Muddpuppy

I know the Terry name but I can't picture one in my head. I haven't found a picture of one yet. Does it resemble the Kingfishers somewhat. Didn't they come out close to the same time? There are several boats out there that would be neat to restore. I finally found a picture of a 75 model Terry. Does yours have a tunneled hull? I bet it is sharp fixed up. If that is like yours it has a unique style. We were looking at some property a while back and there was a boat parked on it like that, and somebody had converted it into an air boat. It didn't look factory anyway. They had chopped it pretty bad in places. Looked pretty good from a distance.

I have carved a few from wood, shot a coat of laquer on them and robbed the hooks and eyes off something else. So far none have impressed me enough to attempt to try paint.

You may not really drive up the trailer at least not at first, use the motor to push the boat into place . Pull onto the trailer as far as you can slowly, when the boat stops accelerate so it slides as far up as possible then let off on the gas. By leaveing the motor in gear at an idle it helps hold the boat in place so it doesn't slide back down the trailer when you hook the winch line to the boat. The closer that you can get the bow of the boat to the nock or bracket on the trailer post, the less winch work you will have. After a few times you should be able to put it into place with no problems. When you start to launch the boat notice where the water comes up to on the trailer just before it starts to float. Then when you back in the trailer stop just short of that point. (I have carpeted rails on my trailer and I back farther in then pull back out to that point. By wetting the rails down, the boat will slide up on the trailer easier. If you have side rails or posts on your trailer you can probably load a little deeper and they help to center the boat and keeps it from floating around. I believe Fisher said he marks the roller posts with tape at the correct water depth. It may be a little trial and error at first until you find where it loads the easiest for you and then it becomes second nature. The boat buddy takes the place of leaving the motor in gear. I think it clamps off the boat automaticly. Watch a few people load and I think you will put it together. Don't forget to turn the motor off after you hook up the line. You probably want to raise it up some to before pulling out so it won't drag. Before you back in the trailer pull a little extra winch line out so that you can easily reach it

I personally believe bass fishing is the best thing that has ever happened to the species. They have been introduced into waters world wide, lakes and habitats are being desined to help the fish thrive. Their greatest predator is it's self, most others get removed. Their numbers have soared and yet they have become a virtual "protected spicies" I would be more concerned for their well being if we were to quit fishing for them. In the real world nature is a rough and hostile place, fish and animals fight for what they want and need. Pain isn't an issue with them like it is for us. I have never landed a fish that I considered to be in agony. I compare getting caught like haveing a job. If you want all the good stuff, you have to put up with a little aggrivation every once in awhile. If it was proven or I believed that fish do feel pain and experience severe pain, by being caught, I might consider to stop sportfishg. Fishing for food would be anouther matter. But even the humman brain does not remember pain, you do howeve retain thaughts and associated events.

I was reading the posts on first boats and it occured to me that mine was I think a Chevelet (more like 2) My father had welded a couple of 40's or so model car hoods together back when he was in school. It took me days to dig out of the barn, apon my discovery of it. I would drag it behind a tractor if I wanted to switch ponds or put it back up in the winter. It looked like a big fat cannoe and man, it was really heavy/ but nearly indestructable. You could go ether direction and we paddled it around with some homemade oars.

Check with the Texas Agriculture Extention Service, or A&M University. This site may have some good info on it. Wildlife.tamu.edu. I wonder if the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center would have an idea in Athens there is the Fish hatchery over here. This may sound a little off base but check with Tractor Supply, or local farm supply. If it is a local pond problem they may have herd of it. They wouldn't be developing ich would they?

I am just looking at pictures of the boat I think you have. A fab shop could build something with no problem. If you want to remove the motor and shaft from the original mount and attatch it to the boat a fab/machine shop maybe the way to go. From what I see there is an aluminum tray behind the seat. Could you extend that by putting marine grade plywood on top of it and and then attatch the existing motor mount to it or install a Minn Kota quick release bracket on it then attatch the motor mount? If the (what appears to me to be aluminum plate on a tubeing cross member) is heavy enough gauge you could use stainless bolts thru the alum. sheet, if not you could use U-bolts around the bottom of the tubeing then up thru the plywood extention deck. Use washers or plywood as a spacer if needed to make it as ridgid as possible. Sorry if I am no help.

I fully beleive fish are effected by barametric pressure. I have a friend that I fish with regulaly and we may go different days of the week depending on his workload. We have been noticeing lately that (on avg.) days that the pressure is dropping he doesn't have as good of luck as the day before(best) or the day after(okay) if we go, together or seperatly. Due to an increase in pain durring pressure changes. I do not go fishing when the pressure is dropping significantly. That is how I noticed the pressure difference in the first place. It may also be that the wind is blowing to hard or I have installed a guilt complex in him leaveing him incappable of catching fish ( yea, I'm sure that's it).

With my back and legs I dought if it hurts them much worse to be caught then it does for me to catch them. And besides anything that would try to eat something that looks like a creature or spinner bait is just asking for trouble and probably use to some pain. I have seen some take a lure repeatedly (If it wasn't the same fish it was a clone) and it didn't seem to have a tramatic effect on them.

Frogg Toggs normally and Remington Thermore fill II when it is really cold.

Their not far from that now. I was looking (noticeing, it, would be more like it) at one (can't remember the make) last year it had a 225 on it and at least 20'. The dealer bought it himself. He was going to use it guideing these area lakes. Sold it on the 2nd. trip out. That was one sweet ride. Said it was no problem to run 75. But it was priced up there with the fiberglass. Back to the question - I also have an aluminum and for the most part it meets most of my needs. I would look at what type fishing and conditions you have. Smaller lakes, rivers or landings close to where you want to fish in rough weather, calmer water, stumps, sandbars, haveing to pull long distances, haveing to load in low water, there isn't alot of maintanence with the alum., you can pretty much beach where you want. some of these alum. hulls are pretty nice. If you have to run larger bodies of rough water, they are more stable in heavy winds, smoother ride and handling. I would definatly lean towards fiberglass.

I used to use a 5hp. on a 12' quite abit. The only problem I had was submerged stumps. The sheer pins just couldn't handle it. It was an old motor and an extreamly stump infested part of the lake. It played heck on 10s and 15hps. I imagine the newer motors might be desined to handle it better. It moved the boat around pretty good in clean water.

Night fishing is quite popular around here especially in the summer mo. Gets you away from the pleasure craft and jet ski's. There are quite a few tounements fished at night here in the summer. I like black/blue flake worms, and black buzz baits. Don't forget the mosquito repellant.

I have a old 12hp. Elgin. I think it started out a friend on mine, father's, I don't know how I ended up with it. We would put it on an 8 or 12' flatbottom and hit creek bottoms and sloughs hunting, frog gigging and trotlineing. If it wouldn't jump over, squeeze under a logs or brush we carried a 12" homelite chainsaw and went through it. That was one tough/heavy motor. I haven't tried to crank it since we destroyed the prop and that has been many years ago. It ran good until then. I think it was originaly built for Sears by Johnson or Evenrude. It seems I inquired about getting parts for it at some local out-of-the-way motor shops and they seemed to think they could if it wasn't too major. But even that has been several years ago. I believe the motor was fairly easy to work on. As far as like a prop goes that would have to be rebuilt (I wish I knew who ended up with it) So I am not much help. I am interested in what you find out about repairing one.

I try to do buisness with the local guys first. And most will break their backs to return the favor. Wal-Mart has 3 stores in this town and I think the same guy picks the stock for all stores. It is the same thing just different package. It's a wonderland if you don't have much, and I don't have that much, myself but lately I felt like there were a few things they could buy from me. It appears like it has gotten worse over the winter. So they may start to stock back up. Acadamy is located about 35 mi. away they have a good selection. Bass pro is about 70. I was looking through the B.A.S.S. awhile back and I think there were 3 or 4 in the top something on the tour from this area and we just keep looseing boat dealers and tackle shops. Could it be all the really good customers are just out of town? Ohhh the shame.

Your type of fishing does sound pretty exciting.

I am not really qualified to answer your whole question, but I will make an attempt. I own an aluminum boat and I do not fish tournaments at least none that count. I am also in Texas where we really don't have many rivers, that can be navigated by much more than a flatbottom or a cannoe year round. There are may be spots, but access isn't usually very good on most. Some feed a lake then continue on to feed anouther one. Now we have lakes everywhere at least in my part. There are alot of boat manufactures down south. And a high percentile of the population here fish, ski and are involved in some type of water sports. There is a large lake boat buying public in this part of the country. So no dought that would influence sponsership. The Rangers out of (Arkansas) Skeeters in (Louisiana originaly started in East Texas) and so on, are perfectly suited for fishing in this area. They are fast 70+ on the larger ones, handle well, and have large stable platforms in mod. rough water. They sit low in the water, eze around in stumps and grass and travel in low water. Not like you are refering too, but low for a boat of there size. No one that I know would put their boat in a river like you are talking about. There are alot of Trackers around here and they do their fair share of sponsership and advertising. I haven't seen any jets but there are probably some. And they are getting more popular all the time. Nitro is a popular bass boat and it fishes it's share of tournements I guess it is a division of the same corp. as Tracker. There are some boat manufactures around the tri- state area that are building jet boats for fishing and hunting aplications. Down here most of the jet drive boats are pleasure craft that I see. I have only seen two outboard jets in the past year. But to be honest I would not have noticed those if they hadn't been out of the water. So I am sure there were some I haven't seen. I think both of them were were Mercury motors. I beleive they make both inboard and outboard jet motors. And I am sure some of the other companies do to. What had inerested me in a outboard jet drive was the ability to go in shallow water and when I ask about slop I was refering to not just normal grasses, this stuff is closer to green ooze. Since it stays relatively warm down here we can get large amounts of vegetation in shallow areas in the summer months. And some lakes are worse than others. It can be a mixture of plants and algee. It resembles a canful of really slick tough slimey spinich. The prop drives pretty much handle it with no problem. I am guessing that outboard jet drives and inboards for that matter are fairly new as a fishing motor and as their popularity increases you may see more. Let somebody win a few tounements with one and they will soar in popularity. A propeller is still might versitile. When it comes to boats one size doesn't always fit all and If it works don't fix it. That's the best I can do.

I thought I just saw a recent post on here about removeing it through the gills. I quickly scrolled through the list but didn't see it it may be in the past posts. If I find it I will post the location. I think it was Ku_Bassmasters post on page 3 http://www.in-fisherman.com/magazine/articles/if2806_HookRemoval/index.h tml

Fishing is luck, Catching is skill

I have considered one. Hp was my bigest concern with a conversion. Unless I went to a larger motor i wouldn't have any speed. I like the idea. How do they handle slop?

There was a nice looking Xpress on 64 I think it was for sale, they had it parked like it was. Was supposed to meet a friend at Lake and was running late. Didn't get a close look. Sent a message about one. Maybe it worked

If it slings a lure inside the big hole in center of a fishes face I would call it catching, I guess it could be a scoop. It might be a backhanded scoop swoop with a slice. I believe you have already exceeded my level of expertise. Are you getting decent distance? You may try turning off the brake weights and maybe tighten the control knob a little bit and see if that helps on overhead.

1999 116 Ranger Cherokee 40 hp. Merc. ( lightly toying with idea to up grade to 60 hp. E-Tec / w cmc lift. may just try lift Lowrance electronics frt. & back /w Tracker flasher 50# Minn Kota elec. motor xtra lights and of most greatest importance... A Cocker Spaniel fish'n compadre complete w lifejacket It ain't real fast and it ain't real smooth, but if it doesn't get me where I want to be - I can usually get out and walk

It will work as they have said. It would be better if both batteries are the same, age (condition) if one is weaker it can shorten the life of the second. You may encounter some chargeing problem. I haven't noticed that I get alot better results doing that in a normal day, if your battery is in good shape. I usually just carry a second battery or a small ac/dc generator if gone for a long period of time and cannot access electricity to recharge them. I would use a switch to isolate them, I think you will have better luck.

I was at the landing one morning getting ready to put in. I heard a terrible racket headed to the ramp. The was a small truck pulling a small boat and trailer with a flat. He whirled around at the ramp got out and unhooked the boat got back in and put it in gear then roared backwards until the boat trailer was barely in the water, he hit the brakes. The boat flew off the trailer into the water, he had about a 75 foot rope tied to the boat and to the truck. The boat was foating at the end of the rope. He jumped out pulls the boat over to the bank and moved the truck. I ask him if he knew he had a flat, he just waved and said he had a pile of wheels at home and just lived a few miles from there. I should have ask him if he had a pile of boats too. I didn't stick around to watch him load back up. I wouldn't recomend this approach.