TrailerHook

Hey, guys. Need some advice on GPS units. We are going on a mini-vacation in a couple of weeks and will be spending a couple of days fishing a large lake for the first time. I don't currently own a GPS unit so I thought it may be a good investment before heading out on a strange body of water. Also plan to do some hiking and mountain biking nearby so I am leaning toward a hand-held model that I can use in the boat and also on the trails and maybe even in the truck. I have never owned a GPS so I am more than a little clueless about them. I have heard that some of the handheld models are compatible with lake mapping chips available from Navionics and Garmin which would be a plus. Do any of you guys use handheld GPS's in your boat and can anyone suggest a good model? Thanks!!!

Had my first experience wacky rigging last weekend. Had been hearing a lot about it over the past few years and finally decided to give it a shot. I wacky rigged a weightless 5" Kinami flash worm and absolutely slayed them. Using a spinning rod, I skipped them way up under docks and pulled out some monsters. Now that I've got the hang of it, I have fallen in love with the skipping technique. I could place that wacky worm way up under docks into areas that never get fished because they are unreachable using other techniques. Very effective and I can't wait to go back and do it again.

The only worm I have ever used on a shaky head jig is a Zoom Trick Worm. You want a worm where the tail floats up well? This sucker practically stands at attention! I use it on a Shak-e2 jig head.

I like Dave Mercer. I Tivo several fishing shows each week and his is one of them. I think he is informative and entertaining, but that laugh of his.....he could stand to tone that down just a bit. Dave seems like he would be a fun guy to hang with for a day.

Wow. Lots of NC boys showing up lately. I'm a former tarheel myself. Welcome aboard!

Glad to have you on board with us. Welcome!

Glad to have you on board with us. Welcome!

Welcome to the BR forums. Glad to have you on board with us.

Hi, Don. Glad to have you on board with us.

Glad to have you here. Looking forward to more of that witty NY humor......not!

Yes, wecome to the forums. Looking forward to your participation. Stay safe. Oh, and don't worry about all those FL bass you've been missing. I've been taking good care of them.

Hi, guys. As a newbie boat owner I learn something new every time I get out on the water. This weekend, a very nice gentleman helped me out of a bind and showed me a very helpful tip that I wanted to pass on to everyone else. The problem I was having was that when I cranked my motor ('05 Mercury 50hp 2-stroke), no water would spit out of the water ejection port. I've only had my boat a couple weeks (bought it used), but I know enough to know that I should've had a steady stream of water coming out as an indication that my water pump was working and cirulating water through the motor to keep it from overheating. Well, I thought maybe there was just some air in the line and that if I tried again maybe the air would clear out and water would start pumping. So I tried shutting it off and cranking it a couple of more times, letting it run a few seconds each time. Still no water. I was afraid to run it anymore because it may overheat. I had made up my mind that there was a problem with my water pump and was about to load the boat back onto the trailer and head to the dealership to have it checked out when a very nice older gentleman approached in his boat. He said he had noticed me struggling with my motor and asked what the problem was. When I explained what was going on, he just smiled and said "I think I know what your problem might be and I happen to have a special tool that will fix you right up." After rummaging around in the bottom of his boat for a few seconds he produced a short, narrow red plastic straw.....something that looks like you would stir your coffee with. He stuck it in the water ejection port and tried pushing it in. At first, it wouldn't go. Then after gently pushing it in and out a couple of times, the straw went nearly all the way up inside the port. When he pulled it out, a dark liquid oozed out (looked like mud or gritty oil). He said for me to crank it again. When I did, viola! There was a steady stream of water pumping out and the motor was running like a champ. He then explained to me that it is not uncommon for water lines to get clogged with sand and dirt around here. He said it happens quite often to his own motor and that is why he never leaves his dock without the tiny red straw. So not only was this gentleman nice enough to offer his help to a stranger on the water, he also salvaged my fishing trip and probably saved me a couple of hundred bucks in diagnostic fees from a mechanic. Not only that but he taught me something I didn't know about operating my boat which makes me more comfortable and confident as a boater. And, oh by the way, that tiny red straw he used? It's the straw that comes taped to the side of a WD-40 can. Needless to say, as soon as I got home that afternoon, I rummaged around in my garage until I located a can of WD-40. I swiped the straw off the side of it and now it is stored in small tool kit I keep stowed under my seat in my boat.

Good lookin' boat.

There isn't any carpet in this boat except inside the storage lockers. The floorboard and casting decks are coated with a thick textured vinyl to make a solid surface. The vinyl coating dampens the noise similarly to carpet (maybe not as good as carpet), but should make for easy clean-up and low maintenance.

Thanks for ALL of the advice, guys. I met the seller and took it for a test spin yesterday. Everything on the boat appeard to be in mint or near mint condition aside from just a few dings or surface scratches here and there. The motor cranked on the first turn and ran like a dream wide open for several minutes. And that trolling motor is da bomb! On high speed setting, it is so powerful that it will literally throw you out of the seat if you turn too hard too fast. After the "sea trial", I offered the guy $8700 and the deal was done. The only bad part of the deal is that it is supposed to storm today on my first day of boat ownership.

Lil' Piece o' Ship ;D

I think I found a decent deal on a used boat, but want some unbiased third-party opinions from knowledgeable people (that's you guys!). Here's the deal.... A guy is selling a 2005 Tracker PT 175 Coastal Edition with a Mercury 50hp 2-stroke. He is including an 82-lb thrust Motorguide digital foot-steer TM (that he just added to the boat last year), a Lowrance 37x depthfinder, paddle, anchor, lifejackets, all USCG-required safety gear, boat cover, and a galvanized trailer with swing-away tongue. It belonged to his dad who sadly passed away last year. He says his dad only used it a few times and kept it covered and parked in his garage so it still looks as new as the day it was bought. Less than 10 hours total runtime on the motor. Asking price is $9,500.00. Seems like a good deal to me, but was looking for confirmation from some of you more knowledgeable and experienced boaters out there. Does anyone have any experience with Tracker's boat line? What do ya'll think? I've seen the boat in person, and it looks to be in good shape. Anything I should check out or be aware of? If I buy it, this will be my first boat.

I'll be fishing Lake Eddins near Pachuta, MS this weekend. Sounds like y'all have given some great advice that I can definitely use. Thanks guys!!

Supposedly, the coastal dune lakes there hold bass and panfish, but I have not tried them out yet. You can check out their website for more info..... http://www.floridastateparks.org/topsailhill/default.cfm

If you have a boat you can check out Black Creek. There is a boat ramp available at Black Creek Lodge in Freeport. Juniper Lake near Defuniak Springs is also a decent lake to fish. There are a couple of public parks on the lake where you can bank fish or fish from the piers. Public boat ramps are also available at the parks. Another suggestion is Topsail Hill Preserve which is a state park in Santa Rosa Beach. They have several fresh water ponds available for bank fishing. I haven't tried them yet, but I'm going to real soon (just be sure you have a valid FL fishing license since its a state park). One more suggestion....Sandestin Resort has a lot of golf course ponds around the property that are available for residents and guests to fish. I see people fishing those ponds all the time in the spring and summer months. If you happen to be staying there (or at a similar golf resort) during your vacation, bring your tackle!! If nothing else, grab some heavy spinning tackle and some cut bait and go to the beach and surf fish for whatever happens to be biting (just watch out for the swimmers). Have fun and enjoy your stay here. And be sure to post a report to let us know where you fished and how you did. If you find any good spots other than the ones I mentioned, I need to know about them! ;D

A bass will eat anything that a) doesn't eat it first and will fit between its lips.

Lol. Hey, we take fishing very seriously. ;D

Bass eat baby ducks at our lake all the time so it is not out of the question that they might work. But I can't imagine you would be able to achieve any sort of action with these lures that would resemble a real live duck. But if you try it and it works, let us know!

The classic texas rig (with free sliding bullet weight) is THE technique that I have the most confidence in. And I am not shy about trying just about any kind of plastic on that rig. However, if I had to choose only one it would be a 7.5" Culprit ribbon tail in red shad color. I did get an opportunity to fish the Rage Tail Annaconda worm on one trip this year with promising results. It too will probably get a lot of "hook time" next year. Other notable baits that I like on the t-rig: Culprit 10" worm Zoom Trick Worm Culprit tassle tail

I picked up a Mann's Baby 1-minus after reading the shallow cranking article in the recent issue of Bassmaster mag. It is a very shallow running square billed crankbait. Depending on your retrieve speed, it will run right at the surface creating a bit of a wake, or a couple of inches below the surface. Have had a lot of fun catching a few fish with it in and around flooded timber and lay downs. I think I only paid $4 or $5 for it at wally-world. It definitely wouldn't be the end of the world if I lost it.