Al Wolbach

I can't address West Tennessee at all. I have fished Kentucky Lake and Reelfoot Lake in that part of the state but have not spent much time there. Knoxville is growing like a weed. Not sure where they are coming from but they are coming in numbers. And yes property prices are on the rebound after the great recession. Even lake property was low but starting to see more interest. In East Tennessee I believe Douglas and Cherokee Lakes are your best bet. I have always thought of them as "blue collar" lakes but that is slowly changing. My property taxes have not gone up very much in the 15 years I have lived on Douglas Lake.

I live in a two traffic light town in East Tennessee and ethanol free gas is available in all grades and at several stations. Although each station may have only one octane available. Not long after I bought my 98 Yamaha VMAX, I was at the dealership and two Yamaha engineers from Japan were there on a tour of U.S. dealerships. They ask how I liked my Yamaha and a few other questions. I asked them which octane fuel I should run since it called for 87 octane and I was using 91 octane. I thought I was helping the engine and improving it's performance. They told me to stop and only use 87 octane. I will not argue with anyone about their answer because I'm not sure, but here's what they said. They said that the higher octane changed the timing of the engine due to the burn rate and would cause carbon build up on the pistons at a faster rate. Which would cause premature engine failure. They also recommended use of ring free which is yamahas decarbon fuel agent. Not sure what difference it has made, if any, but my engine has only had routine maintenance since I bought it except for fuel pump replacement. Oh, and a new lower unit thanks to a rock pile on Cherokee Lake. I followed their advice except I run Sea Foam rather than Ring Free. It still runs like new.....Al

I forgot to mention that Elk have been reintroduced to East Tennessee and are reportedly doing very well. Had several sightings in my area, of one bull, last year which created a lot of conversation. Most of the Elk are in the Great Smokey Mountain National Park but they roam occasionally, especially young bulls. They have put some in Royal Blue Wildlife Management area. They started a hunting season a few years ago with very limited hunters, using a tag system. My wife and I have taken many pictures of them in the park, herd of at least 50. Some of the females will come as close as a few feet from our vehicle. Truly majestic creatures. Royal Blue is north of Knoxville about 30 miles, roughly an hours drive from Cherokee or Douglas Lake.

We would trailer to Harney Pond or Okee-Tantie Park at the mouth of the Kissimmee River. Both are just a few minutes from Buckhead Ridge. Okee-Tantie Park is the best ramp and parking I have seen on the lake but my experience is limited. Launch about 4 boats at a time, great dock with a store/rest rooms and the best eating that we could fine on the lake. can't remember the name of the restaurant but it was very good. All in the same park

The lock schedule was never a problem for us, maybe a 10-15 min wait sometimes in the morning but straight thru in the afternoon. One good thing, the lock is directly across from where you stay, no idling for any distance. We frequently trailered our boats to other area ramps in order to fish different parts of the lake. Easier to trailer than boat ride for 20 miles of rough water.

Nice turkey and beautiful gun. To answer your question, Turkey and deer are abundant in all of East Tennessee however, the deer are probably smaller than you are accustomed to hunting. I assume the forage and terrain are hard on the deer. The deer in middle and western part of the state are larger. The average weight of an adult deer around this area is only 100-125lbs and that's not field dressed. Much smaller than your area. I gave up hunting a few years ago. I just snap pictures out the window when I see one behind the house now. You may want to read the deer regulations. They divide the state into regions and apply different regulations to the various regions. The Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency does a great job in my opinion performing a difficult job. Btw- It was 12* here this morning but drop dead beautiful forecast for the weekend. Sun and 50's.

Don'y want to steal a thread but if you are looking for a rental home I would recommend Buckhead Ridge Marina/resort. They have mobile homes for rent on canal that you lock through to the lake. Small docks with electrical hook up etc. We stayed there every year for about ten years before health issues stopped the trip. It has been a several years since we have been there but they had 12x60 mobile homes that they rented for around $350 a week if my memory serves me correctly. The trailers weren't new but perfect for guys on a fishing trip. You could leave equipment out and nothing was ever bothered, very safe and secure and everyone was very friendly..............Al

Can't tell you much about Boone Lake except it was named after Daniel Boone, I assume, since he is from that area. I worked at BPS part-time for a few years and Boone was seldom mentioned, so it a mystery to me. it is north of here and I seldom go north for anything, lol. The elevation there must be higher because that area does seem to get more harsh weather during the winter months. But I really don't know much about it. The Holston River has bass tournaments on it and does have some good smallmouth fishing. A friend has invited me several times to fish a tournament there but I have a glass bass boat and tin boats rule on rivers around here, preferably with jet motors. A friend of mine recently bought a farm on the Holston River that has over a mile of shoreline, so property must be available if a parcel that big was for sale. I believe he told me 400 acres. If you look at property on the upper reaches of Cherokee or Douglas in the river area you will probably want a tin boat, if that matters to you. The Tennessee River is the only fiberglass friendly river that I know of in this area. It forms in the Knoxville area from the Holston and others then flows south to make Fort Loudon, Tellico, Watts Bar, Guntersville, Wheeler and others.

Yes, Jefferson City on Cherokee Lake and the city of Dandridge on Douglas Lake. Check with the following counties, Jefferson, Sevier, Grainger and Hamblen. City governments are quite small but the county government C of C are very active. I live in Dandridge, which is the county seat, and until about 2 years ago we didn't have a stop light. Morristown is, by far, the largest town and sevierville second. Sevierville is the state tourist capital and is gridlocked about 6 months of the year, so be careful with property in Sevierville, however the property tax rate is low. Sales tax is 9.something % statewide, close to 10%. Gasoline in the area now is about $2.23 nearly everywhere(within 2 cents) and ethanol free gas is available in many places. Three places in tiny Dandridge that I know off. One point that my neighbor from Chicago really liked was the state of Tennessee will pay for 2 years of community college for your children. Saved him a small fortune, as he has 2 graduating high school this year. My kids are all out of school except one working on a doctorate. I don't know if you have any still at home. Not sure of the requirements except they must perform a number of hours of community service. This is the first year of the law. A lot of this may not matter but is nice to know either way...........Al

One bit of info the real estate folks may neglect to tell you, Douglas, Norris and Cherokee are lowered 40-50 feet in the winter months for flood control for our good neighbors to the south. Fort Loudon and Tellico lakes are only lowered a few feet because they are navigable waters. You actually get used to it and start to look forward to the water drop, plus the fishing improves with the water loss. I share a private road with 5 neighbors. In the last few years three homes have sold on this road. All to folks from the north, one family from Pittsburg and two families from Chicago. I'm starting to feel like a intruder,lol. However, I did gain three beer drinking buddies, so all is not lost. If I can help you with any research or answer any questions please feel free to ask............Al.....Btw, Douglas and Cherokee dams are only approximately 25 miles apart to area info generally apply to both. And Douglas dam is approx 20 miles from the Great Smokey Mountain National Park.

I made the decision to retire on Douglas Lake in East Tennessee. You may want to research Douglas and Cherokee lakes as the property is generally a little cheaper on these lakes compared to Norris Lake. All of the TVA lakes in east tn offer great bass fishing. Norris and Cherokee offer better striper(rockfish) fishing and Douglas better crappie fishing(especially in the winter). A pretty good rule of thumb is, the further the lake is from Knoxville the lower the property prices. Norris lake has the clearest water by far but that also makes the fishing a little harder. Fort Loudon and Tellico lakes are the high rent district along with Norris. There is still some affordable property on Watts Bar lake(south of kville) but I'm not very familiar with that lake. All of the lakes I have mentioned are within about 30 miles of Knoxville and range in size from 14k to 33k acres. Two pluses for you.....Property taxes are probably much lower than you are accustomed to and Tennessee has no state income tax

I have read that untreated ethanol gas can turn into a jello type consistency over time. But nowhere can I find how much time it takes, because there are so many variables. But before I took a chance of pumping that through my entire fuel system, I believe I would pump the fuel tank.........OR.......If you feel lucky.....Top off the tank with fresh fuel, a bottle of sea foam and go to the lake and give it a try. If you choose the latter I would not venture to far from the boat ramp until I had run a lot of fuel through the engine. Please let us know how this works out, especially if you top off the tank. Good luck.........Al

I had the same problem with my 225VMAX. My 98 model has three fuel pumps which needed replacement. These pumps are diaphragm pumps, meaning a piece of rubber expands and contracts which pumps the fuel. The good news is, they are only around $50 each and are easy to change if you have any mechanical ability. If you want to pay someone to change them it only requires about an hour to change them so it should not be terribly expensive for a Yamaha mechanic. A 10mm socket/open end wrench, screwdriver and maybe a pair of pliers are the only tools needed. And I believe your model only has 2 pumps, but not sure. You can purchase the pumps from iboats.com. Excellent to deal with and quick delivery. Go to their web page, click on outboard parts and follow directions for yamaha, model etc. Click on the fuel system page. You will see and need the pumps, a gasket for each pump and about a dozen small zip ties to reattach fuel lines. I have changed mine several times and it is an easy job. If you have any questions PM me...........Al PS- Before you change the pumps make sure the fuel filter is tight. They can vibrate loose in spite of the locking ring.

Pepermint oil will repell mice and smells good too.....................Al

The rpm running up and down is a little strange for plugs. I hope that is the problem though.............Al

No matter what, if you haven't, I would get the shingles vac. I have heard horror stories about shingles. Not worth the risk................Al

Gun control is a topic that I am personally very passionate about as are most others and is neary impossible to discuss without crossing the political line. However I certainly respect Glen's right to make and enforce the rules. Gun control may be a topic that should be avoided entirely on BR.................Al

I told my doctor this after my childred had mumps and his reply was "you had them and never knew it". He told me that some people do not display the normal symptoms and can just keep going when they feel bad.......................Who knows.................Al

About the only thing affected by winterization would be plugs. Not sure what type of gas tanks you have but make sure vent is open if portable..........................................Al

Mine were riveted as well. I looked for a long time before I found them(about 6/7 years ago). The replacements have screws to replace the rivets(drill them out). I bought a set and was not sure that was the part I needed. Later I bought 3 sets to keep for the future but parted with them for friends. I saved the package. Now if I can find it I will pass the info to you. I am pretty sure I got them from Iboats.com.......................Al

Replace the grommets......................Al

I have both and don't believe there is a nickels worth of difference in them. I was given the lock'n stow and I kept forgetting to remove it when I launched so I went back to the transom saver. The transom saver came with my 98 Champion and the motor does not move with it installed and I have not had any problems except the little rubber gromets wearing out on the motor end of it. Both appear to work equally well and I believe it gets down to who's sales propaganda you want to believe..............................Al

I bought one for my wife about 6-8 years ago. She has only fired it about a dozen times and I have only fired about 50 rounds through it. Have not had any problems and it is surprisingly accurate at least to 25 yards as that is the max I have fired with this weapon. Good gun for the money.................Al

And here is a dumb answer. I have been on here for years and didn't know this. I learn something nearly every visit............................Al

I have no experience with Dish Network but have been with Direct for about 12 years. Cable before that. Direct has been much better than cable and other than losing service a couple of times a year during storms I have no complaints. Their customer service is very good but so is their website, if you don't want to talk to a rep...........................Al