Hot Rod

X2

Went to the tackle shop last weekend with my 3 year old son. We spent an hour or so looking at lures, talking about each one as we looked them over. I told him he could pick something out (only three, and he is already a Bait Monkey victim!) Somehow I had missed seeing the Havoc display which was off by itself. He went right over to he Havoc display and grabbed a pack of the Bobby Lane baits. Nuff said Good looking bait so of course "Dad" had to have a few packs too since I know the boy won't share his, ha. Guess the Bait Monkey gene is hereditary. ;D Can't wait to try them out. "Haters" please keep on hating that way the fish won't see the Havocs before I throw 'em.

There are a lot of videos on You Tube that show the action of different baits which are pretty informative. You can tell if the tails of worms float for example. A problem with them is that the people working the baits in the videos don't have much of a clue. For instance they'll "jig" a shaky head rig up/down with big hops very fast, not how it is supposed to be fished.

Read and re-read owners manuals. If it is brand new don't forget the required "break in period" and instructions for the motor. Try to pick a time when the launch might not be as busy. Nothing worse than trying to do your best to be cautious and having some egghead hollering at you for going too slow (as happened to me one of the first times out.)

I tried a few different brands. Noticed that some of them had a real strong ammonia smell as compared to the OM oil. Figured that can't be too good on engine components. So I now stick with Evinrude XD 50. I buy it by the case at a good discount and it is not very much more than less expensive brands. This way I absolutely know I'm getting the right oil for my OB. Just not worth it to me risking a $10,000 OB to save $30/year

"It is much easier to ask for (and receive) forgiveness than it is to ask for (and recieve) permission!" ;D

Only ever needed to use 4WD once to get up a ramp. Nice to have it, but I wouldn't say it is essential. If you have two people you can always use the outboard to give a bit of a "push start". A Posi-trac rearend might be another option at less cost than 4WD. Tires have an impact on traction too. Generally the bigger tow vehicles are going to tow nicer of course like most others have said. A lot depends on the terrain where you tow (flat vs. mountains/hills) and how far you have to tow is another consideration, as well as if the trailer has brakes. Still I wouldn't recommend towing an 18' glass boat with anything less than a full-size truck/suv with a V8. Not saying other vehicles can't do the job, just that it is a lot safer and more comfortable with full size.

X2 You're absatively, positutely correct. ;D Rhino is that a LaBASSdor Retriever in the background? Looks like he helped you corral a nice one! How did you train him to do that? ;D

Yep x2

One of two ways: Live well pump out. Most of the top of line tourny rigs have a pump to remove some or all of the water from the live well. Makes coralling them in the livewell a lot easier. Or you can use a culling clip w/ float or rope. There are lots of different brands but they either have a spring clip or one similar to a chain stringer. Just attach it to or thru their lip and you can use it like a leash in the livewell to get control of them and then lip them. Then take the clip off in the well if it is a photo op like at a big pro tourny. I use the clips since I don't have a pump out system in my boat.

Weclome to the boards! I don't think it could have any effect. Unless maybe you armor alled the heck out of your steering wheel right before going to the lake. Then you drive the boat and in handling baits transfert the armor all to the baits. But even that is a real stretch. I do hate it when my boat is a mess though. I think I fish more efficiently when it is neat and organized.

Thanks all for the advice. Well I measured it just about every way I could think in a manner I was advised by a friend who is a good auto/HD mech and also avid basser with same trailer as me. Can't find where anything is out of align. May tow it to the lake a few times with the new tire on it to see if the uneven wear continues. Mechanic said sometime a tire can separate, causing uneven wear and there is no way to detect it. If it continues with new tire after the first couple trips then I'm going to try the frame/alignment shop. I understand any shop that can align the old Ford twin beam suspensions can do trailers too.

The story is that Kreit was at the lake one day. A crowd of people started to show up around the launch area. Kreit thought the crowd was there to see him being he is a pro fisherman. Turns out there was a water skiing squirrel that was arriving to put on a show and that's why all the people were there. They had no idea about Kreit. Kreit was obviously left with egg on his face and embarassed. So his buddy KVD nicknamed him "squirrel". ;D

Good luck! I too was interested in the Federation a couple years back. There was link on the BASS website to contact the State Fed. So I twice tried to contact them via that link. Never did get a response.

A lot has to do with the fishing culture re focus species as other said and the climate. It is what it is. But also look at where the vast majority of the pro tournaments are held; south of the Mason-Dixon line. While the Elites ran a few tournaments in the NE for a few seasons but now most are south again. The Classic and the FLW Championship were both in Pittsburgh too but now with the Classic always in Feb there won't be another northern Classic. So obviously there is more exposure in the south. Also there are a lot more lakes/reservoirs that are conducive to pro level tournaments in the south than in NE. Not that we don't have some good fisheries in the north just that there are reasons that the few we have are less attractive for pro tournaments. Though lets not forget KVD, Ike, Dave Wollak, Dave Lefebra, Joe Thomas, Billy Lowen and other big stix from the "NE".

Ice out is just around the corner and unfortunately while doing my pre-season trailer maintenance I have realized the axle on my Stratos trailer is bent causing the curbside wheel/tire to be out of toe and wear excessively on the outside edge. (it is a 2" by 3" tube 3500# axle) The remedy is to have it straightened at an alignment/frame shop or replace the entire axle myself or attempt to straighten the existing axle myself. I can buy a new axle for b/n $150 to $200 it appears. I also read DIY instructions eHow that says you can do it fairly easily using a a tape measure, a log chain and a bottle jack. Which would just cost me my time if it is in fact possible to perform such a repair. Anyone have any experience with this? Thoughts/ideas? Thanks for your help in advance!

I have about 20 Quantum reels (Tour editions, Energies, Accurist Pt's, Accurists, etc), mostly bait casters. I'll admit the less expensive Q reels are not so good. But the PT's especially the Energy are very good and durable. I use my gear often and in tournaments with high expectations on how they should perform. The less expensive Qs have shown wear and a drop off in performance after a few hard years on the water but the better PT's keep on crankin' smooth and strong. Never really used Q rods. Last year I got my first Q spin reel, a Kinetic. Am now in the process of buying all Kinetics to replace my 7+ shimano's, which I used to swear by. I like the kinetic so much more. You get what you pay for! You can't fairly compare a $79 Q to a $129 or $179 Shimano (or any other brand for that matter). Of Course a Curado is going to perform better than a $99 KVD Q special. Its apples to oranges.

I have a 523C on the bow. The way I fish off-shore structure I wouldn't be without GPS at the bow. It makes it much easier to find and stay on the "sweet spot". If you don't fish deep water it probably wouldn't matter as much.

There are some great (and some not so great) videos on You Tube that show step by step how to inspect/repack/replace bearings. Just search "boat trailer bearings". The best one I saw was about 8 or 9 minutes long and was two guys working on a trailer w/ small job boat (can't recall the name). I just replaced mine after 5 years of use and have bearing buddies. Their website recommends checking/repacking bearings every 10,000 miles. If you don't have buddies I'd remove/inspect/repack the bearings each off season. Its really the only way to know you are good to go. Its fairly easy once you see the video provided you have average mechanical skills. Every chance you get when trailering touch the hubs, they should be warm but not so hot that you can't keep your hand on them. If your trailer has disc brakes you may not be able to detect the tell tale wobble or drag or growl of a bad bearing as soon/easy as a trailer without brakes. One last tip, when you disassemble the hub, the bearings will have the part number printed on them so you will know what to buy for replacement.

Was wondering that myself?

Of course I'd buy $100 worth of the SK KVD 1.5 in Chart w/ Black back!!!! LOL ;D

My #1 key for clear water cranking is the wind. If the fish are shallow or deep they will hit a cb fished at the proper depth if the wind is blowing.

This is a "perfect storm" too for sale of this particular classic winning bait. Crankbaits, espeically the square bill and silent varities, have been the buzz in the industry over the last several months. Then KVD/SK introduce his version and he not only wins the Classic, he does it convincingly even with other competitors fishing the same water as he. SK couldn't have scripted it any better.

I did not say you "should" finance a boat for that long. I said you "can".

Last year I spun a prop and vowed never again to be without a spare. But I didn't want to loose any space in my compartments. Once I got some BR input, here is what I devised: The first picture shows the battery compartment of the boat. I took a SS 7" X 3/8" bolt, ran it through the prop hub and then thru the side of a storage compartment. I used a wing nut and fender washers to secure it. The prop is laying on the bottom of the boat the bolt just holds it secure. The second pic shows the inside of the compartment. You can see the bolt head/washer on the right. In the bottom of the compartment is my prop wrench and a plano with tools/parts needed to change out the prop and make other minor repairs out on the water.