Captain Phil

One of the most frightening things that ever happened to me. The wash down pump shorted out. Without being properly fused, the wire from the battery to the pump started burning. I smelled the electrical fire from the bridge when the instruments shut down. When I opened the engine hatch, smoke pored out. I shut off the battery switches manually. Thankfully the boat had twin diesels and kept running. The smoke quit, but I had no instruments or radio. The only thing I was thinking about was what it was going to be like floating in a cooler 30 miles out in the Gulf Stream. When we made it back, I got on my knees and thanked God for looking after us. Never ever install any electrical device on a boat without a fuse.

Déjà vu? Years ago I was fishing with a friend in Canada. It was early September. It was a windy day with temperatures in the 40s. We were 40 miles down Lac Seul when we decided to stop for lunch. We beached the boat on a large rock and both got out. My friend immediately found an Indian arrowhead in the sand. After looking at for a few minutes, I turned around and saw the boat drifting off into the bay we were in. I was stunned. My buddy knew exactly what to do. He immediately stripped off all his clothing, dove in and swam after the boat. He caught up with the boat and brought it back to shore. As he stood there totally naked, I asked him if he was cold? My buddy was a bear of a man, about 5' 9" and 250 pounds. He was from Omaha and white as a new born baby seal. He said the water was warmer than the air temperature. He seemed fine as he put his clothes and shoes back on. I asked him why he took off his clothes? He said if his clothes got wet in that weather, he would have froze to death. Over the years my friend and I had many other adventures. We never forgot the Canadian skinny dip.

If you don't like snakes, alligators or creatures that go bump in the night, you should stay out of the Everglades. I camped, hunted and fished the Everglades in my youth to well into my fifties. I never saw anything I couldn't explain. I never saw a Big Foot, aliens or anything that scared me. I fished alone in the summer at night 20 miles out from the ramp. Fishing alone was stupid. I saw alligators bigger than my boat. I saw huge snakes and baby raccoons too. The Everglades is a wonderful place. The problem with humans is they build houses where they shouldn't. A hundred and fifty years ago, all of South Florida from Lake Okeechobee to the Keys was a swamp. They drained the swamp to develop the land. Many of the homes are less than a mile from the Everglades levy. They ran out of buildable lots years ago. The animals were there for thousands of years before man arrived, so it's no surprise what you may find in your yard.

I fished the Everglades most of my life. Moved to Central Florida in 1996. The Everglades Canals are a different world. Fishing can be fantastic when the water is low. As soon as the summer thunderstorms start around July, the water rises and the fish seem to disappear. It's like someone poisoned the water. The fish move out of the canals and go back into the flats where they disperse. Back in the day, we used to park the boat and walk the levy. The ponds behind the levy were full of bass. Later we found some tiny canals that were hardly lines on a map. They were crystal clear and ran for miles. Few people went to the trouble of fishing these places. It was worth the effort.

I could fill this forum with stupid things I did with boats. Since you asked about ramp debacles, here are my "Greatest Hits". Back in the nineties, I ordered a new 18' Ranger bass boat with a 175. My wife and I were launching this boat at a small ramp in South Florida. The ramp was half sand and half concrete with a huge pot hole on one side. I had the trailer winch disconnected and the hold down straps removed. As I backed the boat in the water, one trailer tire went in the hole. To get it out, I decided to stab the gas on my truck thinking I could power my way out. As the trailer tire came out of the hole, my new boat slid off the trailer and fell on the ramp. Somehow we managed to winch the boat back on the trailer. The bottom was scratched up, but nothing permanent. Another time, I was at Slim's Fish Camp in Bell Glade. My buddy and I were loading my boat at the ramp. The ramp was full of water hyacinths when I backed the trailer down. My buddy drove the boat on the trailer as I watched out the back window of the truck. As I watched, I saw him jump out of the boat and run past my window at full speed. I got out of the truck to see what had happened. He pointed to the boat and sitting on the deck behind the driver's seat was a huge black snake. It must have washed into the boat when we came off plane. Once when I was fishing in the Everglades late at night, I misplaced my truck keys at the ramp. I looked for what seemed like an hour and couldn't find them. My boat and truck were both stuck at the ramp. Around 2 AM, I called my wife to bring me another set of keys. She had to get out of bed and drive 30 minutes to the ramp. As soon as she pulled in the parking lot, I found my keys in the pocket of my rain suit. It took a long time before that stunt was forgotten. I left the plug out of my boats so many times I can't remember them all. Most of the time, I had to go for a swim to put it back in. I've watched tournament pros launch their boats with the straps still on. I once watched Doug Gilley and John Fox pull off this stunt to the delight of all onlookers. I once had a fire on one of my boats because I didn't properly fuse a wash down pump. What made this extra scary was I was 30 miles offshore in the Gulf Stream. If you want to see some things that will make your day, watch the Bill Dance videos on YouTube. They are hilarious.

5/1 reels are perfect for spinnerbaits. Most anglers fish spinnerbaits too fast. Finding the right cadence is very important in spinnerbait fishing. When your bait is "in the zone", good things happen.

Downsizing works for largemouth bass too. When the bite gets tough, try flipping a Zoom 4" finesse worm.

Yamaha outboards are very reliable. I have had a bunch of them from bass boats to a 30 foot offshore boat with twin 200s. I have had Mercury engines too. Both are great engines. Both need to be serviced regularly by someone who knows what they are doing. Your decision may be influenced by availability of service. Today's modern outboards are much more reliable than they used to be. If you are worried about the price of gas, you don't want a 225 hp bass boat of any kind.

The first thing I would do is check the fuel. If you are using pump gas, it most likely contains alcohol. Alcohol attracts moisture. You could have water in your fuel or a clogged fuel filter. Drain all the fuel out of your engine, clean or replace the fuel filter, fill it with new gas and see what happens.

There is no way to fish a Johnson spoon that will not catch fish. Most people I know use a slow steady retrieve. Back in the day, we did not have reels that could cast a light plastic frog. A Johnson spoon allows you to fish large areas of topped out grass. You can throw them a country mile covering more water.

A Johnson spoon is made for fishing heavy topped out grass. Use twenty pound mono or 30 pound braid at a minimum.

Here's the sharpener you want.

I understand why some people use snaps or snap swivels. It isn't easy for older people with arthritis or coordination issues to retie every time they wish to change lures. If you are capable, you should know this is costing you fish. In the north where toothy fish exist, you don't have much choice. If you have a choice, always tie your line directly to the lure.

Nothing works all the time except dynamite. There are many reasons why the Johnson spoon gained popularity. It was one of the first truly weedless lures. Back when I was fishing the Everglades and Lake Okeechobee, there were good fisherman that never used anything else. Most of them used a pork rind trailer. Everglades fisherman used a black spoon, sometimes with a black worm trailer. It's also a relatively heavy lure, so you could cast it farther with the reels we had back then. This lure works best in short grass. It's hard to fish in tall reeds.

The Hildebrandt Snagless Sally is still made today. I don't use it, but I do use their spinnerbaits. For those who don't know, Hildebrandt has been making lures forever. Their spinner blades flash much more than the cheaper blades you find in Walmart. You can hold them in your hand and see the difference. The wire Hildebrandt uses is also thinner. This makes the lure vibrate more than one with thicker wire. I don't work for Hildebrandt and they aren't paying me to say these things. They are worth the money.

There will always be an initial loss in resale value when you buy a new car or a boat. If you get a bargain, you can reduce the amount of that loss. Factors like brand reputation and warranty can also affect this amount. Some boats hold their value better than others. The location of the boat is also a factor. For example, it's hard to sell a bass boat in the Bahamas and difficult to sell a flats boat in Montana. High end pontoon boats lose more value than cheaper models. If deprecation is important to you, you may be better off buying a boat that is a few years old. Some people buy a boat and never use it. As long as it's been well maintained and passes an expert's inspection, I wouldn't be too concerned. My biggest concern would be with the motor. Newer outboards are much more reliable than they used to be. Do your research. Make sure there is someone local that can work on your boat. You don't want to have to tow your boat 200 miles to get it serviced.

If you look back in time you will see the first Heddon lures were frog imitations. Beul spinners were being made in the 1800s. Al Foss was making buzz baits before we were born. The plastic worm was the first truly new bass lure and even they were similar to the pork rind eels our great grandfather's used. A hundred years ago flipping was called doodle socking and was done with a jigger pole. Every lure or bass fishing method we have today owes it's inspiration to anglers of the past.

Lots of great lures are forgotten in time. Anyone remember the Snagless Sally?

Yes. I like the 1/2 oz. size. The bigger spoons tend to hang in the grass.

I rig my Johnson spoons with a Zoom split tail trailer. Cut off about a 1/2 inch and tread it on the hook so it looks like a flog's legs. It gives you the capabilities of a frog with the flash of a spoon. The hook on a Johnson spoon needs to be sharpened before you use it.

Years ago bass fishing was a poor man's sport. Some of those country bumpkins have been catching bass since they were three. I like nice boats and quality tackle as much as anyone. However, anyone with the resources can look like an expert at the ramp. It's what happens at the weigh-in that makes the difference.

Tournament fishing adds another dimension to fishing. You see what other anglers do and learn from their experience. I remember my first tournament way back in the late sixties. My boat wasn't fancy and I was intimidated by the big boats and jackets full of lure patches. Over the years I learned you can't catch bass by throwing money at them. I saw country boys catch huge bags of bass with tackle I would have thrown away. The best way to learn bass fishing is to listen to those who catch bass, not just talk about it. Some people grow egos when they join a bass club. Take a stealth approach and let your results do the talking.

Glen, great job on this video! You've covered a lot of ground here. The Johnson's spoon is one of the world's best forgotten lures.

I ran a 150 Yamaha on a Skeeter Bass boat for about ten years. The only problem I ever had was an overheating issue. Intermittently, the cooling stream would slow to a trickle followed by the alarm. After many attempts, the dealer pulled the heads and found the water jackets were clogged. They cleaned out the water jackets and I never had another problem. If you have a steady cooling stream, your water pump is working. If you still have issues, you may want to check out the powerhead. I have seen boats where the engine mounting height or obstructions on the boat itself caused intermittent overheating.

Where would you hang out in the heat of summer? Would you stay out in the hot sun or cool off in the shade? Going deep here in Florida is meaningless. Our best summer spots are boat docks, bridge pilings and weed beds. By 9 AM, the morning bite is over. That's when I get out my flipping stick and head to the deepest thickest cover I can find. There is one exception and that is bass chasing schools of bait fish. I have been in 93 degree water with schooling bass hitting all around me. My best schooling bass lure is a fluke.