the on-board,water proof battery chargers.Just plug it in and you can charge all your batteries at one time.I'll never have another boat without one.I'm no pro but I bet all of them have them.