Madhouse27

I know on my old Merc you remove the faceplate and underneath it are the release points for the wrap around thing. My faceplate has a thing you turn down at the bottom of it that makes it kind of pop out. Not very technical I know, but maybe it will help you.

Avid while you're resting that arm maybe you could figure out a setup to put an electric trolling motor on that canoe of yours. Be careful of the bait monkey while you're on the mend. He likes to strike when a guys got extra time on his hands.

Its about ten degrees today up here in Maine. I'm suffering right along with the rest of the northern crew. This forum is helping to take the edge off but I'm dying to wet a line. Some people are starting to avoid me because all I want to talk about is the upcoming fishing season. Here's an AMEN!

Hey Leo, I'll drive the truck if I can be the co-angler

I'd heard RW meantion this bait before and had put it on my list of things that needed further investigation. Well needless to say after reading this post they are all but ordered. I'm glad you guys got into the actual rigging of the bait. I'm sure I would have set it up more like a grub or a tube. This tentacles up presentation sounds deadly, and the fact that the bait moves away from you on the fall...it just doesn't get any better than that. Talk about being deadly on bass tucked way in under docks or topwater vegetation. Gary Y does it again. Awesome post Road!

I know I certainly would. We have a few specialty plates available up here in Maine, but certainly nothing that cool. Get your order in.

The head/face of the creature reminds me a little bit of James Carville. Speaking of freshwater eels, when we were kids we hooked one that was over 6 feet long. We had seen it and got it to bite a huge live frog. It was bigger around than a softball bat. Absolutely terrifying to us at age twelve. This beast put up an epic struggle and was virtually unmovable. Ended up breaking off. We talked to a game warden and he said that it must have grown too large to fit back down through to fishway to make its spawning run to the ocean. Something that many don't know is that eels are lightning fast swimmers. We were standing on a dock watching this foot long pickerel that was just kind of sitting there treading water. All of a sudden this eel came out from under the dock like it was shot out of a cannon. That pickerel (another quick fish) turned on a dime and sped off with the eel hot on his heels....the cool stuff you see as a kid growing up on a lake.

Benzo, If I hit the big one I would order the EXACT same boat that you posted. Those Skeeter I-Class boats are clearly the belle of the ball. They build to order so you don't have to worry about mine being the exact same color scheme as yours. I just received my 2006 catalog in the mail from Skeeter. If you haven't requested one yet you can do so right at their site online. Those glossy pages bring this years line up to life much better than the website does. They also sent the apparel catalog which had some cool stuff in it. I'm going to go buy a ticket then I have to get back to work on choosing which color carpet is going to look best in it.

James, I'll start with my usual response to any question regarding a major purchase. The first thing you need to do is determine the price range in which you are shopping. Until that decision is made you really can't start comparing different styles, brands, sizes and construction materials. Obviously you may need to tweak your price target as you move along in the learning process but it is always a good idea to have a starting point and try to stay as true to it as possible. Ok enough of that. You meantioned storage. I too have a storage situation and it definately ended up influencing my final decision. Because my ride was going to have to end up covered and tarped in the back yard I ended going with a Skeeter aluminum. It was well under my original budget. I reached a point where I just didn't think I could stomach having a big money fiberglass pro style bass boat spending its life outside. The price and the aluminum construction makes keeping it out there a little easier to deal with. I decided to wait on the big plunge until the storage situation was taken care of. Just like with vehicles a new boat loses a certain percentage of its value the moment you take it off the dealer's lot..some boats more than others. I've always like to let the original owner of something take that hit. If you decide to get something really sweet and utilize a storage facility here are just a couple of things to check into. Make sure you can access your storage unit 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Go and look at it, measure the dimensions and check to be sure it's big enough. Also pay attention to the parking lot situation to make sure you have room to manuever your boat in and out of the unit. Buy a good pair of bolt cutters. I had a storage unit and was a day late on my outrageous monthly rent and they put a lock on it to keep me out. Went out Easter morning to get a spare table for company and saw what they had done. I'd been a good costomer for years and there was no need of this drastic treatment. I put what was left of their lock in the office mailbox with a little note.

Certified smallmouth addict here. My favorite time is late summer into fall, although many of my biggest fish have come during the cold water days of pre spawn. I'd say bouncing a grub and dropshotting a fluke would my two favorite and most productive ways of pursuing them. I like finding deepwater structure out off points or between two points. I utilize a few marker buoys for reference and then work the area. I've grown up with spinning gear but am finding it harder and harder to put the baitcaster down.

I get Bassmaster and Bass Times but don't really consider either anything but bathroom reading. For television shows I feel that Lindners Angling Edge is the most informative with In Fisherman coming in second. Match Fishing is probably the most entertaining. I like Bass Champs because there are always some sweet Skeeter boats to drool over. ESPN2's saturday morning line up has a few bright spots as well. Even the worst fishing show is better than alot of the other stuff on tv.

Ron, it sounds like you're going to fit right in around here.

Wow, you really are building a boat.

98 Skeeter SS17 aluminum, Yamaha 40, Minn Kota AT65, Humminbird & Lowrance.

Hammer, Jimmy seemed to have influenced me on buying Minn Kota and Humminbird products. Thank God that Jimmy had no influence over me when it came to either fashion or hair style. That cut of his certainly would have been a hindrence during my girl chasing days lol.

I've had both and have never really had a problem with either of them. I don't even really know why but I've always leaned toward Minn Kota for some reason. Maybe I was brainwashed by Jimmy Houston as a child or something. In this case I guess I would go with the Motorguide based on the thrust for the price argument.

Hillbilly, In addition to working through the guts of your speech make sure you take a little time to work out your delivery. Let your enthusiasm and passion for the sport show. Maybe wear something fishing related. Make your time in front of the class not only informative but entertaining. Perhaps mixing in a little funny story to emphasize a point (knot breaking, forgetting to put the plug in the boat, cute story of early fishing with dad etc). In this speech you are going to be teaching and the best teachers in the world find ways to make the subject matter fun for the students. Good luck.

Cajun, do you have your new boat yet? If you do try to post a picture so we can check it out. The baitmonkey has beaten me down to the point where I have to live vicariously through others.

Smallmouth Bass: 15-30 feet deep, off points, clear water, 7' ML spinning rod, shimano spinning reel, 6lb test line, 1/8oz leadhead, Zoom Green Pumpkin Fat Albert Grub, Columbia PFG shirt, American Eagle Khaki shorts, teva sandles, Costa Del Mar shades, various hats, Skeeter boat, Yamaha outboard, Cool Ranch Doritos, ice cold beer, skoal mint pouch, cell phone off.

Go to college and tune your fishing game on the weekends. A business/marketing course of study would be helpful in your efforts to become a pro. A part time job at a local tackle shop or one of the big boys like Bass Pro Shops would probably add some helpful people to your network. Another possibility for a part time gig could be at a boat dealership. Maybe you could start out cleaning the boats and stocking parts and work your way into doing some selling. They might even end up sponsoring you. Education first. Take four years of your life to help make sure the next 60 years of it are going to be doing something you like.

The first thing you should do is determine how much you want to spend on your boat purchase. Once that is established you can start shopping around for different brands. Like a few of the posters meantioned, there does seem to be some good deals on mid 90s Stratos boats around. Most have Evinrudes and Johnsons if that makes a difference to you. Make sure you do some research on some of the different outboards available in the years you are shopping. Manufacturers have their "not so hot" models at various times and you don't want to get stuck with one of these. As you begin the shopping process you will find yourself getting more and more specific about what you want. Don't rush. Let your decision evolve as you learn. You'll probably get to the point where you have decided the exact boat, motor, year and color that you want. Then it is simply the process of finding it and making a deal. If price is the biggest factor, some of the brands that are no longer produced seem to drop the fastest. I've seen some decent deals on Astro, Cajun and Javelin. In my opinion all three are cool. If you've got some dough get a Skeeter with a Yamaha. Be patient!

I'd do a little google searching on a 1995 130hp Evinrude. You might be able to find any common problems with that model (if there are any) and maybe even some comments from owners who have that same engine. You sound like you are doing your homework. I think Yankee said it best when he talked about buying a boat on consignment. You are basically buying it from the previous owner with a dealer playing middle man and making some money as well on the deal. The dealer probably wants to sell this boat so he can sell the previous ower a new one. I'd push him for some kind of warranty even if it's just thirty days. If they won't, you could find out the previous owner's name and negotiate directly with him and remove the dealer all together. He might be more willing to come down in price if you flashed some cash in front of him.

Great work Ernel, that one looks perfect.

One of my major concerns would be to make sure that the boat is not waterlogged. I am talking about the blown foam that is used to fill the hull under the floor. I think you are probably safe with a 1995 boat, but the foam used in some earlier applications actually would absord water and add significant weight. This was obviously a problem for performance as well as towing. There was a great earlier thread about this subject if you feel like searching. I am by no means an expert, but my old McKee Craft boat has this problem and it is a pain.

One of my best fishing buddies had his boat somehow come right off the trailer going about 70 on I-95. His homeowners insurance treated him right on the whole deal. You may want to look into your homeowners policy for any gaps between what your boat insurance and what you owed on it may be. Sorry to hear about your bum luck.