Boat
- Crestliner 202TS 
I need a soft ride for my old body. Competitive walleye
fishing is very demanding on the spine and I want to fish tournaments
for many more years. This boat is easy to maneuver and even has a system
to add oxygen to the water. I fish tournaments and they deduct for dead
fish. Any advantage is important in tournament fishing.
Motor
- Mercury Verado 250 hp 
Finally a 4-stroke that has torque. I have been waiting
impatiently. I stayed with the OptiMax because of the power and gas
mileage. Now I will test the Verado. This motor is so quiet that they
won’t allow you to engage the starter when it is running. You
can’t hear it! I can talk in the boat at 30 mph except for minor
wind noise. Since I have a full windshield there is very little wind
noise. I am able to position my boat with this motor since it gives
me the ability to go slow. The use of SmartCraft Gauges allow me to
control the rpms down to 550 rpms. I use a five blade High Five Prop
when I need to go even slower.
Electric
Motor - Minn Kota Terrova, Maxxum and Vantage
Each of these motors give precision boat control so I have 3 good options
depending if I need to control the boat from the bow or the transom.
My Maxxum has been my favorite motor because of the 36 volt power. This
is important when you run a boat the size of the Crestliner TS202. This
year I will test the Terrova 36 volt AutoPilot with CoPilot. This will
give the power for vertical fishing and the AutoPilot for shoreline
casting. Last year I used the PowerDrive with AutoPilot for open water
trolling in conjunction with my Mercury kicker. This allowed hands free
trolling and I will be able to use the Terrova because of the AutoPilot.
I may not need the Maxxum! I will post my test opinion next winter.
Of course the Vantage will be used for back trolling.
Electronics
- Lowrance 113c 
I am over 50 so my vision requires large screens. This screen is easily
seen from anywhere in the boat. My boat partners have even quit asking
what depth is it since they can see the depth from the back of the boat!
I have my Panasonic ToughBook hooked to GPS so I can view my position
on my mapping software (LakeMaster, Global Mapper and Fugawi).
SUSPENSION SEATS
I use Smooth Moves suspension seats because
of my age and my spine. The decision on how long I will fish tournaments
hopefully will be based on my desire not a painful spine. I have had
minor set backs fishing tournaments because of my neck and back. Professional
Walleye tournaments are brutal because of the large bodies of water
we fish. I run wide open as much as I can because one minute can mean
one fish and the difference between first and fifth. The Smooth Moves
suspension has a shock absorber cylinder plus 4 sets of springs. You
can adjust the tension so you never "bottom out".
I added WaveWacker Splashguards to the transom because
I am one of the few that back troll with a 250 hp motor. I like to back
troll when I need to fish stationary. I use my bow trolling motor until
the wind and waves get too brutal and then I turn the boat and fish
out of the console. The splashguards keep the waves out of the boat!
Contact Wave Wackers - (612)825-2323
