Muddpuppy

I also load alot by myself. I try to make sure everything is in it's place and double double checked before I start down the ramp. I also try to use the smaller or less used ramps if possible. Normally if there are a few multi boaters I let them go first. I have seen people loading/unloading boats on the ramp, pleasure and ski barges are the usually worst. Tag alongs dragging lawn furniture Ice chests and water toys. We did get behind 3 guys that looked like they should know what they were doing, And I think that they loaded everything into their boat includeing batteries, out of the back of the truck with the boat and trailer in the water, while takeing up one lane on a packed larger ramp last year when the crappie were schooling. They didn't get much sympathy when it wouldn't crank either. When I take my wife and she can back a trailer she can't see the boat trailer without the boat. I really need new mirrors or posts. But we can park out of the way and I back the trailer in and let her pull the truck out after loading the boat and the same when unloading.

At 3 cast a min. I'd besprawled out on the deck like winded hound in a short period of time. Crawdads could use my tounge as a diveing board. You need to pair up with my buddy. I started out trying to figure 1 cast a min. at 60% actural fishing time and came out with 36 casts an hour, I think that is still way more than I normally make. 20 sounds pretty close maybe 25. And usually 3-5 fish on fair to good day avg. for a 2.5 to 3 hour trip. My numbers aren't probably as impressive as RW's but I don't try very hard either, some days. Maybe a range of 15 - 20:1 to 36 - 40:1 depending on baits. And probably in the mid range most of the time. My avg. was probably better 20years ago.

The reason that knot end would be an issue for me is because it snags weeds and moss. I think that I pick up alot less trash when I cover the knot.

An ice chest rig might be the cheapest. I believe Bubbles and cabela's makes kits. Cabela's also carries tanks that would fit better on your boat. You could make one with a bilge pump and some tubeing and a piece of pvc pipe. I would use as low of gps as you can find. They make some D battery powered ones but they do not put out enough air (my opinion) with out circulation for long periods of time. I will use one when trailering and durring hot weather. Keep Alive makes an oxygen infusor for about $60.00 and it can just be dropped in the box. If you are fishing for fun or keeping the catch you could use a basket or sock. I think it gets pretty close with 5 bass in a 16x16x24 in. well. There are oxygen tablets, stress enzimes, slime Coat that can be used in the water. I can't recomend a specific brand. Some are offered on Pro sites, I think KeepAlive offers some and several others that carry areators and livewells sell them. I don't use anything very often, I also do not fish tourney's. If you just catch and release you wouldn't need a livewell.

I guess I have hooks of both types in most sizes. I went with the red hooks for a while and I still switch back over to them when things are slow. I haven't seen a major differance with the red ones. My fishing buddy has gotten where he uses them alot, but hasn't proven their effectiveness. When fishing grass or Tex rigged on the bottom I can't see how it would help much. As far as the black I like the sound of them it seems to me it would hide the hook in the surroundings. I tried a few times coloring the hooks and stripeing the line to help make them less visiable. Didn't really give it a fair trial.

Hope it works! Remind me not to have lunch at your house.

Is there room to swing the bow to the side. I know somebody with about an 19 or 20' or something and they have to put theirs in at an angle. Their garage is set up alot like I think you are discribeing. Could you readjust the motor if you had something for it to set on to gain room? Draw out everything of any size to scale on paper like the boat, workbench, heater ect. Then cut them out and try to arrange it to fit on a drawing of your garage. Unless you have Cadd. That is the easiest way I can think of to utilize an erea. It kind of hard in print. You can get a boat dolly to help move it around for about $70.00 at BPS.

A couple of other thoughts your size, and do you fish mainly by yourself or with a friend. If I was fishing large lakes like Texoma at least an 18'. By myself shallower/ smaller waters you could go smaller. Alot also depends on the boat design. I have more fishing area on my 16' Ranger than on a friends 19' Champion. But start sticking in ice chest and extra unstowed gear and it gets tight.

Here if it doesn't say, you usually pay. And that is about how they put it in the handbook. I don't normally use live bait to sport fish, but if there headed to the table that's anouther story. We can use perch down here. Their great catfish bait also.

I know they make a suction cup mount for the portables. There is also a transducer that will shoot though an aluminum hull I don't know what models or even what brands. From what I have read it works pretty good. Mounting it on the trolling motor would probably be easiest.

This is probably anouther one of my your not qualified to respond repleys, but here goes any way. Bassin can you leave the door open just a little at the bottom, if I remember the gasses produced are heavier than air. I don't really think there are that many produce durring maintaing anyway. Now if you have a gas dryer or water heater I wouldn't advise it on a full charge/ door down. I have seen a battery blow while jumping it. I think I would hook up each battery seperatly. We used to cross charge with an old battery to go from 12 to six volts so I think I will leave it at that, instead of telling you something wrong. I don't have a 24volt system any way.

Have you checked the online Dealer list. I know I never could find more than a few Senkos around here, after looking on it I hit the "Yamamato Mother Load" It may not be like that there, but you may be able to find a few of the popular ones. I think Bass Pro Shops are starting to carry them also and they can be ordered direct from GYCB.

At 38 lbs. you could build most of the frame from 2x4s and put some carpet on the runners. Something like Bassin has, would be a great find.

The softer loamy soil the better moist not wet. I don't know about in your area but in the places that I have lived you can pile leaves and grass clippings up and keep them moist and it will attract worms. It seems like worms collected from under pinestraw will catch fish when others won't. Do not use fertilizer in the spot. Sometimes you can take a wooden stake and drive it in the ground 20 or so inches and rub a board back and forth across the top. The vibration will bring the worms to the surface, it's called fiddling. Shakeing small trees sometimes will work if they have good roots. This isn't always good for the trees. The best place I have have found have been around barns. You can also get an old ice chest fill it with worm mix or dirt, peatmoss and old leaves or hay in layers and toss the worms you find or buy in it. Cover with like burlap and keep it moist and add corn meal, coffee grounds for them to eat no salt or grease. Night Crawlers can probably be found useing a flashlight a night on top of the ground in colder climates. Have you tried the Gulp Night Crawlers?

I am sure that I have seen little kayak trailers and for sure cargo trailers that are mounted onto a bike frame. It has been a while so I can't say right off hand where to go to look. Some of the plastic boats are pretty light and wouldn't present much drag. You would have to limit your length. If you are good with your hands and have access to any tools and some materials you could probably build a trailer for almost nothing. Some old bicycle wheels and some conduit. You might also try a sports or bike shop, there is one here in town I will see if they have anything if I get a chance. I wanted to go look at one of those (?)Kayaks with the little flippers that you peddle anyway. A couple of other options one is a "port a boat" it folds up and I was looking at a "Night Stalker" on line the other evening it is like a tube with a built in minn kota trolling motor. Of corse none of those will be cheap. Here is a trailer, it isn't the one I am thinking about, but it would give you an idea about what I am talking about. I may even have some plans drawn for one stashed some where but they would take some hunting, if you are interested.

Gobble dog had made a post about bass returning after a tounement. It was deleted and I don't think he ever put it back on. I think it said that a small percent returned to were they were caught from (maybe 20%) the rest remained in the new location where they were released. I have seen bass turn around and retake a lure. In the case of a one annoying little pike at least 5 times.

Boohyaa! ;D

Wal Mart carries a couple of different sized posts that can be mounted to a swivel and then to the seat. I guess the posts could be attached to any standard seat clamp sturdy enough to support the load. The posts are like 6" or 8" and 12" and made from 3" pipe. I think I paid around $8.00 or so for the 12" post and about $3.75 for the seat swivels. BPS has about the same thing in their catalog, they just are higher priced. I think You can get seats starting around $16.00 up. and the removeable seat mounts I think start around 12.00. But these prices are comeing from memory so might not be accurate and you may be able to find things that work better for less.

That's where my fish finally ended up was deep water/w weeds, just took the senic route.

This is little more than a guess. The Green and Creame colors sound like the seventies The boats were about 16' with the 18' makeing their enterence so the motor size fits. And the Arrow head logo and Stalker name would have fit into the ad campains of sporting equipment in that erea. I would guess mid to late 70's maybe very early 80, 81.

Are you wanting a maintainer that works off of your motor? Or AC? Minn Kota makes and on board charger and I think Battery Tender. They make one, two and three bank systems on the ac modles. Ithink min koto starts around 36.00 and up and I have read a multi bank Battery Tender is around $150.00. I have checked into the outboard chargeing systems and a 3 bank was going to cost I think around $500.00 and I quit checking I don't know if it is high, low or avarage but it is something I did need right now.

I have a 50lb. on a 16' alum. Ranger Cherokee, and I wouldn't go any smaller, maybe just a little larger if anything. Normally it is more than enough until it gets rough and then its on the highest setting. It wouldn't handle what Gambler is fishing. I have a bow mount with a foot control also a bad back, and it probably will be my last one. I am going Power Drive remote or Hand control xtended handle next time. Just running the motor a foot or so below the bottom of the hull is sufficiant for most of my use but I believe it will go at least 24" or 30" below, if it gets to rough I try to find calmer water. I used to have a trolling motor on a jon boat and a 12' semi v, that I could swap from bow to stern, it was to small to begin with but I think it pulled the boat better because of the way it sat in the water. I don't remember if it made much difference or not.

I watched 3 bass in bright sun, mid afternoon in shallow, clear to lightly stained water, and temp. 85 to 87deg. over sandy bottoms and no useabe cover. They were slowly swimming along much like they were on a walk in the park. Like Glenn said they were not feeding or at least not takeing anything we would throw. I threw about 3 different lures at least twice, before they went out of my sight. You could tell that they detected the baits, but showed little interest. They showed no sign of discomfort and would pause, change directions come back, never did spook and I am bombarding them with baits at least in the beginning. Others traveled thru the same areas with basicly the same reaction. I think there were 7 or 8 in all. Most of these fish were probably around 3-4lbs. It made for an interesting lunch break. The only fish we put in the boat that day was about 30 minutes before seeing those.

The deep cycle battery is built heavier than the trucks/ auto starting battery. The starting battery is not designed to endure the full discharge/charge like a deep cycle is suposed too. The life of the starting battery will most likely be much shorter, along with the charge rate.

I would think you could get at least 4-6 hrs. if your boat is about the size of a 12-14' john boat. And not planning on running white water.