Al Wolbach

When I fish off colored water I prefer a double colorado blade..................Al

Braid- Palomar Floro- Trilene

Wayne, the container(HP Injector) does not state recommended or certified, it just has "NMMA TC-W3, API TC" listed alone in the middle of the label. I find it hard to believe they would or could do this without being certified, but I have been wrong before............Al

I'm not sure of the difference but it is NMMA certified TCW-III rated. I need to do more research........Al

You will be glad you did, especially in Florida, with the weeds......Al

Also remember for many years gas was 100% gas. Ethanol changes the game from what I have read(ethanol absorbs moisture). I recently installed a fuel/water separator on my bassboat because pure gas is getting a little harder to find. I can locate pure gas locally but on a recent trip to Florida I knew it would not be possible. Although I have never had a problem, a $30 separator, which is easy to install, is pretty cheap insurance........Al

I have a 1998 Yamaha 225 V-Max. I have run Amsoil HP Injector oil in it for at least 10 years without any problems. Prior to switching I could not get through a year without having to clean or replace the O2 sensor. Since switching I have cleaned in once and replaced it once. Amsoil burns cleaner than Yamalube, but not sure about your Mercury oil since it is synthetic.........I would not be afraid to switch........Al

I have combined the two without any problems.............Al

Caution-Keep clear of the prop when cranking the motor or anytime the motor is running. Better safe than sorry..............Al

BTS is the best product I have found for bassboats, no close second.............Al

The primary reason for bad reviews is a failure of any type with a trolling motor is a royal pain. Trying to find a good repairman is difficult and the turnaround time is far to long. The two manufacturers will pay for repairs but you must get it to the repairman, wait for repair and then pick it up. This process in my area is at least two weeks no matter which brand you have repaired. The customer wants a new motor and usually the manufacturer will not replace but will repair. Therefore if you have a failure with a fairly new motor that brand sucks from now on. I purchased a used motor of the same brand to keep as a spare in order to eliminate down time. My advice is buy what you like and don't make your decision based solely on reviews for trolling motors. It seems to me you get a good one or you don't. That's my take on trolling motors. I currently have three of one brand and two of the other, but none the model you are asking about, so you may want to ignore this entire rant......................Al

I have been checking the forecast for Orlando and it looks like a cold front to me. Anytime it is near freezing the bite sucks from my experience. But it is what it is and we must adapt. When you plan a trip this early in the year, you run a gamble. The end of March or early April improve your odds significantly. But we will still catch plenty of fish......................Al

Ditto As long as you keep it to about two per hour everything is cool. Mine usually get hot before they are finished when I'm fishing. Most tournaments in this area do not allow alcohol in the boat during competition. When I 'm not fishing a tournament I generally will have a beer or twelve, but I do not exceed two per hour................Al

It's only the body that ages, the mind stays impetuous and naive 8-) Roger Well said Roger, however I'm not sure that is a blessing. Eric be careful on your drive down...................Al

The anchor that Catt has pictured above is a river anchor and a good all around anchor for different bottom types and 20 lb a good size for most bass boats. The US Navy recommends three times the depth in line for max holding ability. Or 20 feet deep= 60 feet of line. Of course you can use less depending on current, wind conditions and bottom type. To tie the line to the boat use figure 8's around a cleat for several laps then overturn the last loop so the tag end of the line is under the main line to keep it tight.(hard for me to explain). I use 1/4" nylon braided rope. It will last for years and is very manageable. One tip I would recommend is attach a float to the tag end of the line so if it should come untied or dropped overboard you can recover everything. I learned the hard way. I use a float like it on a ski rope................Al

I wish I could tell you that I know all the secrets but that would be a lie. I have never fished the K chain at all or stayed at Camp Mack. I have 75 or so days on Okeechobee and half that many on Istapoga(still can't spell it) but never been to K chain or Toho. I have not been to Florida since the trio of hurricanes a few years ago, so there may be a big learning curve for us. The last few years we have made our winter trip to Santee-Cooper instead of Florida. One thing I have learned is fishing shiners offers a great deal of forgiveness. However very expensive. We will probably trailer our boats to several other lakes in Central Florida as well. But I intend to fish shiners exclusively the entire trip and have not ruled out a little speck(crappie) fishing. If we run out of shiners or the bass won't hit then I'll start crappie fishing. Although we hope to catch a lot of bass we are truly after one or more picture fish. In my home waters you are lucky to catch one 5lb fish in a days fishing. In Florida any bite could be the fish of a lifetime and I believe you improve your odds fishing shiners, and it makes packing tackle much easier. No matter what we do it will be a blessing to be in warmer weather. This has been the coldest winter I can remember and it seems to snow every d**n day. At least we don't have to shovel as much as you have had to do. Look forward to seeing you there.............Al PS- I'm 62 years old and the excitement starts to build weeks before one of these trips. I hope that never changes.

Not many guys on here from South Carolina much less the low country. I lived in Goose Creek for about 9 years and try to get over once a year to fish Santee Cooper. I love that area but the summers are just to d**n hot. Around 1972, while in Goose Creek, we got a foot of snow and nothing moved for a few days except for military folks that were accustomed to snow. Thank God it melted fairly fast. Welcome to the boards and look forward to your fishing reports...........................Al

Eric, I will be there at the same time. We are arriving on Sat the 28th and leaving on the Sat the 6th of March. We are staying in the motel part of Camp Mack. If you want to say hello look for the white 20' Champion w/225 Yamaha. Should not be more than one there...............Al

I fish between 20-30 tournaments a year. One series I fish averages over 150 boats per tournament. In all of these tournaments no one would care unless you say something. As Way2Slow said "don't ask don't tell." Many of the guys running the hopped up 2.5s, 225s and 250s don't even know how much horse power they are running and aren't concerned with what you or anyone else are running. In this area I don't think most people would consider this cheating.. That being said, liability issues would be a concern to me. The larger tournaments will have lie detector test to the winner and normally a draw contestant which could be a problem since they ask if you knowingly broke any tournament rules. But most tournaments don't do that........So.......You decide..................Al

I have a BCR854 and love it. You will not be disappointed. However, it will cause you to want more Loomis rods..................Al

For you folks that have read the reports or in Rolo's case,driven the truck: Are the thieves taking "grab and run" type equipment like rods/reels, fishing tackle, etc, or are they getting equipment that may require tools and limited knowledge like trolling motors and props? Not trying to blow this up, but I do want to be prepared............................Al

If you make another trip to Okeechobee check out Buckhead Ridge Marina. I have stayed there 12-15 times on fishing trips to Okeechobee. When you stayed in the town of Okeechobee you probably launched at Oka tanee State Park launch(Lightey's resturant). Buckhead Ridge Marina is just over the bridge from that launch. About 5 miles from Travel Lodge. I have not stayed there in about 5 years but we use to rent a two bedroom 2 bath mobile home(on the water) for about $400 a week. I believe they have 10 for rent and everyone is friendly and helpful. It is in a residential area and very safe due mostly to restricted access. If you go back check it out.....Al

I'm staying there the first week in March myself and now I am a little concerned. I have stayed in many motels and fish camps while fishing out of state and never had a theft problem so far. However I lock up everything possible and use a loc'r bar on the boat and lock up all compartments. That is really about all you can do except pray(and I highly recommend that) and make sure your insurance is paid.......... By the way my insurance agent told me the bad guys use your winch and winch strap to break your loc'r bar so nothing is totally safe so do what you can to prevent theft and try not to worry about it. Just go fishing.................Tight Lines...........Al

Unless Loomis policy has changed you can get a new rod for $20, not just $50. If you ship your rod to them first and don't mind waiting a couple of weeks for the replacement they will replace it for $20. I sent about 3 feet of a 7 foot rod back(must include the handle with rod description ie;MBR844c GLX) with $20 about 5 years ago and received a new rod a couple of weeks later with no questions asked..............Al

I hate the use of poisons, who knows you may have killed the bird that flew away with the mouse. But I realize sometimes that is all that works. I read somewhere that Peppermint Oil poured on cotton balls will work as a repellent but I have not tried it yet. You can get peppermint oil at health food stores for about five dollars if you want to try it...............Al