Competition Ready 2025

Tin Man reply :

On order. LOWE Stinger 175. 17.5 foot aluminum. Mercury 60 hp. four stroke, two 23 gallon livewells, ample storage, 19 gallon fuel tank, tilt steering, AM-FM 50 watt amp radio w/dual speakers, 12 volt Motor Guide 45 lb thrust trolling motor, ProMariner two bank onboard charger, twin transom transducer mounts. Hummingbird Helix 9 SI GPS, still looking for a bow mounted unit - $400.00 to $500.00. budget. Question: what can I do to turn this into a serious tournament competitor ?

BrianinMD reply :

First thing I would do is get that trolling motor upgraded to a 24v unit with as much thrust as possible.

iabass8 reply :

24v TM /w more #thrust. Hook 9 is on sale at cabelas for 500.

WRB reply :

On 2/6/2017 at 2:29 AM, Craig Sellers said:

On order. LOWE Stinger 175. 17.5 foot aluminum. Mercury 60 hp. four stroke, two 23 gallon livewells, ample storage, 19 gallon fuel tank, tilt steering, AM-FM 50 watt amp radio w/dual speakers, 12 volt Motor Guide 45 lb thrust trolling motor, ProMariner two bank onboard charger, twin transom transducer mounts. Hummingbird Helix 9 SI GPS, still looking for a bow mounted unit - $400.00 to $500.00. budget. Question: what can I do to turn this into a serious tournament competitor ?

.

Catch bass consistantly. If you have the skill to catch a 5 bass limit that weighs 15 lbs every outing you will be competitive. It's not your equipment, what counts is what you have between your ears.

Todays electronics are good search tools however they take power to operate properly. This means your battery must be fully charged, use at least a group 27 cranking battery to run your electronics. 24v trolling motor will give you 2X the operating time vs a 12v, you fish using the trolling motor.....very important equipment.

Good luck.

Tom

slonezp reply :

Agree with the 24v upgrade, put another helix on the bow, get yourself a culling beam, a golden rule, and some catch and release

J._Bricker reply :

Welcome aboard Craig, and congratulations on your new boat. As everyone stated above, it can't be stressed enough to upgrade your trolling motor to 24v and maybe increase the trust a little, including charging system while the boat is still on order. It will truly pay for itself in useful time on the water and reliability over the years you own the boat. JB

Further North reply :

Good advice here, that's what I'd do.

fishnkamp reply :

I own the Stinger 170 which is your bottom hull with a different storage arrangement on top. I upgraded to a 70 pound thrust trolling motor and and group 30 agm batteries. Keeps thing going fine. I think it would be best to add the same electronics upfront so you are learning basically the same unit. I am not sure but I think they can be linked to share waypoints. Spend some time in the boat fishing locally so you can get used top how it plays together. I really like ride of that hull for most lakes and mid sized rivers. I have had some rough rides here on the Chesapeake bay tidal rivers, but then again I had wind running one way and tides running the other, never a recipe for smooth sailing. For me I dislike having three seats across at the helm./ I removed the middle seat and find it is so easy to get up and down without it. Stepping on a seat eventually wrecks the seat anyway. I have two regular fishing seats for pan fishing -fun fishing but most of the time I have a leaning post and a butt seat up on the front deck. Here is a pic of it sitting at the dock at Dale Hollow in Kentucky/Tennessee.

In the picture you see it as it was originally setup for a hp restricted lake. I moved, so it now has a Merc 75 2 stroke on the rear, the middle seat is removed and a bike seat is usually installed up front.

RyneB reply :

24 Volt TM. Also a power pole or Talon. One will be suffice, two will be better. If I had to choose between my electronics or my Talon. I'd take my Talon, it's priceless.

Tin Man reply :

Sweet, that's what Ive been thinking. Just spoke with my dealer, Seems that the boat is finished and will be delivered tomorrow. Too late to factory upgrade. I was told it wouldn't be done till mid to late March, that's a month and a half away. Will be upgrading to a 24 volt system though. That's a must. My option now is to simply upgrade the electrical system (two batterries) the charging system and the trolling motor later. 80 lb MinnKota most likely. I like the motors that sinc with the Hummingbird but I'm not in a position to spend $2,500.00 or more on a trolling motor. If I were 40 years younger, I would absolutely go that route but not at my age. I would never get the use out of it. I will be looking for an old Jon boat for a project I'm thinking about. Something easy to pull in and out and practise with. Around 14 feet. Just big enough for one person to be comfotable. Once I get that underway I will move the stock Lowe fishfinder and the 12 volt trolling motor over to the practise boat and go with a 24 volt system on the Lowe. I will need a shallow water anchor though. Will have to research that one. Thanks for your input guys I appreciate it. Please keep the ideas coming.

So right now this is what I'm looking at:

1. Upgrading the electrical system from 12 to 24 volt.

2. Upgrading the trolling motor to 80 lbs.

3. Upgrading the Charging system for three banks.

4. Adding a shallow water anchor of some kind. Pro Pole or Tallon.

5. Adding a bow mounted sonar. May need some help with the electrical but everything else looks pretty much diy.

thanks again, Craig

fishnkamp reply :

Upgrading to a 3 bank charger is a total luxury as far as I am concerned. I use as charger that provides 10 amps per bank for my two trolling motor batteries. I charge them up as soon as I return from the water. My AGM batteries are Cabelas group 30 series and they have lasted since 2010-2011. I use a simple external agm battery charger from Walmart to top up the running battery about twice during the winter. The engine recharges it fine during the season. It is nice to have a 3 bank charger but not at the expense of other higher priority needs. Power Poles and Talons are really nice and really expensive. A cheaper option to look at is the manual shallow water anchor. Some of those are made in two pieces and come apart like a pool cue. I installed an electric anchor from Minn Kota on the front deck, but now that I am fishing tidal water I need more control. This is what I am going with. Up front my answer is a Venom Lures Down right anchor system

Go Here

On the rear I am using my modified Did in Shallow Water Anchor pole.

This gives me a 12 foot long two piece pole. It stores really nice in the rod locker. I just need to either build or purchase a mounting bracket.

Tin Man reply :

Thanks Fisncamp. I like this idea. Don't see myself going one on one with KVD any time soon, just trying my luck at some Largemouth and some local tourneys here and there on Kentucky Lake and maybe chase down a few Tiger Muskies in East TN. Thanks.

fishnkamp reply :

I like the idea of the Venom unit. It is made in such a way it can be removed in minutes, and as far as I can see does no harm to the trolling motor. I will let you know as I intend to use one this spring

Tin Man reply :

Have a line on a lightly used 80 lb. Minn Kota Fortrex for $500.00. What should I be looking for ? Thanks for your input. If this doesn't pan out, I will still be upgrading to a 24 volt system. Just don't which one yet.

Craig.

A-Jay reply :

Congrats on the new Rig.

Best of luck to you.

A-Jay

Scott F reply :

It's too late now but for your sake I hope you upgraded the trailer. My friend got the same boat which has been fine but the trailer has been horrible. The tires did not last one season. It didn't even come with a spare tire. He did not realize that until after the boat was delivered. The rear guides broke off I the first month. If your trailer breaks down, you won't get to your tournament or get home.

Tin Man reply :

The trailer looked good to me. Much stronger than the ones I have seen on the competition. I did upgrade it a tad though. I saw one on a Bass Tracker that I wouldn't want if you gave it to me. Pretty flimsey. I would be worried to haul it arond. No, I'm pretty happy there. No it doesn't come with a spare but I wasn't going to give them an additional $230.00 for it when I knew I could get one for $120.00 new. Same setup. Don't imagine I will be taking it out of state anytime soon though so I'm not too worried about it. I will be taking care of that when I pick it up though. A harbor freight mount (which looks identical to the Lowe unit bty) and a tire / wheel assy from a trailer company I know of will fix me right up. The only other upgrades I plan on making to the trailer are Led lights and four foot guide bars that will make it easier for me to line it up for recovery. Not particularly happy with 13 inch wheels but it is what it is. It's a pretty light unit though If needed I can slap some 15's on it later (diy) and still be ahead of the cost of upgrading through Lowe.

fishnkamp reply :

I have a Lowe Stinger 170 from 2010. I have run back and forth from Md. to Center Hill and Dale Hollow about 6 times now in the last 6 years. Do not worry about the 13 inch tires. Mine have held up fine. Check out Eastern Marine, The trailer Parts Superstore. I know I can by an identical tire & rim there for around $65. The typical side frame mount is available for around $25. I have no idea what shipping would cost.

By the way you live in an amazingly beautiful part of the world. Almost all of my bucket list lakes are either in Tennessee or at least on the Tennessee river. Funny how that is.

Tin Man reply :

Thanks fishncamp I will check them out. Latest upgrade. Ordered a Hummingbird Helix 7 for the bow today. It's a chirp model with a remote control. DI with GPS and chartplotting. Still researching the trolling motor upgrade. Looks like the Motor Guide X5 24 volt 70 lb. Unit is going to be the winner though. Thought I would go with another Hummingbird so I wouldn't have to learn two systems.

RHuff reply :

On 2/6/2017 at 4:10 AM, WRB said:

Catch bass consistantly. If you have the skill to catch a 5 bass limit that weighs 15 lbs every outing you will be competitive. It's not your equipment, what counts is what you have between your ears.

Todays electronics are good search tools however they take power to operate properly. This means your battery must be fully charged, use at least a group 27 cranking battery to run your electronics. 24v trolling motor will give you 2X the operating time vs a 12v, you fish using the trolling motor.....very important equipment.

Good luck.

Tom

I agree man. Your rig is fine. Fishing skills is where it's at. You catch the fish not your boat. I've seen a guy go out in a 50,000 rig get his arse whipped by a man in a 700 jon boat.

Tin Man reply :

Thanks fishncamp I will check them out. Latest upgrade. Ordered a Hummingbird Helix 7 for the bow today. It's a chirp model with DI, GPS and chartplotting. Still researching the trolling motor upgrade. Looks like the Motor Guide X5 24 volt 70 lb. Unit is going to be the winner though. Thought I would go with another Hummingbird so I wouldn't have to learn two systems. Decided to put off the tournament scene for a year or two till I get a better grasp on what's going on. Lots to learn. Have a ton of prep to do. Bass club picks partners tomorrow. Just have to tell them I'm not ready. I will give myself a year or so. If I fish for the limit at least 3 times a week I should see some favorable progress.

gimruis reply :

You may be able to use a Power Pole Micro Anchor on that boat. They are rated for 1500 pounds. They cost a lot less than a traditional power pole or talon.

12poundbass reply :

On 3/2/2017 at 8:43 AM, Craig Sellers said:

Thanks fishncamp I will check them out. Latest upgrade. Ordered a Hummingbird Helix 7 for the bow today. It's a chirp model with DI, GPS and chartplotting. Still researching the trolling motor upgrade. Looks like the Motor Guide X5 24 volt 70 lb. Unit is going to be the winner though. Thought I would go with another Hummingbird so I wouldn't have to learn two systems. Decided to put off the tournament scene for a year or two till I get a better grasp on what's going on. Lots to learn. Have a ton of prep to do. Bass club picks partners tomorrow. Just have to tell them I'm not ready. I will give myself a year or so. If I fish for the limit at least 3 times a week I should see some favorable progress.

I was talking to a deal era couple day ago about the boat I'm going to order and mentioned an upgrade to 24v and he said the 12v system would be plenty. He said it's not a thrust issue it's the longevity people are looking for and to take care of that you wire another battery in series to give you longevity. I don't know if he's right or wrong but thought I'd pass it along for something to look into.

OperationEagle reply :

On 3/2/2017 at 9:23 AM, gimruis said:

You may be able to use a Power Pole Micro Anchor on that boat. They are rated for 1500 pounds. They cost a lot less than a traditional power pole or talon.

This OR get a TM with spot lock. It might allow you to eliminate the power pole or talon.

You can can always add it later if the spot lock doesn't work well enough for your needs. With the new tighter lock radius, it might do the trick.

Tin Man reply :

Thanks Guys. You have confirmed what I was thinking. I will check out the micro pole and in the meantime go ahead with the additional battery. Should be an easy enough upgrade for Cabela's once I pick up the boat. If I have to update the tm later at least I will have the electrical system in place. The additional battery will also give me additional time on the water I'm thinking. Considering the venom as well.

Thanks.

669

Competition Ready 2025

related Bass Boats Canoes Kayaks topic

previous topic

next topic

most viewed Bass Boats Canoes Kayaks topic