Ohio Archer

I have three now...archery, my bike and now my boat. I need to clone myself...I think my wife has her limits on my dividing my time among everything.

^^^ Something smells fishy about your post...

With limited time and the number/size restrictions on smallmouth, why wouldn't the competitors go for largemouth first? It would really suck to setup on a group of smallies that were in 16"-21" that you couldn't keep. Get a limit of 5 then go for the larger fish. Having size restrictions with a slot can make it a bit difficult with no prior practice or scouting.

Make sure you know exactly when you can expect the title. At least you know up front they guy still owes on it. I didn't go thru a deal a few years ago because the seller wasn't upfront about not having the title and was vague on what he owed. I didn't have a good feeling about the whole deal.

If you can't afford a new TM and you're running the single battery down, add a second battery (connected in parallel) to double your reserve time. You would need to replace the current one so that you would be starting with two fresh batteries that are equal. Much cheaper than a new TM if the current one pulls the boat along ok. My current setup is a MG 54# running on two BPS 175 batteries. Have run them all day on 4 and 5 without coming close to draining the batteries. You could also look into having the motor checked out. Brushes get old and worn, leading to lower performance.

Keep tabs on internet sales. There have been quite a few of them lately where you can save a couple hundred dollars on these units.

Upgrade the electronics. Doing that right now. Got everything at a discount but still spent more than I expected. New toys are neat but waiting for the thaw is not...

Ohio is freezing over. Done till the thaw comes around...hopefully sooner rather than later.

I have a Helix 7 on the bow. For me, the 7's display is big enough unless I'm using SI (which you, the OP, isn't going to have). For me, going from a 5" black gray Eagle to the full color Helix was a huge improvement. I have a 999 on the console with a LM card. Since the 7 uses the micro card and the 999 the full size, I do not move the card. Instead, I turn the 999 around so I can view it with the chart visible (using a RAM mount). I don't need to constantly look at the map while fishing so this works out well.

I fished all the lakes mentioned including Okeechobee in my 17' Champion and never had any problems. Not sure why a 17' Nitro would be an issue. Probably the worse water I fished was on Lake Kissimmee. For the OP, I would ask to see any and all maintenance records. What kind of warranty, if any, comes with it? How long will the dealer back the boat and all its equipment? How many hours on the motor? Look in all the compartments for evidence of leaks. Look over the hull for any pin holes, cracks, etc. You didn't list all the options and equipment so there is no way to tell if the price is a good one. You can use the NADA Guides to give you an idea.. http://www.nadaguides.com/Boats/2012/Tracker-Marine/Z6-SC__/32024091

Do a search for clubs and tournaments near Candlewood Lake. Contact a couple to see if they are accepting new members. Clubs are a great way to get started.

I'm using a couple of old Battery Tenders that were laying around the shop. We upgrade them every couple of years. A couple had chewed up cables that had been thrown away. I repaired the cables and they work fine. Any brand will work as long as it has a stepped charging system where it goes into a maintenance mode after fully charging the battery. Make sure the charger matches the type of batteries you have, i.e. flooded, AGM, Lithium, etc. Chargers that work for the flooded type may not be adequate for the higher end batteries.

How do you tell when a water separator is full? We used to run one on the motorhome we used to haul a race trailer with around the country but it was clear and we could drain it when needed. The ones that look like oil filters don't have a drain. Do you just replace it each year regardless?

I pulled mine out due to the cold. Keep them in the garage (while not exactly "warm" it is warmer than the single digits outside). Put them on the charger every other week or so to keep them up. You can keep them hooked up in the boat as long as there is adequate ventilation so any gases don't build up due to charging. Just make sure the charger has a float or maintenance mode and doesn't supply full amperage all the time. That could destroy a battery as well as create a big mess in the boat.

I have an '02 Merc 75 that is cold natured. Once I get it started it runs good all day. But the first start is the hardest. When was the last time you changed your fuel line and bulb to the engine? They go bad fast with today's fuel and can lose pressure to the engine. When was the last time you drained the fuel tank? Water and other crap settle in the bottom and cause problems. You may need to pull the tank to clean it properly. Add a bottle or two of Seafoam to your fuel tank to help clean out the carbs and absorb any moisture in the fuel. You said you've had to pull start the engine. Why? Batteries run low? May be time to replace them especially if you're going to upgrade to a 24V system. Why start with weak batteries? Plus, you'll need to add a 3rd battery for starting the engine if you don't already have one (I currently have two connected in parallel that drive both the TM and engine...so I'll need to add one for starting and electronics only when I convert to 24V). Like they say, it's only money...

I have an '02 17' aluminum bass boat that is paid for. I'm upgrading the electronics on it. The boat is more than enough for the waters around here but would need to watch the weather on any bigger lakes (wind and waves mostly) since it is mostly a flat bottom rig. I have a couple of other expensive hobbies (archery and motorcycles) so I won't be spending all my time on fishing. No need to go with a new boat. If you're happy with your current boat, fishes well, economical and safe then stick with it. Upgrade what you have the money for and build it into what you want. If it is too small or not right for the waters you fish then switch up and upgrade later. It's all a matter of what fits your needs and wants.

Considering I just got back into fishing again in Sept. I had a good "year". Not a lot of fish but got to spend time on the water. Mostly fishing for bass but enjoy hooking up with anything. Started chasing musky...missed a couple but I'll keep trying.

You don't really "need" any type of depth/fish finder...folks caught fish for years without them. But they are a very useful tool to help understand what is under and around you on a given body of water. Anything that gives you a "picture" of the bottom is helpful if you take the time to learn. Simply slapping a DI or SI unit on your boat won't make you a better fisherman. As with anything worthwhile, you will need to put some time in to learn what the unit is showing you. But, you will be amazed by what you have missed or what you thought the bottom looked like compared to what a SI unit will show you. A 2D sonar only shows what is in the one below you. A SI unit can show you what below and next to you out to 120' or more. It can show you how deep an object is and how far away it is. If equipped with GPS you can "mark" that location and go back to it repeatedly. I recently picked up two SI units and have been having a blast learning the lake I have fished repeatedly for several years.

I weighed my worm bag...full from all the south FL fishing I did back in the 80's and 90's. By itself it weighed over 15 lbs. Not sure about the other two tackle boxes...BTW, all the worms are still in good shape and not a melted mess.

I learned more about one lake I fish in three months with a Helix 7 SI GPS and a Lakemaster card than I did in the three years of prior fishing with just a 2D sonar unit. Even using the printed maps that were available did little to show me what the lake actually looked like. The problem with 2D sonar is you don't know where in the "cone " the object is. Depending on your cone angle and depth it could be a few inches right or left to several feet right or left. Yes, it takes a bit of practice to understand what the new unit is displaying but with all the videos online about imaging and sonar it is a much simpler process. All the major manufacturers have videos as well as others on how to use these new units. Doug Vahrenberg and The Technological Angler are two good ones to watch.

I use a pair of Cabelas Guidewear fingerless gloves. I also use my hunting hand-muff with a couple of Hot Hands body warmers (larger than the small hand style) in it. I tried putting the hand warmers in my outer pockets but the material is too thin and the packs don't build up enough heat. My hands get cold from the water coming off the reel especially when using braid. So I keep a towel handy to dry off the water before putting my hands in the hand-muff. This combination seems to work pretty well.

Who is the current all-tackle LMB record holder, and how much did it weigh? May be a trick question...there's two. When and where was the first Bassmasters Classic held? 1) 1969-Lake of the Ozarks 2) 1971-Lake Mead 3) 1973-Toledo Bend 4) 1974-Lake Okeechobee Who won? 1) Roland Martin 2) Ray Scott 3) Bobby Murray 4) KVD

I see that. So someone has been sending in updates. There are several lakes around here in SW Ohio with updates as well. As long as the people sending in updates are as thorough as you when you create your maps, these maps will only get better. But then again if someone found "honey holes" that no one else is aware maybe they wouldn't be submitted.

That is what I see as well. Looks like a sinkhole that got stopped up. Or an old quarry pit. FL has a lot of these almost perfectly round lakes.

FloridaFishinFool, I have the Navionics mobile app and it shows your two lakes with much more detail although the second hole you referred to and is shown in the DEP images not there. There is a big gap between depth lines that could hold that hole. On Lake Kingsley, there is a ledge where the "30" is shown below the "65". It is almost a straight drop, not the slope on your picture. The Navionics map of Maitland also shows more detail. But I have "Sonarchart" selected, not "Navionics" under the little sonar symbol. Under the sonar symbol there are three choices...Gov't Chart, Navionics and Sonarchart. Select whichever one gives you more detail. I don't have the Lakemaster card for the SE so I can't tell you what it looks like.