Yankee_Bassman

Her's a link to a post where I described how I made an inexpensive livewell for a skiff I had..... http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1126798538/1#1

If you can figure out a way to do it, you'll be a millionaire....if you're talking about crud inside the cables, it can't be done...there's no way to lube the cable along it's length. Additionally, if it's rusted that much, it's weak. Even if you could get it looser, it's been compromised to the point of not being safe, especially if you run at high speed.

That's a sweet boat....don't think the weatherstrip will work.....oh, and could you do me a favor? Would you ask your mom if she'd like to adopt me?

My Humminbird mounted at the driver's console has a transducer epoxied in the bilge. It won't give a reading at speeds over 20 MPH or so. It's mounted in a bad spot, just as preach4bass said. Bubbles or an airpocket form above that speed, and send the transducer haywire. It's not a big deal for me, as I don't fish much unfamiliar water, and rely on my bow finder when I'm actually fishing. If yours suddenly started acting up but worked before, I'd check the transducer first, to be sure it hasn't come loose, or doesn't have a bad connection that vibrations at higher speed create. Then I'd check the hull, and lower unit, to be sure there isn't a gouge or ding that's causing the hull to generate turbulence that didn't occur before. Even slight damage can change the dynamics enough to affect the transducer, but not enough for you to notice in handling.

One again Ben, thanks....I guess its time to retire that old Sears charger that doesn't shut itself off.......

So Ben... If you have an on-board charger, is it a good idea to have one of the high-frequency chargers on hand to use once in awhile to prevent the sulfication?

I'm thinking I'd be asking the landlord first, but no, I don't think you'd have a problem as far as a title goes........

I've been fishing my lake for 50 years, and they're right where they've always been, just a lot more wary. White perch are gone, hornpout (bullheads) are all but gone, eels are a lot more prevalent, pickerel and yellow perch are nowhere near as big...shoreline is all developed now, mostly year-round homes.....lots of changes, but bass fishing is still pretty good there.

I'll go if they're in the forecast, but one rumble or flash, and I'm GONE......years ago, my softball team was playing a game, which I couldn't make....I caught up with the guys later, and learned the game was called due to lightning...lightning striking the opposing pitcher, that is....they said the sky was dark all around, but sun was still out. No thunder heard, just CRAAAAACK/FLASH, and the pitcher is on the ground, out cold. The only thing that saved his butt was a firehouse was located directly across the street, and one of the firefighters saw it happen. They all came over, after calling an ambulance. Guy had a burn on his shoulder, and a hole/burn above his ankle on the same side... I'm guessing his hair didn't lay right for awhile, either..... The golfer Lee Trevino was hit by lighning once...he said that the next time he was caught in a lightning storm, he'd hold up a 1 iron, 'cuz even God can't hit one of them.....

I agree with everything already said....BUT....where is the post from the owners of Yo-Zuri, who REALLY owe him a tip o' the old sombrero?

GRRRRRRR......................

YOU WANT TO KNOW IF YOU SHOULD GO FISHING??????? Current air temp 22, barometer 29.66 and steady, wind out of the North at 15-20MPH, snowing, wind chill around 8 deg., .....come on up here and shovel, and I'll go down there and fish......

JKH: I've got a '95 Nitro as well. $125. per cable sounds about right for Teleflex. You might be able to find an "off" brand cheaper, but not much. You'll get what you pay for, and at least the Teleflex are good quality. Check the teeth on the rack and pinion; the bad news is, they may be bent or worn, and not meshing well. The BPS cable lube is primarily for keeping the tube the steering ram travels through lubed and free; the ram is stainless, but the tube usually isn't. I doubt it will help the actual sheathed cables at this point. I once read a tip about carefully drilling into the cable sheath where it exits the hull near the motor, and injecting grease to try and free up the cable. The tip said it might or might not work, but is a short-term fix if it does work. I think you're probably going to have to bite the bullet.....I know I'm a fountain of negativity, but you also may have to lift the motor off the transom to gain enough clearance to remove the old and install the new cables. Good luck. YB

To paraphrase somebody I don't remember's famous quote..."there are old bass, and bold bass, but there are no old, bold, bass"...... Bass can't reason, or "think" like we do, but nobody's going to convince me that bass and other game fish on heavily pressured lakes aren't more lure-wary than on lakes with light pressure. I think this could eventually work its way into genetic programming.....I read something about black bears in populated areas being born "knowing" that trash cans were a source of food...don't ask me how the biologists figure that out, just like I can't understand how they can be sure that fish see colors, and deer don't, or at least don't see as many as we do...... As far as "trophy" bass go, I'm going to say that it is genetic, but it's the same type of genetics that limits the number of world-class athletes, or NFL size linemen, who also have speed and agility. There probably wouldn't be sufficient food sources in any given fishery to support a population of all trophy class bass.

I'm not familiar with newer Evinrude motors, but I know on most, if not all of the '90's, the lower unit is engineered to insure that a stream of water hits the prop hub to cool it. If the trim tab gets bent or broken, it can redirect the cooling stream, causing the hubs to overheat, and spin/break apart. If you replaced or adjusted your trim tab before the problem started, that may be it.....if not, check it out for condition. Another possibility is a hairline crack in the prop hub housing that is causing the area to flex under torque and throw the housing out of round, making the hub spin. The only other thing I can think of has already been said: the quality of the replacement hubs might be poor. If you're using a reputable prop shop, that shouldn't be the reason. If you've used the same shop each time, I agree that you might want to consider trying a different shop. Good luck, that's a frustrating problem to deal with. OK, one more thing....do you know for certain the prop is within spec for the motor?

The Bayliner and Force arguments have been going on since around the time Noah was trying to figure how to power the Ark. Having said that, I'll abbreviate my .02 worth to this: I have an '86 Bayliner, with an 85 HP Force. The boat is on its last legs, no question. The motor is going strong. There's nothing wrong with low end motors, IF you do preventative maintenance regularly. My experience is that any brand of motor will become junk if it's not taken care of properly. I believe the higher end motors have a greater degree of tolerance for lousy care than the low ends do, but sooner rather than later, you're gonna feed the marine tech's family if you don't maintain your stuff.

Team_Dougherty is dead on....I did a shared boat about 30 years ago, and it cost me a friendship.....

Arzakon, You have a PM. YB

Thanks again, Ben. Great info.....

I love night fishing. It helps to know the area well in daylight, so you don't get hung up in lilypads, etc. topwaters that have props or other noisemakers are great. My favorite night lure is a jitterbug, the bigger the better.....the one thing I've found is I can't use a baitcaster at night...too many backlashes.....I've only been using them in general for the last two seasons, and I haven't mastered them when I can't see the bait as it is about to enter the water so that I can "thumb" the reel correctly.

OK, Will....if you put these together and photo'ed them just to answer this post, then Dude, you got WAY too much free time on your hands....(OK, I saw the dates on the photos)....The cement buckets look pretty good....I might use these if I was building a pond and couldn't get boulders, etc. to place before filling, but in an existing lake or pond, there should be plenty of cover and structure. I'd be afraid to place the Dance ones in my lake without a very heavy permanent anchoring system. I'd be afraid they could drift from wave or current action to shallower water where somebody might dive onto them. And I don't care what Bill Dance says, you could get hung up in one of these......

Thanks, Ben....FYI, it's a 1995 Mercury/Tracker.....not sure which end the connection is at. I'm pretty good mechanically, but the 12v electrical stuff is like Quantum Physics to me....I usually charge the batteries each night if I use the boat more than a few hours (it's docked at the lake) since the lake is only about 600 acres, and I usually only use the O/B motor to get back in at the end of the day, or to go to the far end if that's where I want to start....most days, I leave the dock on the TM, and start fishing from right there. I'll take your advice on cleaning and checking all the connections and metering the batteries. They're not a matched set, and I'm not sure of their ages, so I'm leaning toward starting fresh with two new ones in the Spring. Are you in the battery business? YB

February's BASSIN' magazine has an article about outfitting jonboats......LBH, you should try and sell an article about your conversion to one of the mags....there's way more info on your site than in the BASSIN' article.....that little red boat looks so good, it ALMOST makes me want to sell my NITRO.

" At the same time, don't buy little cheap batteries and run them down to below 12 volts (each) everytime you go out. " Ben: My bow mounted Lowrance unit shows how many volts I'm drawing from the trolling motor. It seems to me that it always drops below 12 volts when I'm using it, and it doesn't take much use on a freshly charged set of batteries to start to show high 11's when at rest. I got the boat used last year, and the batteries came with it. Is this an indication I need to replace the batteries? They gave me what I think is more than adequate service time per charge. Madhouse: I have a two bank on-board hooked to my two T/M batteries. I wish it was three, but it was brand new to the boat when I bought it.....I had to pull the cranking battery twice last summer to charge it. I just don't run the 115 HP O/B long enough to put an adequate charge in the battery, especially since I'm running the radio most days when I'm out on the lake, or the running/anchor lights when I'm night fishing. We don't have those 50 mile runs to the other end of the lake/reservoir up here.....on the other hand, a little electricity is a lot cheaper that gassing one of those 250 HP monsters, even at PSNH prices.

I'd be curious to know the outcome. YB