Muddpuppy

I don't have a 24 volt system. So I maybe in error. But I would think a three battery set up would work the best. Aren't you still haveing to crank your motor off of 12volt battery, I would use that to power my navigational lights and electronics. Usually the power drain is very low even if you use black and florecent lights. I believe I am running all of mine off of the cranking battery and the livewells. I did switch the aux. to the trolling batteries. If you are trying to run everything off of just 2 batteries, at 2:30am I would say I wouldn't try it, it could be done, but not without stepping back down the voltage. I am sure you could by a converter, for that. They make selector switches just in case you would ever happen to run down your cranking battery or you could just jump from one of the others trolling batteries. You can also get 24volt bulbs (and spotlights if needed), I don't know if your lighting system would handle the bulbs though. If you hook directly to battery A (+) to B(-) with the wires going to the trolling motor it would increase battery A (+) A(-) to 24volts from 12volts once you jump A (-) to B (+) I also believe the extra draw would be pulled though the motor.

I often keep a swivel in the line a bout 12" inches or so. Not primarily so much for Senkos but other unweighted baits and worms. Tie it on just like a carolina rig just do not put on a weight. I wouldn't use a snap if nothing else it will collect weeds. On the GYCB (Yamamato) Site they seem to have a pretty acurate dealer list at least in this area. Of course 2 of them are GYCB shops so I guess that should simplify things.

That Uncle Bucks is some pretty good stuff, I like it because it is so convienent we take a couple of pkg. camping and to cook outs. Not to sure about "used" beer though. ;D

Avoid keeping the ones from hot mossy water, otherwise they great eating. I like them fried in a spicy batter but a regular corn meal and flour mixture is just as good. I have a recipe for Bass Marsala that I haven't tried yet, but it sure looks good.

Dang Muddman I thought we sent you hunting. If I remeber those articles (and I may not correctly) one was describeing how to adjust the sens. by doubleing the depth setting (of the bottom) on the unit then adjusting it (the sens. control) until you get a double image of the bottom or false echo on the screen and then setting the unit back to the correct depth setting. I really would have to look at it again to make sure. Too high of a sensitivity setting can make it appear like there are fish weeds or other things that may not exist all the way to the point you really can not see anything. I would not see how the sensitivity would change the depth reading of the bottom. Like you said it was reading the tops of the weeds. Are you sure that the transducer is positioned properly? I do not have an Eagle so none of this may apply to yours. When I turn mine off of auto I no longer can use fish ID. And by turning it (Id) back on it also switches back to auto. I also use mine on the fastest setting. This adjusts the number of times that the transducer sends and recieves the signals. The unit may read fish several different ways in manual, arcs, semi arcs, dots, verticle lines, some bait fish look like balls or clouds of grass that are usually off of the bottom, Where the problem comes is that other things give the some of same signals standing timber can also produce verticle lines or dots. However the unit is often fooled by these even on auto, so not everything that it shows is a fish.

It sure would be quite out there. I guess it depends on how many acres the lake is. I don't know of any around here that are electric only, they just post them not over 5, 10hp. or speed limits not to exceed 5mph. I was looking around at electric motors a while back and there are some pretty nice ones out there. But the cost and haveing to mess with batteries isn't a pleasant thought.

I keep my rod tip high, use heavy line and try to steer them around the pads the best I can on soft plastics. On the creatures if I can get it to fall into a pocket were it can drop a little I like to let the line slide on the edge of the lily pads a little like drop shotting, wiggling the bait up and down to get it to hop around on the bottom. Chances are I will fight it back out. I like the ribbon tail and floating worms and lizards and I do keep them moveing on the top. I have put a small clear bead on the line, and that may have made a little difference. They also make some bullet shaped hard foam floats that hopefuly helps them to slide through the weeds. I haven't used them enough to really form an opinion on them yet. Don't get me wrong I probably resemble a kelp farmer durring harvest more than a bass fisherman most of the time. But I do enjoy to catch fish out of the stuff/at least most days. I've read on here the tubes work really well, in the pads. A friend of mine just bought a new boat and hates this kind of fishing, so I haven't done near as much as I normally do, since he wants to take his boat. This is one of those tips that you pick up places and I'm not sure if I even have it right. You can stick a toothpick through the head of the worm and the eye of the hook and it is supposed to keep the worm from slideing back down the hook. It can also be glued and some of the keeper hooks work pretty good, even though I think that a knot picks up a lot of weeds.

If you are a tounement fisherman to start with, or wanting to get into it would help your carrier. At least as long as you can still produce. I fish and hunt largely to excape from the masses, not to be engulfed by them. Every idiot with a washtub and paddle would try to follow you around the lake. You couldn't ever go back and pick up anouther xxx bait, no matter what it was you last bought. Then when they still do not have any luck you will hear about that. I am sure the first 15 minutes of fame would be alot of fun. The problem would be the following year of pain in the_____, but to each their own. I would like the recognition, but if I tried to get much more out of it I might end up ruinning what I enjoy most about the sport to begin with. There will be a lot of money dished out from that one fish. Even in the 80's it was considered a million dollar fish. The problem is there will be so many hands out, trying to get a piece of it, that if your not careful it could be the most expensive fish any one has paid to catch.

I often use a vacum sealer on stuff that I rarely use. Tuperware, ect. makes alot of different size containers that can be packed in if you don't have much room. I have a couple of dry bags by Minn Kota, they are good quality, seem to be tough, the tops are made of velcro so if you store something over a long period of time they may still let in some moisture.

Used to I wouldn't have although we often released some nice fish none of them were close to being that nice. Anymore, I think I might, now I would not have it mounted but I might donate it to like the Share Lunker Program here or something of that nature, if I didn't realease it right away. I would like to try to get a few photos. I really dought I would see much gold no matter what I did with the fish.

Chiropractors twice the second one trained in all kinds of different oriental methods, really couldn't seem to do anything, and I would have to lean against my truck some days until I could drive home. Non Surgical spine manipulation or stretching once for around 8weeks. (never again) Acturpunturist once, No telling how many epiderals, injections and tests most which are teribly painful for up to a week. One thorasic surgery, would have had more (thorasic, and lumbar) but they are affaid it will worsen my condition. Not to mention 1 year rehabilitation. Physical theropy at least twice. Last month a double neotomy (burned the nerve area in my thorasic back both sides). This is extreamly painful, may not have any effect for 6 weeks after the last one if any. And just about put me down for a month. I have seen a pain specialist since about 96. Pills still help to a degree without them I would not function at all. I am sure there is more I have done but it didn't work anyway. Not to mention all the wonder gimicks and snakeoils. Most of it depends on the condition, the cause and weather they can pinpoint the problem. When I went to the last chiropractor he used some sortr of device that made clicking noise between some of the disks that he did try to do something on. He would not twist me or pop anything in any shape form or fashion. I dont know if it is the same thing as you are talking about.

I pretty much let mine run, you can put on a timer if there is a large amp. draw. I don't know what the temp. range is but I believe ammonia is something else that can build up in the water, if it isn't circulated.

If they are thick with large holes or pockets I like unweighted texas rigged soft plastics frogs, worms, bushhogs lizards. Throw them up onto the pads and hop them into the water. Let them sink, then twitch or swim them back onto the next pads. I keep working them across the pads just like I do in water. The worms I fish with more of a snake like retrieve. I like to use buzz baits jitterbugs, and hula poppers when they are sparse or around the edges. After finally finding some kreatures and some decent tube baits I am looking forward to useing them too! Jigs should work well, it just isn't one of my best baits. Last week I was pulling some of the Horny Toads over stuff that I never would have believed that they would not have gotten covered up in crap. They just skimmed right over the top of it. Then when you got to a hole, pause and they would slowly sink. Didn't catch anything off them or anything else but I was still amazed.

If you can justify it for agriculture or erotion control some states will also assit in it's construction. The only draw back they call the shots on how it's built, unless you have a fairly reasonable plan in mind. There are also other requirements that may have to be met.

Lightning kills, top water catches fish. I think it helps.

You can build a frame or use shipping pallets and attatch some 24" upright piececes out of treated lumber, ceder limbs, whatever onto them every 12". Since everything is verticle and in rows you shouldn't have the problems getting snagged as you will with like ceder when running baits through them. It can also be built out of pvc or several sections can be attatched together. Sink with cinder blocks. You can also invert ceder when you sink it so the top points down. It is a little easier to fish.

I always asumed the transducer.

What channels do these come on, not that I get them on basic cable.

Different types of grass meeting together can be a good place to try, sometimes this indicates a change in structure. Like Chris said look for the edges on or very near structure changes drop offs, ect. I prefer creature style baits, but many use jigs to flip into the pockets, worms work, flukes do a good job along the edges or in the tops. In vast areas you may have to pole your boat into the weeds to get to the holes. Most of ours are lily pads and they play heck on a trolling motor, poleing is quiter anyway. The frogs and weightless worms and creatures work good for me in these. I have had trouble with braided line (years ago) in cattails, it shreaded it badly. The newer lines may be better.

I can only find about 3 anymore. One is done by a local tv channel and it is a pretty good show. The problem is it comes on at like 6:30 on Tue. or Thru. mornings. They have area pro's and lakes. The shows are also shot very recently, a week or so, so it's not like watching ice fishing in July or fish spawning in Oct. The other one is ole''''''''''''' Wal Mart Charlie Pack, I guess he does alot of good stuff as far as fishing and kids, but his show is like Bill Dance in 30yrs. The private lakes he fishes in around here are way over stocked, some of the owners require he keeps all the small fish, I don't know how they get his boat in and out of some of them. And most of his guests are employees or famly members of Wal Mart. The other one is more on the extreame scale. If you can afford to fish in South America for Peacock bass and hunt an endangerd species of Caribou in Greenland all on the same trip I guess it is pretty informative. Honey Hole Magazine was an informative show, but it's in transition. I alway liked watching Bill Dance get attacked by that goose, even though I never could find conditions to match his in angling. The song from Fishing with Virgil Ward will stick in my mind till I sit in a slump and druel on myself. I haven't seen Roland since (not that many fingers and toes). In-Fisherman always seemed more geared for walleye fishing. Now you know why I am alway tormenting ya'll. Nothing to watch on tv.

I am beginning think it's the buying more baits part

I'm just throwing these out, So they may not be helpful. I guess it would give you something to check ... the motor hasn't cocked a little bit or worn in the mount. A small crack in the floor or hull and water in the hull?

I think they are kind of high priced (I will have to see if I still have the price quote) but have you checked out the Port-a-boat? They fold up long ways and can be carried under one arm, or the picture on the web site shows one being carried that way. I guess the set up and take down is just minutes. You can mount a small electric or gas motor on them or use oar locks. They can be carried on top of a car and strored on wall hooks. If space is a bigger issue than price, they might be worth a look. I was checking into them to carry on a horse trailer if my wife goes rideing in the mountains, and since I can no longer ride. I realy didn't have much room for a boat and weight was anouther big factor. I was supposed to have seen one at a boat show, but couldn't make it. So I can't say what they are like in real life.

Don't happen to have any good conections on equipment cheap, by any chance. ;D Just kidding. Welcome!