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You could try some of this stuff. http://www.basspro.com/servlet/catalog.TextId?hvarTextId=17932&hvarDept=200&hvarEvent=&hvarClassCode=2&hvarSubCode=7&hvarTarget=browse Is the steering stiff only when the motor is under a load, or is it stiff when the motor is off as well?

The Trailblazer already has the trans cooler on it. They all come stock with the "towing package" from the factory. The only thing you need to add will be ball and reciever tube and pin. As far as towing in O/D if you read in the owners manual the newer trans in the Trailblazers are being designed to be able to tow in O/D. The only requirement is if the transmission begins to shift back and forth between D and O/D frequently then you need to use drive.

I would still go if it were for just afternoon t-storms, but not far from the launch site. (After all you still have all morning to fish.) They move in pretty fast once they build and I would not want to have to make a 15 mile run back to the truck. I work out in t-storms and other inclimate weather just due to my job. I have seen way too many things burnt by lighting to stay and play once the it starts cracking. We live by the saying: "If you can see it, flee it. If you can hear it; fear it." A lighting strike can occur miles in front of the actual thunderhead itself. So just because it is "along way away", dosen't mean you are safe.

I do not see a problem with towing with a Trailblazer. I have an 05 model that I use to pull my 19 ft Javelin with and you can hardly tell that the boat is there. I do however have brakes on my trailor which I feel helps due to the shorter wheel base of the Trailblazer. Owners manual calls for anything over 1500 lbs to have it's on braking system. I will tow from elevations that are 3600 feet above sea level down to 600 -900 feet elevations on 6-9% grades and have no problems so far. On return trips the T/B will have to down shift into second to make it to the top of the grade. The Trailblazer has 265Hp where my 97 Dodge Ram with a 360 only has 240Hp. The inline motor will also produce more torque than a v motor. Torque is what is needed when taking off and climbing hills while towing. I have 3 directions that I can go out of the mountains and get to a lake. The closest is only 60 miles and the other two are 85-100+. I have yet to have any problems.

What lake in Tn are you fishing?

My father in law has a boat similar t the one in this link: http://www.searay.com/online_brochure.asp?modelid=54020&tab=2 His boat has the hydraulic trim tabs on it. If it were not for the trim tabs, it would be alot harder to get on plane. Plus where he lives, they have a speed limit of 20 mph in the canals. Without the tabs, you can not see where you are going because the bow was sitting so high.

I have both the Lowrance X-125 and the Lms-480. Both of these unit together are around $1000.00. If I were to only by one unit, I would go for the LCX-17 with Gps. It is around $900.00 The color Model is about $250 more. (LCX-25 if I remember correctly) The screen size and pixel count on these two units makes them easy to read. The peak to peak and RMS power make target identifcation a snap. Reading the GPS maps are easier in color for me. ( I only know this because my t/x partner has color.) The depth finder portion is the same for me as the LCD models.

I am using the Everstart Max batteries in my rig. The batteries are made by Johnson Control if I remember correctly. Johnson Control is also the company that mfg Optima batteries as well as Duralast, and Die Hard.

Here is another one. I promise that I was sober when I wrote this particular post. The info here is more detailed, and not half witted. I still can't believe that Matt found the other one. Here is a link if you are interested in reading it. http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1134821169

Man post-surgery drugs make you write some crazy things. :-[ Ie: Just ignore that portion. Delerium do to a drug induced haze is great untill you actually get to see the after effect once it is over. Matt, you could have brought the one back that I wrote much more recently. I was comptley sober. There was not any over thought hallucinations.

Glad to see that life is back to normal again. 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-)

Or is the site moving really slow???

I would not say it is odd. How many baitfish do you see swimming in a constant straight line. A baitfish swims a little ways stops, then starts in a new direction, then stops so forth and so on. Even a bass when spooked will do something similar. The only thing that I normally see swimming in a straight line while at the lake is somebody's lure. There are times that I don't use the reel for anything except to take slack and use the rod to move the lure. I may pull the lure as little as 6 inches or as far as I can turn. I know that it is real deadly on smallies in the spring. Rip the lure forward about 6 feet and reel the slack as fast as you can just to rip it again. When a baitfish is dying it will just twitch in place or move forward and quiver. A bass will not pass up the chance at an easy meal.

If it was just a little bit (2-3 tsp) of the oil that came out grey, it was probably just metal shavings. All l/us have a little bit of metal in the oil when ever it is changed. This is from the gears meshing together. You don't have a filter like you do on your car, so it will all collect at the bottom of the foot after it has set for a little while, and will be the first thing that comes out. Water would not be grey at all it would have been off white to yellow. Hence the term milkshake. Before getting a new seal kit, just ask your boat mechanic to preform a vacume test on the lower unit. Most l/us should hold 8-10lbs as long as the vacume is still applied. Most will do the vacume test for a minimal charge, if not for free.

OK, with todays motors it really doesn't matter about 8 cylinders or 6 or even 5 as far as that goes. The reason I say this is because I have a full size 97 Dodge Ram with a 360, that when it was produced produced 240hp. I also have a 05 Trailblazer that has an inline 5 cylinder that has 265hp. Both will tow my 19ft Javelin with no problems. Not only that, but an inline motor can produce more torque than a V motor. Torque is what is going to pull a trailor when taking off or climbing hills. The newer motors are stronger than the ones made just a few years back. Where the concern now begins to lie, is with the ability to stop safely. I know that the Trailblazer can tow over 5000 lbs, but it is supposed to have brakes on the trailor if it weighs over 1500lbs. The shorter wheel base gives some other concerns about stopping quickly on wet roads with the potentional of jack-knifing the trailor. The other concern with stopping is the trailor pushing the tow vehicle. My boat weighs apx 1400 dry. Now add 38 galons of fuel at roughly 8lbs per gallon, and you are up to apx 1700lbs. Add in my gear, batteries safety equipment and you are up close to a ton. Now add the trailor weight of another 600-800 pounds. Now there is apx 2700lbs behind my tow vehicle. This is going to be hard for a vehicle to stop if it doesn't weigh enough by itself. The front axel on my trailor takes this problem away because it has it's own brakes. All of this needs to be considered when picking out a tow vehicle. It isn't just getting the trailor moving, but being able to get it stopped if some bonehead pulls out in front of you while running 50 mph down a country road.

I am running both of my graphs off of the starting battery. They only have a draw of around 1 amp. I have a dual purpose starting/deepcycle battery and have never had any problems. I also run the livewell pumps and a Zorro fishing light system (when night fishing) off the same battery as well.

To answer your questions with a question. Why do you think your lower unit needs changing?

Is this the one you are referring to as Pepper grass? Polygonum hydropiperoides Ie: Smartweed: Honestly the internet is a wonderful place isn't it. ;D Here is the link I get My Plant info from: http://aquaplant.tamu.edu/

Here is your Illinios pond weed. Potamogeton illinoensis:

The first pic is of Southern Naiad or commonly known as bushy pond weed. This is a pic of Coontail:

One other option if the vegitation is all matted to the bottom, is to use a Drop shot rig. The pond below my house is almost unfishable this time of year. All of the vegitation that grows to the top in the summer is dead and laying on the bottom. I use the drop shot on both vertical and horizontal techniques. This allows the weight to get the lure down, but keeps the lure above the mess on the bottom of the pond. If the lure hits the bottom, it will be covered with the dead vegitation. Here is a pic of the stuff in the pond:

Pool thermometers will work for testing water temp from the shore. You just have to leave it in the water for a few to get the correct temp. Also don't forget a tie line to keep it from getting away.

If it is a newer model, then I would not see any problems with it. Some of the older model trucks with the six cylinders didn't have that great of a breaking system. Of course if you do not live in the mountains like me, then that will not be as big of a problem. Then again, the old stright sixes had more torque than some V-8s did.

They were turning on the livewell pumps. They were also probably setting the timers for the livewells also. I watched that show yesterday as well.

All lakes have there best years in the beginning. The first few years may not be so great, but it picks up as the population increases. As the lake ages, and erosion takes down trees, it creates new cover. Then as it ages more, the shoreline cover begins to thin out, then the fish pull back away from the shallows and into the deeper haunts. Sediment fills in shallow ditches and creek channels, forcing the fish even deeper. I can remember back in the mid-70s going fishing with my grandfather on Lake Fontana and catching fish almost all day long. Now some 20 years later, the fishing on this lake is some of the hardest around if you are a bank beater. There isn't much shoreline cover and what little there is, is beat to death from morning to dark. On this lake you have got to be well schooled in the art of structure fishing if you want to catch more than two bass in a day. The exception to this would be lakes that are managed by DNR services to be fisheries. Lakes where fishing is a priorty as opposed to being 4th in line behind electric generation, flood control and river navigation. As these lakes age, DNR replenishes habit for the bass and other fish in order for fishing to stay good for long periods of time.