If you're going fishing on an electric only lake, make sure the TM batteries are charged. I was about as far as you can go today on the other side of my lake when I realized that my electronics weren't staying turned on anymore. Rut roh, batteries are dying. Sure enough about a quarter of the way back, no juice.

Lake water is fairly cold. Especially when you're swimming while towing the boat back.

So please, make sure you charge your batteries. This tip brought to you by my stupidity.

I like this daily tip idea, keep em coming.

I like this daily tip idea, keep em coming.

never stop a fan with your tongue

If you're going fishing on an electric only lake, make sure the TM batteries are charged. I was about as far as you can go today on the other side of my lake when I realized that my electronics weren't staying turned on anymore. Rut roh, batteries are dying. Sure enough about a quarter of the way back, no juice.

Lake water is fairly cold. Especially when you're swimming while towing the boat back.

So please, make sure you charge your batteries. This tip brought to you by my stupidity.

charge your batteries and carry an oar :

Did you really swim the boat back

If you're going fishing on an electric only lake, make sure the TM batteries are charged. I was about as far as you can go today on the other side of my lake when I realized that my electronics weren't staying turned on anymore. Rut roh, batteries are dying. Sure enough about a quarter of the way back, no juice.

Lake water is fairly cold. Especially when you're swimming while towing the boat back.

So please, make sure you charge your batteries. This tip brought to you by my stupidity.

charge your batteries and carry an oar :

Hindsight is 20/20 aint it.  Whoops.

Did you really swim the boat back

I most certainly did.  Lets just say shrinkage is not a myth.

You sir, are a brave man.

thanks for the tip! lol

it could of been much worse. i wasnt down here , but i heard last years winter was pretty cold...

No Oar's..?  shame, shame..

I most certainly did. Lets just say shrinkage is not a myth.

I was in the pool!!!

My daddy told me a story once about a creek, a paddle, and an outhouse....

I was never any good at remembering stories.

No Oar's..? shame, shame..

Chalk it up to lesson learned.  Thankfully my lake isn't huge.  Only had to go about a mile and some change.  The worst part....my oars are sitting in the garage for when I go to larger lakes.

Heres another tip:  Treat all bodies of water equal.  Stupid stuff can happen anywhere and anytime.

I got a funny feeling you will be investing in buying some oars pretty soon now.... ;D

[movedhere] General Bass Fishing Forum [move by] five.bass.limit.

I had to tow someone back to their house last week cause they thought it was a good idea to go out with batteries they haven't used in 8 months...

When it comes to operating a boat Murphy"s Law is always in effect. Treating every lake, and every time on the water the same is a very good policy. I am very anal when it comes to making sure I have everthing I need, and I still leave without stuff (most recently the attachment screws for my console DF). I am very careful to check all safety items. These lessons have all been learned the hard way.  :-[

Yup, dead batteries are contagious these days. Picture this. An old man towing a three thousand pound boat back to the dock, into the wind, gracefully using the breast stroke, with the tow rope held firmly in his teeth. Picture him making no progress and being blown further and further from the bank. Now, picture him sinking gracefully beneath the surface as his heart attack kicks in. That would be me if I had tried it. ;D

Man, thats just a sad mental image.  lol ;D

Yup, dead batteries are contagious these days. Picture this. An old man towing a three thousand pound boat back to the dock, into the wind, gracefully using the breast stroke, with the tow rope held firmly in his teeth. Picture him making no progress and being blown further and further from the bank. Now, picture him sinking gracefully beneath the surface as his heart attack kicks in. That would be me if I had tried it. ;D

That was basically the scenario of the guy i towed except he wasn't swimming. He had 1 oar and his buddy was watching him.

Did you really swim the boat back

I most certainly did. Lets just say shrinkage is not a myth.

HAHA lmao

LOL @ this thread.

Sometimes you have to learn the hard way. I know I have quite a few times.

Another tip of the day:

If you own expensive tools that you use all the time on your boat like say a nice lipper. Attach them to a bouy.

Tip brought to you by some dude I watched dropping his into the lake... He was most displeased.

Rofl

I learned that lesson a long time ago offshore when I was Dolphin fishing.  Brought a thirty pounder to the boat and my old man gaffed it.  The fish said nuh uh, and took off.  That gaff is resting somewhere in a thousand foot of water on the bottom of the Atlantic.  Ever since then, we've only bought floating tools, or attached flotation of some kind to the things that don't.

My dad lives in northern MN and I try to visit him as often as possible(the fishing up north is tremendous)!!!  Even when he knows I'm coming his TM battery is rarely at full charge.  We don't fish elec. only waters,  but its still sucks trying to bass fish w/out a TM.

He's on this site every now and then.  Hope he doesn't read this or I'll catch h#*@!!

True finding out the hard way. I know my batteries has failed me on several occasions. I know I installed a 12 volt cig plug for my jon boat to run my spot light. I had both battery charged too, got out to lake plugged in light and dead. It drained my battery light that. So no depth finder and lights. I was using my head band light so I could see where I was going on the lake. A couple of years ago Me and my cousin in law went croaker fishing out on Tappahannock river during the beginning of spring at night time while it was pouring down raining. My poncho ripped on me and we both was soaking wet. We wasn't bothered while fishing but when we decided to leave, I dumped the bait out, and started the boat.............Well the boat was dead. For probably an half hour or so trying to get it to start nothing. So I called 911 for help. Now we're wet and cold. 911 ask me do we have kids onboard with us or did we have any medical sickness,after I said no, they said their was nothing they can do. told me to either call sea tow( Expensive and can't travel that far in) or wait till someone can tow us back in. No one on the river that night and hard to say if would be next day cause of weather. We sat for like 4 hours waiting and in the meantime the state boys are trying the best they can for us. Luckily my boat finally started and I had to drive with my lights off in the middle of night dodging crab pots to get to land. What night for us. I did have my oar with me but the current was to strong and  I had to stay anchor down so I didn't travel down river.

Another story last year I went fishing down on the river by land in the winter with snow on ground. Air temp I think was not even in the 40's( hard to say what it was by the water) when I was finally done I dumped my minnows out packed up, jump in car and hahahahahaha. CAR WAS DEAD! I sat their in the cold for 2 hours waiting for my friend to give me a jump. I even had a cop stop and ask for my license(fishing and driving) and he told me he didn't have cables and their not allow to give anyone a jump. I mean what is that?

These are my luck when come to batteries but besides that my tip is don't toss the bait till you know for sure your done and gone. Both incidents I could of been fishing still while waiting. I can't believe how much fishing even if not catching anything keeps your mind occupied from the cold.