Muddpuppy

Do you practice casting without trying to catch fish. Set up some targets in your yard to simulate your fishing conditions and just practice. If you can get where you are able to get under the low limbs on the trees, without loseing tackle. Your dad may gladly spring for extra lures if your not looseing them as often. The big ones are going to be where they are hard to reach. The quieter and more precise you can deliver a bait, the better your chances are to catching the monsters. I am not implying that you cast poorly. I keep a reel rigged that I throw at the house a lot. Have you checked out the articles at the top of the page? They are in the green bar at the top. There are some about casting techniques and tips and a lot of other information plus what are offered on here.

Minn Kota sells a quick disconect adapter plate that works on some of their motors. I pretty sure it fits the bow mount and power drive.

They make small units that are supossed to be safe for smaller animals. But make sure that you check local restrictions before useing them. Some areas frown on there use or require that they are marked. Your neighbors may not love you for useing one, especially if it zapps there child. Also be thankful that its not horses or goats. I think somebody suggested to put moth balls in a container then place it in the boat when you store it. It is in a past post I think under (how to remove cat hair?) it was maybe a month ago.

Keep your dog in it at night. If you tarp it make sure that it is pulled tightly closed next to the motor and around any openings. Make sure that all bait is tightly sealed, just about everything that catches fish catches cats as well. Use a garden hose if nothing else works. You could try a small radio on low volume if is stray cats or even a neighbors.

I put one on a 40 hp. It seems to help alot on both slow and fast take offs. It goes up on plane alot quicker and controls the bow lift pretty well. The main reason I tried one was my prop would wash out alot. It pretty much stopped that problem. I think my boat handles alot better, with it on. It might help if you can get the motor trimmed right.

This should give you something until you get some more recent posts. It is an old thread from pg.8 http://bassresource.com/cgi-bin/bass_fish/YaBB.pl?board=gen_bass;action=display;num=1112306236

There may be something in links and Bass fishing software. I haven't looked through all of that. I found one or two that I think I bookmarked at one time. They weren't really programs but a series of questions and then gave a suggestion of lure type, color, ect. I am not sure if they are still on here I have redone my system several times since then. I will post address if I find them. Here is one it isn't very specific and I am not sure any lakes that you fish are listed. I have never tried it. But it may give you some ideas when programming yours. http://www.bassfishing.org/basslog/fishingreport.cfm

Up at the top of the page in the green bar between forums and links. listed under free fishing log.

Have you checked out the fishing log up in the tacklebox?

May be it's the bug parts and rodent hair I am always hearing rumours about. ;D

Our fuel prices are the same as yours except that I burn diesel and that is around $2.20 gal. last time I filled up. It probably will not directly effect my boating nor most of the people that I fish with. If anything my time on the water may increase, if there is reduced lake traffic. My boat burns very little fuel and most of the lakes that I fish are only around 2,000 or so acres. And on the larger ones we usually put in at the general area that we fish. Now the younger families with kids and several activeties requireing travel all going on at once, I am sure will feel the pinch. The problem with long term riseing oil prices is it does not stop at the pump. It affects shipping, manufactureing costs, wages and just about every sector of the market. Even though a lot of the power generators have switched to natural gas its prices seems to rise along with oil. I will defenetly feel any increase, it just wont be all at the lake, but in food and everything else. Just about everything on a new bass boat is made from oil byproducts so I don't see how it can not effect their sales. The carpet, glues, paint the thing has opec stamped all over it. Then when you look at line, lures, ect, it adds up fast. Looking around in this area I wonder if boat sales are not already hurting. So any significant climb could cause major harm.

Raul: I just checked some reports on that lake after my head cleared a little and that is supposed to be one hot place in the future. From what I read they are haveing trouble finding fish because there is so much new cover avaliable. And fishing for largemouths is difficult due to excessive floating debre. Bassin' it is a shame that you didn't get a chance to get out there when it was filling. It really would have helped in knowing the lake. I read that they are haveing the best luck with small mouths and crappie. But your right deep water is pretty much over my head ;D

A lot of the new weights that I buy are steel or titanium and those are painted black. I also have tried to color some of the old ones along with stripeing the line with a black marks alot. I never noticed any big difference. If I had to rely on tricks in compitition I might do it more often. I also have some cone shaped floats that fit on a worm like the weights they come in various colors. I haven't had any great success with those either. Their use has been fairly limited.

Thanks for the reprieve. But if your going to throw mathmatics into the equation I know I'm going back to bed. ;D If they raised the level of any of these lakes 25' I would be liveing on an island in the Tex-iana keys. You are fishing a new lake in other words. If it were around here it should be booming the next few years. I guess I would start at the inlet end.

Like RW said the beginning section has alot of good methods and tips even if you have fished for many years. There are also alot of more specific topics that can be found in the articles. I truley believe that the "end of the inter-net" can be found in there somewheres, but I haven't reached it yet.

Sorry Bassin for the cheap answer. :-[ I guess I am still a little dingy from OP surgery yesterday. And didn't consider the difference in lake conditions when I posted. Around here lakes raise in acres more than levels. And the low laying areas are easily flooded. The newly flooded areas are smorgusboards for fish when they first flood. They are also easy to recognize. Then as the level begins to crest they slow, until it begins to drop. We have fished roadways after a lake level has raised only a few feet. The closest I have come to a deep water lake is Beavers Bend. Is the lake higher then normal or has it been low for years? If the lake level has been normal level for 10 yrs. couldn't you estimate the newly claimed area by the abcence or sparciety of brush in the water? I would probably try the coves early and late in the day, and try to verticly fish the cliff walls to try to find overhangs during the day. Or try to find shelfs at the normal level on points maybe try something that can make contact with the bottom like slowrolling a spinner bait or T-rigged worm. I know there is no good way for me to "save face" on this topic anymore so I guess I'll go back to licking my wounds. I would like to fish a lake with some natural structure to it one of these days. I love the sceanery. Watch for birds, and active bait fish. Alot of times certain fish spieces can be targeted from a long distance by large amounts of bird formations and activity. Also the water can apear to be boiling when strippers are feeding on shad.

You all ready stated where I would start. As the water recedes so would I. I would hit the new water hard and go back to my favorite holes as it drops.

I would imagine the winch or strap would snap well before the boat was damaged. Not to mention your hernia. ;D Useing the back straps and wetting the rails may help ease the chore. You can also back in the water a little bit and take some weight off the boat.

I don't know in lb's. But they lift boats useing the eyes that are on them so at least 1/3 of the weight. I would say that they should easily with stand any thing that could be applied by a winch and strap rated for your boats weight range.

They are hot spots all year around here as well. They contain most of the elements that attract fish shade, structure, cover. Those near or in deeper water may produce better in summer and winter. Also alot around here are baited or have submerged brush placed nearby.

You can get a shop or owners manual by Clymer from intertec publishing. I think I paid around $45.00 or $50.00 for my Mercury. My only Evinrude is a 15 hp. and I don't think multipling every thing by 10 will help much. ;D It seems like there is a web site that has alot of good technical information on Evenrudes, I think I found it by useing boatmotor maintainence on my browser. Or something like that.

And in Nascar the Fords are all stock. Just because it has a certain name on it I dought if all of their equipment lines are the same products as the fine one's mass produced for retail.

Did you drain the tank of the old gas? If you didn't it may still just be picking it up. By adding more it may have just stirred the old stuff up. I have tried some stabalizers and cleaners that seem to help. I think my boat starts better with high octane fuel. Try changeing the filter or cleaning it. Maybe dip the plugs in fresh fuel. The only other thing I can think of may be varnish from the old gas in the motor carb. A friend of mine just tried a fuel "shock cleaner" in his fuel I think Yamaha makes it. He said it is suposed to really clean out the fuel system but you may have to replace the filter a couple of time when useing it correctly. He thinks he mixed it wrong so, I don't know how it works. Before replaceing a whole tank of gas if it is a large tank try to sighpon or drain some of the old fuel from the bottom of the tank. That is where the water, rust and debrie will settle. Make sure fresh fuel is in the fuel line. I have never used the fogging oil in a motor. It may be what is causeing your starting problem. It may have fouled the plugs. washing the ends in gas, may help.

Make sure that you work areas like ladders well.

It's probably the 15 yr. financeing some offer. They figure that they can charge anything they want, since you won't live long enough to pay for it anyway. ;D