Trolling motors continue to evolve into more effective fishing tools. We have been using the Xi5 motors from MotorGuide for years and have been very pleased.
Now, MotorGuide just introduced the Xi3 motor which is a little lighter, and skips a few of the features of the Xi5 and comes in a little cheaper. Here are the Features of the new Xi3
Both the Xi5 and the Xi3 are excellent motors. If you are trying to save a few bucks, check out the Xi3 for performance that will have you on the fish!
Here in the Florida Keys, the fishing can be very very difficult. We're looking for every single advantage that we can get. We love to fish for Bonefish, Permit, Tarpon, Redfish, things that stick their fins out of the water or that will make a disturbance with the bait or if we find the bait we can find the fish. One great way to do that is to use binoculars on the flats.
My first job in the fishing industry was a fly fishing guide in Wyoming and Idaho. I started at the very very bottom and my first job was to have to change all the bearings on everybody's trailer because that's really what got us to the river and back safely. So I learned how to change bearings and I got to be pretty good at it but I never really liked it. And I never really wanted to do it.
So we just got our new Yellowfin 26 and it is fully rigged out with a Lowrance Electronics package. The thing that I'm most excited about with electronics this year is I got the new Lowrance Halo 24 Radar. This is a super-compact radar and a 24-inch dome and it just has some awesome features… One, it's twice as strong as any radar I've ever used on my inshore boats. It's got a 48-mile range so I can see a storm or boats just way out away from me make good decisions.
So we've been doing a lot of deep dropping and offshore fishing this year in our new 26 and one of the things I find the most useful out there is having a really really high-resolution bathymetric chart showing the different drops in the ups and downs.
So traditionally we use Power Poles on our Skiffs and our Bay boats. It's been just a game-changer for us to be able to use these on boats and stop on a dime. We can be pursuing a fish, hit a button and instantly and quietly stop so we can cast that fish instead of having to drop a bulky anchor. We can just push that Power-Pole down and shallow water and stop the boat.
We often get a lot of questions about how to have a better day on the water. Whether that's catching more fish or bigger fish or whatever. But I can tell you that the best way to have a better day on the water is to start the day out well. A lot of people trailer their boats and a lot of days are kind of ruined at the boat ramp. Boat ramp etiquette is a huge thing and it's really not very hard to do. It just takes a little bit of consideration and a little bit of forward-thinking to where you're prepared when you get to the boat ramp. So when you pull off of the highway and you come to your boat ramp chances are you're not ready to put the boat in so don't go and back right down the middle of the boat ramp.
So over the years, we've used the braided line for really everything that we do now. Both inshore offshore I've gone a hundred percent braided line. If I need extra stretch or something like that or clearer line I can just put a long Top Shot on my braids.
Over the years, the number one feature that I have relied on with my GPS is the charts themselves. I’d often put GPS points in where the head of a channel is, we would save our runs in when we had low visibility. Through the years it has constantly been improving and now we have Florida Marine Tracks. There is so much detail, every marker in the Everglades, every detail in the shallow water and they have even drawn in running lines.
One of the key elements to having a soft, dry, comfortable boat ride on the water is trimming your boat efficiently. Starting off the boat is trimmed all the way down, that will help us get on plane quickly. Once we get up to about 30mph we will start to trim the motor up and there is a sweet spot there when you get the trim perfectly.
As a fishing guide you have to really protect yourself from the sun - if you are outside every day you have to be very careful. It used to be Zinc-Oxide Sunscreen, you would see guides cover themselves completely with this stuff to avoid sunburn. But one time I was guiding and I had a customer come and say his wife bought him this thing and he let me try it on. It was a Buff Multifunctional Headgear and within minutes of putting it on I know it was a game changer.
Towing our boats all around the Keys and all over the US. Over the years we have had some issues with our trailers and recently we found Ameratrail and they really take care of our most expensive toy. They upgraded this year and made their great product, even better. The axel has sealed ball bearings which is guaranteed to be maintenance free for 5 years.
If you only had one reel to fish with, what would it be? When fishing for redfish, snook, bonefish, small tarpon and jacks I have a go-to outfit. I use a 3 or 4000 size reel, the 4,000 with more line capacity and the 3,000 for a lighter outfit. What I usually look for it one that will be durable and stand up to all kinds of abuse. On a charter boat the reels are going to get stepped on and dropped, they will get salt all over them.
One of the most common questions I get is “What kind of rod should I get? I’m not looking to spend a lot of money but I want a quality rod.” I’m determined that the Mojo series from St. Croix is a great choice. I’ve been using them for the last few years - super high quality rod, at a reasonable price and very durable.
Using binoculars in saltwater fishing is one of the most effective ways to find the fish. Whether its inshore or offshore binoculars can really help me find fish more efficiently. I learned at a young age working on charter boats that if you find the birds you find the dolphins. When looking for birds, if you use a 10-powered pair of binoculars you will find ten-times more birds and ten-times more fish.
Whether searching for redfish or tarpon, I’m always going to different locations in search for the perfect spot. With B&W Trailers’ Tow and Stow, I have three different ball sizes on one hitch that is equipped for trailers carrying a skiff, bay boat, or larger sized boat.
When Rich and I fish for easily spooked fish we like to get to a strategic location and then stake out there and cast for a bit before moving another 20-30 yards and repeating the process. In this case we use our Power-Poles to stop the boat while we wait for the fish to come within casting range. In some cases we will make enough blind casts to cover a stretch of shoreline or a bottom feature - like an oyster bar, sand hole or other structure.
Mercury is always raising the bar. For years we have been looking for the right motor to go on our flat skiffs. Mercury Marine came out with this Pro XS, it has the lightest wait, the most power for anything from a 18 footer down to a 16 footer.
Tom and I have been using the MotorGuide Xi5 for the past few years and love our experience with it. Recently, MotorGuide has released the new Xi3, which is more compact and lighter than the Xi5.
The new Lowrance HDS Carbon Series now comes in 16 inches, and works faster than ever. On the Yellowfin, I have two Lowrance screens that show me the sonar and DownScan Imaging. With the DownScan feature, I am able to indicate what types of fish are near me, such as game or bait fish. This allows me to have better fishing experiences, because I know what I am targeting.
Trolling motors continue to evolve into more effective fishing tools. We have been using the Xi5 motors from MotorGuide for years and have been very pleased. Now, MotorGuide just introduced the Xi3 motor which is a little lighter, and skips a few of the features of the Xi5 and comes in a little cheaper. Here are the Features of the new Xi3...
We say, the 7 foot 8 to 17-pound class rod is about your best all around. You can do a little bit of everything from snapper fishing to small Tarpon and everything in between. Then it comes down to what kind of rod. Well, we've trusted St. Croix Rods for quite a few years now and they are just the absolute best quality rods and they make a variety of different model rods from the good, better, and best type model.