OnPlane

Sir...I am glad to know there are a few around that know the "right" thing to do!....

Limit on jet skis same as asian carp...

Well racing a 200+ HP bass boat is a bad idea...and even worse on a jet ski...I've had em do it and have had to cut back on the throttle and "give em the win" to avoid .....the scratches on the bottom of my boat....LOL...I used to think they would figure it out sooner or later....but as I get older...I don't think so....ON PLANE...STAY AWAY...LOL

LOLOLO Fishinwrench.....ROGLMAO...good one...regarding "baggin" those...I don't like for em to be in front at take off of a tourney or being pulled down the road in front of me...LOL (but I don't know anything about em...either...for those of you that may have one...What about Evinrude....?

Could possible play...as with all tourneys...depending on the date....Multispecies thing is OK....Boater....Put me in on the bass option. Post the date and will confirm. Thanks

You should be able to go to the Missouri Water Patrol website and find "REGATTA Permits". Find the date and it will tell you if there is any type of Regatta...and what time the permit is for.....then this should lead you to who has the permit...so on so on......After a quick look...I didn't see one for any night tourneys in May....but I just took a quick look..

Ditto the "don't last forever" comment...but...you gotta do what you gotta do...See if the fella's at Marine Repair Center in Springfield, MO got any ideas..Pretty creative dudes....Look up there web on the web.

After owning a couple of bass boats...I must recommend trying a few on for size before you drop a dime. Today's market is flooded with marketing the big 21' high performance boats with big 250's that the fella's on TV drive. Those are REALLY sweet and allow you to go on all types of water pretty safely and at GREAT speed. (They look cool too). They have almost all features that make tournament fishing a pleasure. However, they are costly to maintain. BELIEVE me when I say you can not work on those engines like we used too....They are HIGH PERFORMANCE and require a trusted mechanic to diagnose and keep maintained to stay running. Even the smaller 150, 200, & 225's are not the same old engines we used to have. You can do some minor things that can save money...but for the most part plan on bucks every year for maintenance. I am not a boat mechanic, but tried to be one on my own rig...and well, I was overwhelmed with how complicated that thing is...Looks simple but..wait.."what is that thing". The newer motors are very fuel efficient for what they do also...but comes with a price. Almost all boat manufactures have realized we all don't have sponsors or large bank vaults full of money, and have been promoting and building a mid line bass boat that is getting into the "reasonable" price market. The new ones coming are shorter and wider with power plants that are capable of the mid 60 mph. Lighter boat, motor, and trailer combo's also equate to easier (not great) mileage, wear and tear on the tow vehicle. Earl Bentz (sp) said that the new market is the smaller boat and his line is now offering that class of boat in a wider selection. Search the brands..and see they all have them. The options and accessories are being loaded in these "affordable" rigs that make them pretty attractive. Buying a boat that you think is adequate today...is also an issue for tomorrow. AS your skill level increases your desire to tourney fish (you gotta try just see if you get better...)goes up...you find that it would be nice to have gadget "x" to make this easier and more enjoyable...(even is something as simple as a swing away tongue for storing or retractable tie downs on the trailer not to mention automatic bilge pumps or lighted compartments, etc.). Hey..after all that...the moral of the story is take your time...and research. I didn't, but got lucky and had some friends that helped by taking me with em in several brands...and I just paid attention to what each platform had and made mental notes of what I wanted. My goal was to tourney fish around here but still be able to afford it (I tourney fish but can't afford it...but that's a different discussion)...I still have had just a couple of trades..but ..am happy with the one I have owned for 9 years...(heck its coming back into vogue--short 19 footer with high power). Best of Luck "No help at all"

Generally we (the bass fishing community I run with around here) are good sources of info on such items...but it seems the jury has a lot of opinions on this one...Usually price is the deciding factor...and I know I use 27 series Deep Cycles from O'Reilly..(SuperStart)...and have had a couple in the boat going on 29 months of use...-24 v system-...and I use it throughout the year. I have realized that the battery maintenance is the biggest issue on the table...Keeping from freezing..filling with DISTILLED water when necessary and charging only till FULL (not leaving the charger on em...for an extended time)....Unless you fish in EXTREME conditions where the "shock" factor (in terms of rattling the battery around in the boat is an issue)...then I think the conventional lead plate types are fine. The "sealed" gel and dry types...usually lead me back to that price thing...and hence...I get em...cheap...LOL....and work on maintaining them for a while...

Just a thought and recommendation that you may want to go to Marine Repair Center in Springfield. You can look them up on the web. The fella's there do a great job on any install and have done so on my rig in the past. Don't count out on when looking for marine electronics and trolling motors. Luckily I have not had an issue with my Minn Kota in 10 plus years of heavy use. If I were about to get a new one...Marine Repair Center would be a first stop...Advice, Installation and Service...Good dudes..!!

Fished the USA Bassin' Tourney out of Old State Park Saturday. 30 boats or so..and a lot of limits. Looked to be mostly "swimmers" but a few had some dandy Large Mouth. I think a little over 7 lbs. was BIG BASS. Caught a lot of fish all over lake, just no big bite for us. Looked like a lot of boats on the lake...(maybe looked that way to everybody else...but it was probably just us trying to find a big un...LOL) Slow moving baits worked best for us...but the water temp says they should eat something on the power side. Jigs probably would hold the best chance of catching bass, but maybe small. Good luck

Take a look at the Anglers in Action web site and look at "Results" for Sunday's Tourney at Stockton. YES there were some fish caught. I actually fished it and didn't do too bad....till we heard the results of the limit that "crushed" the field. Those fellas had em covered....Just look at the differences in weights as you go down the list. Large grouping of limits of 10-12 pounds.

I have found that Son Sac Marine in Greenfield is the BEST!! Go online and look em up. Call or Email Bill Cooper there and I am positive he will fix you up!! I have used Mr Cooper to fix and maintain my Evinrude and I just trust his expertise and advice. A boat motor is a terrible thing to waste. I have used some in the Springfield local area and won't be going back to them as long as Son Sac is around. Maybe a haul, but worth the effort.

Thanks Bill for the information. Somehow I knew that was what you were getting at when we were firing questions to you about oil and gasoline additives when I was picking up that FICHT the other day....You know me now I bet. Keep up the good work and keep the tips coming our way on this and other topics of boats and motors. Thanks.