tcbass

What happens if you're wearing it and the sun is beating directly down on you?

I watched a vid where the guy laid the legs over the body of the frog to the front of the frogs head, whatever was overhanging the frogs head he cut off. It might have been KVD, I'm not sure. Either way, it was a well-known tournament angler.

Why 2 shirts, does it have to be clean to work? Or do you just want a clean shirt? With fingerless gloves won't you have to put sunscreen on your fingertips?

Just regular old depth finder circa 1999.

I agree on the TM power. I bought my 1st big boat last year, a used 2000 17.5' Crestliner Fishhawk with a used trolling motor. Without a foot pedal indent I couldn't use the trolling motor, so I ended up going with a new Ipilot 80lbs thrust. Best thing I ever did. I love that trolling motor. Because kids threw rocks in at the landing I took out a chunk of skeg when I was backing up from the dock. I was mad, but not nearly as mad as I would have been with a brand new boat. I would definitely recommend a used boat, that way when it gets beaten up you won't be so mad and you will learn a lot about boating and not do it to your new boat. Plus, you can afford a new trolling motor or any other necessities.

What brand stuff do you wear? I tried a Buff brand for hunting and it felt scratchy like wool and uncomfortable.

Yes there is. Your pretty lady friend in her bikini! lol.

These are pics of the lower unit of my 2000 115 horse Mercury 2 stroke. I have 2 questions. One is that I noticed there are 2 holes at the top where there is normally only 1 for the lower unit oil. I opened them both up when I changed the oil and as I filled it, the oil came out of the top right hole. After a little while I put a little more oil in and closed it off. I have no clue what the other hole is for. Do you know what the other hole is for? Secondly, I noticed that there are 3 cracks in the upper part of the lower unit paint that I hadn't noticed before. When I bought the boat and motor last year it looked immaculate, granted I didn't look down there so I couldn't tell you if it happened before or after. When I was backing my boat away from the dock last year I hit a rock that took that nick out of the back of my skag. This is a very popular lake in my area and apparently kids throw rocks out there to do this to boaters and laugh about it. I didn't know until it was too late. So, I don't know if the cracks were from before or from after I crashed into the rocks. I haven't noticed anything leaking from the motor when it's in the water or out of the water and it runs fine. However, when I did change the oil today it did seem to be a little low. I don't know if that's because it leaked out or the previous owner didn't put enough in. When I took the lower unit oil bolt out I noticed there was a few tiny bits of metal, and I mean tiny, on the bolt. Not like shavings, but little dots of metal. That made me worry a bit. Granted, it was a very minute amount of metal. I don't know if the metal could have come from the crash, not enough oil in the lower unit, normal usage, or from the bolt being cross-threaded (although it doesn't appear to have ever been cross-threaded). There was probably 1/2 a quart of oil or so that I drained out. Do you know if these crack looks bad enough to have damaged the motor? Cracks in lower unit: Two bolts at the top of the lower unit instead of 1:

I was wondering why fisherman choose to wear a sun mask and gloves over just using sun screen. Yes, sunscreen sucks to put on, but today's spray on sunscreen makes it much easier. I'd think that having a mask/bandana and gloves on would be more uncomfortable than not.

I wonder if it has to do with ambidextrous-ness. People who are truly ambidextrous can probably have their reel handle on the same side for bait casters and spinning reels. People who are not ambidextrous cannot. I'm right handed and my left hand is very uncoordinated. In fact there is not much I can do with my left hand besides basic stuff. I can't write with it or do anything intricate.

Wow. That's a great post. I will try that. My boat has 2 older depth finders (circa 2000) that at least tell depth. I'm not sure how accurate they are.

My bro and I are just like you. We are both right handed. Our bait casters are on the right side of the reel and our spinning reels are on the left side.

These are the colors. http://www.***.com/Strike_King_Rage_Tail_DB_Structure_Bug/descpage-RGBUG.html So you plan on using a T-rig with no weight?

Cool. I'll try that.

With people all excited about the new Ragetail bug being released I'm wondering what colors are people ordering and how do you plan on fishing it. So, what colors are you using, what type of water do you fish (stained/clear), and how do you plan on fishing it?

In the 90's there was a fishing rod company called Kunnan that made great rods and golf clubs. I guess their factory burned down back then putting them out of the rod making business. They had a rod called the "Noodle rod" that was 11.6' feet long. We used them for jigging lake trout at 100-200' feet deep. It was a lot of fun. It made the lakers feel like sharks. The rods were lightweight but had a lot of backbone and flexibility. They were very slow rods. I know they were popular with salmon fisherman too. I have a 5.6' foot St. Croix ultralight that is fun to catch bass on. It makes them feel huge. However, it's ultralightness also makes it feel a little too light for bass and it can't cast very far. This made me think that this would be the perfect situation for an ultralight noodle rod. The strength so you wouldn't feel like you're going to break your rod, the length to make long cast, and the ultralightness to make it really fun. Obviously this isn't something a tournament fisherman would use but it would make catching bass a ton of fun. Has anyone ever used a noodle rod for bass?

I just read one where it said it had to be on gear and then another that said it doesn't but putting it in reverse makes it easier. lol. Contradictions. I'll use grease for sure.

Get some dark Ragetails and try this: I love hollow bodies, but have about 90% more success with these. Firstly, as I've posted before, I think the Ragetail Toad is one of the greatest topwater bass lures of all time. It has outfished almost every other lure for largemouth bass that I've ever used. I've noticed when I've read a lot of reviews and comments on the Ragetail Toad that people say things like, "One of my only complaints is that it sinks, so you have to start cranking right away to get it up on plane." Well, I learned something when I was first using it, which is also the same time I was learning to use a baitcasting reel. I threw a long cast under a dock that was in about a foot deep of water and immediately got a big backlash. So I let the Ragetail sink as I undid the birdsnest. After about 30 seconds of dealing with that I started reeling the line in assuming it was just going to be a burn back to the boat and cast again type situation. Well, as I reeled up the slack I realized there was a bass on the lure the entire time. He had eaten it on the sink or when it was sitting on the bottom. This was an epiphany for me! I think it's a lot like swim jigs, guys used to only cast it and let it sink and if they didn't get a bite on the initial drop they'd burn it back to the boat and recast. Now people are letting it sink and slowly fishing it back to the boat and catching fish both ways. After that I started letting it sink and about 1/8th of the time you will have a fish on it. Like the pro's say, "Let the fish tell you what they like that day." When I first start using the Ragetail Toad for that day I'll let it sink and sit for about 5 seconds about 20 times and if fish aren't eating it on the sink or at the bottom then I'll just cast regular and reel it back in the rest of the day. If fish are eating it on the sink or at the bottom then I will let it sink a lot the rest of the day and will most likely get more fish that way. And when it's sitting on the bottom, I'm not moving it or twitching it, just letting it sit and then I just start reeling it in quickly to get it on plane and fish it back to the boat normally. I just let how the fish are initially taking it dictate how I fish the bait the rest of the day. So, let that Ragetail Toad sink and sit on the bottom a few times, you might be surprised what you were missing out on.

Thanks. It's looking like it takes longer than I thought. lol. Some others have said that the motor needs to be in forward or reverse, some saying it has to be specifically in reverse. Is that correct?

Wow, if it is the water pump that will be like the first time I've been right....ever! lol. Good luck!

I'm looking to change the lower unit water/pump on my 1999 Mercury 115 horse, 2 stroke, 4 cylinder. I've watched videos and the process seems pretty straight forward. You take off the lower unit, take off the old pump, put the new impeller in the new housing (water pump) and mount it, then put the lower unit back on and done. I was told to make sure you mark the lower unit rod with a removable marking so it will line back up when you remount the lower unit. I was also told to make sure you seat the impeller the correct way so that it will spin in the housing in the right direction by looking at the old one. It seems to be about a 15-20 minute process if you know what you're doing. Anyone else have any tips or hints on how to change the lower unit water pump/impeller?

Now I want to try some of these! lol. How important is it to use a weight?

I've noticed the Senko has it's own stickies so it must be white the conversation starter. Is the Gary Yamamoto Senko one of the most revolutionary lures of all time and are there any other lures as revolutionary?

Is it your water pump (impeller alarm)? It would make sense if your motor is smoking. It means your water pump is already ruined normally. You don't want to run it anymore or you will smoke your engine. I'm learning a lot about this now from a mechanic friend. He said a lot of people hear that alarm and make the mistake or slowing down and limping to shore. He said all that does is ruin your motor. He said the alarm on the water pump means it's already ruined and you need to paddle to shore or get pulled or use a trolling motor. Whatever you do, don't run your motor. Does water spit out when it's running?

Perfect, that's the one I just got.