[maturin]

I’d suggest you also consider Suzuki. I have a 2010 4 stroke, 4 cyl DFI90 hp on a 1984 17 ft Boston Whaler that my kids and grandkids have rawhided up and down the river for 15 years. I think the current motor is the same basic design as my 2010 and is little lighter than the new Yamaha 4 stroke. As for my motor, it pulls way stronger than the 3 cyl Yamaha 2 stroke it replaced- night and day difference. And it is infinitely more reliable than the original carbureted Merc before that. Nothing but routine maintenance over the years and it’s good on gas.

Bottom line: we’re blessed to now live in an age of uber reliable outboards. Pick whichever of the three you feel is the best value for you, and if you’re lucky a boat dealer that has people worth a flip at rigging and is not a complete price gouging POS. Although we live in an area where there is a high percentage of boat ownership, the service after sale and tech ability is sorely lacking compared to some markets not so far away.

[maturin]

Nicely done. Brings back memories. Hats off for perservering.

[maturin]

Nicely done. In a kayak with “the whip”. Respect! I’d say that’s a banner day.

[maturin]

Sounds like a pretty good trip to me! Nicely done.

Sorry the intel was only somewhat directionally correct.

[maturin]

Nice planning. The resources and community are fascinating. As a FNG I’m hesitant to chime in, but in the spirit of trying to be helpful, I’ll add a tidbit about 8 days old. Some of my river pilot friends got into the trout in Pass a Loutre on two consecutive days ” farther up the pass than we’ve ever seen-people were running past us to get to Blind Bay and we were having trouble catching specks small enough to keep”. I am not current on the disposition of the bars and channels there, but they were fishing a falling tide on the flats where they drop off to what passes for a channel in PaL these days. I saw and ate some of the fish they kept and they were not BS-ing on size. They were using plastics and and freelined live pogies (“didn’t matter”). From the description, it sounds like they were at or above Southeast Pass walking baits off the flat into the channel.

The River hasn’t moved much from 3 ft or so at Carrollton, so just another thing to consider while you’re in the neighborhood. Sounds like you have a solid plan, and if I wasn’t otherwise occupied I’d be right there with you.

If I may, I’ll also add there are two types of inshore fisherman in Buras/Venice: those who have run aground (or had a lower unit “modified”), and those who will. Anyone who claims it’s never happened to them is either extremely lucky, has few hours on the water down there, or is a freaking liar. I can name several prominent guides, who despite thousands of hours running through the delta have had rude surprises with new sandbars or newly exposed oilfield junk that ruined their day. So don’t underestimate the ability of that construction adhesive consistency silt to grab your hull or some pipeline crap from the ’60s to do it’s evil. A good day is when you can push yourself off. So take it easy when in sketchy depths. Don’t ask me how I know this…

[maturin]

Let’s hope they are right- this is awesome if you have the time or inclination to get downriver. Because when all that snow that’s been dumped recently in the Ohio River Valley melts it’s going to come to a screeching halt in about 14 days. Notice how the 28 day forecasts are all at the very bottom of the unusually wide margin of error, especially at the upriver sites like Cairo, Illinois.

https://www.weather.gov/lmrfc/experimental_28day_mississippi_plot#

[maturin]

I took it to mean Octave Pass off Cubit’s Gap just above Pilottown.

[maturin]

Thanks for the reply-what’s considered a “cool” surface temp for these purposes?

There are more commercial shrimpers working the lake visible from the causeway than I’ve seen in a long time.