Ski213

Thanks!

I have bass fished since I was about 12. Other than fishing several good sized tournaments in my early twenties as a co-angler it's always been strictly recreational. Last year I joined a small club that fishes team tournaments. The transition was a little tough to the tournament mentality. We caught fish but couldn't get the job done. This weekend was our classic. We fished Friday and Saturday. Friday was upper 80s and bluebird. No wind. I just knew I could get a top water bite. I've never fished this lake in the fall. Only fished it four times the past two springs but I picked my areas and was confident I would be on fish. Wrong. Water was 75 in the morning. No top water action. Couldn't buy a fish for the first hour. Our plan A was to fish a major creek starting at the primary points and working back in until we found the fish. We moved a mile or so back in and hooked up with some small fish. Marked some baitfish but didn't see much larger fish activity. We went further in and the already slow action went to 0. After 10 hrs we had 3 keepers for 4.5 pounds. In the two tournaments prior, if you didn't come in with 15# on day one you had no chance of being in the money at the end of day two. I was really frustrated. We fished hard and we fished methodically. I was thinking about how it was gonna feel to weigh 3 small fish. It is what it was though and we worked hard for those three so to weigh in we went. Everybody else had the same issues it turned out. We were in second at the end of the day. A pound out of first. I didn't sleep much Friday night. I thought of how easy it would be to just blank on Saturday. Wind kicked up out of the north and temps fell. We made what has been my toughest decision and eliminated 80% of the lake that we hadn't already eliminated. We agreed to stick to 2 or 3 presentations and try to grind it out to stay in the money. Day two was like day one just a lot colder on the boat. Three fish caught in the same spots with hours between bites. I figured somebody would figure them out but we stuck to our plan regardless. Hoped that would be our highest percentage move. It worked. We won by about .75#. 8.85# for a two day total. Those fish were worth a lot a pound. I thanked them all when I put them back in the lake. It was the first tournament where I abandoned a lot of what I "know" about fishing and opened up my mind to many of the thousands of things I've read here about strategy and eliminating water and tried to apply what we are good at presentation wise to that. It got the job done. I fish with a great group folks and I'd have been happy for any of them to win but it sure felt good to hear our names called this time. Sorry to be so long winded but I'm pretty fired up and I'd like to thank the people here who probably don't tell us all their tricks but sure share a lot of experience that makes us much better anglers if we pay attention.

Yes it's wet cell, not deep cycle I don't believe. It is the cranking battery. It's a 24m xhd Interstate so I assume group 24, but I am pretty ignorant on batteries. As far as maintenance I don't have too many issues. I put what we used to call no-ox on the terminals and have not needed to clean them since. I add water maybe once or twice a year. No maintenance would be nice but I have an older 225 and if AGM and the ignition aren't going to mesh well then I'm fine with just continuing the maintenance. I'll check out the Trogan. I appreciate the advice.

Thanks guys. I'm probably going to run the front unit all the way back to the battery as suggested. It's been on the list but you know how that goes. I have encountered wiring breaks in this thing other places in the past. I'll pick up a hydrometer and check the electrolyte. My meter, prior to going on strike tonight, showed 12.45v on a full charge dropping to 12.15v when I turned on the recirc pumps. Combined they draw about 2.25A. Does that sound about right?

First. I've been having an electronics (sonar unit) issues. It was suggested that my starting battery might be bad. It only shows up on tournament days when I'm running livewells and only with the bow unit. The unit shuts off a few minutes after firing up the recirc pumps. It's a voltage drop issue I know. My question is this:. If the battery "tests" good at an auto parts store does that mean all good or could it test ok and still be bad for my application? Second question. What have y'all had good luck with regarding brand of batteries? Regardless of my electronics issue its time for trolling motor batteries. Not looking for bashing of a brand, just what your personal experience has been. I'm looking at lead acid only. I currently have interstates. They came with the boat and i feel like they've done ok given their age. I've used Deka in the past and had luck as well. I'm looking for a decent battery. I've heard folks going the cheaper route with a good warranty and just swapping out all the time. Nothing wrong with that but I'd rather not deal with it personally.

It's unfortunate that it has become a throw away world. Just as unfortunate is that your trolling motor likely wasn't bought at a throw away in four years price. A friend of mine was able to source parts for a nearly 20 yr old Min Kota online for pretty short money and do the work himself. Not much to them. I'll ask him the website. Don't know if they had motor guide parts or not but I'll ask. Make sure you check connections between the batteries and the motor. Voltage can show on a meter if there's any continuity. It's possible that you have voltage with no load but still have a bad connection somewhere. You've prob already done this but just wanted to throw it out there.

As said it depends a lot on how you're gonna use the motor. For moving spot to spot I would go transom mount. For fishing, assuming casting deck is up front, I'd go bow mount. For some of both I'd go bow mount. Depends on how you fish though. If you are gonna spend a lot of time going from a specific spot to another specific spot you might be better with a transom mount and some sort of anchoring system to hold position. If you intend to work your way around areas while fishing the whole time I'd go bow mount without question. For the way I fish my vote is bow mount. Should you choose bow mounting it's a good idea to put some kind of rudder on the transom. It makes a big difference helping the boat track better in my experience.

Have the battery tested. I had an MK charger that did that on one bank. It was the charger that was bad in my case.

One thing I'm gonna add is to make sure your wells are clean. Not just of visible debris, actually clean. There a number of different methods to accomplish this. Some ppl use bleach and water, some baking soda in the water some just flush and rinse the entire system with clean water. It seems to make a difference for me. You just have to make sure your cleaning agent is rinsed out thoroughly enough to not do more harm than good. No doubt the big thing is having enough DO for them but keeping bacteria to a minimum is also important.

Totally understand that. Going through something similar with an old four wheeler I have that needs some engine and machine work. I'll do everything but the machine work but I'll still have more in parts than it's really worth. Its a standing offer on the boat if you change your mind or another comes up available around here that's in better shape. Also I hope your surgery goes well and it's a quick recovery.

You said an outboard on the Jon. Only an outboard or trolling motor as well? I don't think there's a wrong answer. There's a lot to be said for each. I think it mostly comes down to what attributes are most important to you. In the situation you describe I would lean towards the johnboat for the additional room primarily. I think either would work for you though.

Ok. Just let me know. I don't mind at all. I can get it pretty quick if seller is in a hurry. Just need a few days notice to round up an extra set of hands and get the trailer freed up.

I have access to a couple trailers. Figure I can crib it and strap it down pretty solid. I can keep it here as long as necessary. Storage isn't an issue at all as long as it's okay outside.

That boat is about 100 miles from me and I'm about 400 miles from Macon. If you want it I can pick it up. Whenever you're able I can meet you somewhere between here and Macon

As Tom pointed out, there are a great number of things that can go wrong in any situation. Those are exponentially worse if you have no way of summoning help you're unable to render to yourself so being able to get help is critical. Where there is no cell service there are satellite based options for getting help if there's no one around. The whistle is not a bad idea if there are people within earshot. As far as for what you're looking to do I think you're absolutely on the right track with cuts, punctures, etc. You need something to clean/sterilize as best as possible, stop bleeding, and then protect. I like iodine wipes, some kind of tape, gauze pads. Butterfly bandages are nice. They can temporarily act almost as stitches with a deep cut. I like having a multi tool as well. They're not the best at anything but they can do a little of everything. Benadryl and ibuprofen can save a day of fishing and don't take up much room. The number one pocket for first aid is the one between your ears though. Knowing how to deal with potential medical issues and why you need to do what will allow you to improvise for a short time with relatively little in the way of supplies.

Good advice above. Probably a combination of the boat drafting stern up and no rudder. There are a lot of ways to add the rudder. As mentioned above would be good. Years ago I had that issue. Used a bracket from a transom mount trolling motor and an oar that was missing half of the business end to make a rudder. Cut the oar handle down and shoved it in the bracket. I had the bracket laying around so the setup was free. It worked well and got me through till I added a transom mount trolling motor

Consider it raised. I'm sorry for both his and your loss.

I feel like if this is a competition for the worst fisherman name I currently have a solid lead.

Salty shortstick here.

I really appreciate the advice. I'm not prone to panic thankfully. I'll no doubt be a little nervous at first. I remember the first time I took a breath out of a SCBA tank. I figure this will be a lot like that but underwater. Gonna start with buying fins, mask, snorkel. I figure if I really get into it I'm the type that will want to dive with my own BC, regulator, etc. rather than rentals. I bet the 6" visibility was a time. Assuming I get into it, is there any equipment (other than required) that you would consider mandatory from a divers standpoint? I can only imagine. Hopefully before too long I'll get to experience it myself rather than watching videos of it. I appreciate the encouragement.

Seems like it would be accessing a whole different world. I'm pretty excited about it. Ive heard that fish mostly ignore you when you're down there with them. If that's the case then it's no doubt a great way to do some learning and see some stuff that you'd otherwise never see We all spend so much time on the water. Be pretty awesome to be able to really see what's going on down there from a different point of view.

I think it will do the job just fine. I fished a 14' Jon with a 40# on about the same size lake for years. It was bow mounted and I did end up adding a second on the transom just to be able to save time if I wanted to "run" to a spot across the lake but the single did fine by itself.

I doubt the ranger one would fit. I agree with above. Call rather than email if possible. Also, as said, it should be something fairly easy to fabricate. Hardest part would probably be matching the carpet. Try this number 615-797-4760. You want to talk to Carol. She is a go to for Stratos parts.

I'd agree with the above advice. M or ML, leaning towards ML. It all depends on the specific rod and personal preference though. Make sure whatever particular rod you're buying has the backbone to make a solid hookset for the senko.

This in no way the scientifically correct way to check, but I would put a scale on the line. Pull till it breaks while watching the scale. That'll give you some idea if the line is weak. I can't imagine excessive heat is good for line but I don't know how much is too much. You could maybe shoot the line manufacturer an email or call them. They should be able to give you some guidelines. They know what it's made of and how it would react to heat, fuel vapor, etc.