TOXIC

Fishing for their own $$ still. When are they going to come up with a system where “professionals” are not fishing for their entry fees. 😒

I have a very basic question…..Where are they getting the payout $$ with no sponsors? They say it’s higher payout based on the savings each angler has from less electronics, no practice, etc. That doesn’t explain where they get the purse $$ from. They also state their trail is not for the common angler, it’s for touring pros.

I met a buddy at the Potomac River one day. We were launching from Leesylvania and going across the river to Mattawoman. River is probable 3 miles wide where we put in. He knows the river well so he didn’t even bring his electronics (we were in a NITRO 911). Not far from shore we entered a thick fog bank. As we idled, we heard other fishermen talking and even boats running on plane. After about 45 minutes the fog was starting to clear and as we emerged…..we were right back at Leesylvania where we started! Currently, we do fish in the fog, it’s a constant on the hot side of lake Anna due to the warmer water.

Y’all can think whatever you want but remember, this is 1 year old fuel that was in my boat stored outside. It was treated with seafoam, stabil, and Yamaha ring free. Look good to you? It’s totally bad and phase separated. I will admit, it came out of the in line fuel filter but the fuel that came directly out of the tank was bad and phase separated as well. It obviously had the same treatments added. I was in the e10 camp for many years and have never blown an engine or had fuel problems but I can’t deny what I see with my own eyes.

For the holidays, I just used good ol Jack Daniels mixed with a whisp of coke a cola to take the edge off all of the high drama at my house. Was a lifesaver on back to back nights. 😉😋

Of the two tidal rivers I fish, the Potomac and the Rappahonock, I would choose the Rappahonock to winter fish. Fortunately for us, we have access to the hot side of lake Anna so, we have transitioned over to that for the winter. Yes, we are spoiled. 😋

The debate about storage with either full or empty tanks in marine applications has raged on for years. Some say the more empty the tank the more room for moisture. The other side says that may have been true when tanks were metal but with the poly tanks all bass boats have now, there is no temperature induced “sweating” or moisture. I’ve read Dons posts for years and even witnessed him get into a heated confrontation with someone I knew who is a Mechanical Engineer and made it a personal vendetta to post every fuel additives MDS sheet and even contacting companies if it was not public and then breaking down the additives into their active ingredients which many times were nothing more than kerosene and believe it or not, ethanol because it is an effective cleaning agent. He considered every gas treatment snake oil. He had like 20 pages of product reviews. He made some good points and Don disagreed with him.

Getting all jazzed up for my 2 favorite dinners of the year. Christmas Eve clam chowder and Christmas dinner of prime rib and Yorkshire pudding and all the sides. We just installed all new appliances (stove, fridge, microwave and dishwasher) so it will be our first holiday meal with the new stove. Really disappointed we could not do a gas stove even though we are on gas to the house, running new lines and exhaust is just too much. So, it’s a new convection oven and glass cooktop.

Condolences never seem to be enough. You have mine nonetheless.

I was told by one of the premier Yamaha builders that since my particular motor does not have a knock sensor, so regardless of the ethanol, non ethanol debate, I should run mid grade. He also said there was absolutely no need for premium. I accidentally put E85 in my old Mercury 225 efi once. It ran like crap but it ran.

Boat has been run on ethanol since I’ve owned it but this is the first time it has sat idle for any length of time. Ethanol may not be bad if constantly cycled but it’s definitely not good sitting idle.

@softwateronly do you mean they are stiffer or softer than what is rated?

I was very, very disappointed with the condition of the fuel after just 1 year. I knew it would be degraded but I did not think it would be as rancid as it was. What the picture doesn’t show is the water at the bottom of that container.

Since the new owner of Yamamoto, GSM Outdoors just acquired Phenix Rods, I have some learning to do. I honestly have not used that product and would like to hear from anyone who has. Quality, price, market reputation, etc., I’m all ears. Educate me.

Well, if we follow the “Pros” lead, none of them I see backreel anymore. What I do see is most every one of them furiously hand stripping line when they hook up. It’s comical to me. I am a finesse fisherman first and foremost so my drags on spinning reels are meticulously set and I use them. If I have to hand strip line, then my drag is not set correctly in my opinion. Now don’t even get me started on bail triggers. 🤣

Just a little reminder for all of you who either rehab or purchase a boat that has gone unused for an extended period of time. Since I fish with a good friend most of the time, my boat has sat outside undercover for approximately 1 year. It is a 2005 Z21 with a 250 HPDI 2 stroke Yamaha. For the purposes of this post, I’m just going to cover the fuel system and what we did (and have yet to do) to get it ready for the water. First things first, all of the fuel in my dual tanks had to come out. The best way to get the most fuel out, is to pull the seats, remove the dual sending units and use a battery powered transfer pump into a portable tank for proper disposal. I have a 14 gallon portable that we use on fishing trips to places where fuel is not as accessible. Next, it is time to replace all of the fuel related filters. First is the oil filter size water separator in the bilge, next is the engine mounted clear viewing filter on the side of the motor and finally the high pressure filter in the VST, behind the aluminum cover on the side of the motor. Depending on your motor manufacturer, you need to locate all of the filters and change them out. Once all of the filters have been changed, we put 5 gallons of non-ethanol fuel mixed with 1 can of Seafoam in one of my tanks and let the motor run to temperature. Next on the list and what we have to do to finish up is to pull the injectors and take them to a shop where they can be flow tested and cleaned. If you do not feel comfortable pulling the injectors and ordering all of the associated gaskets, washers and O-rings to put them back on after they are cleaned, for sure take the entire boat to the shop. This is only a small portion of bringing my boat back up to operating status and if you want, I’ll continue to chronicle the process. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

@SnaggedAgain HaHa. I have no problem sharing those colors. I set that box up depending on where I will be fishing. That grouping is from left to right, Goby, 297,297, 955, 955, 955, 305 (Baby Bass) and finally 901. This set was for the Rappahonock River over a few trips. I’ll be re-doing it for Florida and I will restock it differently for Michigan and lake St Clair.

Good for you and especially for your furry companion. We haven’t been ready for a new dog since we put our weimaraner down a couple of years ago. He was our second weim and we really like the breed. Now that I’m retired and my wife is getting ready to retire, maybe we will look into it. Our first weim bonded with me and our second bonded with my wife, they each had their jobs and did them well. It was so painful losing them that we needed time to heal.

Dang it, I’ll have to go look at the inside of my wedding ring.😂. I’m terrible with dates. I do know it’s 30 plus years. I don’t wear my wedding ring because it makes a nasty callous on my finger fishing. Plus, we wanted really nice wedding rings so mine has diamonds on it and I would hate to lose it or get mugged, so it’s put away for special occasions.

29 degrees right now here in northern Virginia. Heading out soon to continue the rehabbing of my boat. It’s at my buddies who has a heated garage. We’ve pulled the seats, emptied the gas tanks, pulled the lower unit, new impeller, and today we start on the fuel filter system. Since it’s a Yamaha 2 stroke, it’s got a lot of fuel filters plus 2 water separators and a vst filter. Next big task is to pull the injectors and take them in for cleaning and flow testing.

Pretty much all of my Yamamoto plastics are in Plano boxes. I keep them color matched or close to it to minimize the bleed between colors. Sometimes the blended color baits work better than the originals. 😉

Texas rigged Senko. Every day and twice on Sunday.

Do you think Bass Pro makes their own crankbaits? Of course they don’t. Figure out who does and you might be surprised by who it is. Probably a top tier more expensive crankbait manufacturer that allows BPS to rebrand them. I know that was the deal years ago when I was pro staff for both Bass Pro and SPRO. BPS wanted SPRO to manufacture their line of XPS cranks and they refused. It started a small dispute that, for a while, resulted in some SPRO products being pulled from inventory and shelves at BPS.

@Captain Phil, I don’t want to question your stance since you live there and fish there and I cannot attend meetings from here in Virginia but I do have friends that are heavily involved in the spraying controversy and while you state all the non fishing reasons for the spraying which I have heard before and I totally agree with, none of the advantages you claim for fishing has ever been brought up at the meetings from those that fish. I’ve read the transcripts. Add to that starving manatees, freshwater fish kills and a lot of other issues like the mass chemical dumpings, I have yet to hear of the fishing benefits from biologists, scientists, FWC or it’s contractors. I suspect all the big $$ you referenced in residential and commercial use as well as pleasure boating which is a lot more popular than fishing, is the real reason behind the spraying. You’ve said your wife is/was in real estate so you know exactly where the $$ resides. You’ll not find a single fisherman who frequents Okeechobee say the spraying has been in any way positive for the fishery. The spraying justification has always been to eliminate invasive plants.

Tons of fun. Never targeted, common to catch and on a Ned with 6lb test, it’s a hoot.