Al Wolbach

I have seen 1 gal milk jugs filled with water used this way.........Al

I realize your are in NY but won't DMV tell you what needs to be done?....Al

I know Champion had them and Triton does, and probably many others. They have been around for about 5-6 years........Al

I prefer the ugly otter, a little more action than a sweet beaver...Al

Hi Macfish, glad you had a good time in South Carolina. Do you still plan to retire there? If so, did you find an area to live? I was there last week and had a great time. Weather was great and so was the fishing.............Al

I have the 2011 Stratos brochure that shows the Champion Elite series and it makes no mention of a Skeet Reese package that I can find. This brochure is 51 pages and includes the options but doesn't mention any packages. If I were you I would continue to ask the dealer. Frequently these package deals are a real bargain. The Champion hulls are great boats, you will not be sorry if you pull the trigger on this boat.. Good luck with your search.........Al

Google East Tennessee fishing..............Al

I believe 80 lbs is more than enough unless you fish lakes that are very weedy or fish in a lot of current. I have not needed more on my 20' Champion. The additional expense with batteries, chargers and trolling motor are not worth it to me, not to mention weight.............Al I just noticed you are from Florida, I might reconsider..............

My rod locker has individual tubes for the rods and the spiral wrapped rod are a pain to put it it.....Al

There are marine cranking batteries, dual purpose and deep cycle batteries. For a trolling motor you want a deep cycle battery. As stated above the bigger the better in most cases...........Al

Assuming that you are traveling in an automobile, stop at the Bass Pro Shop at the Pigeon Forge exit(exit 417) off of I-40. I-81 runs into I-40 about 12 miles before your exit. The guys in the fishing dept can direct you to areas to fish near your motel. They field these questions every day and are very helpful.............Al

This needs to be in the "Southeast Bass Fishing" forum. Several guys from that area are regulars there........Al

Anyone have any experience with this charger? http://www.batterystuff.com/battery-chargers/12-volt/marine-chargers/GEN3.html Thanks, Al

Parasite weights and toothpicks............

The reason to disconnect the strap before launching is speed. To decrease the wait time for the other 50 boats waiting to launch. Start your outboard while floating away from the ramp. Often men fishing alone will let their boats float off the trailer and catch a ride to their boat with another tournament competitor as they launch. However it is normal to have several small tournaments at the same ramp or 150 to 200 boat tournaments at one ramp. If you are slow someone will normally assist you!! Weekend mornings and evenings at the launches are busy. And in East Tennessee power loading is an accepted practice and actually encouraged, but our ramps are long and run into deep water so holes at the end of the concrete are not a problem.

You may find that the long one will prevent a lot of glare at night. The higher and further behind the driver is normally better. May have been a blessing............Al

Yes Wayne it was Champion in the late 90's to the tune from the movie "Top Gun". That advertising and three test rides convinced me to buy a 203 Champion and I'm still very happy with it. However I have never tried the 180 degree test with it and hope to never try it. If I were looking for a new boat now I would look at Skeeter, Bass Cat, Ranger as well as Champion(now Stratos Elite series). I live about 30 miles from the Allison factory but have never ridden in one. Most of them I see don't even have trolling motors mounted, they just race them up and down the lakes. I haven't seen many guys actually fishing from one. D*** they are fast. If a fast boat is a primary concern Allison should be at the top of your list.

At least one boat manufacturer offered a padded carpet, I believe it was Bumble Bee, and there may be others that I'm not aware of. I would think you could just glue the pad down then glue the carpet to the pad. Closed cell foam will not absorb water, the glue should prevent water from getting under the pad and the carpet would still dry the same as now. Cutting around and wrapping the lids with carpet may be a problem after the pad is glued down.....Should work???

May I suggest fishing the very back of feeder creeks. Incoming water on a rising lake, nearly a sure thing, unless the incoming water is very cold.............Works in E. TN.................Al

I have fished it enough to know it will be muddy..........Al

Although I have never tried it, I have been told "closed cell foam anti-fatigue matting". It is available at Lowes or Home Depot in the carpet dept..............Al I have been considering this also when I recarpet my boat. I will be following this thread.

All four sides and the top. Never a doubt which is which.

The Ardent flipping reel has a non-adjustable drag that is high but I don't remember the number.

I have never tried it, but the frame shops use hydraulics and chains to straighten them. Not sure how they measure them but I would be surprised if its a tape measure. I'm not sure how heavy your boat is but mine weights several thousand pounds. You could use the boat weight and jack up the center of the axle with a floor jack which would use the boat weight to push down on the outside of the axles. If you try this I suggest you hook up the trailer to your hitch first. Worth a try?

Welcome back boats......Al