BassChump

I just gotta say what a great forum this is and what a fantastic bunch of people on this site. Obviously I was having a bad day when I wrote the original post here. Perhaps this wasn't the place to vent but everyone here has been exceptional with all their help, support and positive attitude. I live pretty far out in the sticks and for reasons I won't get into here, I don't have many people I can talk to so sometimes I vent my frustrations in places that perhaps I shouldn't. Whether it was right or not, I'm glad I did as I feel I've met some pretty special people here. The responses I received were unbelievable. Everyone has been more than kind, simpathetic, graceous and generous. I can't thank you folks enough. I will continue fishing with my daughter, we will be back on the water very soon I'm guessing. I hope I haven't insulted anyone by turning down their generous offers but while I could use a little help, I certainly don't want to take advantage of anything or anyone. Everyone has their problems and I'm no different. I know there are people out there that have it far worse than I do. We have a roof over our heads, food on the table, a job and a decent boat. What else could a guy want???? I was having a bad day and feeling sorry for myself. We all have days like that I suppose so I just wanted to say that life is good and my daughter and I are fine and looking forward to the day when we catch a few fish and have some father/daughter time on the lake. I really don't know how to put into words how much all your help means to my daughter and I. BTW, her name is Shayna and she is a great kid. 4.0 GPA, perfect attendance, respectful of others and she is simply a good person. I just wish I was as good a father as she is a daughter but it's all good. Anyway, I'm just blown away by all this. I wasn't expecting this at all and I thank everyone for their offers of help. We haven't been fortunate enough to catch any bass yet but about a month ago, my daughter and I did have a good day fishing for trout so I'm posting a pic of her with her "monster trout". It was a good day. We are looking forward to more and with all the kindness generosity we've been shown, that will be a reality very soon. From the heart, we thank all of you. Someday, I hope I can somehow repay all the kindness I've been shown by all of you.

Hi everyone. Yes, I have PM'd those guys and I want to thank them and all of you for all your generosity and kindness. I appreciate it more than any of you will ever know. If I could tell the whole story, you'd know why. Those aren't just idle words, it's the truth. You don't know or ever will understand what all this help means to my daughter and I. It was far more than just possesions that were lost. Yes, it was just the transducer that was taken. The 565 has a removable screen so I took that off and it was in the truck. I called BPS and I have a new transducer on it's way. I had a gift certificate from BPS from when I bought the fishfinder so the new transducer is only going to cost me about $50.00 + shipping. I can handle that. Anyway, I will continue bass fishing. Just hit a bump in the road but all is well and again, thanks for everything. This truly is the best place on the net. I'm hoping somehow, someday that I can repay all the kindness I'm receiving. Someday very soon I hope, I'll be able to post a few pictures of my daughter landing a fish or two. I'll be very proud and thankful when that day comes.

Wow, sorry for being such a downer. Yes it's been kinda tough for the last few years but my daughter and I are doing fine. I was just having a bad day I suppose. My 80 year old mother is still around and we live on the same property in seperate houses. My daughter and I help take care of her although she is a tough old gal so it's been easy and a pleasure. Still having my mother around is a good thing and I'm lucky my daughter will have fond memories of her grandmother. I appreciate all the sentiments. Your a good bunch of guys and I value all the help I've received here. I'm going to continue fishing. It's the only thing I have for a little relaxation and fun for my daughter and I at this point. My daughter loves fishing but we just haven't been very successful at catching anything although we have had a few good days catching boatloads of trout. I'm looking forward to the day when we both can do the same with bass. Honestly, I feel I've made some friends here on this forum and I appreciate all the help and support more than can be put into words.

Really, I'm finished. 5 1/2 years ago I lost my wife, my father, one brother, a grandmother, all in the space of 3 months. It was and is a very lonely time and I miss her dearly to this day. Because of the wifes car accident that killed her, I lost everything. My home which was completely paid for, my ability to do what I've always done. I was a contractor and my license had to go away, again because of my wifes accident. They got everything they could from me including my income for the last 5 years and my dignity. We have a pretty friggen interesting legal system in Oregon. If I was in a different state I probably would have been a rich man but in Oregon, they just took and took until there was nothing left worth taking. Long story. For the last 5 years, I have been raising my daughter and trying to make a living. Late last year, I stumbled upon an mid 80's bass boat in good shape and I got it cheap. Really cheap. Finally, something that I can have some fun with that I can share with my daughter and I had the ability to afford it. I just wanted to go fishing with my daughter. Spend some time with her before she gets too old to spend time with dad. That's all I wanted to do. Just have some good times that my daughter can remember long after I'm gone. I've fished and fished. I've fished with my daughter quite often. I haven't caught a thing. She doesn't go with me much anymore. So I put my heart and soul into it so I could put some fish on the boat and get her interested again. Tried as I might, I can't catch anything so I asked for help from a tournament fisherman that I know. He used to work for me for a long time. He told me where to go, what to throw and when to throw it. STILL NOTHING. I asked him to come out to my place next weekend so we could go fishing and he could show me first hand how to catch a bass or two. Maybe even 3. Wouldn't that be something. A fish in the tank. Even one fish. At least I wouldn't feel stupid. Well, I went out fishing this afternoon and again didn't get a bite. I pulled the boat out and decided to go to Dairy Queen and get a burger before going home. When I came out, someone had stolen my trolling motor and the transducer to the BRAND NEW HUMMINGBIRD 565 fishfinder that I just installed YESTERDAY. I can't afford a trolling motor not to mention another fish finder and on top of that, I can't catch anything but a cold on the water so I guess................. I'M DONE. I CAN DO NO MORE. Someone up there just doesn't like me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I just wanted to go fishing with my daughter. I can't even do that.

It doesn't really matter at this point. I called a friend of mine that fished all these lakes, he was a big tournament fisherman. Won lots of tournaments in Oregon and he grew up on all these lakes. He told me where to go, what to throw and when and still nothing. He was planning to come up to my house this coming Friday night, getting up early on Saturday and going out on Tenmile Lake. Unfortunately after fishing tonight, I stopped at Dairy Queen to get a burger. When I came back out, someone stole my trolling motor and the transducer to my BRAND NEW HUMMINGBIRD 565 fishfinder that I just hooked up YESTERDAY. I haven't caught anything, I can't afford to buy a new trolling motor and fish finder soooooooooo I'M DONE. I guess it just wasn't meant to be. Someone up there just doesn't like me.

I ended up mounting it on the floor just to the left of the plug. The right side of the plug is usually where I have the foot controller for the trolling motor. It's only a 17 foot boat so there isn't as much room as those newer, bigger bass boats but it works for me. I didn't have to drill any holes so if I find that I don't like it where it's mounted, I can easily just mount it someplace else. What's a RAM mount?????????

I took that center roller out and now the strap goes thru where it should be although the problem I'm having now is that the boat goes almost too far up the trailer so that the handle for the crank hits the boat. I gotta figure out something in between. I'm thinking about one of those double rollers that are about 10 inches apart so the strap can go thru the middle. How do you think that would work?????

I still haven't caught anything but the weather here isn't cooperating lately either. I have an old employee that worked for me for many years that was a pro bass guy a few years ago. He has fished all these lakes since he was a kid so he would know. I called him and he gave me some suggestions and we are going fishing next Saturday so hopefully I can get some on hands pointers from him. He did tell me that my line is far to visible for the waters I'm fishing so I'm going to change that. Anyway, I'll keep you posted on what happens next week. I'm hoping for a good day.

I've posted this type of thing before but it gets more frustrating over time. Please allow me to vent. I've been fishing all year long with no success. I'm not talking just a few dinks here and there, I'm talking skunked EVERY TIME OUT. For most of the winter, I attributed it to cold waters and my inexperience. I have a decent boat, the lakes are good, the water temps are in the mid 60's, a little chop on the water, cloudy, sunny, morning, noon and evening. T-rigged senkos, drop shot, a couple of jigs, buzzbait in the mornings and evenings, Rattletraps, I've thrown them all. Several lakes in the area. All decent bass lakes. I've bought fishinders to help out (Hummingbird 565). Downed timber, thick weeds, weedlines, reeds, and under brush. Been there, done that. The only thing I've caught is a cold. True story. I'm extremely frustrated. I should, even by accident, catch something, sometime. At this point a dink would be a miricle. I feel stupid that I can't put ANYTHING on the end of my line. I can't be THAT BAD of a fisherman could I?????? I didn't used to be until I got the bass bug. What the h--- could I be doing so wrong???? :'(

Trust me on this one. If there was anything that I could do to make these peoples lives miserable like they made mine, I'd gladly do it without question. They don't have jobs and are known and proven alcoholics, drug abusers, drug dealers and they are raising thier kids to be the same. It's funny how these type of people seem to make a lot of money, have lots of toys, lots of friends and all the other trappings of life and the law doesn't seem to want to mess with them. I've even talked to the local police about them and they don't want to do anything about them because they just get fancy lawyers and get off on any old technicality and the municipalities don't want to mess with them because there is no money in it for them. Go figure. God forbid if I forget my seat belt, I'm over the speed limit or I use a treble hook at the wrong time or place. They would put me away for life. It just amazes me.

Believe me, I would have if I could have. Not only did these people cause this, they then obviously felt very guilty so they started passing rumors around our small town that I cut the brake lines on my wifes car and that was the cause. When I hired a mechanic to look at the car, he wrote a report that the brakes were fine. The story changed at that point that I was following her in another car and pushed her off the road. Obviously none of that was true of course but these dirtbags tried to ruin my reputation simply because of their guilt. Yes, I would love to see them go away in any form but the legal system what it is today, unfortunately they are free to do and say as they please with no thought to the rights of others. Also, I have to consider my daughter and her future so with all that, there just isn't much I can do. Believe me, I've checked every legal avenue. If you know a lawyer that says differently, let me know. I'd love to talk to them. In my state, it's perfectly legal for them to do what they did as long as it was at their home. If it was at a business, that would have been a completely different matter. Because of this, my daughter and I lost EVERYTHING. Even my contractors license. Our home which was paid for completely, went away pretty fast plus anything else I had of value including my income for 5 years. I'm just now starting to see light at the end of the tunnel. Still have my daughter to raise and I am lucky for that. She is a great kid. No trouble at all. Straight A's in school, perfect attendance, school sports, she loves fishing with old dad and she keeps her room clean. lol. In all respects, she is a great person and I'm thankful for that.

Yes I have tried that and I can get the eye over the stop. It sits right on the trailer but it makes it very difficult to get off the trailer the next time I go fishing. I usually fish by myself so it would be nice if I can get the boat off the trailer as easy as possible.

I'm very sensitive to this type of situation. A few years ago my wife had a "girls night out" and drank a LOT. She asked for a ride home and her host said no so they put her AND my daughter in the car and she drove off a cliff killing herself and almost my daughter. My advice???? If they are drunk or high, get them off the road any way you can. It may not be pleasant for you or them but what you may be saving is more than you may ever know. It could be a wife, son, daughter, friend or even someone you don't know. A life is a life and no price can be put on that. I for one have even turned in my own brother for driving when he is drunk. It wasn't pleasant but these people should be off the road. I enjoy a drink or 5 now and then but there is a time and a place. If I'm out camping and I know I'm not driving, sitting around the camp fire having a few more drinks than I should is my choice and I know I'm not hurting anyone other than myself if only for a day. Come to think of it, sitting in the jacuzzi with a captain and coke sounds good on occasion as well but I keep it off the road. I'm lucky to have my only daughter with me. I want to see her grow up and enjoy her life. I'll never forget how something we all may think is such a small thing can change peoples lives forever.

Unfortunately I can't lower them. The boat sits about a 1/2 inch above the wheel wells. The boat hits the wheel wells if I hit a big enough bump in the road. I am going to buy some sliders for the bunks and that will raise it 1/2 inch. I can't raise it much because the boat is already hard enough to get on and off the trailer. Well, not hard but I have to put the trailer so far in the water already. The water is well above the wheel wells just to get the thing off the trailer. It's an odd setup and I've never had any of these problems with any other boat I've had before. Just minor problems really. Nothing to complain about too much. The trailer is stock and came with the boat so it's just a bad design. This trailer came with many different models of boat so it wasn't made specifically for this type of boat. That's the price I pay for owning a cheaper made boat. It's a Trophy made by Bayliner. I'm very happy with the boat though and I don't have hardly any money into it at all. I only paid $1000.00 for the boat and trailer so I can't complain much. It's been very good to me so far.

Where would you mount it if this were your boat???

I can't figure out how to attach 2 or more pictures on the same post so here is one more pic.

I have a question about how my boat sits on the trailer. When I put the boat on the trailer, the bow eye sits exactly where the front of the boat hits the rubber mount where the boat is supposed to rest on the trailer. What this ends up doing is making the boat sit back on the trailer a few inches since the bow eye isn't going over or under the rubber stop. This causes the tongue weight to be too light and the bow tends to bob up and down just a little while going down the road because it isn't pulled up tight to the stop. Obviously I can't change the position of the bow eye so I must either change the position of the stop or get a different stop altogether. Any suggestions??????

I was wondering if the trolling motor would cause interference. I figured it may but I have no background with these things hence the question. I don't have a master switch on my old Trophy bass boat but even if I ran the engine battery down, if I am at the lake, I carry a set of jumpers in the boat so I could just jump off the trolling motor battery. Problem solved.

Thanks to all of you for helping me decide on a good fishfinder to buy. One thing I'm wondering is the difference between the 565 and the 575 and if it's worth the extra money for it. I plan on mounting this up front on the trolling motor. I bought the mounting kit for installing it on the trolling motor. I have several questions on how to do this. 1.) Do I just tape or strap the wire leading to the transducer up the shaft and if so, what is the best to use to attach it?? Tape or pull ties or???? 2.) Should I mount the monitor thru the fiberglass right on the front of the boat or should I mount it to the floor just behind and below the front of the boat??? 3.) Which battery should I connect this to?? The engine battery or the trolling motor battery???? I'll snap a picture of the bow where I'll be mounting this later today so you guys know what I'm talking about. Perhaps some of you could show a pic of how you mounted yours???? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I'm glad to hear it worked out with a minimum of hassle and cost. 2 stroke motors tend to foul plugs relatively easily so that is usually the first thing to look at. If they get noticably wet, that usually indicates they are fouled and need to be replaced. I can't count how many times what sounds like a big problem is just a bad plug. Always keep a few spare plugs and a wrench to change them handy. It can mean the difference between a good fishing day or a wasted trip to your favorite spot. Not to mention the cost of fuel. Nothing worse than driving a way to go fishing and being shut down because of something so simple. Take care

Woohoo!!! I got a confirmation email in about 10 minutes. I made the cut and they are being sent on Tuesday. I'm planning a fishing trip for the weekend of the 31st, 1st, 2nd and 3rd. I'm hoping I'll have them by then but if I don't, the next weekend is also a fishing weekend so all is good. Thanks again for the offer and I'm sooo looking forward to it.

It sounds to me like a change of your plug or plugs is the first item. Your plugs shouldn't be "wet" at all. Not if it's running right. The plugs should be somewhat discolored from when they were new but if they are wet with fuel, then the plugs get "fouled" and won't spark. New plugs should solve the problem unless there is a fuel delivery problem that is making the fuel/air mixture is too rich. Try the plugs before spending the money on a mechanic. It might be as simple as a weak for fouled plug.

Email sent. So far it wasn't returned and I only have 1 email and it's Yahoo. I'm hopeful it went thru and I made the cut. I have a lot to learn about bass fishing, types of lures, how to present them, quality companies that produce a good product and finding the companies that just make stuff for fisherman, not for catching fish. I've heard nothing but good about your company and products and I am looking forward to trying them out. Thanks so much for the offer.

I called Bass Pro Shops and got a Hummingbird 565 and the mount for the trolling motor. I had heard on the forum here that BPS had this for $20.00 off but I didn't have that luck. I'll let you know if I like it when I get it on the boat and take it out on the water. I'm looking forward to it. Thanks everybody.

I just ordered the Hummingbird 565 fishfinder for my boat. I only have one question. I want to mount this to my bow mount trolling motor. Do I just use a hose clamp or is there a specific mount for that kind of thing????? Thanks in advance.