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I'd be guessing beaver

Nice work!

First try changing your retrieve. Depending on the bait I'm using, I'll usually try popping my my rod making the bait look like it's trying to flee. If that doesn't work stick with the same style bait or same exact bait even, just switch colors. It's getting their attention, but to them there's just something not quite right with it.

Usually try to get it inside it under the plastic cover where the "spool" of it meets the frame.

If it's just foam just cut some of it. I could be a little challenging given the layout and how far up there it is. I'm not 100% sure but you might be able to gain access to it through the recessed tm tray or through the bow panel.

The strap is under very little tension compared to what it is when you're driving down the road. It's also what the product was made for so there's that. I'm not saying they'll never wear out, but they're a very well built product. My dad's Ranger has had the factory ones on since day 1 in 1999 and there have been zero issues with them. About once a summer you have to give them a good shot of WD40 because of the crud that builds up in them after being repeatedly dipped in all sorts of water. It loosens them back up so they retract like they're supposed to which I don't see as an issue, but rather maintenance.

If you're buying new I'd say go big. GPS is a must, Side Scan is great addition, power poles would be really nice if you fish shallow. If you fish tournaments, or are one of those guys that'll go fishing no matter the weather, as 24 trolling motor is a must.

Got one of the Dual Pro on board chargers in my boat. Having multiple batteries, it's nice to not have to switch the charger from one to the other I just plug it in and let it do it's thing!

The only time I loosen them is to take them off to put it in the water. Boat buckles internal spring is still under tension even when they are let off. If they weren't they wouldn't retract.

In water that's as heavily stained as you say it is chartreuse would be a good color. You have to remember bass feed with both their sight and with their equivalent of sound which is vibrations picked up through their lateral line. The more stained and dirty the water is the more they rely on sound. You want something bright so it's easier for them to home in on when they get close to the bait. I fish a lot of stained water and chartreuse crankbaits work.

Try throwing a drop shot and a weightless Yum Dinger.

Now you can laugh at those who think the wacky rig is just too "wacky" to fish!

That's why they make rain gear. haha

No it's not going to sink you. Boats are usually under rated a little. It's not something I'd do on a regular basis but considering the circumstances you should be fine. Obviously, use your best judgement, you'll be able to tell if it's too much.

In those situations you're either going to want to go with something bright (like the ones that for some reason you don't want to throw), or dark.

If it's a state owned pond and as long as you have permission to access it you're good. If he threatens to call the po po on you again invite him to. Don't be cocky about it, but I think a visit from the cops will do him good. Since he doesn't want to listen to you or your parents, so for him to find out from the cops that you aren't doing anything wrong would be the best.

A Roadrunner should catch you all three.

If you get pliers with a carbide cutter on them they go through braid like nothing!

My question is if you're killing them on a shaky head, why bother with the chatter bait if you know they're on a bed especially given your hookup ratio?

Gulp doesn't get the market attention because it's actually banned at the Elite level. To answer the questions asked, I'm not superstitious, but I do use Kickin' Bass on everything. I used to have a pet bass for a while as a kid and you could drop a bait in there with no scent on it and the fish would mouth it and blow it back out 2 or 3 times and then lose interest. If you put scent on the same bait that it just lost interest in and dropped it back in, within a few seconds it'd come over again hit it and hold on. You could keep pulling the bait away from the fish and it would keep hitting it over and over again. Pretty much convinced me that scent plays a role.

I would have thrown a smaller spinnerbait as well as different colors, probably something darker even though white isn't a terrible choice. Do you fish this pond often?

It usually is, but it still interrupts my fishing lol.

Boat landings are the funniest! One of the best I've seen was this older couple. The wife was younger than the guy and I'd say probably pushing 300 lbs and the husband was quite the opposite. Anyway, the landing at this particular lake had two ramps. One of them has a hole on one side at the end of the concrete which can be reached with a trailer tire when the water is low and it just so happened to be. The lady starts to back the trailer down with their van, decides to pick that ramp, and what do you know manages to hit the hole right in the middle and the trailer drops. She didn't notice it, and her husband didn't either. He's in the water monkeying around trying to get the boat on the trailer and finally does after much struggle. Wife is still sitting in the van tries to pull it out and does nothing but starts roasting a tire on the 1 wheeled wonder. She tries to back up to get a little more run at it and you hear the axle scraping on the concrete. They start hollering at one another as she guns it again and gets nowhere. After another 10 minutes of arguing and then getting the boat back off the trailer, the lady gets in the water. She walks over and picks up that side of the trailer with one hand as the guy pulls up. Then they spend another 10 minutes getting the boat back on the trailer. It was quite the entertaining half hour for me as a little kid!

Probably a bit overkill but you'll be good to go.

All lower units should be the same as far as changing the lower unit oil. There are two screws going into the side of it and the procedure is as follows: 1. Trim or tilt motor all the way down and place a drain pan under lower unit. 2. Remove bottom screw, then top screw. 3. Let drain. 4. Check seals or gaskets on screws. Mercury uses a felt washer. I don't know about Mercury's that old but I would imagine it's the same. These usually need to be replaced at every change. Scrape any of the old washers off the lower unit before re-installing screws. 5. Start filling lower unit from bottom hole and fill until oil comes out the top hole. 6. Replace top screw before removing fill nozzle. 7. Remove fill and replace bottom screw. 8(optional) remove top screw again and slowly continue to fill the little that was lost when replacing the bottom screw. 9. Clean up and you're good to go! I'd recommend wearing latex gloves while doing this since lower unit oil has a very potent smell to it and does not wash off easily. Changing it should be done probably every 6 months or so. Be sure to look at the old oil as it's coming out. If it's go a milky whitish tint to it it means it has been exposed to water, which requires immediate attention. Usually it's caused from the seals on the screws, but it could also be from the rear seal. Pretty easy job overall though. It should take 15 minutes up to about half an hour at the most.