livemusic

Could you really go 60 with a 150? I have a 150hp on a 19ft ProGator and it'll do 53 with me, alone, in it. Was that with GPS or an old speedometer? How big was your boat? FWIW, I often I am left thinking that 53mph on water is plenty fast for me, lol. And I used to race motorcycles. In fact, I don't even need to do 53, I can do 40, even less, and that's plenty. But that's just me. I'm not in much a hurry these days, lol. Some of these boats will do 70, 80mph I assume and I really don't get that but to each his own!

Do you re-use baits or pour new plastic? And what do you "inject?" Flavor or smell I suppose.

Why is that? I didn't know they make a gel, haven't bought any in years.

I am in need of a dockline for my 19 ft ProGator bassboat (150hp Mercury). It's a heavy boat. I am thinking floating dockline is best because this is for launching the boat and if it floats, the line is less apt to get tangled into the back of the trailer. Wondering about length. Here's how I launch. I unhook everything and then back the trailer into the water, and with a rope attached to the bow, I can then very slowly pull the truck n trailer up such that the boat will then follow me. Two good things could happen. First, depending on the ramp, if there is a dock, I can just walk back, untie or unloop the end of the rope affixed to the hitch end of my trailer and walk over to the dock and tie the boat down and go park my truck. Or, if there is no dock, I hope that the boat curves just a tad when it floats away from the trailer and then I can give a little pull with the truck and get it aimed for the lake bank away from the concrete launch so it doesn't skin up the keel of my boat. Either way, a rope with a manufacture loop end if helpful. Those woven loops are permanent! Does anyone think that a 1/4 inch dockline would suffice for this? I have used 1/2 inch and that's plenty big but I'm wondering if smaller will work because it seems the right length is a bit difficult to find and with everything I buy for the boat, bulk and weight are always reduced where I can. It's not like this rope would have much pull on it but I sometimes I fish a river and it has a good current, so, watching the boat go byebye downriver would not be pleasant. EDIT: Found this link after a ridiculously long search for floating dockline. It seems that 3/8 inch or larger would do. I don't know if all of this floats or not... info for docklines. Another thing is finding desired length. My trailer is about 21 ft long, and I figure about ten feet longer is needed so that when I pull up the truck, I (hopefully) will not need to wade into the water. So, 30-35 ft long rope seems right.

Why barbless hooks? I fish barbless sometimes because I most often catch n release but wonder what it has to do with a child going fishing? I am sure there is a good reason, just curious, lol!

Have been meaning to ask... the soft plastics like senkos, worms, flukes tear up pretty quickly. Does anyone fix with superglue or even melt and pour into molds? I watched a video yesterday of Roland Martin (always great on youtube) and he showed mold you could buy to melt and recast soft plastics. This is a bit of a sidebar but I also watched another video lately of a guy who wraps dental floss around the hook of a crappie jig and then adds a dab of super glue, when adds the plastic jig body and claims he can catch a couple dozen crappie on one body. Wondering if that might work in bass fishing. Whatever, if melting down is feasible, you could do that when the body gets trashed. Let me know if anyone uses super glue or melts down. TIA!

What is a "130" and how do you fish it? Is "WP" a whopper plopper?

My first boat was 53 years ago. Holy cow, time flies. My dad bought me a homemade pirogue (actually what I would call a kayak) from his cousin who was a carpenter and he built it. It was really well made, painted gray. It was built shaped like a kayak and the opening in the top was a large rectangle. I wonder if I have a pic somewhere; probably not, didn't have cameras handy in those days. His cousin had made a one-piece seat with a backrest; it sat pretty low in the opening. After using a paddle awhile (not an oar... didn't know about those, lol), I bought a trolling motor and a battery and I was fixed up! I did a lot of fishing with it until some jerk stole it. I was heartbroken. Lately, with my 17 ft Tracker boat, I have been fishing the same lake (80 acres) I used to fish with that little gray boat. There is a public ramp good enough to launch, say, a 17 ft bassboat. Usually, I am the only boat on the lake (big pond!). A busy day is three boats. Yesterday, a fellow showed up in an unpowered kayak. Got me to wondering about the modern kayaks and me thinking of yesteryear. Some of you have really nice rigs, very cool setups. It sure has grown popular. I see pics and threads about you guys really outfitted with lots of gear and rods and I find it quite amazing. What do you like about a kayak? I considered getting one lately when a friend was trying to make a trade with me for the 17 ft Tracker. His has a built-in powered trolling motor. A couple years ago, I also looked at buying a Hobie cat with the foot pedals. Really cool. Not sure how that works in places like we fish here with lots of stumps. I used to fish a bayou (uber slow moving stream) locally when I was young. Me and a buddy would take a 14 ft jon boat and paddle (scull). I also sometimes took a trolling motor and battery. The bayou is full of logs and overhanging trees. We caught a lot and it was rather 'out there' fishing in some beautiful big woods. It is the only place I know of that we would catch what somebody told us was a hybrid largemouth-kentucky bass. Whatever they are, they fight like crazy, very strong and fun to catch. We'd sometimes come up to a logjam and have to maneuver the boat over a blocking log. That would be a bit tougher these days as I am not as nimble as I used to be. A kayak could do well there in some ways but there is no way you could go vertical with the rod storage; there are too many overhanging trees. The bayou probably is, oh, 40-80 ft wide. As for rods, since you can't go vertical, I don't know if it's practical to have more than one rod. If so, that's ok, would just have to retie. Or forget that and fish only a plastic worm. Or a super fluke. For years, that's about all I fished, a black plastic worm. The past few years, it's a super fluke, watermelon red. Sometimes I think, heck, if they're biting, they will bite this. Super Fluke is the deadliest lure ever made, seems to me. I also think a plastic crawfish would be deadly on that bayou. I also fish farm ponds. The bayou is the only water body where going vertical would not work. Hope to get some comments about why you like a kayak.

I tend to agree with it needing a de-carb treatment. The spark plugs are gapless; I had never seen them, had to research it. Old plugs were black and ugly but still functioned. New ones are turning black. I went to lake again today. I've got the hang of starting it but it's still not great and sometimes, runs a bit rough. But when you get it going at speed, it seems to run like a top. If at lower speeds, if it wants to die, if I choke it a little, I can usually keep it going. Top speed seems to be now where it was before.

Yes, I had saved the old plugs and marked which is which. I took it to the lake and it seemed to do slightly better but not a lot. Yesterday, I put an inline spark tester on and found each cylinder (four) to be firing. I also took the fuel line off and tried to run it from a clean gas can with clean fuel. It really didn't seem to do any better but after I reconnected the fuel line to the boat fuel tank and kept trying it, it was like it just kept getting better and I have since cranked it several times and run it with the water hose muffs and, yippee, I am able to advance the throttle forward and back and as long as I have a bit of rpms, it runs fine. If I go back to idle, it eventually dies. I am still not 100% sure about this bulb/fuel line. I probably bought it a few years ago at Basspro or Academy. I am not confident it is pressuring up right and staying pressured. As I said earlier, a mechanic told me one time that these mainstream lines/bulbs are terrible and he could make a better one. Is there one I could buy that is high grade? Other than that, maybe it needs idle adjustment. Fingers crossed I don't have to take it to a recommended mechanic, as it will likely be weeks there in this busy season. I am going to call him and ask if he can build me a line/bulb but he will probably say he is too busy, that is what he said before. I find it interesting that with the old (really bad-looking) spark plugs, once cranked and going top speed, it would do 29mph by GPS. Same top speed it has always done. After I put the new plugs in, it hit only 28mph. (Same model: Champion L78V spark plugs.)

I just complained to my brother about this very thing... not trusting a mechanic... take this fuel line/bulb issue... let's say that this is the problem... I could take it to an untrustworthy mechanic and instead of it being a cheap fix, the fuel line/bulb, he could charge me the standard $400-anytime-you-let-hime-touch-it deal. Problem is, I am, obviously, not a good mechanic, so, if I can't fix it, I have to take it to somebody. BTW, I thought I would add... one time I did take this boat to a recommended mechanic and he told me that this particular motor is notorious for this starting problem. (This is not the first time it has acted up.) At that time, for some reason, I could not leave it with him for a complete tuneup. He got it running well with some fairly simple fix and I don't recall what the fix was. It wasn't major and it was pretty fast. But anyway, he was adamant about him being able to tune this particular motor. He was very confident about it. It was one of those deals where he said that too many people don't know the 'trick' to tune them. That is what I recall the essence of the conversation was... his confidence that he could make it purr like a kitten if he could do his magic on it. I'm getting fired up about seeing him again, lol. If he's still in business, that was a few years ago.

I had a mechanic tell me one time that these fuel line/bulbs that you buy at Walmart, Academy, Basspro, etc. are crap. He was REALLY against them, adamantly so. He advised letting him 'build' me one. Mine was brand new, so, I didn't do that, lol. Anyone know how one could build one superior? I was wondering if he makes it such that there is no clamp to the motor but it's a direct line. Meaning that instead of having the clamp gizmo on the end, it would just directly, permanently attach to the motor with no clamp like bigger motors do. Other than that, only other thing I can think of is him using, supposedly, superior line or bulb. I tried the boat again in my yard with the ears that you put on the bottom for the garden hose and worked with it and it's running better now but not perfect. It seems to be cleaning up some but I'd rather take it the lake and have it in the water. Am suspicious of this gas line/bulb since it won't firm up much. Ok, will do that. I am awaiting a fuel filter, I want to change that. I also see that the fuel pump is readily accessible if I have/need to change that. I put new spark plugs in it and that didn't do anything even though the old ones looked HORRIBLE. It sure is hard to find a good and trustworthy boat mechanic. I have a phone call into a guy who told me about a good one. I want to find out if my friend still feels that way, lol, as this was years ago. If I could fix it myself, I'd rather, as I'd bet money he is weeks behind and it's fishing time!

As for it being dumb, I'm certainly capable, it won't be the first time, but to get it in gear, I have to pull the throttle back to idle position and then put it in gear. It might have been put in gear above idle throttle but not at the high rpms it was at, as that is impossible when you return the throttle to the idle/neutral position and then put it in gear. Slam it in gear meant after pulling it back to neutral, get it in gear quickly before it dies and give it the gas.

Still trying to get this 1997 Tracker (Mercury) 40hp motor to start more easily. It will start, then die immediately and that is only after choking it heavily and do it many times. Finally figured out that I can, after many attempts, advance the throttle way high while in neutral and crank it and, eventually, when I slam it in gear, it will take off at that high speed. If I then decrease the throttle, it will die but if I leave it near full open, it will keep running until I stop it. Fearing bad gas or gas gone bad (it was not used much over two years), I siphoned out the gas. Was dismayed that I could only draw it down such that there is, oh, about 3/4 inch still in there. Do you think that it is normal that you will be left with that much? I can't see how I could siphon/pump more out. I normally use 87 octane e-free but I then put fresh 92 octane e-free gas in with a good dose of Sea Foam for good measure. Other than that question... just now, when I pumped up the bulb just for the heck of it until I get to the lake when I will pump it again before attempting to start it, I note that now, it will not pump up that well, the bulb does not firm up much. I don't recall this being like this a few days ago when I ran the boat but maybe it was. At any rate, could this bad bulb gas line be the culprit for this starting behavior?

I am curious if this is an issue with others. 'Tis for me! And that is... it seems that the launches I use are such that I often am forced to enter the water to launch or to get out of the boat and into my truck. I am still agile enough I can climb pretty good but still it happens a lot. I suppose this means that the launch angle is not steep enough. This is most common with high water on the lake. The water level might be above the designed grade of the launch. We have a lot of heavy springtime rains, so, it's pretty common. I have a long rope that I use for launch which I tie to my trailer or my truck; this problem is more often an issue upon loadout. I have to climb out of the boat onto the trailer and it might be such that my truck is so far into the water, there is no way to NOT get my feet wet. A solution is some easy to get on and off rubber boots, which I have not found yet! (Of course, then the problem with this is I don't want to fish in clunky rubber boots and I have to stow them in the boat.) In warm months, I can wear crocs and just wade in but before it warms up, boots would be better! Have you found any boots you like for this? Or any other solution? Is this common for you? TIA!

Not having bass fished much in the past few years, I'm unfamiliar with line advances. Are there any? For decades, I used mono. Then braid. Tried a couple of fluorocarbons, didn't like it. I fish a lot of soft plastics. Worms, fluke, swimbait. But also hard lures. Can anyone shed light on any new stuff that's good? What lines do you like? As for braid, I think Suffix 832 is one I have liked pretty good. I am open to any type. EDIT: I use both casting and spinning reels.

I have never heard of Spray Nine. Do you soak the area with that before you use the pressure washer or just how do you do it? What about the gas tank... any precautions there or just get after it with no concern? And batteries/connections, wash them or stay away?

What book?

What time of year do you fish WP? I bought two colors but haven't used them much. BTW, those baits sure are expensive!

You might give yourself quite a bit of time if you are looking for a real good price, even a bargain. I am shocked at how much a jon boat costs now. I was Academy last night. Same 14 ft I paid $400 for maybe 7-8 years ago was $1,200! What? And over $700 for the dang trailer! I was thinking, sheesh, add a troll motor, battery, outboard motor and you have spent some serious change. I think back then I paid $400 for the boat and $400 for the trailer, both from Academy. I only paid $3,500 for my used 17 ft Tracker bass boat fully rigged and with 40 hp outboard and I still see similar rigs for around that price. Looks like FB marketplace is the place for used stuff.

I have a 14 ft jon boat that I occasionally use on small bodies of water. Problem is mounting a troll motor when sitting at the front. Need to mount one on the side, the gunnel. A bow mount could work but I might need to find a handle extension. If it works on the side, that isn't needed. Of course, the boat would track a little better if the troll motor is on the bow. This below looks good. If anyone knows a better choice, please advise! bow or gunnel mount for troll motor on jon boat EDIT: I also came across this for mounting permanently to the bow. When I am near my boat, I will check it out; I might need to mount it a troll motor on the side, on the gunnel, so, this might not work... Permanent bow mount from Fishonfabrications

Good point. I note that all of this will likely be VERY different in five years. Batteries are about to enter warp speed change, methinks. But at my age, five years is an eternity. And even though I am plenty frugal on many things, spending $800 for a pond jumper battery is not out of the question for me IF it makes sense to make those five years easier, more enjoyable. Not saying I'm going to do it, but I'm looking into it. The weight of a regular trolling battery is so extreme, I even worry about structural integrity of the pond jumper! (Same structural concern, even more due to rivets, for my jon boat.) But I also have two bass boats to worry with. I've been considering selling one but there is one lake here I fish a lot and I cannot get my 19 ft big boat in there (poor launch) but I can the 17 ft Tracker.

I see that Bass Pro sells lithium batteries. Have a 3 year warranty. Seems it should be longer, lol. I sure like the idea of less weight and as I said, for pond jumping, wow, the low weight would be fantastic. I have a Pelican pond jumper boat and just putting a heavy a$$ trolling battery in there is cumbersome. Bass Pro lithium

I suppose 'bilge area' is apropos for the section of the boat where the gas tank and batteries are? I have a 1999 model 19 ft fiberglass ProGator with 150hp Merc with a 24v Minn Kota troll motor, so, three batteries back there. I've also had water deep in the bilge area at least once. I know that because I did it; forgot to put the plug in. Water sloshed around back there. And when I bought it, it was pretty grungy back there. How could I clean this? Anyone ever done this and have any advice? As for the scrubbing itself, I really need to find a tiny person (kid?) small enough to get to it well! I wish there was something like oven spray you could just spray on and rinse off, lol. I wonder what all that dark, grungy stuff is? From batteries or just what, I dunno. Now, I have been in some grungy lakes, too! EDIT: I find this link -- cleaning bilge area -- so, there is hope!

Haven't bass fished as much last couple of years and can't recall a lot of what I came to glean from this forum, which is a great resource. I seem to recall coming to the conclusion, from comments on here and also my own experience, that a straight shaft hook gives a better hookset than an Extra Wide Gap (EWG) hook. I can't stand missing strikes, lol. I mean for Texas rig (lots of brush/logs here) for plastic worm, super fluke, creature baits. I would think that the EWG is designed, specifically, for being the ultimate soft plastic hook but the above is what I recall. What say you? Maybe I can also luck up and find an old thread. Lastly, do you guys sharpen your hooks? Good hooks come new awfully sharp, just curious.