jbmaine

I've just got a small boat, 14ft lund WC Delux, and I don't have a trolling motor. This is my second year with the Helix. Last year it worked fine. I've just picked up a new battery and hope to get out soon and see if it fixes the issue. Thanks Jim

Thanks for the replies, The Helix is wired direct to the battery, as is the motor( I have only one battery). I picked up a new battery and will see if this corrects the issue. The old battery was 5 yr's old so a new one was due any why. Thanks for the help Jim

Bite-blocker Best stuff I've ever used. Jim

hi all, Got out for the first time this year and had something strange happen. My helix 5 would be at times shut off , and I could not turn it on. I kept playing with it and finally found out the following things. The Helix would shut off every time I started the motor. I could not turn it back on unless I unplugged it and plugged it back in. Then I could turn it back on. If I turned it off before starting the motor I could turn it on once the motor was running. When running the motor it would charge the battery at around 14.5 volts. After shutting off the motor the battery showed a surface charge of 12.6 volts but within a minute was down to 12 volts. I am thinking I have a weak battery and starting the motor ( it started fine) would draw the battery down low enough to turn off the Helix, and the Helix has to be replugged back in to "reset it". Does this sound reasonable and has anyone else seen anything like this? I'm thinking I need a new battery. Jim

Finally got out today. Found the water temp at 58 degrees. Could not get a LM bite, but the smallies were more willing. Nothing big( 2lb 8oz was the largest) but a lot of fun. Let the season begin!!!!!!! Here's a couple of pics Thanks for looking Jim

I grew up in Rye and remember my great uncle taking me to the eel pond for hornpout. It was also full of white perch. I had no idea there were bass in there. I have a picture from the early 1900's of farmers harvesting salt grass from the eel pond for their cows. Jim

When I was younger I knew an older gentleman who only fished at night. He would troll a jitterbug just off the shore line. I went with him a few times. We always caught bass. Jim

Don't sweat the spelling, I can't spell for crap. As for disabilities, my wife has several. She is also blind in one eye, but what makes fishing hard for her is tendinitis in both hands, arms. She has very little strength in her hands and arms. To overcome this we work as a team. She can only use a spin cast reel with a lite lure ( a weightless senko). Her cast is kind of a two handed lob that seldom goes where she wants. When she catches a fish I have to reel it in for her. I have spent a lot of time getting her untangled from bushes, branches, on the shore line. She has had to give up many things , but to help her continue to fish and be out on the water ( both of which she absolutely loves) is one of the great joys in my life. I wouldn't dream of going out without her. And yes, She can still out fish me at times. I would look at it as only a disability if it keeps you from doing something. And overcoming it makes you all the better for it. Jim

Mine is Mousam lake ME. We had a camp there when I was a kid. It's where I learned to fish, swim, and water ski. Unfortunately we had to sell it when I was 13. I'm 62 now and still dream of it. My wife and I still fish there but I always get sad when we go past the old camp. Jim

Thanks for all the kind remarks and thoughts. Should the worst happen we are crunching numbers to see if there is any possible way I can retire. I am soon to be 63 and I'm not sure I have it in me to start over. On the plus side, should the worst happen I'll get to bore all of you with my daily fishing reports. LOL Last year My wife and I found a gem of a pond. Hit a new PB of 7lb 1oz LM, and saw a bigger one ( it actually chased a 2lb SM I had hooked around the boat) We have been so looking forward to getting back there and giving it the attention it deserves. Maybe I should be more careful what I wish for. Thanks again Jim

The place I work went chapter 11. I've just heard we may not make it. I'll know in a couple of weeks. Upon hearing this my first thought was " all the free time I'll have for fishing!" That's kind of sad and funny at the same time. Jim

Thanks for the info. To me the bare lead part is interesting. I'm thinking of painting my bare lead tackle, weighted swim bait hooks, etc. I spend a lot of my time fishing the Acton area. We have a green Lund WC delux with a 20 hp Honda on it. If you ever see us swing by and say hi. on a side note, I picked up my PB in that area last yr. 7.1lb LM Jim

Thanks for the replies. I'll bite the bullet spend the $$$. Jim

Hi all, I have a 20hp Honda on my Lund WC Delux. Every spring I give it a complete tune up. Every 2-3 yrs. I do the water pump. I always use fuel stabilizer in the gas and run the motor dry after every use. Every fall the motor comes off the boat and spends the winter in my heated basement. It is ten yrs, old and starts every time. I don't troll with it, just run to a spot and fish. I will continue to do everything needed to keep it running like a top. However, this year I am finding myself in a $$$ crunch. ( my overtime at work is gone for at least months) Looking at my fishing log for last year we did more fishing than running around. I don't think I ran more than 15 gals of gas through it all summer. So my question is, do you think it is necessary to do a complete tune up this year, or can I save some $$ without risking the motor Your thoughts on this would be very appreciated. Thanks Jim

Jim from southern Maine here. All the waters around me are open but I've yet to get my boat in the water. Hope to soon and will start to report local conditions. Where do we stand on the lead ban? Do I understand correctly we can still use lead until sept of this year? Jim

Years ago I watched a bass stare at a floating repala, with three sets of shiny treble hooks hanging off it, tied off with shiny yellow stren line. He looked it over for five seconds, then decided to inhale it. I choose line based on how well it casts, holds up, cost, etc. I fish all kinds of water with the same line, and catch fish. In their tiny fish brains I don't think they process line at all, only does what's on the end of the line look like something to eat. My 2 cents Jim

Don't feel bad. I've been fishing for LM for years, and still have times like that. The fact that you know you need to become a more rounded fisherman is the first step in becoming one. As I said, I've been LM fishing for years, and I'm still learning how to catch fish in unexpected water / weather conditions. Jim

Hi all, A few day's ago I posted about getting Boat Buckles for my boat. The response was very favorable, so I ordered some. Two for the sides and one for the bow. I installed them this A.M. As many have said the included hardware was not the best, so I used different bolts, nuts, etc. Installation was easy, just drill holes and install. In my case I found the perfect spot for them. They are out of the way when not in use. They don't rub on the painted sides, and there is just enough room to use the ratchet with out pinching my fingers on the light bracket. I have not had a chance to use them yet but I'm looking forward to a simpler and faster prep to launch and recover. Here's a few pic's Thanks for looking Jim

Hi all, I was up to Cabela's in Scarborough Maine this week, and was surprised to see they were still selling lead weighted tackle/jigs/hooks. Per info. I received from Maine dept. of inland Fisheries & Wildlife. Any Lead weighted tackle less than 1oz. or 2 1/2 " in length is prohibited from sale in Maine as of Sept. 1 this year, and prohibited from use Sept 1 of next year. I asked a sales person about this, and was told that as they had customers from non lead banned states visit their store, they could still sell tackle of this type. I don't know if this is right or wrong ( I'm no legal expert) but I thought I'd let you know that if you visit this store ( and maybe others) you can't assume the weighted tackle you're seeing is non lead. As a matter of fact they had very little non lead weighted tackle on their shelves. The law also specified " un painted lead tackle" but I'm told this is still some what of a gray area. Jim

Thanks, That's what I needed to know. Jim

Hi all, The stern of my boat sits about a ft. back from the cross member of the trailer. I currently use a strap that goes all the way around the boat to hold the stern down. I think that two boat buckles mounted on the cross member and hooked into the back grab handles would be much easier. However the boat buckle straps would be at about 30 degree's from vertical as they wrap around the back of the boat. Do you think they would work coming out at angle like that? Here's a couple of pic's of the back of my boat on the trailer. I hope these will show you better what I'm trying to describe. Thanks Jim

Now that is one nice fish!!!!!!!!!! Great job Jim

Thanks for the nice thoughts. The thing is, within the first 20 minutes my gut was telling me I was doing it all wrong. I could see the bass weren't going to go for anything that needed to keep moving, but I love casting / retrieving so I didn't listen. By the time I switched to a Senko the sun was pretty high and the bass were scattering out into deeper water. This was the only bass caught. I bet if I'd listened to my gut sooner I'd have caught more. I need to learn to be more responsive to changing circumstances. Thanks Jim

Yes, that fish was from Maine. I'm very lucky, that pond is full of bass and has very clear water. I have seen schools of bass thirty ft. from the boat. If I don't see bass in a cove etc. I don't stop. Ever since I started bass fishing I've had the same problem. I have tackle boxes full of baits, but I almost always use only a few, the ones I like or am in a mood to use. One a good day it doesn't matter, but on a fishless day I spend the ride home kicking my self for not trying more things. I need to stop being so stubborn and learn to use different baits for different conditions. I'm not sure why I have such a hard time doing this but I always have. Thanks Jim

Hi all, I think it's safe to say I can be stubborn at times. Most of the time it's a good thing. I will push thru at work to get things right even if my boss is not sure it can be done. At home I've been known to stay on the phone for hours just to solve cable issues etc. I'm just too stubborn to give up. When fishing I have been known to fish for hours with out a bite just to get one last fish. However there are times fishing when my stubbornness keeps me from doing what I should to catch more fish. This year my wife and I have only fished one body of water. All spring I used a KVD swim bait, and could do no wrong. Every fish I caught was on this bait, and I caught them everywhere at any time. This summer the heat and other issues kept us off the water, but yesterday for the first time in months we went. We were in a cove in about 3-6 ft. of water and could see bass swimming around. I started throwing the trusty swim bait and it soon became apparent the fish weren't interested in it. I saw a couple of bass watching it go by, or even swam away as it came close. Part of me thought it's time to try something else, but the stubborn part of me thought it's a good bait, it's worked before, so I kept throwing it. Nothing. After far to long I gave up and started throwing a spinner bait, then a frog. Nothing. By this time I knew my whole presentation was wrong. I should be doing something totally different , but the stubborn part of me kept going. Finally( again after far to long) I threw a Senko. I love Senko's. they catch fish. But I hate the wait and pause, watching for the smallest line twitch. I have trouble being that patient. First cast I hooked a fish. I posted about this fish in the fishing report section yesterday, but to recap it was by far a new PB. 7.1 LB around 24" I posted pic's in the other post but they really didn't do it justice, so at the end of this post I'll put another one in that might show better how big it really was. So at the end of this rambling story I'd like to think I could learn to be less stubborn at times, but I'm 62 and it hasn't happened yet. Thanks for listening Jim The other pic