hotspringsbass

Great picture. Nice lake and hills in the background. Wonderful fish I bet you dont forget that fight anytime soon.

Are you fishing near a Nuclear Power Plant? What are you doing with all these weird fish when you catch them? Just wondering if you were filleting them. Nice fish though.

I dont know about the lake you are fishing but... If it is a large lake you may want to find a cove that is protected from wind(if the wind is blowing you could end up with all of the jugs on shore in the morning or you could end up with them spread out all over the lake) I usually fish in about 15ft of water and use a 5ft leader on the jug. Live perch about 3inches long or crawdads work if you are using stinkbait you might want to wrap it in cheesecloth to hold the bait on the hook. I use good size circle hooks for more hookups. Fishing in the treetops may cause you to loose a few jugs due to the large fish could pull down the jug and it could get hung aroung the submerged trees. The cove idea works on large lakes but if your lake is small enough you can place them out in the middle either way be sure to paint the jugs with some kind of florescent marking paint so they will be easier to locate.

Great to hear that your first trip out was a success. It sounds like your son had a good time also. My 4 year old is about ready to go on a canoe trip with me hopefully I will have as much luck as you with keeping him content. I hope you took lots of pictures times like that shouldnt be forgot.

3M contact cement. Apply to both surfaces and let dry, Reapply and let it get tacky(it shouldnt stick to your fingers when it is ready) and bond both pieces using something to roll over the carpet like a weight of somekind. Remember contact cement sticks the first time you touch it together(you cannot move it after it sticks) so make sure before you touch the 2 pieces together you have it where it is going to be. Dont! pull the carpet back up after it sticks or you will pull the fibers out of the carpet backing.

You can get a small anchor from overtons.com made for a jet ski. It folds up and fits into its own pouch. It is not heavy though so it works best where the bottom has something to grab onto. It works great in the smallmouth rivers.

Try looking at the "Hobie Mirage Outback" You should be able to pull it up online bass pro did sell them but not sure if they still do. It is a sit on top but has lots of features like a pedal drive system and you can even get a sail attachment if you want to use it as a small sail craft. Hank Parker endorses it also. Pricing is a little high though you might want to look on e-bay for used ones.

You may want to also consider the weight factor of the larger motor. Larger motors are going to weight down your boat and you will need to even the load. My brother had a 9hp motor rebuilt and bored out so it would be a 15hp same weight on the boat but more hp his little jon boat will move even with 2 in the boat and loads of tackle. The height of the sides and the width will help determine the maximum to go with. If buying a new motor I would suggest one of the newer four strokes as they would mean no mixing oil/gas and are usually quieter. If fishing rivers alot think about a jet drive unit.

Weather will be a big factor as pond surface temp. changes quickly in most ponds that are not spring fed. If the pond is spring fed than you should be able to find the spring and the cooler water by looking for changes in clarity. I usually start with trying to fish on cloudy days with top water baits and switching to worms or bass jigs on sunny days. Bigger baits usually mean bigger BASS but in ponds sometimes the fish will not take any larger bait than their forage. If there are large fish in the pond try to texas rig a large worm, lizard or snake bait and fish it around any cover you can find (Lillys, stumps, rocks or even docks if present) this bait should be at least 7 inch or larger if there are big bass in the pond you will find him/her with this tactic, as far as bait color if the water is dark and deep use a dark color bait. One of the best times to fish ponds once you learn where the cover is so you dont get hung alot is at night. Most of the pond animals come alive at dark (frogs, snakes, bugs etc) this entices the fish to bite. Just a few tactics I use. Good Luck

It is going to have a lot to do with the way you fish. If you are BASS fishing and are going to be using artificial baits you are going to want a bow mount motor. The Power Drive would be a great choice. I would put the batteries in the back with you and the motor up front. you dont want all of the weight up front. If you are fishing with live bait and are just using the motor to get to point A from point B you will want a stern mount again with weight distrubition in mind put the batteries up front and the motor in the back. If you have a front casting deck and /or seating up front the Bow mount will work best. I would get the largest motor you can afford and the 12/24 volt system works great or the plain 24 volt system even better. You never know when you might need to get off the lake as soon as possible so the extra power is nice to have.

Surfer, I recently repaired a hole in my fiberglass boat that was caused by the previous owner backing it into a fence post while on the trailer. I had the same issue with the water/moisture in the fiberglass. While I am not a body repair man I was proud of my patch and it has lasted several trips on the water with no signs of problems. It took about 3 weeks for it to dry out and that was in the hot weather we are having in the south this summer. I tried to speed it up with compressed air blowing the damage out for about a week on a daily basis. After it was dry I used the product that BONDO has for patches called BONDOGLASS they also have another one that is for larger patches. I picked it up at Auto Zone for about $11.00. Worked great and is water proof. My best suggestion is when mixing the hardening compound use just enough as in the directions and work quickly once it starts to harden it is finished. My patch required 4 coats of this patch until I thought is was perfect. Sanding between coats with coarse paper and the final sanding with fine sandpaper. I would only use this if there is not structure damage that would cause the boat to flex in the area of the patch. It can be used with the fiberglass mat but I think it is designed to patch areas that are not structural. Good luck.

try bass pro shops. I hope it turns out good for you. I caught my largest bass 8lbs and did not have a tape measure to measure it before releasing it or I would have done the same thing, thankfully I had the scale. Let us know how it turns out.

You will need to find out which way works best for you. Just remember a few things that might make it easier. If you are not experienced in backing a trailer the boat ramp is not the place to learn( go to a local mall or parking lot and practice backing the boat into parking spaces) this will save you from alot of angry mobs at the busy ramps. Prep the boat in the prep area not on the ramp. Be quick and courteous (use 1 space on the ramp if it is a double or larger) but dont rush and get hurt or maybe even watch your boat float downriver without you. Something I didnt see anyone else mention... PUT THE PLUG INTO THE BOAT!!! before you back down the ramp. Most of all have fun and enjoy the day on the lake. Good Luck.

I wonder if a cardboard template would work as my windshields were missing when I purchased the boat. I appreciate your help I might take a drive down there next week. Its only about 100 miles from here. That would get me out of work for a day. Also from what I hear Lake Montecello is stocked full of Florida strain largemouth. Not unusual to catch 10lb plus fish. Thanks again.

The Canoe in the pic looks good. I have a 17ft aluminum canoe that is perfect for two people I have had 3 in it for just river riding. The square stern will be perfect for the sm elec. TM. I would suggest getting a couple of stadium style seats to strap to the metal seats in the boat. I got mine a wal-mart less than 15$ and they give you a backrest that will help on the long trips. They also have sewn in pockets and drink holders to keep your extras from rolling around in the bottom. http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/comfortstore_1962_50155732