TommyBass

If it were me I would paint the top and lower sections different colors, kind of old school style. Maybe like an olive drab green and off white or something like that, or maybe a deep blue and white.

Do you have a main bus? Check that and be sure that your main power supply is tightly secured. I had similar problems with electrical cut outs and all it was was the main supply to the bus was loose and would cut in and out after hitting waves.

Anybody used one? Likes or dislikes? I have one of the original revos and it works alright... just wondering.

I generally use all the same rods for all techniques as well. Most of my rods are 7' MH and I generally use only mono, although flourocarbon or light mono are required in very clear water. I have acquired several different reels but I don't think they really matter as much other than ratios. To me, having too many different setups can just make things more confusing and at times can limit your fishing abilities more than they expand them.

If Im thinking about what your thinking about than yes... they do have to be plugged into a 120v outlet. The term "onboard charger" simply means you permenantly mount the charger to your boat and wire it to your battery (1 bank) or batteries (2 batteries = 2bank, 3batteries = 3 bank). They make charging easier so when your done for the day and park your boat, whether it be trailered at your garage or in a marina slip, all you have to do is plug the one plug in on your boat into a 120 v outlet and it charges all of your batteries. Saves you the time of having to carry around a charger and move it from battery to battery etc.

Feels good don't it? I live in central IN too and got to go out the other day for just a little bit. It was around 60 out but the wind was about 25mph, water temp was around 42. I didn't bass fish too much, more or less tinkered with my boat and checked electronics but I did catch a crappie. Im surprised you caught them in that cool of water on a lipless crank... and that shallow even. I'd figure they would still pretty much be frozen in winter mode out deeper. Can't wait for warmer weather and perminantly open water!!

basser: I live near tons of strips pits in the sullivan area and fish minnehaha and dugger unit quite frequently... where abouts is your pit located? They can be very hard are quite easy to fish, depending on the individual pit and its available structure and cover. I have actually did quite well this time of year fishing deep drop offs ( 45- 65 ft ) with jigs. Spring time is tricky because the water is so spooky and usually close quarters that you will have trouble sneaking up on fish. Try small lures with long casts. If you give me some more detail... ie location, clarity, weeds, structure, cover, etc I will try to help you out some more... they offer good opportunities.

High of 56 dosn't really tell me much... thats a warm day up north and cold down south. What is the current water temperature? Off of that you can base your approach on whether or not the rain is going to warm or cool your water. If your water is cold and you get that much rain and it warms the water, the murky water will also hold heat better. I would go to where the warmest water meets the sunniest shorelines. But if that cools your water down much then the fish are probably going to move out a little deeper and I would focus more on points... all depends on the water temperature though. Bluebird sunnyy skies with a NE wind wont help either way though.

Personally I have had 2 90 hp 2 strokes... a merc and a force. I will never go back to that. I am now running a 90 yamaha 4 stroke and its a world of difference. 2 Strokes are lighter and maybe a little faster. The fast part is mostly due to the weight though. They are also usually a bit physically smaller. They require mixing oil. Depending on the motor this can be as hassel or not that bad. My merc had a reservoir for your oil and it automatically injected it, not to bad just had to pay attention... the force however you had to sit there at the gas station with a measuring cup and do the ratio required... its a pain and a mess. 2 Strokes also burn dirtier than a 4 stroke.. both emmisions and internally. I have had to change the plugs out on a 2 stroke on several occaisions during just 1 fishing season. They are normally VERY tempermental and cold natured, especially on the first startup of the day. 4 Strokes are obviously the opposite of what I just said. They are heavier, larger, and a bit slower. But I feel their maintenance is easier and they seem much more reliable. They also get much better mpg or gph fuel usage. 4 strokes are DEFINATELY quieter. I went through this same deceision with my new boat last fall. With my 18 ft jon, a 90 2 vs a 90 4 the differences were as follows. 4 strk was 4 mph slower with top end of 42 and about 100 lbs heavier. 4 strk was several gph better on fuel usage. Ease of start with the 4 stroke is so much better its not close. It is also so quiet sometimes I have to look back to see if its running. 4 strk $800 more.. which isnt much considering your buying a new boat. Not sure how true it is but my dealer said 2 strokes will be fased out of production with the next few years. If thats true, parts and maintenance on those will increase quite a bit. I was VERY close to buying the 2 stroke and changed my mind at the last second and it was the best deceison I made for that new boat. Think long and hard about it, its a bigger deceision then you think if you use your boat very much.

Livebait: Shiner: 10lb 13 oz Artificial: Rebel Pop-R : 7lb 8oz

Ive taken many decals off of boats and 4 wheelers (aluminum, fiberglass, and plastic). Nothing works better than a normal hair dryer fairly close to the sticker, then peel with fingers / soft rubber putty utensil. Once the main sticker is gone there will still be residue. Go back over it with a product like GOO GONE or one of the other adhesive break-up brands and a soft cloth. On really stubborn areas let some of the goo gone sit for awhile then use your fingernail to scratch it off. When done wash with warm soapy water, I dont like that stuff to stay filmed on there forever. You'll never know it was there!

Sometimes switching your boat is overated, but really its case by case basis. Unless its a huge upgrade many times youll long for the familiarity of the old rig. I had that boat only a 1996. Loved the boat, although the gel coat fogged up real bad in its later years. The motor on the other hand I had alot of troube with. It was a 75hp Force. Everything else about the boat was great though. Since then I upgraded to a 2003 18ft triton then went back to a 18 ft john boat because I hated to keep care of the pretty new gel coat. Its all in the user, the lake, and what you need.

I agree that unless you drive like a maniac, your hull will hold it, thats what its designed to do and one of the reasons for HP limitations on your boat. That being said, I feel a good comprimise between the two is to use a transom saver with a spring. I had one that had an internal sleeve with spring, so as your motor bounced on say a railroad track, its not stopped with a jar but rather a gradual increase in pressure as it compresses the spring. But it was enough to keep it from over extending if the case ever arose. Im not sure it ever saved me anything but I know it didnt ever hurt it either.

Anyone have any "lessons learned" from doing your own boat plumbing concerning through hull fittings? Im getting ready to wire up a new livewell and have to drill into my 0.100 thick aluminum hull. Its my first time doing such a thing so I want to make sure I got all my ducks in a row I'd planned on just a normal 1" fitting tightened down with marine grade sealant.

You need to look at the tow ratings for your vehicle, that would help. That really is not that heavy of a boat and would think that a small 4 cyl truck ought to pull it just fine. That high of miles makes it a little worse, Id be weary to give that thing full throttle but if it seems good then your probably ok, just take out of overdrive. Definately check the breaks... dosnt do any good to start pulling something you can't stop. Just take it slow until you get a good feel for that combination. Also, it helps control the trailer better if you have most of the weight near the front closest to the hitch, so take out any uneccessary weight and either put it in the bed or close to the front of the boat, should help any sway issues.

Hopefully your hidden hand isn't holding some sort of weapon ;D

You could probably go ahead and mount it to the aluminum bench seat and build your deck around that when you are ready. Wouldn't ever have to move it that way. Plus it would probably give it more stability there. There are many types of mounts / seats available, I would just do what suits you best.

Great ideas... I have been planning on doing something very similar with the built in cooler / seat on my boat. My livewell is only 11 gallons so I need something a little bigger. Something like this should work for me too, just want to get it right the first time so I don't ruin my seat/cooler

"Upper refers to end of lake that water flows into. Lower refers to area of lake that water flows out." x2..... Most of the time the upper end is more northern than the lower end just because in most parts of North America water flows from North to South. However there are many places this isn't true. A general rule of thumb for many reservoirs is that the upper end will have shallower, dirtier water while the lower end will have clearer, deeper water.

Ive not did much river fishing, but in lakes when the water is that cold I tend to go when its the warmest out. Normally its not going to matter to the fish much because at the depths they hold in lakes, the temperature isnt going to change much throughout the day, its more of a comfort factor for the fisherman Morning and evening (lowlight) can still trigger better feeding activity though and in some cases with clear water the level of light will still effect the fish's depth somewhat even in the winter. If there is any industry with hot water discharge I would focus around that at the times of discharge. Definately finding any kind of forage would be nice. I would probably look for the deeper pools with slack water if it were me and go from there.

I agree... unless you had some engine spalsh over or significant rain 4" is enough to be concerned about. Normally I like to see NO water in the back of my boat after fishing but you can get some from fish, spray, rain etc. Even if you are just getting a skim in there from a small leak you don't know its going to stay a small leak. You should probably fix it before the small leak deciedes he wants to grow up.

Im only 24 so I never really thought much about that. I do jump out of the boat alot, guess I may want to slow that down. Normally I always run / jog up the ramp once getting out, always felt like it kept me in shape but I could be expediting the inevitable. I have always wondered what all of the revolutions around the reel would do to my wrist. Does anyone have wrist trouble yet?

Is there anyway to reduce the voltage in a wire? I am looking into putting a lowrance on the front of my boat but I am not sure if I have any 12 V supply up there. I know the 24 volt system for the trolling motor is up there. My boat is very hard to run wires through, requiring nothing short of a deck disassembly to get it done. So I was wondering if there was a way to run the 12 volt chart off of the TM's power?

No, but if I were you Id try to keep it simple and make it permanant. Maybe attach a shaft permantly to the back of the boat and run a shaft through that one with wheels on it. Just make sure your wheels provide enough clearance to role the boat. Maybe add sometype of handle to the front for easier lifting. To me it seems like alot of trouble to use an actual dolly style lift and pick your boat up and set it on then wheel it down and pick it back up and off again... wheels hanging down into the water shouldn't hurt you much if you use the right materials. There are several small boats out there that come this way from the factory now you could look at for help.

I have one I use to charge a deep cycle battery at my cabin. Just ran the cables from its mounting post out in the open underground to the battery inside my cabin. Definately keeps it charged for running a DC 60watt bulb periodically, but the battery will still drain with extended use (trolling motors). I would say it would be great to keep a battery up at say a boat dock if you were only using it periodically but as a primary charger for run down TM batteries NO.