Low_Budget_Hooker

Just a reminder that the coast gaurd auxillary does free safety inspections this time of year at many boat ramps. Call your local coast gaurd office to find out when and where. You recieve a sticker for your hull if/when you pass inspection and around here, it goes a long way in not getting pulled over. It shows that you were responsible enough to have your boat inspected by a professional, almost a get out of jail free card sometimes.....just a reminder.

I'm doing the bearings on my trailer and normally I just bring one to a place called Bearing Service in Providence but when I went there, there was a sign saying "closed after 63 yrs of service". So,..I have no idea of the make or yr of the trailer and I have an outer bearing with the number 4t lm11949 which doesn't match any at West Marine. Anyone know how to identify the one I need? Anyone even know if it's a 1" or 1 1/16" spindle I have? My Vernier guage is at a friends house about an hour and a half away.

Great pics and very nice bass! Does your wife happen to have a single sister looking for U.S. citizenship??

Good points fleye rahd. I tend to answer based on myself sometimes. My boat on my pond (elec only) and forget that many live on lakes that have real traffic and wide open areas etc.

Getthenet-I hear ya! lol Ok, I got one,I got one, how about the sound made when you have to smack the jig with the palm of your hand to "pop" it out of the roof of the bass' mouth.

1. The drag 2. The sound of a big bass smacking my jig against the side of the boat when lipping him. 3. The sound of my phone ringing with people who want to fish. 4. The sound of bluefish or tuna boiling on a school of baifish (u with me Rolo?) 5. The sounds of kids laughing and having fun at a C.A.S.T. event! 6. The abscence of my bosses voice 7. Thunder 8. The hoots and hollers of other folks getting a nice fish 9. Last but not least,....our own hoots and hollers for getting a nice fish!

That would depend on the wind. In a 16, flat bottom, 20-25mph winds will be about as strong as you'll want to anchor in sideways. Have you looked at drift anchors? I'm not sure if you are really looking to lock down on a spot or just be able to fish in the wind. If not looking to lock down, I HIGHLY suggest grabbing a drift anchor.

If you have her on for a bit and then she comes off, she probably won't be biting again for awhile. If she didn't feel the hook, she's still catchable. During the spawn,however, everything goes. We've caught the same fish 3 casts in a row before. Sometimes they are right back on the bed and willing to hit again (super defensive mode, protecting eggs)

This is an article I wrote a little while back.

I know the weight difference isn't too drastic but how about an optima?

Aside from providing cover (they can't see you as well) and giving us another pattern to try (windblown banks), I really don't know. I know that a drift anchor is a gift from God on these days but in boats like mine (small), you have to keep Georges statement in mind. I hang my drift anchor off the middle of the boat in winds up to 20-25mph so we drift sideways enabeling us both to fish. Any higher and I have to launch it from the bow to keeping the nose into the wind.

I don't know squat about building rods but if RM gives it a nine then I say well done man!

What warms quicker, muddy-murky water or clear water?

great pic!

PM "chris", he's a mod here, he'll know just where to send you if he doesn't want to pour them himself

I've had the pleasure of speaking with Clay. Clay also is an affiliate with the C.A.S.T. for kids Foundation. Clay brings alot more to the table than just fishing. We are hoping he will be in RI for the C.A.S.T. for kids event this September to share his story and lift a few hundred people to places they forgot they knew within themselves. He's amazing, that's for sure.

The surface temp is just that. For temps deeper, t-rig it and cast it out.

Very informative and I was actually able to follow and comprehend everything you said. Thanks alot!

Slightly off topic question for BEN- Would there be more or less resistance if they were wired paralell as opposed to in series?

I like Will's idea of a "boat lane compromise". Perhaps a little more research will show that certain people are making the argument? I'm thinking some folks may have docks that they can't dive off or somthing and maybe those specific spots could be cleared along with a boat lane. Good luck, let us know how it all pans out.

check this thing out. WILcraft-water,ice,land http://www.thewilcraft.com/

Perhaps it is flawed somehow? The pliers I have make it about 80% easier than doing it with my fingers. Got a pic of your pliers? Maybe the tooth is too small? Are there different pliers for different size split rings perhaps?

Kind of self explanatory. The "tooth" is used to split the ring and hold it open so you can thread it on to the lure or recieving loop. Hold pliers with flat side being bottom and "tooth" side being top. Hang ring on tip of flat piece and close pliers so tooth hits between the overlaying part of the split ring. It is now open. Take the lure now and "sew" the split ring onto the front loop.

This is a matter of power as opposed to operational ease. These motors come up to 650 lbs of thrust. A group of guys compete on an "electric only" lake and the race for the good spots has them mounting 3 and 4 motors and up to 8 batteries just to be a little quicker. That's ALOT of $$$. Just trying to find an alternative or a better , more cost efficient way. Then again, these things probably aren't cheap!

After researching the heck out of the trolling motor dilemma faced by anglers fishing electric only lakes, I came upon a thought. What about side thrusters from a larger vessel? Many saltwater boats have "side thrusters". These are basically an electric motor mounted in the hull to pull a boat sideways. Used for dockage of large vessels. (or smaller ones with bad drivers,lol) I looked into some and it seems they come from 50lbs of thrust, up to 650 or so depending on brand! Any engineers out there that could tell me if it would be possible to mount this in a jon boat? They steer with a small joystick. How cool would that be? Could easily be modified into a foot control I bet too. I'm not sure of power supply, but even the huge ones are relatively small physically. Why havn't motor builders addressed the fact that there is a need for affordable power above 102 lbs (excluding the new 3 and 4 hp,...I said affordable", lol) for small craft where "electric" is the primary power source? These are the thrusters I was looking at. Small scroll box along bottom 1/3rd of screen. http://www.side-power.com/sidepower/index.php?id=16