powerman970

My old fish and ski was tight and I lubed everything I could find. Finally I was told by the mechanic at my local dealership that the only way I was going to fix it was to replace the steering cable. Maybe worth a shot.

Frogtog nailed it...The only piece of advice that I would add is when you start trimming up do it with short bumps on the trimm switch. Many people will hold the trim switch for a second or two at a time. I trim like I was pulling a trigger and give it a second to take effect and then bump it again until I get it where I want it. Also. if you are running down the lake trimmed out and you want to make a quick turn and stop (like maybe to fish a slough you saw at the last second) I trim all the way down as I am turning. I may be completely off on this and if I am I want to know. It has all been trial and error for me. I just played with a trim switch until I thought I had it figured out.

While I use Zoom finesse worms about 90% of the time, I also like V&M finesse worms. They are very buoyant and when T-rigged you still get a little of the look you get when rigged on a jig head because they float so well. I will rig on a jig head once in a while but I do most of my fishing T-rigged. If you like finesse style fishing one of the best fish producers for me has been a Zoom Fat Albert twin tail grub T-rigged on a 1/0 worm hook. The hook is about the same size as the body of the grub and it drives 'em nuts. I have taken several 5+ pound fish off of the Fat Alberts in the last year or two. A buddy of mine was using the grub as a trailer and I bet him I could catch fish on it by itself. I took his 12 pack.

I think it is a matter of personal preference. I like the Yamaha and bought it because I know several people who own Yamahas and have had good service from them. Buy what you have the most confidence in. I also own a Yamaha V-Star motorcycle and have owned numerous Yamaha dirt bikes over the years. I guess I am just a Yamaha man.

OK...I'm game...Leaving them as we speak. I am however changing the hooks on my Rat-L-Traps to #4 Gamakatsu red trebles.

Thanks Ben. I think I will be replacing them too. I have never replace hooks on any of my cranks but I have never fished crankbaits until recently. I thought it would be a lot of work but I'm enjoying it. Seems like a good idea to go with a higher quality hook.

Seems to me that your parents should be glad you have a hobby other than partying. If it were my child, I would be glad he was making good grades, staying out of trouble and FISHING.

I just got a few Bomber Model "A"'s on sale at Wally World and the trebles appear to be bent. Is this normal and do you guys usually replace the trebles on all your crankbaits with new ones? I also got a couple of Flat "A"'s and those hooks look straight. I think it may be normal because each tine on the hook is uniform. They all look as if they are bent to the left just a little.

I seem to be being bitten quite a bit lately. I think the best thing I have found on this site may be the term "bait monkey". At least now I know who to blame it on. When we go out my wife even refers to him by name.

Bama boy here! WAR EAGLE!!! I live in Leeds and fish Neely Henry about once a week. I also have a house on Bankhead and fish it about once a month.

I consider myself to be a decent fisherman...Part of that is the willingness to try new things and learn from people who are better than me. I have never used swivels of any kind for bass fishing. I use barrel swivels for my catfishing rigs but I am referring to the snap swivel that attaches directly to a lure. My thoughts always were that it would make it easier to change lures quickly without retying but that a large fish might straighten the swivel. I have always fished with one or two rods and I change my line after about every 3 trips so line twist didn't really come into play. Now, I have 16 rods in the boat and respooling has become a chore (not to mention expensive) so I am looking to cut down on line twist so I will only have to respool about every month. My question is: Do you use a snap swivel and if so what brand and size for different fishing applications? I do a lot of worm fishing and do not think I would use them for this but with crankbaits, jerkbaits, topwater and spinnerbaits maybe I should consider it.

OK. First of all, I spoke with my dealer this morning and it is not a factory problem, When they put the motor on my boat at the dealership the mechanic apparently was stoned. Problem is fixed and the boat runs out great. As for why the boat is rated for the smaller motor, I had the same question. Supposedly Stratos wanted to build something to compete with the cheaper aluminum boats so they actually chose the motor and hp rating then designed the boat to match the motor instead of the other way around. The hull design on the boat is not the common V or deep V design of most glass boats. It is more along the line of a skiff. I had a tri hull Cajun with a 140 Johnson on it and let me tell you, at high speed turns it would skip like a rock across the water. They held the hp rating down to accomodate the skiff design of the hull which allowed them to build a more affordable boat. As for myself and others that I have spoken with, the smaller motor and fuel economy were more important than a larger motor that would get down the lake at 80 mph. I can catch as many fish at 34 mph as I can at 80 mph and I'm saving tons on gas. It is a matter of personal preference. If you want to spend $50,000 and run 80 mph that option is out there. I am glad to finally be able to but what seems so far to be a good quality fiberglass boat made by a respectable manufacturer for less than $13,000 brand new. And, the 47 fish we put in the boat Saturday did not seem to know the difference.

I have tried 2 different locations here in Birmingham and am convinced that I have no use for Dick's. Employees are rude and not very well trained and they have absolutely no selection whatsoever. Big store with 2 aisles of fishing stuff. Give me a break, Wal Mart has more. I do my shopping at Academy and online with BPS. They are building a BPS in my town scheduled to open next year so I guess that settles where I will shop. I wouldn't pee on Dick's Sporting Goods if they were on fire, and I told 'em that last time I was in there.

Very good information. Thanks for the input guys, now I think I have the information I need to at least make an informed decision. I am probably going to install the hotfoot but now my interest is up and I think I want to look at the trigger control on the wheel before I do anything. Are they both about the same as far as responsiveness? I assume the install is probably the same concept for both pieces. Is there any way that I can have the hotfoot installed and still keep the stick for an alternative method such as making a long run down the lake? I guess this would require two separate throttle cables so may not even be possible. Maybe we should design and market this idea.

I found my solution. Boat payments are cheaper than gas! I got rid of my gas guzzling 19' Stratos fish & ski with a 150 for a 17 1/2' Stratos with a 50. Been in the water 3 times so far and still have 3/4 tank. I can tell you from my experience that anytime you are full throttle you are burning the hell out of some gas. On the advice of a boat mechanic, I open her up all the way till she planes out, adjust the trim, and throttle back to about 3/4 throttle. Even on long runs I don't hold it wide open for more than short bursts. This seems to help some. I don't know about some of the new technology but I seem to remember hearing or reading somewhere that a good estimate of gas usage for an outboard is 10% of the horsepower per hour at full throttle. For example, a 150 hp motor would burn 15 gal. if you held it wide open for 1 hour straight. I do know that stabilizers are hyped for fuel economy but I put one on the old boat and lost about 5 mph as well as using more gas. It did improve the handling somewhat and get on plane faster but the bad outweighed the good and it was removed pretty quickly. I guess the old saying about a boat being "a hole in the water that you throw money into" is true. You gotta pay to play.

OK. I'm talked into the hotfoot. Now, how hard is it to install myself?

It is inside the motor housing but according to my dealer does not have any effect on the warranty. If you are close to the dealer you may want to take it in but if you are far enough away to not want to drive to the dealership it is a simple fix. It is basically taking a cotter pin out, turning a piece of plastic around and putting the cotter pin back in. Use your best judgement, I simply wanted to inform people of the problem.

I am considering putting a Hot Foot in my new boat. I just have a few questions first. I am only running 50 hp is it even an option at this small a motor and is it practical? I think I would like the foot control better but I am concerned that in rough water you may get some surge from your foot bouncing up and down. I have never had a foot pedal in a boat but I am really liking the idea of it. Any input would be greatly appreciated before I spend the money and decide I don't like it. Also, how hard is it to install if I want to do it myself? Thanks guys...You always seem to have an answer. This forum is awesome.

As I posted before, I have just bought the new Stratos 176. Seems like a great boat and is cheaper than aluminum. The boat was supposed to run about 35 mph with a Yamaha 50 on it. Well, mine would run about 7-10 mph and would not plane out. I take it back to the dealership and a mechanic plays with it and adjusts the throttle cable. No dice, so he adjusts the other cable that pulls the boat into gear. Back on the water yesterday and I still have the same problem. I need the boat running because I'm fishing again today so I bring it home and tear into it myself. I'm not a mechanic by any means but I was desparate. I had my brother-in-law put it in gear and move the throttle while I watched it and noticed that the plastic housing on the throttle cable was hitting the piece of metal that actually puts the boat in gear. When you put it into gear, the first cable pulls until the boat goes into gear and then the throttle starts advancing. Well' we scratched our butts and drank a cold beer then finally, after looking at it for about 10 minutes and trying to figure out how I'm gonna take the housing off and cut it down for clearance, I notice that on the housing is stamped the word "UP". Took it off turned it up and now she runs great. Called a buddy that had bought the same boat but not had it in the water yet and his was the same way. I suspect this will be a recall but it is a simple 2 minute fix. If anyone is having this problem shoot me a pm and I'll send pics if you need them to fix it. You don't need any mechanical ability or tools other than a pair of needle nose to pull a cotter pin.

All V&M brand worms are floaters I believe. I know the finesse worms float, that's why I like them. Also, BPS makes a floating worm and so does Berkley. Check the Basspro website, they have several.

One thing I have discovered about power company impoundments that effects fishing more than anything else. CURRENT! This has applied to every power company lake I have fished. I call and get the generation schedule for the impoundment before fishing and when they flip the switch, so do the fish. It's as if these fish are trained, I suppose the movement of water stirs up all kind forage. I fish the downstream side of structure such as pilings, stumps etc. where the fish locate themselves to get a break from the current and, I guess, to ambush prey. The bite generally will pick up on the lower end of the lake near the flood gates sooner than on the upper end and keep in mind that there is still movement after the gates are closed. If they are generating from 1:00 to 4:00 I generally will get my best fishing from 2:00 to 5:00. One other discovery I have made is that on man-made impoundments where they have dammed an existing river to create a lake is that when it flooded, the old river channel is usually very defined and may be 40' deep while the rest of the lake will have a depth of 12'-20' gradually sloping upwards toward the bank. In the winter and summer I concentrate on the area around the main channel and in the spring and fall when the water is more suitable I fish secondary creeks and pound the banks. I hope this helps. Robert

Ben, I live in Birmingham. I don't know where you will be fishing but if I can help in any way let me know. I'm no expert but have fished several local lakes for a while now. Good luck.

Thanks for the help guys. At least now I have a backup plan. I have actually already rigged 2 rods with jigs so we are thinking along the same line. I have never fished a jerkbait and am totally unfamiliar with the bait and technique. Any pointers?

Hi guys. I am new to the board and need some help. I am breaking in a motor this weekend on my new rig and I know it will turn into a fishing trip. Problem is, it's gonna be cold dammit Saturday. Looks like I'll be 1 day behind the first cold front and 1 day in front of the next. My bait of choice is a finesse worm rigged Texas or a Shakey Head and I usually like to beat the banks and piers with this set up. I don't know that this will work in 45-50 degree water so I am looking for some pointers on what to try if and when I fail miserably. My immediate thoughts are to go bigger and slow way down. My main question is what kind of structure should I be looking for in these conditions. Keep in mind I will be on a power company lake with an average channel depth of about 20-25'. Air temp should be in the forties and I expect water temp maybe, hopefully, in the low fifties. If it is of any help to know I will be fishing Lake Neely Henry in Northeast Alabama. Thanks in advance. Robert

In this order: Zoom, NetBait, V&M, Culprit. V&M would top the list because they float so well and are irresistible on a Shaky head but they tear up really easily.