fishinwrench

Even the old warts had two different materials. There is/was a clear plastic and a chalky white (bone) plastic.

Exactly. I haven't driven a boat more than 15 miles from a ramp/dock since my tournament fishin' days. And wouldn't have done it then if I didn't think I had to.

Yeah unless the spot you are wanting to fish is 30+ miles away from the ramp you really won't get there that much sooner running flat out.

That could very well be. Just over the last couple years I have started finding disintegrated upper mounts caused from seemingly minor fuel leaks dripping alcohol enhanced fuel on the rubber. I'm not a fan of hydraulic steering either. If there is some excessive prop torque going on I prefer to FEEL IT so that it can be corrected with either a trim tab adjustment or a trim position/motor height adjustment.

Dude! What a day!

It usually isn't the slide/tilt tube area that seizes. It is the two spots along the span where the cable makes 90° bends.

I was gonna tell you that you were hurting yourself by driving right on past Lake O.... but then you said "walleye". Our walleye fishing sucks overall, but everything else is about as good as it gets for December.

6 years is the average lifespan of rack cables AND of seals on hydraulic units. Rotary helm NFB single cable systems usually last a couple years longer, but you can't use them on motors above 120hp

It's not THAT bad. If you live close to the g'nade I would encourage you to go for it and don't give up after just a couple of days out. Pick a time during a warming trend (this coming weekend looks to be awesome) and concentrate on deep pools with big rocks, or areas with substantial spring influence. Don't overdo the "slow" thing though because with fly's you still have to elicit a reaction bite. If you let them look at it too good they probably won't eat it, or if they do they'll spit it right back out before you even knew you had a bite.

Can the cables be replaced without pulling the motor? If so I would definitely just replace the cables. If the motor has to be pulled then costwise you could go either way IF there is sufficient clearance in the splash well for hydraulics. Some of the older 70's-80's boats were rigged with the engine mounts flat on the transom, leaving no room to fully tilt the motor if hydraulics are installed. If you want to post a pic that shows the front of the motor and the splash well I can tell you for sure.

Y'all are crazy, that's all there is to it. I don't ever wanna hear another one of ya complain about a 400.00 stator, or a 700.00 set of gears.

I can't see any need to treat leaders or tippet material. Fly line that is still fairly fresh can usually just be cleaned with some mild soap and buffed dry with an old T-shirt until it is nice and slick again. Line that has lived a hard life under the sun and/or under your feet can be kept usable long enough to raise the 40-70.00 needed to buy a new one by cleaning, drying, and rubbing something slick and water resistant on it. WD-40 and Armour-all don't work at all. Neither do those little pads of "fly line cleaner" that come with some lines. But I have used Silicote reel lube and Vaseline with good results on cracked-up aged fly line even though I guarantee somebody is fixing to come along shortly and tell you that those two things (as well as any other easily obtainable lubricant) will absolitely cause your line to disintegrate before your very eyes, because everybody is taught to believe that a fly line is some mystical, magical thing made of unobtainium gathered from a galaxy far-far away and highly vulnerable to most everything on earth.

OK that sounds even better. Are the Suspenders and the Shorts in high demand as well ? Thx

The way I use a wart (beating along the bottom and crashing off dock cables I'm just thinking old/new doesn't matter. So I'd just as soon trade the old ones off and replace with new ones that are in the color pattern I actually use. The only wart I ever throw is the one called "brown craw" that actually looks red. But I have a bunch that are other colors just sitting in a box in storage. Some I know are originals cuz I've had them for decades, some are "suspending warts" and some are shorts. I just really have no use for them, so if anyone wants to trade some new style "brown craw" warts for some Original's in other colors I'd do it.

So it's all in the stamp on the underside of the bill ? That's frustrating, some of mine are custom painted so I guess there's no way to confirm ?

I got turned on to this pattern years ago that is supposed to be the "end all" to trico hatch frustration AND trico spinner falls. I believe it was called "train wreck" and is designed to imitate a CLUSTER of trico's. Best fished around foam lines and eddy breaks. It is pretty self explanatory... Ultra chenille and some grizzly hackle on a #18-20 dry fly hook. I tied up a batch and haven't encountered a trico hatch since, so "ending the frustration" it certainly DID ! Here'tis

I'm about ready to go thru my crankbait boxes and will probably pawn off a few WW's so what is the distinguishing factor between original/new ? There are a few in there that I'm not sure about.

Sink-tips and bulky headed streamers and clousers in the boulder pools are about the only game I know how to play for Winter smallies on the fly. About 1 in every 4 days you'll find them receptive enough to it and make it worth your effort. You will be casting from a boat though, so unless you have a jon boat or drift boat it is a waste of time IMO. Double-hauling sink tips from a canoe, kayak or toon just sucks. And you're more than likely gonna be in areas too deep to wade. If you know where a few sizable springs are you can usually catch some there by swinging leech patterns.

Hopefully you have two separate patterns going there. I'd hate to think that the same fish that were happy at 5-7' are now in 20+'. The whites up here were still cruising the same areas yesterday, although not quite as willing to bite. I'm impressed that you can fish a 1/16 jig @ 25'. I start losing touch with 1/16oz at anything over 12'.

No. Are there even any public ponds in boliver, branson, marshfield, or lebanon? I think they should put some up in Moniteau co. for the Amish folks.

I replaced the gunwale braces on a wooden jon with ash strips followed by a treatment of Thompson's sealer AFTER it began to age and dry out a bit.

No I don't Fool Around with Roadrunners... I get plum Serious about them (should own stock) The original Blakemore heads with a Southern pro CT grub accounts for darn near every crappie I eat. As for the whites I usually flyfish for them but here lately I just can't get them to eat a fly. They are triggered by a steady retrieve with no pauses or twitches and I think the pause between strips (when flyfishing) is a bite killer right now. They are following it for 10-30 feet before striking, and if the bait does anything even mildly out of the ordinary they turn away. Very "un-whitelike" if you ask me, but whatever. LOL As much as I'd rather be catching them on the fly it just isn't the right tool for the job now.

Oh,you were up high. For some reason I assumed you were down below Tavern.

This is so painful to watch.... Turn that freaking thing off and just go fishin.

I'm alternating between a Sassy shad and a 3" Larew Long John minnow. Same 1/8oz. head. Trying to decide which they like best. It seems to be a draw.