FishnFritz

top Rpm's with the old lower were 5600. But that was also a 187:1 gear case. This is a 2:1 gear case. Gonna try and get on the water tomorrow morning and see what this one is going to do. Went out yesterday for a little bit to get everything adjusted. I Didn't go over 40mph which is around 3500-4000rpms with the 26p. If I remember correctly. Didn't have any vibrations that i noticed. It was rough with lots of boat traffic and stupid people on the lake. So really just had time to make sure this one wasn't making noise or having any other issues. And it didn't. Im going to try and take it easy with this one as much as I can. I changed the gear oil before I went out and changed it again when I got back. I just wanted to make sure there was no water intrusion. And there wasn't. So that was good.

One more stupid question. This latest lower I got came with a 19p prop. I'm tempted to try it. But once again, it's in the same realm as "what's this gonna do"? Is it enough prop? My other prop is a 26p. Do I need to find something in the middle? And what's the effects of being over/under propped? What are the effects to the lower?

They both made just about the same kind pop noise, when they went bad. But the damage was different. 1st , was still able to shift in and out of gear. But made noise in gear at idle. Like the gears were over running each other. 2nd one had pretty much the same issue. 3rd one made the pop noise during a run from Smallwood park to Potomac creek, and got stuck in forward gear. But I was able to idle back in gear to the marina. Let me ask this. So I was told that lowers from a 150-200 would fit. But the gear ratio for the 200 lower was different than the 150/175. Is that a possibility for these lowers to keep letting go? I know that the first 2 were from Xr4's and the 3rd was from a Xr6. The one that I just put on is from another Xr4. I'm pretty much expecting this one not to last more than a few weeks. I'm also guessing that using the same prop on all these lowers if the gear ratio is different in them that I should probably be using a different pitch prop as well?

Had the prop rehubbed last summer, I try to be as careful as I can about hurting it. I do run the river so it is like dodging land mines out there sometimes with floating debris. But other than that I run lakes with it. I have never hit the bottom with my prop. (Yet) I've never felt any vibrations while out. I'm poor, I can't afford a big money remanned lower. And I'm sure that is part of the problem. They have all been Craigslist specials or just kinda fell in my lap because some one knew someone. I try to be as easy as I can on them. I don't shoot for hard holeshots or max speed. I do put new gear oil in them. And a new waterpump. But short of that I can't afford much more. I am saving for a new prop. Just wondering if I should change the pitch when I get a new one as well.

So I am on my 4th lower unit on my now Mairiner 200 in 6 months. Don't know why they keep letting go. I have a SS 26p 3 blade laser II prop. The one that currently let go made a pop/bang noise and got stuck in forward gear. We were on the Potomac just past Quantico. It made for a long idle back to Leesylvainia. I've gotten to the point to where as soon as I get a new lower I start looking for a back up. I always change the gear oil when I put a new one on, and install a new water pump. Dont know what to do to fix this problem. And I can't really afford to keep replacing lowers like this. The motor is pushing a Ranger 391V. So if anyone would like to take a shot in the dark on this or throw in their 2¢. I would love to hear it. Thanks

Last month I caught a dink on a crank bait. He went all slap happy when I tried to get the hooks out and he drove one of the trebles into the middle of my thumb. Thank god I wasn't alone on the boat that day. My buddy came over and got the fish off the hook and handed me a pair of side cutters. I cut the hooks off that were not in me and worked for an hour trying to get it out of my thumb. I couldn't get it out and my buddy who throws up at the sight of blood was no help. (Didn't want his help. No barf in the boat!) After that hour of pain I drove the boat back to the marina, loaded the boat and straight to the Er. After 4 more hours of waiting and 1500.00 later, hook removed... put a new hook on he crank bait. And still catching fish with it. Gonna be sad if I ever loose my 1500.00 crank bait.

As a mechanic & tow truck driver. Just because it's rated for it doesn't mean it's a good idea or good for your vehicle. I would also check your tow rating again. Highlander's have a 1500-2000lb tow rating. So you would be pushing it in my opinion. As with towing anything just be careful and use your safety chains. But hey, I did see a Lincoln town car launching a 15ft center console at the ramp last week. And a RAV4 towing a 20ft pontoon boat. Anything is possible lol

Good luck trying to stay away from anyone. The river from the city dock down to little falls is skinny. Like throw a rock across skinny(if you have a good arm). Bass fishing is good from the city dock and down. Occasionally you can hook up with some smallmouth. There are snakeheads between the rt1 bridge and rt3 bridges.(only place I've caught 1) But if they are there they are everywhere. Make sure you get a map, and pay attention where to where your going. Between little falls and the rt 3 bridge there is a lot of submerged stuff. The shad are running right now too. Those are always fun to catch. If you get the chance, stop by Kens bait and tackle on Lafayette Blvd and they can give you the best info on what they are hitting on. And as always be safe! Tides can fluctuate as much as 4-5 ft by the city dock. Haven't measured or anything. But looking at the high water mark, that's what it looks like to me. Not fun to load your boat at low tide. Lol

If you want to know if the shad are running in the Rap by Fredericksburg call Ken's bait and tackle. They always have the lowdown when it comes to the shad run.

My friend and I will be fishing the event at SML. It will be a first for us as well. Have no idea what to expect other than a ton of people. Don't quite get the format but heard it would be a fun event to try. I have fished the lake before though. It can get a little choppy with boat traffic.

It was definitely crowded. We had 3 spots that my partner and I had planned out to start. Then 3 spots for mid day and 3 for the afternoon. All 3 spots that we planned for the am had at least 2-3 boats on them. And that kinda set the rest of the day up for us. We found ourselves fishing in spots that we didn't practice in during the week. Only saving grace to that is I'm lucky enough to fish Anna 2-3 times a week and I fish everywhere on that lake. But that didn't help us. We lost every keeper that hit, which was only 3 fish. If it wasn't for 11 inch fish we would of had a very long day. We managed to catch 8 of those. First 3 we put on the bump board and tossed back. The rest we didn't even bother. The AAT is my favorite tournament of the year regardless of how me and my partner finish. I get to see everyone I've met and made friends with throughout the year. Nitro, it was nice meeting you there by the way! You did better than us. Unfortunately this year we didn't put anything on the scales. It's always a tough but fun day. And a big big thank you to Dave and Chris at Fish Tales! And a big big thank you to Scott and Teresa for all the awesome photos and video! And thank you to everyone that helped put everything together with their time and donations!

I'm usually quiet till its about 3 ft from the boat and then it's "get in the boat, get in the boat" followed by a loud "YESSIR!!!!!!" Now that I think about that, it's funny. I do the same thing just about every time, weather I'm alone or with someone. Funny to see people in other boats looking over at you too.

I had one follow me around this weekend at smith mountain lake. I don't like them unless it's being run for a tournament to get aireal photos. But I was fishing shoals in the middle of nowhere and I was the only one at that spot. I flipped him off. Felt like a big invasion of privacy to me. If I knew I could of casted and took it out I would have... Would of loved to see the guy try and retrieve it from 80ft of water....

Thank you for the info I'll be giving them a call this week to book my trip

Have you tried the occoquan river? Up in town there was easy access to the banks and it's real skinny up there. River fishing has always been difficult for me. The fish are always finicky and moody. And very difficult to fish without a boat of some kind. Very frustrating. Have you tried the occoquan resvoir? Big fish come out of there and you can rent boats there. Also if your fishing small water look to see what the fish are eating. And try to find a color that best matches the natural forage. Bluegill, baby bass, frogs. Pumpkin & watermelon color plastics seem to work well anywhere to. Also it's almost like cheating but try some shiners or large minnows. Bass can't seem to resist them. I've always had good luck using live bait no matter where I have been fishing.

So the family and I are going to Disney in mid December. My wife has given me 1 free day. I want to fish Toho on my free day. After a lot of thought I have made a decision to hire a guide for the day. I've looked at a few online, and read as many reviews as I can find. But I still have no idea who to go with. The rates all seem to be the same and according to all the web pages the results seem to be the same. Does anyone have any experience or recomendations for guide. How far out do I need to book? How much gear should I bring? What should or shouldn't I expect? I don't really care about catching double digit bass, I just want to catch fish. Not saying catching a double digit bass wouldn't be fun though! Any help would be appreciated !

2015 was a good year for me. I learned a lot of new techniques for me. Started fishing local tournaments. Went from a kayak to a Skeeter. Caught lots of bass. Pretty sure I spent more time fishing than working last year. Fished from March to December and haven't put the boat up for the winter yet. Looking forward to 2016 and what the new year will bring with it.

I'm heading to Jordan Lake at the end of September. Any advice on where to catch some bass and launch my boat? I've been to the lake before but only fished from a kayak and the bank. But now that I have a boat I can get around a little better. Last time I put my kayak in was at the public canoe launch where the Haw river dumps into the lake and a a public launch by one of the bridges that goes over the lake. Didn't have much luck catching anything then. But I think it was due to not being able to get very far from where I put in at.