FisinCrazee

Caught seven largemouths last Tuesday. Two of them were caught on a Chart./ gold Chatterbait with a white Superfluke trailer. Looks real good in the water; works just fine with good action. I work it slow, and shallow, this time of year and the large S/F trailer helps it stay up in the water column at the slower retrieve. Bob

A Rattle Trap is my coooold water bait and has been for several years. For example, Feb 19, water temp 37 degs. Caught several bass up to 5 lbs on a 1/2 oz R/T. They would not hit any thing else - had to be fished slow. I fish R/Ts all year long; I always have a trap tied on and ready to go. Bob

1/2 oz Bill Lewis Rattle Trap in Chart. Shiner (#52). Actually prefer the 1/4 oz but they stopped offering it in the Chart. Shiner color. :'( I upgrade hooks both in size and quality; at least the front one. Bob

Wayne P. I'm with you on this Spinnerbait. They are/were dynamite; just had that special something. Only one fault: the lead in the head was too soft and the wire became pretty loose/woobly after a time. Would love to see them make a return. I fished them exclusively in the mid to late 70's/early 80's until I could not get them any more. Wish I had made the smart move you did and bought out a supply somewhere. Changed jobs in 80, became a workaholic and did not realize the company was closed down until too late. The Chickahominy River bass ate them up-nice memories. I still have several left in the original package. Also, nice to see you on this site; Richmond site needs a little help. FisinCrazee

I had the same squealing/squeaking problem at the slightest movement of the shaft. The grease in the bearing dries out but is repackable. Just loosen the Allen set screws that hold the bearing in place; bearing then will be loose enough for it to drop a little; repack it with a little bearing grease and you are ready to go for a good while. Been a couple of years since I did my MG and have not heard a squeak yet and it receives heavy usage. Hope this is your problem. Whole lot easier than replacing if there is no need to. That would require a lot more effort. lol Bob

Catt. Long enough to have 7 of the Bantam 100s that you started this with. Great little reel; love them and still use - largest bass on one went 10 1/2#s; handled with no problem. 6 Curados and 2 Symetres joined them in the last year. The 100s are still going strong but decided that I would baby them a little and give them a helping hand with the Curados. lol I do love the Shimanos but then, I also love all my round Garcias -5000s; 5500s; 4500Cs; 4600Cs. Monthly maintenance/cleanings keep them going strong. Bob

Craw. I reside in S.E. VA and for the last couple of weeks with the cold wx and water (42/43 dgs), the only lure that I have been able to catch a bass on is a lipless cb (rattletrap). Couple good slaps on a #5 Shad Rap but no hookups. I fish it s l o w right off the bottom. Bob

Yep! Hate things that squeak. I do oil the springs on the trailer. I go so far as to jack up the frame of the trailer, leaving wheel on ground, so that the leafs will open up more and then spray them. My boat/motor only weight around 1400 pounds so no problem on trailer frame stress. Heavier boats might be a problem; I'll let others answer that one. I also put a little kerosene in the oil to thin it out and make it penetrate better. There is not a spot on those springs that don't get oiled. lol I also oil all other movable contact points that Do Not Have Electrical hardware close. Let this sit and then wipe down to get access off. Makes for a much quieter pull. Bob

I also use one of those Boat Dollies to move my 12 ft pram around. They are very well made, very rugged and work great. Flat bottoms up to 14 ft are faily easy to flip over but do be careful. If you invest in a dolly, you don't want to mess it up by letting it slam into the ground/ramp when turning over. Enjoy Bob

tbird. I picked up an extra cord for my tracker in the main BPS store in Hampton. I would think that the other BPS outlets would carry them. Believe it is 9 inches long (will stretch) and $6.99. It is the same one that comes on the Trackers. I had purchased the components at BPS parts to construct one (which I had already decided I did not like) but took the parts back when I found the exact replacement. Put it on the back platform. I do like the ones that come on the Trackers. Bob

I go along with Fletchero on the drain plug. I temporarily misplaced my usual plug the other day and used my back-up plug. When I pulled the plug after fishing, I had about a half gallon water pour out. Found regular plug, went fishing, no water. Those plugs do go bad. Also, another possible culprite. Do you have a water-pressure speedometer that uses plastic tubing. That tubing will also go bad and develop a tiny leak. Usually will not leak when you fish an electric only lake due to no real pressure being exerted on the pickup; will leak when under power of big motor. (Tubing does not have to be old for this to happen. Momentary pinch, kink, etc. will rupture the tubing enought to start a tiny leak.) Just a couple of thoughts. Bob

Bassmaster, Bassin, and Gary Yamamoto's Inside Line. All three very good reading and informative. All three worth the subscription price. In-Fisherman is enjoyable reading but is not dedicated to just bass fishing. ADDED: If you are a boat owner, you can not go wrong investing in subscriptions to "Bass & Walleye Boats" and "Trailer Boats" (more for run abouts and larger pleasure boats but has some good general articles on boating). These have some excellent articles to keep you "out of trouble". lol Bob

Check the advertising in the "In-Fisherman" magazine and their sales store (on line???). Severrrrral years ago this was one of the Lindner's specialties for walleye fishing and they hyped it pretty heavily. There were several articles on the transom splash pads and, at that time, directions for either building them yourself or where they could be purchased. Not sure this will help you now but it is worth a try. Understood from the articles that this was almost a solid requirement for backtrolling for walleye at that time. Should be some walleye fishing folks visit this site and maybe they can add to the above. Bob

To check the accuracy of my scales, I went to the Military Commisary and purchased a plastic bag of bananas and a plastic bag of apples; both of these sold by the pound. When I got home, I already had the bananas and apples in plastic bags. Just hung on scale, make a reference note of weight for future use, put away scale, ate apples and bananas. Got a good certified weight and some excellent eating all in one package. Bob

Trying for over 8 lbs. Already have a 6 lb 5 oz. this year PB is 10 lb 8 oz. Bob

Buzzbait. I have the M/G 4300; it is the same as the 46#. They just upped the # by 3 it looks like. Anyway, they both work the same if I remember right. To adjust the hgt, off water or on water, is very simple. Pull the motor up out of the water and lay on the mtg bracket. There is a "unlocked" position (kind of cocked at an angle) and then there is the flat layed out "locked positon". Place it in the first "unlocked" position and then loosen the knob that holds the small trap door that clamps the top part of the shaft to the mount (In the locked positon, this is very hard to do). With this knob loosened a little bit, you can adjust the height up or down for about eight inches and this loosening also allows you to turn the upper head where the cable come out. When adjusting this shaft/head, you will notice the pedal of the foot control moving up or down just a little. This will allow you to place the foot control pedal in a desired positon for comfortable operating of t/m when you have the motor aimed straight ahead. If you are going straight and the pedal is not comfortable, follow the above procedures of loosening the clamp, turning the shaft one way or other (experiment) and try to hit a good position. Retighten clamp using the knobbed bolt and you should be happily on your way. If you need more adjustment, then you need to take the top off and adjust the pinion gear. (Do this off the water-no lost parts.) AT NO TIME DO you have any thing loosened to the point where it will be completely apart to where you would loose something overboard. Just don't forget to tighten the clamp before placing motor back in the down position. Practice this before you put boat in water. Standing on the ground makes it much easier and failsafe. ha It is not hard to do from the boat platform either. Tight Lines Bob

My Tracker 165 (16') (loaded approx a 1000 lbs-1person and gear)came with a Motorguide 4300 (43# thrust) and works okay when I fish my usual SMALL lakes/ponds. If the wind really picks up, I do lose some performance. Currents on river and tides on tidal rivers bites into the power some - get a good wind with the current/tide and you really feel it, high power and barely moving sometimes. IMHO, if I was doing this over again, I would have had them upgrade the T/M to the next power which I believe (in Motorguide) is around 53 or 56#. That little extra I believe would really upgrade the performance of the 165. As Triton Mike said, go a little higher; you do not have to use it but if you are in wind and current and have the lower # thrust, you are out of luck. Also as mike said, the digitals are nice. A little extra money spent at the beginning reaps rewards later. Just like rods and reels, if you can afford a little extra, go for it; it will pay off later. As far as Motorguide and MinnKota -hum. Will let you decide that factor as I have only owned Motorguide. Friend owns only MinnKota. Each to their own. Tight lines Bob

I have a Tracker 165 with a M/G T/M on it and it came from tracker with the mount on the right side (when motor in pulled up on mount, it lies along the right side of boat). Seems like most all boats come with the t/m mount on the left side. Not sure of the reasoning behind the left side mount but as I am right handed and fish mostly sitting (not so young any more) I like the motor mount to be on the right side. I fish to the left side mostly, depending on conditions, and I have basicly a clear deck to the left. You will have the foot pedal and control cables coming off to the left side but they do not hamper fishing as much as the mount, etc. does. If your motor and foot pedal do not align the way you want for comfort, there are two ways to adjust. A slight adjustment can be made in the way you position the head which the control cables exit from. Experiment with this - by the was you position the head when you tighten the shaft to the mount will move the foot pedal up or down just a little. If you need to have a greater adjustment, you will have to take the cover off of the head and then play with the rack n pinion gears under this cover. Do this on land as you certainly do not want to lose screws, cover, rack cover, etc. into water. Besides, it is much easier to perform this task while standing on good old solid ground. If this is a new motor in the box, just follow the instructions that Motorguide has furnished. All the above is explained. Also, be on the safe side and install the fuse holder and fuse that they recommend. Motors are expensive as you may have just found out. Tight lines Bob

I have an 04 Tracker 165 and if you will take off the small aluminum sheet at the front of the front platform (one that has the male plug of the T/M power wire in-10 screws hold it on) you will be able to get to the wires coming into the plug. There is a male/female connector about 10 inches from the large connector that is screwed to the aluminum sheet. Make sure this connector is tight. Also, while you are under there, if that m/f connector does not have a plastic tie hooked around it to hold it together I would put one on to save future problem. Next - There is an in-line fuse in the positive (red) t/m wire back at the battery connection in the bilge. There is a mainline fuse and then on the side in the same connector plug there is a standby fuse. Think it is somewhere in the 30 amp range. Just can not remember. Always remember to replenish this extra if you have to use it. On the water is not the time to remember you need a replacement. I hope your problem is corrosion at the battery as mentioned earlier in thread but if not, the above are the only two places I can think of in the T/M wire where you could experience a connector problem. I also have had problems with corrosion in the socket that you plug the t/m into (mentioned above). The male prongs will turn very green and it will be hard to insert the plug from the t/m. Clean good and place a verrrrry light coat of grease on them to retard future corrosion - just like on battery posts. Tight lines Bob

The only problem I see is that you are only going fishing for two hours on those days. You need to extend those trips by a couple of hours and throw in at least one more day. I liked your comments concerning drugs, drinking, etc. in allowing you to make these fishing trips. My lovely wife makes the same statements to me about not drinking, etc. and says go when I want and for as long as I want. I am retired and she says that I have earned it. (Also, I do not have anything against drinking - in moderation. 'Been there-done that'. Just wanted to clear that up.)

10.8 L/M Military Res, S/E Virginia 9.9 L/M Same Military Res, different lake 8.10 L/M Big Bethel Reser, Hampton VA ("Member Rattletrap"-nice fishing- 1977) Several smaller 8's below the above listed and many 7's.

Falcon: Try this. When the site comes up, go to the home entry and you will find out all that good info you wish. Weekly news letter, mag info, etc. http://www.insideline.net Bob

Powerfish. Interesting question. Many years ago (maybe in the very early 70's or later) one of the major outdoor magazines, cannot remember which one, had questions along the same line that you do. They did a test by catching bass 6 to 10 miles or more from a particular marina on one of the very large impoundments. They tagged these fish, fitted them with radio transmitters, and released them offshore at the marina. Lo and behold, in two weeks times, most of the fish were back in their old haunts feeding away like they had never left. Some were in place in just a couple of days. I believe the story went that just about all fish returned to point of capture. Now, those were fish of yesteryear with less fishing pressure, etc.; do the present day fish return to point of capture???? Might be a challenge for some member that has radio tracking equipment capabilities and can do a restudy of this. It's the old, "members want to know" ha Hope this has lent some insight into your question. Bob

Glen. I will make my first post by saying that it took me five weeks, or more, to break thru the AOL mess and receive my password today. Quite a frustrating experience but - glad to be here finally. Bob