Sam

Just to clarify. This situation applies to eveyrone who has not redeemed any Outdoors Program reward points during 2005. Sorry for the omission of this information.

BPS will be culling their Outdoor Rewards Program membership list as of December 31st so if you 1) want to continue your points for 6 more months or 2) are planning to redeem your points after January 1, 2006, please call BPS Outdoor Rewards Program, 800-277-2582 and have them extend your account into 2006. If you do not call BPS and you have not redeemed your points by December 31st, you will be deleted from the program. If this happens, you can call BPS Outdoor Rewards Program and get reinstated. But this will happen only when you try to redeem your points during 2006 and the cashier tells you that you no longer have any points to redeem. I have not seen or received any information via e-mail or the postal service about this situation from BPS. Please check up on your account during the holidays. And Merry Christmas to everyone from Richmond, Virginia.

1. Ike 2. Jimmy Houston 3. Hank Parker

I have the majority of my tackle in storage boxes in my upstairs office and plan to take the rest of the stuff out of the boat so I can take a day, watch football, and organize everything. I do this every year and I totally screw it all up during the season. I can't find stuff that I know I have; I lose stuff that I later find in the garage or on the boat; but I DON'T THROW ANYTHING AWAY. Man, is having a lot of fishing stuff fun or what?

Opps! The correct web site for this beautiful message is: http://www.asilentnightmovie.com/ Maybe next year I will also learn how to use a computer.

Fun year. Learned a lot from many people. Did not catch a really big one but lots of 2 to 3 pounders. Working on upgrading the boat for next year. Going to BPS this Friday for double points day and purchase two Lowrance units; the chips; and installation. Will use the points to buy another Shimano reel. Will also upgrade my trolling motor and refigure my battery compartment to add another battery. Here is a Christmas note to all. Merry Christmas and tight lines! "A Silent Night" Movie - by Mary Robinson Reynolds | The MasterMinding Maven®

I am going to lose 30 pounds and keep it off. I am going to treat my wife nicer. I am going to the doctor about my left knee that is killing me all the time and get it treated. I am going to be nicer to others, especially sales clerks who drive me up a wall. I am going to be a nicer driver and stop being so agressive behind the wheel. I will no longer threaten to throw my fishing buddy out of the boat. I will no longer mess with my fishing buddy when he is reeling in a fish that was stuipd enough to take his wrong selection of bait.

Thanks to everyone for their input. I sincerely appreciate the feedback. I think I will not put a weapon on the boat. I was taught in Viet Nam to shoot first and ask questions later but that does not work in the states. Plus, I can't put a weapon in the dead guy's hand or on the ground by him if I am in my boat and then claim self-defense. As for snakes, I will use the paddle while in the boat and a shovel around the house. Thanks again for all of your help.

I asked Billy Wells who owns Wells, Inc., the trolling motor repair shop in Richmond, Virginia, the same question regarding the two and three blade trolling motor props and Billy said to stick with the plastic three blade prop. Since trolling motors are Billy's speciality, I will trust his judgement and go with a plastic three blade prop.

Two questions for the gang: 1. Does anyone carry a weapon (gun, rifle, etc.) on their boat for personal protection? 2. I am thinking of getting a "snake gun" for around my house and for the boat. Any suggestions? I have never been in a situation where I felt threatened on the water. However, we all know funny things happen while boating and that is why I am asking you all for your feed back. Thanks for your advice and guidance.

KBJ, You are one of the reasons we all keep coming back to this site! Thanks for the info.

Thanks, Will. I had never heard of the Hot Spot chip and will ask about them. Should they be on both units or just the console unit?

You have opened a can of worms. There is a post somewhere on this site that has an excellent discussion of various sonars and the good, the bad and the ugly of some of them. I plan to visit Bass Pro Shop to replace my Hummingbird with a Lowrance for both the console and the trolling motor. I visited the Lowrance web site and listed a number of units and then culled them down to 5 options, all color monitors. One of the guys in my bass club suggested the Lowrance units even though I have some reservations due to the bad publicity Lowrance received in the previous discussion. I see this is your first post so welcome to the best place on the web for bass fishing. The guys are just great and you will learn a lot by reading the posts and asking questions. I know the guys will respond to your query so hold onto your hat. The replies will be very interesting.

Thanks. I feel better now knowing that the boat will not come apart. I will ask my friend when he and his wife join us for dinner next Saturday evening about the accident to get more details. Have a super Christmas

Has anyone known of a bass boat splitting in half in rough water? My friend told me this past week of an incident that happened to one of his fishing friends when the fishing friend's bass boat actually broke in half in rough water. I was very surprised as I had no idea that a bass boat would do this. Then I remembered riding with a buddy on Smith Mountain Lake in very rough water and wondering if I should have been wearing my Bike #10 as we bounced along. However, I never gave one second thought to the boat breaking apart. Has anyone heard about this situation?

There are three "bigmouth" videos. Bigmounth; Bigmouth Forever; and Feeding Habits of Bass. Uncle Homer and Glen Lau are involved so you know they are top notch films. Contact Wet & Wild Images, P.O. Box 480, Silver Springs, Florida 34489; (800) 661-4286. Enjoy!

Take some time and visit three or four local banks to get their financing advice and interest rates. I financed my boat through United Services Automobile Association (USAA). However, this is an insurance company for military officers and NCOs only so you may not be able to use their services. Ask the bankers about the interest situation when using your equity line. Make sure their is an IRS tax deduction and if you have to itemize your tax return. The boat dealer has financing so when you walk in to make your purchase you need to have all financing set up so you can 1) compare the dealer's rates and payments with 2) the most favorable approval you have received from your local bank. Buy that boat! You will never regret it!!!

I have a Tracker 185 Silver Anniversary Edition and I love it. It is not one of those fancy "show" boats. In fact, it has a 50 Mercury that gets me up to 34 miles per hour, which is fast enough for rivers and on lakes. You will find that you need to modify your Tracker. So far, this is what I have done: Replaced the trolling motor fuse with a circuit breaker. Installed bait hangers inside the left hand rod box and put one in the middle area storage box to hang the baits. Added springs to my Motor Guide trolling motor. Added a stainless steel prop. Added a spare tire and support to the frame. Plan to reconfigure the battery compartment so I can add a second trolling battery. Plan to upgrade the onboard battery charger. The rod lockers are not that great so be careful when you store and remove your rods. I have to have the fish well inspected as the last time I used it I had water overflow out of it for some unknown reason. The boat handles well with the 50 HP Mercury. Safety is my highest priority and I believe the boat and motor are very safe and reliable. However, be prepared to realize that the Tracker is a starter boat and it does not have all the bells and whistles that the Tritons, Rangers, Nitros, Bass Cats, etc. have. Purchase the special boat cover from Bass Pro Shops to cover your boat and motor. And don't forget to use a trailer lock to secure the boat. You will also need to spray your seat pedistals and the seat rods with silicone so they will be easy to remove after a fishing trip. And find a good dealer that can winterize and repair your boat and motor. Bass Pro Shops is a good source. I use a local Mercury dealer who keeps my boat in tip-top shape. You may also want to spend the $800 for the extended warrenty. I suggest you do so for both the boat and motor but with the understanding that not everything that goes wrong will be covered. Good luk.

Watch what the club guys fish with and their techniques and the money you spend will be well spent.

Try to find the bass federation for your state. They have the names and locations of all bass clubs in your state.

Local places to fish; the tackle to use; and the places to either fish from the bank or public boat ramps to launch your boat. Cost cutting methods and other tips just like Uncle Homer Circle and the pro's tips in Bassmaster magazine. Free prizes or gift certificates for local tackle shops or Wal-Mart. Actual places to fish on local lakes and ponds, i.e., if on the bank, fish by the large oak tree; if in a boat fish this creek or line up with the big white house on the hill, etc. Give everyone a local flavor to go out and catch something.

I had a spare tire installed on my Tracker trailer. It is on a "L" shaped stainless steel frame by the winch and is supported on the metal under the winch. My wife suggested we do this since we take the boat all over Virginia and she noticed that we did not have a spare tire for the trailer. Now I have to remember to put the jack in the back of the Jeep. Does anyone else have a spare tire on their trailer and if so, how did they mount it?

...NOT WEARING A LIFE VEST (shame, shame) he was holding on for dear life and sinking fast. So, my two friends motored over, picked him up (he was totally exhausted), righted the jetski and towed both back to his parents home on the lake. The kid was very thankful, and lucky. My buddies dropped him off on his dock and just melted into the afternoon to continue fishing.

On Lake Gaston at the Virginia - North Carolina border, my two friends were fishing when this college kid on a jetski came up close to them, made a lot of noise and wake, and then sped off. About 5 minutes (or less) the kid lost control of the jetski and turned it over. He could not turn it to the upward position and since he was NOT WEARING A LIFE VEST

I always use a rubber net when a fishing buddy brings the fish close to the boat. After netting the fish, I place the net and fish on the bottom of the boat and then go back to my place and start to fish again while my buddy takes care of unhooking and releasing the fish. The rubber nets are easy to use; the hooks don't get tangled in the netting; and it saves me time as I don't have to help untangle the fish from the net. The only down side to a net is that it takes up a lot of room and is awkward in the boat.