billmac

I have an 88 Cajun Maverick. This may seem a silly question, but I'm basically a catch and release guy, and have never used the livewell. But if I do use it, I want to make sure I'm doing it right. The livewell switch seems to run an aerator (pumping water through a CPVC pipe with holes). There is an overflow drain, and a drain with plug in the bottom of the well. What's the procedure? Do I leave it plugged, and simply run the aerator and let it overflow out? I have forgotten to plug it and it filled up of course, but didn't cause any problems (didn't overflow the deck or anything).

My university is hosting the BASS collegiate championships this weekend. We have two teams in the finals out of a field of 125 boats. We have one team in the final day tomorrow, and our second team was tied for the last (12th) spot but was eliminated because the other team had a bigger bag for that day. Not bad for a pretty new club in Yankee land. We're a club, not even recognized as a sport (yet). No scholarships. We don't even have a team boat.

I would limit to downscan, but honestly, I don't think I could defend banning sidescan too vigorously.

I'm all for limiting technology myself.

I think that would work if they alternated getting the front of the boat. What I have in mind is finding the best angler, not the best show. As best that could be accomplished, I think controlling for all other variables other than angler would be key.

My first instinct is the way the old Classics were run. Unknown lake. Limited practice. Identical rigs, and a limit on tackle. No FFS, perhaps downscan only. I would add some of the conservation minded rules that the MLF have implemented. CWR.

So we've talked about this a lot over various threads, but I wanted to get a synthesis of what folks are thinking about tournaments. A wealthy benefactor gives you the opportunity to design and operate a new bass tournament trail. The goal is to find, if you can, the anglers that are truly the best in the field. You are specifically instructed not to worry about sponsors or media ratings. You only want the most versatile, knowledgeable and adaptable anglers to rise to the top. What does that look like?

I love using buzzbaits in the weeds for pike. It's fun, with explosive strikes on the topwater. I like to add a trailer hook with a texas rigged curly tail grub on the trailer hook. That gives you more hooking power and keeps the fairly weedless nature of the lure. Unless you are using a really small buzzbait, or targeting really large fish, you can usually get away without a leader. If you like to eat fish, pike and pickerel are excellent if you fillet around the Y bones.

All my reels but one have braid directly on the reel. I have straight mono on my crankbait reel (although I should have saved a little $$ and used braid as a backer).

Yeah, I've learned the hard way that pike do that. I think I've had more bite offs with braid than the others.

Any of you guys specifically dropshotting with straight braid?

This is inspired by the other line thread that's happening now. Anyone just using braid? I don't mean using braid where everyone uses braid (heavy cover, topwater, etc). I mean worms, jigs, dropshot, the whole shebang.

Uni-knot. It's just about all I've ever used and although I'm sure I've had knots fail in my life, I can't think of any. I only use the palomar for tying the dropshot hook.

I never caught a ton of fish on the JSM, but I always loved the look of it. The Timber King spoon was another that looked awesome coming through the water. When I was a kid, if you were spoon fishing, you were pike fishing. And if you were pike fishing, you were spoon fishing. And if you were spoon fishing for pike, more often than not you were using a red and white Daredevle.

Another NYer! Although Oswego doesn't qualify as Upstate. ?

Yes! I do have two switch boxes!

Strange. I'm on two Mercury I6 Facebook groups, and they always just reference "the trigger". This is my setup.

Must be a slightly different model. Only one required on mine. I'm sure there was only 1 there when I replaced it.

I'm looking at the engine diagram at Boats.net and I only see one.

The trigger was one of our first guess's, but I replaced it and it didn't help.

I've posted a few times on my wonky outboard. 1988 Mercury I6, 115hp. Seems to go through the same thing every year (I've had it for 3 years). First outing, runs well. Next outing, when hitting WOT, it will hesitate before planing out. The rest of the trips, it will just plow through the water at WOT, not enough power to plane out. If I try that 4 or 5 times, letting it rest a bit in between, it will eventually work, and will be fine the rest of the trip. There are some slight variations but that's the normal routine. Last time out, it planed out right away, but was clearly not up to full power. We ran for a minute or so like that and then, pop, you could hear something catch in the motor, and off it went, working beautifully. Like always, it worked fine the rest of the time. Over the last two years I have replaced the spark plugs, needles, seats, floats on the carbs, the primer bulb, the trigger, and rebuilt the fuel pump. All the cylinders are firing when checked with a timing light. I ran it out of a portable fuel tank also. Someone on a Facebook boat group recommended a new stator. My local marinas don't seem to want to work on it. They claim it's too old to get parts, but I seem to be able to get parts just fine. Does it sound like it could be the stator?

Do have experience with Texas rigged Neds? Since we typically use light line, I'm wondering about breakoffs when trying to punch the hook through the plastic.

I was fishing mostly wood and rocks. Bringing up lots of green slime on the jig however.

Fished yesterday in a power reservoir close by. Lots of bites on the ned rig, but a really poor hookup rate. I don't remember the brand, but they are the ones sold at our local Walmart. They have a single wire weedguard, and I'm wondering if that's the problem.

When you watch fishing videos when the host gets weeds on his lure, he does a quick shake and pull, and it's gone? And when you get weeds on your lure, it's like getting gum out of your kid's hair?