ManInBlack

Well guys, I finally got around to hooking up a battery to the boat tonight and it would not turn over at all. In fact, when I turned the key I didn't hear any type of noise or anything come from the motor. I did get a constant beep from the instrument panel but that is all. Any ideas what could be wrong? Problem with the wiring? Blown fuse? It was getting dark so I didn't get a chance to check all the fuses in the fuse panel.

Yeah, the hull is in really good shape. I can't see any deep scratches or dents at all.

Thanks for all of the tips and suggestions guys. I definitely plan on dumping some money into the boat to get it running and to make it a decent bass fishing boat. Ring Fry, I live in south central KS (about 4 hours away from Pittsburgh) but I wish I could see your boat and talk to you about what all you've done. Could you send me some more pics of your boat when you get a chance? How stable is the boat for stand-up fishing? That's really the main reason I bought the boat, to have one I can fish standing up in. I currently just use a 11 ft. Coleman Crawdad and it just doesn't have the space for me and my buddy when we hit the water.

Hello all. I recently purchased my first outboard motor powered boat. It's a 1987 Bass Tracker Tournament TX-17. I purchased everything in the pictures for $250. Did I get a good deal? The boat has sat outside for the past 3 years and the motor has not been started during that time so I am a little worried about that. I haven't had a chance to hook a battery up to it yet so I don't even know if it will turn over. What can you all tell me about the motor? It's a Mercury Classic 50 with a serial number of 0B238994. I've never worked on an outboard and I'm assuming that I'll need to re-build the carb and replace the plugs. What else should I be looking for? The inside of the boat will definitely need to be re-done but I figured I couldn't go wrong for the price and my intentions are to completely replace all of the wood and carpet. I'm hoping that all of the wiring is good and that the boat doesn't leak but I won't know until I start tearing into it. Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

How good of a reel is the Cruxis 200? I have a friend who lives in a different town than me who has one that he's only used a handful of times and he will sell it to me for $50. Is this a decent deal? I've only used the Curados and don't know much about how the Cruxis performs.

Just got a new replacement rod from Shimano today. That was a pretty quick turnaround from the time I sent the broken rod. I call that great customer service!

Thanks for the suggestions. And yes, my friend and I have been given permission to keep any fish out of this pond. I would never harvest fish on property that wasn't mine without being given permission first.

My buddy and I fished a farm pond yesterday that we just received access to. We fished for almost 4 hours and caught 39 largemouth. The largest fish was probably 2.5 lbs and many of these fish were in the 1 to 1.5 lb range. Was wondering if this pond was overpopulated with bass? My buddy and I were talking about possibly harvesting some of these fish so that the pond could possibly produce bigger fish in the future? What size of fish should we harvest from this pond? Is the general rule of around 20 - 25 lbs of fish per acre about right? Would be interested to know some of your thoughts on this. Thanks!

Just don't use the wife's toothbrush, she can get pretty angry ;D But she only gets angry if she knows about it right? LOL....just kidding.

Thanks for the advice guys! I'll give them both a try.

Just picked up several older crankbaits from a friend that are in good condition but need a good cleaning. Any tips for getting those old dirty lures clean? What works best?

Thanks guys! I'm gonna give them a call tomorrow and see what they say. I'll let you guys know how it turns out.

I've had my Shimano Crucial 7 foot rod for less than 2 weeks and the thing broke on me 2 nights ago. I was pulling a 3.5 pounder into the boat when the fish jumped, came down and broke the rod! This shouldn't happen with a rod in this price range. I'm pretty disappointed about it. Has anyone ever broke their Shimano rod and got a replacement? Do I need to call Shimano to do this?

Thanks for the advice guys. Does anyone here use the Shimano Curado CU-200DHSV? If so, what are the pros and cons with this reel? I'm really interested in it and it looks like I can get one for $149. Is that a decent price?

Hello all. I'm a newbie to the forum here and need some advice on what rod & reel I should purchase. I've used a spinning reel for pretty much my whole life and am now ready to get a baitcast reel. I've been looking at the Shimano Curado D Series reels and really like what I've read on them. I will pretty much be using my rod & reel setup for just bass fishing. What model of the Curado would be best for my purposes? Also, what rod would be a good balance with the Curado? I'll be using my setup with a wide assortment of lures such as spinners, crankbaits, plastic worms and topwater lures. I'd like to spend somewhere in the $350 range for my setup. Suggestions?? Thanks in advance for any advice and it's great to be here!