BassChump

First of all, I'm a Dodge fan too but I am currently driving a 1990 Ford Ranger 4x4 extra cab with a 4 liter automatic. I'd rather have a Dodge but I'm glad I didn't get a Chevy. Just don't care for their trucks for some reason. With all that said, I own a 17 foot Trophy bass boat with an 85 horse motor. With the trailer and all my gear in the boat, it weighs around 1900 pounds and my little old Ranger tows it just fine. Even when I forget to take it out of overdrive. Remember, Mazda has been making all the Ford Rangers for more than 20 years. It's actually a Mazda truck and frankly, it's been a good truck. It shouldn't have any problem at all towing a boat like you're describing. The only thing I don't like about the truck is it has rear anti-lock brakes. On steep ramps with a little gravel around or are wet, my front tires will tend to lock and the back wheels don't, or should I say won't. I lose any steering when the fronts lock up. It's a pain but you get used to it.

I have been looking on the net for several days now and I can't find any maps of the lakes in my area. I'm looking for maps for the following>>>>>> Tenmile Tackenitch Siltcoos Munsel Mercer Sutton Fern Ridge res. Cottage Grove Dorena Hills Creek Dam Fall Creek Got any clues as to where I'd look???

I'm looking at a few Hummingbird models. The 575, th 565 and the Piranamax 240. I've almost taken the 240 off the list because of the low pixel count. The 575 is kind of cool although I don't know if it's worth the extra money. If there are 3 different screens showing, then that would make each one really small. Right now I'm kind of leaning towards the 565. Good pixel count, large cone angle and the price is right............ What do you guys think?????

I have a cheap Hummingbird fishfinder on the consol but I'm looking for a nice fishfinder to mount on the front. I'll mount the transducer on the trolling motor up front. The lakes I fish are relatively shallow and small in comparison to the eastern lakes. Small coastal lakes no bigger than 1800 acres in size. Any suggestions????

It IS actually early spring here in Oregon. We haven't seen anything above 60 until last week and the temps are going back down again for a few days. The water temps were in the mid 50's last week and came up about 10 degrees in just a few days. That's how it is on the Oregon coast. We usually don't have much of a summer right on the coast. It stays pretty cool around here. My favorite lake is called Munsel Lake and it's right down the street from my office. I have caught lots of smaller bass there late last year just after I bought my boat so I know there are bass in there. I have looked around on the net and I can't find a map of the lake. Where would I look???? I almost always use a net so that isn't a problem. I know that VERY soon I'll have the best fishing day of my life. Some of the locals I've talked to have told me that even though the temps are up, it's still a week or two away from the really good bass fishing although one guy I met at Munsel Lake caught 4 bass in a few hours so it's just a combination of luck, bad presentation and/or not recognizing when they bite on a worm. As far as an investment???? That isn't why I kept the boat. It's purely for pleasure and while I can't spend a fortune on boats and tackle, I'll spend what I need to. Being able to relax and enjoy life is just as important as work and financial gain if you ask me. Balance, balance. I'm going to Tenmile Lake sometime in the next week or so and give that a try also. Definately a well known and proven bass lake. That will give me an indication of what the problem is. If I catch nothing there, I can't catch anything anywhere and I'll figure it out from there. Again, thanks for everybodys imput and keep it coming. It's a big learning curve for me and even though I complain a little bit now and then, I enjoy it immensly.

I'm a carpet installer and a small RV dealership owner. Strange combination I know but it works out pretty well. You can get marine carpet at most carpet retailers, Home Depot and even at most upholstery shops. Most marine carpet is either 6 feet wide or 2 meters wide (about 6' 6") depending on where it's made although I have seen some marine carpet 9 feet and even 12 feet wide. A lot of marine carpet is now made elsewhere. Hence the 2 meter carpet. It's generally sold by the lineal foot. However wide the carpet is that you're interested in, every foot is X amount. Some place will try and sell it by the square yard but usually it's by the foot. So if you need 80 square feet, if you are looking at 6 foot wide carpet, you would need 14 lineal feet by 6 feet wide. (84 square feet) Be sure to factor in that there will be lots of waste when installing in a boat. Be sure not to get any carpet that has loops. The best marine carpet looks fuzzy, not like it has individual strands of yarn although that kind of carpet works too. As long as you get the type of carpet that won't allow hooks to embed themselves into the yarn when you drop a lure onto the carpet. There are two kinds of backing that you'll see when shopping for Marine carpet. One kind is a rubber backed carpet. This will be the least expensive, the most pliable and easiest to install but it doesn't wear quite as well as an "action back" carpet. Action back is stronger but also a LOT stiffer so therefore it's much more difficult to install than the rubber backed stuff. It looks like little tiny squares. Kind of a woven backing. Either carpet will work fine. The rubber backed stuff will tear easier but once installed if it's glued down, it's pretty tough stuff. If you choose the action backed carpet, if it isn't pliable enough around corners or tight spots, you can use a blow dryer to warm it up. That softens it up quite a bit and will help getting to bend and conform to whatever curves you might have in your boat. Also, be sure to use a good quality glue when installing. I very sharp blade is essential when installing either type of carpet. A regular utility knife will work fine but keep the blade sharp. You can use a fine sharpening stone to keep the blades sharp or just change blades often. Once the blades get dull, cutting the carpet really becomes a chore. Getting the old carpet off is a huge pain and there just isn't much of anything to make it any easier. Scraping, pulling, using heat, using a chemical that reacts to the original glue, it's still the hardest part of putting carpet in a marine application. Probably the cheapest place to get marine carpet would be Home Depot or Lowes if you have them there. Any large retail outlet like Home Depot should have it at a good price. Also, if you happen to know any carpet installers, they usually have an "in" with a carpet store that will sell to them at cost plus 10%. You might try that as well. The last time I checked, a good marine carpet was about 6 bucks a foot but that was a while ago. Carpet is made from petroleum products so I can only guess how much it is right now. I hope this helps. If you have any other questions, just PM me. Good luck.

I'll work on my hookset and I'll try a wacky rig. Sounds good to me. I'm going to one of the lakes in the next couple of days as soon as the weather clears. It's been very hot and dry this last week and now it has cooled off just a bit and is drizzling. I'd go out today but I came down with a cold or something. As soon as I'm up to it, I'll be on the water. I'll keep you informed on how I do............ Any more info is greatly appreciated.

I usually cover LOTS of water. I fully expect that very shortly everything will come together and I'll have a fun day with lots of fish. I'm sure one of my problems might be that I'm missing the hookset with the plastic worms. I'm both not recognizing the bite and when I do, I probably am not setting the hook hard enough. Any suggestions???

Yes, I figured the same thing. The bite should be on and I should be catching a few fish even if I suck at it. lol. The temps are right, the weather is right, the lakes I fish are right, and while I don't have tons of equipment, I do have some of the basics. I do have a few jigs that I am going to throw the next time I go on the water. I do have a couple of questions about jigs though. I bought a few Booyah jigs. One is black, the other is orange and black. 3/8 ounce. I hear about pork trailers. What is that and is it just stuck on the hook or do I use the jig as it is out of the package??? I know that sounds like a dumb question but I haven't used a jig before other than a crappie jig. So I toss the jig out around timber or docks and tap it across the bottom??? Is that right????

Well, in the last 3 days I've fished 3 different lakes HARD. Senko's, Flukes, Rattle traps were used. I don't feel like I'm fishing them wrong at all. Perhaps I cold be fishing in the wrong places but I don't think I'm using the lures incorrectly. Actually my mindset is usually pretty good. I get excited about going out and I actually expect to catch a few every time I go out. I do get frustrated by the end of the day if I don't get a bite or two but I still have fun and enjoy the time on the lake. Anyway, I still haven't been able to put anything on the boat. I do have a guy that used to work for me that is going to go out on one of the lakes with me next weekend so hopefully, he can show me a few things as well. I'm hoping to go to Tenmile lake. I haven't fished that yet but it's right down the road and it's supposed to be pretty hot there. I figure I can't strike out there with an ex-professional bass pro on board. Well, that's my story. Keep the info coming. I can use it.

Actually I've never been off the "tee" yet. I have bought some "stuff" to fish with but I'm still very much a newbie. I'm sticking to the basics and trying to learn just one or two techniques at a time. Once those are mastered, I'll move on to something else. I really appreciate everyones imput. I know I sound negative and yes, it's frustrating but I still enjoy my hours on the lake. Fish or no fish. Thanks again

Thanks for all the replies. Yes, I'm getting pretty frustrated. I can't be THAT BAD of a fisherman. I've fished all my life for trout, salmon, crappie, etc. but bass have thrown me for a loop. I'm trying out a new lake this afternoon. It's a shallow lake, no more than 25 feet deep at its deepest. Not a big lake, maybe 500 acres??? It's actually 2 lakes in one. Two lakes joined by a very narrow channel. Only one boat at a time can get through. Water is warm and it isn't fished heavy at all. It's a proven bass lake with lots of weedbeds, reeds, docks and fallen timber. I'll let you know how it goes. Even one fish would make me happy right now. I'm looking forward to it. It's a beautiful day, in the 80's, little wind and the boat is ready to go. What more could a guy ask for???? 8-) A nice day, a cold beer, sounds almost perfect to me. A fish or two would only make it better.

Late last year I bought a bass boat on a whim. Got it cheap with plans to sell it to make some money. Took it out fishing, liked it, kept it. It has all the stuff and it works well. When I bought the boat, I hadn't fished in several years due to the death of my wife. Long story for another time. The only tackle I had was a small ultra-light rod that my wife had bought me for Christmas years ago. I had ONE lure. A Blue Fox spinner. Gold in color. Took the boat out on a local lake and caught a lot of bass just casting to the shore around down logs. Not very big bass but it was tons of fun and fun is something I hadn't had near enough of in a long time. During the winter I've fished several lakes here on the Oregon coast. All proven bass lakes. I chalked up my lack of catching on the cold weather and my inexperience. I didn't catch a thing all winter. During the winter I've bought 9 poles, lots of gear. Senko's, Rattle Traps, Jigs, etc. I've put good line on them, studied the forums here so I can gain more knowledge about fishing for bass and I was all pumped up for when the water temps came up. Well, the surface temps are now in the high 60's and I've been fishing for a week and I can't buy a bite. Nothing. Nada. We have had an unusually cold spring with the high air temps only in the low 50's and water temps about the same. This week we had high air temps in the high 80's and the water temps have risen very quickly. I don't know if that has anything to do with it but the water temps came up 12 degrees in less than 7 days. I use 5 inch senko's a lot. Watermellon with flecks. The Rattle trap along weedlines, etc. What am I doing so wrong that the fishing gods are against me???? I figured that even if I suck, just out of pure luck and the laws of averages I should get a fish once in a while. I see all you guys that have a special day now and then when you catch bass in great numbers or get that big one you can brag about. I'm really looking forward to one of those days. Or even a day when I catch enough to tell a few stories. I feel like the bass see me coming or just have a meeting so they can get all the bass in the lake to agree to stay as far away from my line as possible. It's like having repellent on my lures. I can just picture the president bass making a law that states "no feeding when this guy is around". lol. A bass senate passes the law and so far, no self respecting bass will lower themself to take a glance at what I have to offer. Hmmm. Come to think of it, I have the same reaction from women. lol. Perhaps I should change deoderants. Any thoughts or recomedations???????????

I'm glad you got it taken care of and there is no need to feel stupid. I'm a pretty fair mechanic and simple stuff tricks me all the time. It seems it's always the last place or last thing you check. I just replaced one of my tail lamp assemblies on the back of my trailer because the old one cooked the light. It's one of those waterproof light assemblies that you can't unscrew so I thought you had to replace the entire assembly. As I was taking the old one off, I saw there is a plate on the bottom that you take out and all the bulbs are connected to that plate. I could have replaced just the bulb but I got lazy and didn't look. Luckily the new assembly only cost 9 bucks at Wall-Mart so at least I didn't go broke. Even the pro's don't catch stuff at times. I had a problem with my boat late last year. The #1 cylinder was flooding out. I took it to 3 different "professional" mechanics. Not one of them figured out the problem. A few days later I went to a place in the next town to buy some pre-mix oil. I happened to mention my problem to the guy at the counter. He walked back, grabbed a small rubber thing, told me to install it and it's worked great ever since. It was just a fuel pump diaphram and it ended up costing me $1.69 to fix it. Nobody knows it all so don't feel bad.

Now we know it's the side markers so all you have to do is find either the bad side marker light or the hotwire going to it. Either the side marker light is bad or the wire. Can't be anything else at this point. Sometimes the bulb can be in a little crooked and ground out. If it's working without the side markers, just work backwards (from the taillights towards the hitch) until you find the problem.

Here is a little something I picked up for $1000.00. I feel I got a great deal on it although many people don't like Bayliner boats but it has worked well for me and I'm more than happy with it. It fulfills my meager needs and I've had no problems with it so far. The only work I had to do to get it ready for the water was to install a new water pump impeller. Something you should do on any boat you buy anyway but the owner wasn't mechanically inclined and thought it was a lot of money to fix. That's why I got it so cheap but the actual repair cost me $17.00 and an hours worth of my time. It's worked great ever since. I've found lots of boats out there that work. My suggestion is to keep looking. With the price of fuel, the slow economy, etc., people are selling recreational stuff all over the place. Look around, make lowball offers, don't be afraid to just walk away and never fall in love with something your making an offer on. Well, at least don't let the seller know you love it. Act like you could take it or leave it. Many times someone will call you back and sell it to you for your offer or just above because they need the money NOW!!!!! This strategy has worked for me many times on many things. Just keep looking around. Classified ads, stuff in peoples driveway, stuff on the side of the road with for sale signs or even boat shops. Often a boat shop has something in the back that they don't want to put up on the front line for one reason or another so they sell it cheap to get it off their lot. Sometimes people just want to get something out of the way or it was given to them or willed to them and they want it "gone". Something special will come along at some time or another. Guaranteed.

All the running lights are hooked up to the same hotwire that goes all the way back to the taillights. It is beginning to sound like the hotwire going to one of the running lights is grounding out. What I would do if I were you would be to take off each running light assembly and check the wires going into each one. On most running light assemblies a small steel plate is in there that the bulb assembly is attached to. Many times the wire connecting to that steel plate has rubbed on something over time and worn off the insulator. (the plastic that wraps around the wire). It sounds like something very simple. It's just a matter of finding the one wire that's causing all the problems. From what you have said so far, I'm betting its a grounded hotwire in one of those small side marker lights or the taillight. (probably one of those side marker lights) Also I've had problems in the past with how those side marker lights are made. They are made very cheaply and I've had the hotwire ground to the frame with no visible clue. I tried replacing the entire side marker light and the problem went away. The marker light assembly is only a couple of bucks at Walmart or your local auto parts store. Keep us informed!!!!!!

So far, fuel prices aren't having any affect on me. I live in a town on the coast of Oregon that has some of the best bass fishing in Oregon. There are 25 lakes within 20 minutes of town and my favorite lake is withing a mile of my office so I consider pretty lucky to have everything so close. Also, my truck is a Ford Ranger 4x4 so that gets reasonable mileage and the boat has turned out to be a godsend. It's a 1984 Trophy bass boat with all the stuff and it's in pretty good shape. It isn't fancy but it does everything all the big dollar boats do. The engine is an 85 horse so it has enough power and speed for me and it's very economical. I haven't limited my fishing expeditions one bit. I filled the tank last summer and I'm still running on the same tank. As a matter of fact, I'm going more now than ever. I'm very thankful for the way things turned out.

If it's blowing a fuse only when the trailer is plugged in, then it's the hotwire to the running lights. It's grounding on the frame of the boat someplace or in the plug itself. If it was in the truck, it would blow the fuse with or without the trailer hooked up. Hope this helps.

I'm a professional carpet installer. Installed homes, RVs, boats, you name it, I've covered it in fuzz at one time or another. I agree. Pony up and get boat carpet. Even just the rubber backed cheapy stuff. You'll be much happier, I guarantee you. The looped indoor-outdoor would probably wear just fine but once you caught a hook or something on it, you'll be sorry. That loop is continuous thru the length of the carpet. It's kind of like when you pull a loose thread off your shirt or jacket. It keeps "unzipping" until the sleeeve falls off. Carpet is the same way. The loops will keep pulling out until the loop reaches the edge of the carpet unless you just cut it off. Even then you're still left with a bare spot with no fuzz in it. Also, the boat carpet is much easier to install. It's still not easy but easier.

I'm still leaning towards old plugs. If it was a fuel issue, it would happen all the time, not just when it's cold. It could be a choke issue. The choke isn't closing for some reason, sloppy choke linkage, etc. If you can see down the carb throat, make sure that the choke completly closes. Also, the plugs do get "tired". After a period of time, the arc wears or burns away the electrode and makes the gap larger over time. The larger the gap, the harder it is for the plug to spark. Changing plugs is a cheap and easy thing to try. On an older two stroke motor, it's always a wise idea to have some spare plugs. The oil in the fuel burns much dirtier than in a 4 stroke motor and will coat the plugs in carbon. Particularly at idle. If my engine starts running rough, hard to start, etc., I always look at the plugs first. That's usually the problem. In newer motors, that's not the case. Everything is computer controlled so this doesn't apply. I'm not a professional mechanic so this certainly isn't written in stone but it's just been my experience on older 2 stroke outboards, the plugs are the first thing I check. Yes it could be a cracked fuel line but that would show up more often. Even when warm. It could be lots of things. Gummed up carbs, bad reed valves, worn rings, edgy ignition system, bad fuel bulb and a mirad of other things but if the engine runs normal other than starting, it's probably something minor. Plugs, or even an adjustment on the choke or the idle circuit on the carb. Just my .02

I'm a reasonably good backyard mechanic. I recently had that problem on my 85 horse engine. It was very hard to start first time of the day but after that, it started with a flick of the start key. The first thing I tried was checking the timing. I reset both the Idle and highspeed timing. This made it run better but it didn't do anything for the starting problem. After that, I adjusted the carbs as the adjustments on most carbs are an idle adjustment only. The highspeed mixture is fixed and can't be adjusted unless you change the jets. So it made sense to me that if it's getting a little too much fuel at idle, it would be hard to start. Also, my engine always smoked a lot when I first started it so that made sense to me. When I leand out the idle, it didn't smoke near as much but it was still too hard to start. So I did what I should have done in the first place. I changed the spark plugs. That was the ticket. Starts up with just a tap of the key switch. What I figured is that with the carbs being to rich, it coated the plugs almost fouling them but not quite. Lean out the idle just a bit, change the plugs and that will probably take care of it. If it doesn't, I would look into whatever type of system you have that creates your spark. You might be getting a weak spark. That would definately make it hard to start.

Thanks Catt, I will usually be fishing this around high tide. At low tide, the ramp is completely inaccessable. There is a mud flat at low tide that blocks the ramp so unless I find someone that lets me use their dock, I'll be going in the water as the tide is coming up and I'll be getting out of the water when the tide is receding. There are lots of docks and overhanging trees, some logs in the water as well as pilings all over the place. The main highway bridge is there as well. I'm hoping that when the water warms just a bit that I'll be pleasantly suprised to find bass in there.

Everyone tells me they are LMB. It's a small river so it shoudn't be tough to find out. I'm very hopeful this will be a special place for me. It's close, cheap, there is a store, cafe and a BAR right there next to the dock. My kinda place. lol.

I have discovered a relatively local river that has never or rarely been fished for bass. I live in Salmon country and that's all everyone concentrates on around here. I have fished this river many times but never for bass. I've fished it for salmon, for trout and blueback but never bass. I didn't know there were bass in there until one of the local guides mentioned it. He said the darn bass always tear up his salmon baits. The way he talks about bass, you would think they are a trash fish. A while later I ended up talking to another guide and he said about the same thing. The darn bass are screwing up his salmon fishing. I asked how big the bass were and he figured 5 pounders or better. I'm not the brightest bulb on the tree but that got my attention. Recently I talked to someone that lives on the river and their grandkids catch big bass all the time off their dock is what they told me. Sounds like I'm going to fish this river and see what's there....... So my question is......... with new water that is rarely fished for bass, what would you suggest to catch these creatures????? This is a coastal river, water temps currently around 54 degrees, tides around 6 feet, the area I'm going to fish is just below where the fresh water meets the bay water but it's about 14 miles from the ocean. The water is murky, clarity about 3 feet. The river is no more than 20 feet deep at any spot. Any suggestions as far as bait, techniques???? Fish deep in the channel or the docks and brush???? I'm hoping this might be a sleeper hole that nobody knows about. Wouldn't that be cool???