Bass_junky

Gambler is correct. Apply silicon to the holes and screws prior to mounting the transducer. This way you assure you have silicon in all the right places. You cannot accomplish this by applying silicon after mounting the transducer.

The compression rating. Al cyclinders shoudl fall within 5-7lbs. of each other. If not you have bad rings. I hope this is correct. The exact compression of one cylinder, i am unsure of but your local marina or boat dealer should have this info...

What was the most improtant factor that has helped my ability to boat bass? 1) Learning to Pattern..this is one of the most critical elements for consistantly landing fish. 2) Learning to use my electronics, this includes GPS, sonar, & reading the time on my watch, so the wife doesn't get stood up, lol... 3) Generating logs for the next season. 4) Observing bass & their habitat with underwater camera system 5) PITCHIN" !!!!!!

The downside is your probably right, they weren't panfish. Panfish typically, feel like a tick tick tick tick, pesky fish. How do you know when to set the hook? They are several ways. First watch your line for movement, it may move sideways, twitch, or go extremly slack. Don't set the hook if it goes slack, reel up first. If you are unsure when to set the hook if you feel the tug, this takes practise and confidence. It should be immediately. But to learn when, at first gently pull with the tip of your rod if you feel any resistance set the hook. This will help build your confidence regarding proper timing. I would not do this for long though, you will miss a few fish & it is not the proper way. I set the hook almost too often, but what the heck only issue is flying baits, if i'm in shallow water, lol.

I have tolerated back pain for yrs. I do not take the med's the doc presrcibed when I am on the water, it tires me out to quickly. Mudpuppy's advice on Danny B's seat is good advice. Although you wouldn't want to sit down on this seat, it provides relief to lower back issues by taking the weight off your spine. My only issue (because of the boat i own) is it blocks partial vision when driving down the lake, because it will not receed. But i will take that trade anyday. My back does not feel 1/2 as bad after a days fishing with this seat...And for those of use with back issues, my back is not nearly as stiff the following day.

Longears is correct, "I would use the lube as long as it was clean". Can you prove it is clean?? Not without oil analysis. So that is a mute point, no offense LE. After two years of setting, i would strongly recommend you flush the oil out. All petroleum based lubricants can develope a high acid number when stored for long periods. Being acidic it will start attacking the metallergy within the motor. Also the additives in the lube will settle out. Yes you may stir some of the additives up when trailering the boat, but they will not be suspended in the oil as they should be. Is it really worth saving 15 bucks or so, by taking the chance?? Not with my boat.

I would have someone sample your food at supper time, lol... When my son was 8 yrs old. I took him fishing at a local pond/lake for stocked trout. We were using Rooster tails. It was in the evening time and in early spring. The trout starting breaking surface near the middle of the lake and we needed 20 more yds to reach them. We saw a log laying flat in the direction we wanted to cast. So, there we went trying to balance ourselves to get a bit closer to the action. I let my son stand closer towards the middle of the lake and I was about 10 ft behind him. On his first cast I heard the Roostertail whizz by my right ear. I cautioned him and asked him to cast side arm. Well on his next cast he hooked my jacket and yep, there I went for a swim. I couldn't see any trout underwater though, lol. Needless to say my son was terrified, and yes the cold water does take your breath away for a moment. We had a good laugh once I made it to the shoreline, but the lesson was learned. He always checks behind him now when casting.

Yes I would have to agree, every boat owner has had this happen at one point or another, due to their fault or someone else's. You can file it and paint it or you could purchase a skeg protector, drill a couple of holes and be done with it....I think they are about 75 bucks...and this will assure no damage to the original skeg will happen again.

What a topic, lol....Well I have to agree with Glenn on this one also, BUT after 23 yrs of marriage she will kick you out the door for any reason to get rid of ya!! (just kiddin'). Actually, I did let me wife know I am an outdoors nut. I will continue to be that way, it is me. There were a few trial times in the first 5 yrs and I did compromise a bit, but I am a persistant person. My wife of 23 yrs is now very understanding. She knows how grumpy I get when it is 70 deg outside, fish are pre-spawning & I am suppose to do what? So I ask her in advance, what are the plans for such and such day? I give her the first opportunity, if no plans guess what? Yeppers, I am going fishing or launching arrows at something. If she does have plans, I get very specific regarding times. If i can squeeze in a few hours, I'll do it. My wife is not a early riser, so I always have daylight to midmorning for my fix. Relationships are a compromise. Fish during the day, give her the evenings. Take her out for supper, movie or whatever. Give her a few drinks and as she is falling asleep tell her "your going fishing in the morning", LOL...

From what I have seen on this forum, it helps us to remove the blinders. Sometimes we get so focused on what we think works, we forget about other options, styles & techniques. This forum reminds us all........

I currently own a fish-ski. I bought this several years ago, like others trying to please everyone. One year after I bought this boat, I had to relocate due to work. Now kids are all but gone. I have to wait until they are out of college before i switch to a bass boat. Is it a hassle to fish from? It can be, but I could be fishing from the bank too. I have modified this boat. Added rod storage, reconstructed the livewells, extended the platforms. I can put all my camp gear in this boat and the wife and I scoot across the lake unload all the gear set up camp and go fishing. Yes the wind will push you a bit more than a low profile boat but what are trolling motors for? If I had the opportunity would I have still bought this? Yes, even those few years with the family/kids was worth enough for memories of a lifetime.

If this is a flat full of tree stumps, I would search out that single stump closest to the deeper water, standing on the point or one that is different then the other stumps. If you do catch on off of a particular stump, revisit that stump 2-3 hrs later and I bet you will catch another. Plastics work most of the time but if they don't smack a suspending crank bait right off the stump, pause a second before you finish the retrieve.

Remember when you add Stabil you must run your motor to assure it has went through the whole system, not just your gas can....

Check NADA guide for used prices....The prices are specific to your area.

If you are referring to the lower unit, I believe a 115 hp merc will hold approximately 20 oz.

They are formula's for the correct sizing of props. The first thing you need to do is check your RPM's at wide open throttle. Ex. If your RPM's show 200 below factory reccomendtions at wide open throttle, you should go to a smaller pitch opposite if your over. This formula is based on your motor and if you cannot achieve the exact rpm's at wide open throttle you are shortening the life of your motor.

Have you tried a black light?

Glen, I have just taken over the site and am waiting for the web pages to be sent to meso i can transfer the domain. At that point your forum will be the first link i ADD!!! Although i should keep this forum a secret, too much valuable info on here, lol...

What is the point of joining a club? To promote the sport. To try to get kids involved in fishing instead of running around town, playing video's, ect..and help keep our lakes clean. There is also a wealth of knowledge to be shared amongst members. You do not have to have a boat to be a member & you can fish in the events as a non-boater. Most clubs do charge a small fee. Typically 20-40 bucks per year. But the benefit is worth the money. Free stuff? well that depends on your club. Typically most clubs have a year end banquet and the members pound on the local's doors for donation which are raffled off, but simply free no. Yes you have to be a member of BASS to fish in any federation tournament. Winning a federation tournament gives you points. The highest points in the regional gets to go to the big show. Hope this helps.....Check out our website (hope this is okay to post) www.bigskybassers.com and see what most clubs do.

This topic has drawn many theories. By my experience, i have caught the largest bass within the first hour of daylight and the last hour of sunset, exluding night fishing. Why I wish I knew. I keep my gps with me at all times when fishing, but haven't caught the larger ones in the middle of the day or during the best times my gps says. I do not believe it is because of the sun light penetrating the water. Bass are from the sunfish family. Light rays has nothing to do with it. I believe it is for protection/security they go deep in the N.W. As for making noise and spooking the biggun's, well i'm sorry, i would debate this fact also. In the NW we have our share of Osprey's & Eagles, which we all know catch more fish then we do. On occasion they will loose their catch and the splash attracts fish or when perched it falls into the water. The bass know where these birds nest and sometimes sit and wait. When they hear the splash, guess what? Yep, i have witnessed this & have tried a technique to mimic it successfully. The largest bass I have caught in the NW was by slamming a spinnerbait into riprap supporting a train trussel next to the shoreline. I caught three bass within the first 15 min's. Then the next cast a 8 1/2 pounder took off with the bait before I could engage my spool. Yes i did land her (I know you southern boys, think this would not qualify as a lunker, but check the records in the NW). I have tried the same technique with crankbaits although successfull it takes it's toll on the cranks. The other technique i have caught toad's on is topwater, but mostly in the last hour of daylight. Perch feed on the insects just like the shad do at this time of day. Personally, it is my opinion of being in the right place at the right time, unless someone has the capability of "mindmelding" with the bass, if ya do CALL ME!!!

I would have to agree on both issues. I have only been a member of this forum for a couple months. This is one of the best i have visited, it is why we all return to this site. Great job on the site. The other issue i agree with is Craig's point. I was raised in the south but relocated to the NorthWest 16 yrs ago. You cannot use the same presentation and expect to catch the same quantity/size of bass. We are not allowed to use live bait. Northern Pike feed on bass up to 12-16" In the Northwest there are no shad. Hence perch, bluegill (small numbers though) crawdads, ect.. seem to be the diet bass are "brought up on". I have caught Largemouth & Smallmouth that have eaten perch that are half there body length. The size of bass are much smaller due to the shorter growing season. Example, Montana State Large mouth is 8 1/2 lbs. and Smally i believeis 6 1/2 lbs. I "think" Oregon's record Large mouth is 12 lbs and a few ounces. So you see, we must use different tackle & presentation. We do not have the structure in the high reservoirs that you fella's have in the south. We do not have the rising water levels when rain decides to fall. We have run-off from the high mountain snow. We must primarily fish the drop-off's, points & what few weeds we can find. The depths, temperatures & wind conditions are also not the same. Most lakes in the Northwest aren't even on Navionics maps so you must become familiar with the contour of the lake the old fashioned way. Bass do not spawn in the NW until mid May thru mid June. Last weekend the water temp was only 54 to 58 degrees. I have yet to see the temp's rise over 74 degrees all summer here. The good fact to this is we are not as populated with bassfisher-"people" as you are in the south. There are plenty of other species to pursue. Would a regional forum be beneficial, absoulutely!! Will is have the traffic that a southern forum will, i'm afraid not. Let's Go Fishin!!

Just a thought. If this information is for record purposes, wouldn't the time of day be a factor, regarding early spring fishing. The reason I say this is the water will typically increase 5-8 deg. throughout the day and this temp increase will move bass up to shallower areas. If you record the time of day, you should be able to predict when the temp causes the move and what time is most productive on the water....

Have you checked out the Procrafts?

Yomonk maybe be right. I had this problem on de-acceleration, I adjusted the tab and everything is fine now. You mentioned 24" pitch. This sounds to high of a pitch for a 115, Have you tried W.O.T. ? 5,200 rpm's is max rpm's, but shouldn't the pitch be 20-21" ?? You can check mercury's website for verification.

Based on your comments of fishing the flats, i would seek out the nearest drop-off and use a Texas rig, Carolina rig, jigs and slow roll spinnerbaits (until one is successful) and slowly let this fall when you feel the drop-off. If you don't find a drop-off look for a submerged hump closest to the flats and fish the deep side of the hump. Remember, the largest girls spawn first, so they are stressed for 1-3 weeks afterwards and are seeking solitude. So they are not as likely to chase faster moving forage yet. Try the crawdad colors. Just my opinion, tear it up fella's