TommyBass

That was something I was thinking about but was afraid of back pressuring the pump and hurting it. Figure that would be ok?

OK finally got some pictures from my phone, sorry for quality.

Like mentioned, usually the areas that get the sun the longest are warmests (south facing). But I have found that bass generally still dont want to be stuck out in the bright sunshine with their eyelids pined open ... and if they are they are alot harder to catch. I generally focus on cover in those areas where teh bass can be in shaded warmer water areas. And be careful with the wind.. there is a fine line where wind takes warmer surface water to a paticular shore and where it crosses the line and agitates the water too much and cools it.

My recirculation pump can double as a pump out just by turning a valve. The overflow is simply to regulate new water comming into the system and keep it from getting too high. My current issue is the overflow wont drain quick enough for the intake of water and it will actually slosh out of the side if the boat tips too much (until it drains down to level). I will post a picture here in an hour or so.

I take it they were feeding on bowling balls that day? Nice fish!

Casting deck on a 12fter sounds a little tipsy... I would be careful to not raise your center of gravity too high. If I were going to do one I would probably just form a deck to several sturdy posts that fit either fit nicely into brackets or are secured down in some other fashion. If one piece is too much you could always make it in two or three sections.

Yes I thought about that.... the 800 is just what i had on hand when i built it. I have it on a timer but even when its off you can tell the overflow is slow to drain so I figured it was the bigger problem. That may have to be something I change as well. The recirc is a 500 so maybe I should just switch? The livewell is 40 gallons BTW.

Well I just built me in a new livewell with intake water, a recirc pump / pump out, drain, and overflow. All works beautifully except the overflow. The overflow (1 1/8" ID) cannont keep up with the intake water (800gph) and makes it very difficult to monitor the level in the livewell. I have a center console with the livewell under the seat, so my only option was to go down through the floor with the overflow. It does drain this way but very slowly. Is this common for an overflow below the waterline? I figured it would always drain since your water in the overflow line would have more pressure than the water outside the boat and equalize. And it does, just too slowly to keep up. Do any of you have a center console or setup where your overflow goes out under the water line? Just wondering on whether I should increase the overflow to 1 1/4 or 1 1/2" ID or just work on a way to send it out the side? :-/

YES... i had a similar thread call "lure craze hatred" going about this earlier in the year. Its nothing more than a shad colored crankbait with a little yellow. There have been at least 3 other brands with very similar colors well before the sexy shad. Im not saying the color dosnt work somewhat but I havnt found a situation that plane shad colors dont do just as well. Its all in the head of the fisherman... if you really think that a fish will turn down a crankbait lacking that small yellow stripe and bluish back when it would have ate one with that your crazy. IMO color matters very little in fishing... as long as you have something for clear and dark waters you'll be fine. Sometimes the lure manufactureres are better "fishers" than we are.

If its like the one I used to have, its just another way of adding more speed settings. If you have five speed settings just think of your motor has having ten. On 12 volt you'll have speeds 1-5 and then switch to 24 volt to get speeds 6-10 (ie on 24 volt, speed 1 = speed 6). I never really had a problem with it always seemed to work just fine.

Is there a certain depth range and beyond that this occurs from? I have caught fish out of 25ft before and had no problems. Is there not a risk of infecting the inards of the fish or is this miniscule compared to the issue of floating?

Thanks! Very informative! Does anyone actually do this? Where do you get the needles? You would think the bass could take care of that by itself in just a minute or two?

Mothballs work great for all pests..... heck if you put them under a tightly covered boat it works great as a person repellant if you stick your head in and take a big whiff that stuff burns your lungs. Try placing them even around the wheels, works great to keep mice from climbing up. (Becareful you dont have any kids or pets that may eat them up)

It really depends on YOU and how/where you fish and the amenities you prefer. Fiberglass will cost you more, but generally ride better and come with better amenities. Generally they are also a little more stable being as they sit deeper and are wider (also better for very rough water). However, some like the advantages to aluminum. I actually just traded a 18ft fiberglas triton in for a 18 ft aluminum because I hated worrying about my gel coat etc, plus I wanted something more versatile to hit stumps, run shallow waters if need be and hunt out of. If you plan on spending 5K, 16' or larger would be best IMO. Like other mentioned, you can get nice trackers fairly cheap, but there are also lots of other brands too. Motor is definately top priority and I would always recommend a test drive. Oooo I forgot to mention that my new aluminum came with a removable tongue on the trailer... definately recommend if you have room issues. Takes my total package length from 23' to 21'. Also great for theft protection if leaving your boat unattended on trailer somewhere.

Something larger with more structure. I have plenty of cover on some but most lakes near me have one or two main lake points with no signs of a creek ever running through them (silted in). It would be nice to occaisonally learn and apply other fishing techniques on lakes that contain areas in which those techniques can be applied! Grass / weeds are nice too.

Like Tin said, as long as you look at what your motor needs and what the battery offers, most deep cycles can start an outboard. Also, you may think about placing your battery underneath the console up against the back. i have a center console that has both trolling motor batteries located underneath the console. But on that note, my boat is 18' 1" and aluminum with a 4 strk 90hp, and my 24V 82lb thrust is way more that youd ever need for wind/wavess. I even use it at electric only places and it does great.

I like to troll them for stipers by hooking them up through the nose, keeps them running strait and alive. Catfish I tend to hook above the spine halfway down the tail section. Definately a must to check state laws though. Here in indiana sportfish are ok to use as long as they are taken legally, ie single hook and line. You can't go out and sane or cast net for them. Some areas can be more specific about species introduction so watch out for that as well.

Ive never taken a guided trip, but if I did I'm sure I would at least tip a little... however tips are a subject that has always irked me a bit. Most of the normal world does not get "tipped" for doing their job well. Its what should be expected of you every single time. If your not doing your best to satisfy the customer each and every trip than you need another job. To me, a guide needs to do his best everytime to put you on fish. Obviously there will be times the fish just arnt doing what they should and you won't catch much, and thats the risk you take in paying for a fishing trip in the first place. To me it should just be the set price or "all in", both on your side and the guides. The only exception to this could be if you know the guide is making hardly anything and most income is due to tips (like some waiters).

Same as everyone else, Ive had luck with all reels. My best is a shimano Calais... note that I did NOT buy this reel, too rich for my blood. But I have an older rich friend that bought several shimanos and never used them since he's always supplied with them on his guided trips..... so he just GAVE it to me. That reel is amazing, casts forever and reels good, anything youd want. But I also have a few of the BPS extreme baitcasting reels that were like $50 on sale... and honestly they perform almost as well, and alot better for the money in my opinion. BPS makes several other nice choices like the rick clunn and johnny morris series which are a few steps above the extreme but not too crazy high (especially right now with the classic deals going on). I also have two revo's, a S and winch and have liked both so far. I have had a quantum in the past and its the only one I have been dissatisfied with, mostly because it reels rough, but I used it hard. Id recommend going to a store and holding and reeling them, cause many feel different to the hand and there may be one you would prefer.

Sounds like it shouldn't be a problem being as its the headwater for a larger river. Ive seen catfish, gar, carp and the occaisional blugill stackup in the last available holes, but normally bass, blugill, crappie, etc will follow the water out as it falls when levels get low.

The GIANT pontoons always seem to have loading and unloading issues. I definately agree about practice... I loaded and unloaded my little jon boat hundreds of times in strip pits with bascially 0 ramp activity before I ever did it on the bigger lakes and my bigger boats. But thats not always an option for some people so help is always good. Windows definately a good idea, i usually open the back sliding glass on my pickup. Although its not really a pet peave, one good thing is to check your plugs... Ive seen 3 boats sink on ramps since ive started fishing due to this. Seen many of trucks backed too far down also... actually one of my friends backed mine down way too far onetime after hitting the gas instead of the break. Only the very top of the tailgate was visible.. that was the last time I let him drive.

Its just another ford chevy argument really. I personally had a dual pro that didn't work that great for me... banks kept going in and out etc. The unit was over 5 yrs old when I finally decieded to get another one. I called dual pro and complained slightly and they gave me a $100 credit toward a new one... AND said I could keep the old one. It had one good bank left so I just gave it to my dad for his speed boat. I got one of the new 45 amp (3 bank x 15 amps) pro series and it works like a charm. Will charge the batteries in very little time and keeps them floating when standing by. The unit is a little bulky, but in most boats, mounting something dosn't become an issue of an inch or so... so I see that as a very insignificant issue. My biggest problem with it is just it weighs quite a bit. I think it weighs 22lbs or somtehing... but again, if your concerned that a 10lb weight difference is going to sink your boat or something... than I would look a little harder into adding one if the first place. Ive heard good and bad things about all of the other brands too... all it takes is a simple look up of the reviews on BPS or Cabelas or wherever. To each his own.

True that you should probably do most moving with the rod, but what I was thinking is it will slow down the process of picking up the slacking between lure movements. May also be good for slow rolling a spinnerbait etc.

What supplies these ditches and or causes them to continously hold water? I have a few around home that are supplied by a river through pumps for irrigating fields, and when it floods fish get in there. The hold water much of the year but dont get much deeper than 3 or 4 ft, and I imagine alot of stuff dies off when we get cold winters. If I were you and you are just scouting, use something very basic that may catch several species, just to see whats in there. Something like a small crankbait, inline spinner, or road runner jig. Then once you know a species is in there you can go about targeting it specifically.

Yes, I plan on only using mine really for plastics anyways so the cranking isnt much of an issue, I would actually prefer that low ratio to help me slow down. More line dosn't really matter unless you pile it on to where the real dosnt discharge it as designed. Normaly ill put less on those higher capacity reels anyways. Thanks for the input!