smallie.huntin

I ran into almost the same problem a few weeks ago. My boat has 2 livewells but both pumps are shot. I bought an aerator at Dick's for about $20 that has 2 alligator clamps that connect directly to the battery. I also took a large juice jug and cut the top off so that I could change the water out every other hour or so. Kept my fish fine all day. Hope this helps and good luck in the tournament!

Hey guys, My motor started making an weird sound the last time out on the river. After running the motor around 4800-5000 RPMS for about 15 minutes I started to slow down and heard a noise that almost sounded like a belt squeeling in your car. When the motor was at idle it did not make that sound. If I got back on the throttle there was the noise again. I shut the motor down and let it sit for 30 minutes or so while I was fishing. When I started it back up the noise was no longer there. When I ran back to the ramp at the end of the day lo-and-behold there was that same noise when coming off plane. Anyone have any ideas what this could be before I tow it over to be looked at by a professional? Thank you!

I was in your spot last year. My boat is a 15. ft with a 90 hp. The "max" weight on my boat is 450 lbs. All I can tell you is that I trim the motor all the way down, and put the throttle all the way down until the bow settles and the boats on pad. From there dont hold the trim button down, try one or 2 clicks. Find where your boat starts bouncing and back off a little.

Awesome, this was my next question. Thanks! 8-)

Thanks for the responses! I will be doing the on-the-water test Friday...can't wait to get the boat out.

I just purchased a Hummingbird 587ci Fishfinder and GPS. I'd like to mount the transducer in the hull (to avoid drilling anything into my fiberglass hull). The owners manual is telling me before I mount the 'ducer with epoxy that I should flood the bottom of my boat with enough water to cover it then weigh it down in the spot I am thinking of mounting it. This should give me a good idea of the best spot in the hull to mount the 'ducer. There is really only 2 spots that I can find a clear area in the bottom of my boat to mount the ducer. Has anyone flooded there boat to test out mounting spots? Is there a better way to go about this? Should I really consider mounting on the outside of the hull to get better picture or is it not worth it? If flooding the hull is really the best way..how do you go about that? Thanks for the help!

Bought an '86 bass boat last year and it came with the original 37 lb thrust Motorguide. Still running strong but I wanted more power. I'm upgrading with another Motorguide.

Is there lightning? If not, I am going fishing. I usually only get one day a week to fish for more than an hour or two, so rain or shine I try and get out there.

Looks really nice!

100 miles isnt really that big of an area. When I was looking for a boat I was willing to travel quite a bit farther. I just made sure to ask a bunch of questions on the telephone before driving anywhere. After making a few calls you can pretty much tell who is BS'ing you and who isn't. I ended up driving about 3 hours for my boat but it was worth it. Sure I drove a few places and saw some boats that weren't what I thought they were going to be but now I have exactly what I was looking for and couldn't be happier. Good luck in your search!

Looks nice! Good luck out there.

Get yourself a test light, pull the control panel out and just start trying things. When I bought my boat the front control panel did not work either. After replacing a few fuses and a couple of switches it works great. I am not mechanically inclined at all and with a good test light I had the panel working in a couple of hours. Can't help on rewiring for a 24 volt TM. Good luck with the boat!

Saw this the other day on here, scary stuff. What is the proper way to cross a wake (read: not jump)? My boat tops at 45-48 MPH and I know I will come across this this summer on the CT river. I am pretty sure I would trim down to allow the bow to "cut" through the waves some but is there anything else? What angle should I hit them at?

Oh, and if you have had luck on Brimfield Reservoir.....how? That place just will not produce for me no matter how many times I give it a try.

Does anyone fish in central mass? Big Alum, Brimfield Reservoir? Anywhere else around there lakes that I might be missing? Had a good day at Big Alum last week, just hoping I am not missing anything in this area. I drive from the Springfield area so I am trying to stay west of these lakes if possible.

I am sure someone here has done this before,

Congrats! I just bought my first boat, with cash as well, and am really glad I did it that way. Good Luck with it!

I am going to try and get a picture tomorrow night after work. I really never never should have launched there but me and my bro wanted to get out quick before dark and the next closest launch is a good 30 minutes farther from home.

Trying to load my boat onto the trailer the other day in a very fast current resulted in me hitting concrete with the back rear corner of my fiberglass boat. I broke open the gel coat down to the fiberglass. It doesn't appear the fiberglass has been damaged. The hole is about 2 inches long by 3/4-1" wide. What is the best way to go about repairing this? I am pretty upset about this because I never should have launched there in the first place but once I did there was no other choice but to take the boat out. Thanks ahead of time.

I was using 12lb Trilene mono line. I have been using spit but I think I may pull both the tag end and the line to tighten. I was fishing a clear water lake with a rocky bottom and was slow rolling the spinner bait. I should have thought to check the line regularly for nicks since it was hitting tons of rocks. Thanks for the help and info. **Oops I accidentally deleted the original post trying to edit by bad spelling**

Well the water around here is still very high in all the places that I have been to so far but I feel like I am getting dialed in to where the sweet spot is on my trailer. Winching the boat up the last foot is definitely not a big deal when the water is warmer and I don't mind getting my feet wet. Where can I pick up some silicone spray?

I had mine in about a foot of water today. Was being very careful to not get hung up. That water is still very cold.

Also, I haven't tried it myself but I read in a few different places about people melting the tag end of the line just a little with a lighter. It stops the ability of the knot slip. Just a thought.

Palomar knot here as well.

Thanks for the responses. Usually my cousin is with me which helps a lot but occasionally I will be taking the boat out by myself. I am going to have to cast to the crator a few times and see what I can find! ;D