surfer

Nice. That sweetens the deal. I will look into those basic things and hope it is a $150 fix. If it is a $500 fix I will be less confident about spending the money. The 2000 motor is only $3000 with my exact same hull attached to it. Newer, better shape, trim/ tilt, 2005 trailer. Definitely an upgrade. I know which rout I want to go, but... it would be a hit in the wallet.

If you have already located some spots on the pond that are more productive than most of the pond, then put it there.

Braid when T-rigged will sink faster than mono when T-rigged because it is thinner (depending on lb). When you take away the lure and weight then yes braid floats. Way to call someone out there guys. : I find it much easier to tie a uni-uni line to line knot than to respool with floro. For simplicity sake I have opted to use floro leader for every technique. This way I am only cutting and tying lures on Floro and once every few trips I tie a new leader. Technically les knots are better, but I haven't had a problem with the knots yet. Just make sure your drag is set correctly.

I would like to know also, but i dont want to cast an uneducated vote just so i can see the results of the polls. It woudl skew the results. Is there any way to see the results without casting a vote.

What year did they change how they measure HP from the shaft to the prop? I am trying to figure out how a 1982 60HP Johnson should compare to a 2000 50HP Johnson. I broke something the other night and am trying to decide on an upgrade (2000) or repair (1982). While at wide open throttle (30mph) the prop quit spinning and the RPM kept going up. Reverse used to have a clicking sound as if trying to engage but never would work, now nothing in forward or reverse. Just revving the engine. Spun prop? Broke gears? This is a new area for me. Any advice and insight would be appreciated. I am scared to put more money in to a 25year old engine.

its like Iron, not Silk

Definitely make some sort of cut in the carpet. I tried drilling through carpet before and it seem s to always snag a thread and pull the hole thread out as it winds around the drill tip.

I an in Orlando and i finaly get to say... You wimpy southerner. It's 40* up here. ;D Thanks for the cold front tips everyone. I enjoyed reading them.

Also read the more rescent posts in this thread. Theys guys post their outing results for many Central Florida lakes frequently. http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1195000294

Last night I wish I had a 70#. I was racing back to the ramp just ahead of the storm and the gears went out on the main engine. My 40# couldn't keep up with the 25 mph wind and I was loosing ground. I hid in a cove four about an hour as the rain poured down and the lighting snapped. When the weather cleared it took me 40 minutes to go up 15mph wind half a mile. That sucked.

I havent done any research in that area. Guest is a popular one on this forum though.

Same factory dose not mean same manufacturing process. There are clear differences between the varieties of braids I have tried. I don't know if it's the same factory or not though.

Yes 40# is fine. I can cover a mile in about 15 minutes with 40# and 12ft jon. Some brands of battery are better, but most batteries are killed by their owners. The brand name is irrelevant at that point. Get a cheap deep cycle battery and follow these do's and don'ts and you will be fine. I underlined the Key ones. DO's AND DON'Ts WHEN HANDLING BATTERIES: DO perform regular inspections and maintenance, especially in hot weather DO recharge immediately after discharge DO add ONLY distilled water to electrolyte DO recharge completely DON'T add new electrolyte DON'T overcharge DON'T use starting batteries for deep cycle applications DON'T place in storage without some type of device available to keep them charged DON'T delay in recharging DON'T add tap water to electrolyte to avoid contaminating it DON'T discharge any deeper than necessary DON'T let them get hot to the touch and boil violently when charging For more info http://www.batterystuff.com/tutorial_battery.html http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=deep+cycle+battery+maintenance

Get a depth finder. If visibility is only 3 ft then anytime you are deeper than 3 ft it is extremely useful. The fact that you rarely venture more than 100 yrds off of a weed line / shore meens that you can fairly accurately judge your position. A GPS would be helpful for logging spots, but as long as you can remember the spot you will quickly find it again with the depth finder and looking at the shore line.

<------- Spinning only. Its my comfort zone and it works.

How big of a lake/s are you going out on? As soon as you get 100 yrds of of a shore line a GPS is usefull, but the sonar is much more important. A nice sonar should run $150+ and they dont make a $50 GPS yet.

Being that I am not a bass I can't say for sure. But I don't see why a silent paddle would be more disturbing than a trolling motor. Of course the variables are what trolling motor and who is paddling silently. If you have canoed much you learn how to paddle silently and efficiently which actually go hand in hand when speed is not a factor. If you can hear any water sounds when paddling than the fish probably can too. But which water sounds spook fish?

Whats the best lasting starting and trolling batteries? A well maintained battery will beat a poorly maintained battery every time no mater the brand name. Learn the dos and don'ts of battery maintenance and any battery will last 5 years.

If the water didn't boil down any and the lead plates are still completely covered than I doubt any damage was done to the battery. But get the automatic smart type of charger Hopefully Ann Marie will be by to help confirm for you. She is the most knowledgeable about batteries that I have seen on this forum. Add the word battery to the thread title and she will be more likely to find it. And dont worry. We are all dumb at some point.

I wonder if more than a decade of Wednesday night tournaments has transplanted all the bass to the north lake. No mater what lake the catch them at they are all released at the church ramp. I just don't picture that many fish finding their way 1.5 miles through three right turns on a lake they have never been in to get to the canal and then make the 1/4 mile one boat wide 2 ft deep canal into the middle lake. From there it is another mile along the right shore line if they have to get back to the third lake. Oops. Thread hijacked. Sorry.

Yep. Lake Conway. Middle of the Middle lake. I know of one set of Christmas trees in the 3rd lake. And I know about where a spring is in the third lake, but I haven't been able to locate it exactly. Are you familiar with the helicopter and bus on the first lake? It is in front of the FOP lodge. It's used for rescue dive training. I never thought to fish it though. Update 3-24. I used my sonar to locate and fished it. Results... one lost jigging spoon due to a hook up with the helicopter or bus. Interesting picture on the sonar, but not distinguishable as a helicopter. FYI it's directly in line with the FOP dock about 120 yards out in 30 ft of water.

I didn't see it mentioned and since I see guys putting some time and effort in I thought I would share a tidbit on man made structure. Place it near spots you already know to be productive. I found this out after I had already sunk an orange tree in 20 ft of water. It has been 8 months and no fish hang out there. Just 100 yards away is a 12 ft hump. It is a hot spot. I am not sure how i am going to move the tree now.

I will be out of town those days, but did you read this thread for sugestions. http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1202605366/all

I use nail clippers and pull to the side after the pinch so it slides through the blades. no problems mon.

18 pennies Is what they said. It's used but they had about 5 of them. Who says a dollar doesn't go far now a days.