fishinwrench

Everybody watches their tach all the time but the most important guage on your dash is the VOLTMETER that is normally installed where you can't hardly see it. LOL A little tip: Most LCG units have a digital voltage readout option. Turn that baby ON, as it's usually more accurate than the analog guage most boats are equipped with. Voltage drops under 10v while cranking and/or operating the trim,, OR,, Voltage climbs of more than 14.5v while running indicate a problem brewing.

I'm among the few that believe this "infraction" was grossly over punished AND over publicized/hyped. IMO the dept. spends way too much money on freakin' spoonbill propagation, and you can't convince me that their motive for the spending is "for sporting and plankton control" while ignoring the market for caviar. BULL$#!T ! I for one would prefer they s#itcan their bigtime spoonbill project and spread that insane allocation of money back to where it belongs. Either that or give back to the lakes &streams.... a cut of the take.

I like the Exide Nautilus 1000 but I don't recommend trying to get 4+ years out of it. 3 at best, and that's pushing it. Having a good fresh battery connected to the newer EFI/DFI outboards is extremely important. As a friend I'd rather see you cut corners on fuel quality and stop with the bull$#it additives than trying to get 4-5 years out of a battery, regardless of which brand it is.

Jason, any idea of your friends budget expectations? I've started buying up as many of what I consider "the good" older 9.9-35hp outboards and bringing them back to 'like new' condition. But I'm finding that alot of folks aren't willing to pay a fair price for them. Typically they can be found for 3-500.00 but will need an additional 2-300.00 to refresh them. Maybe a little more if you want it to look nice. That IMO is still better than shelling out the coin for a new 4-stroke POS.

I swap my personal batterys out when they'll no longer hold 12.7v+ overnight, but most of my customers like to try and get ANOTHER YEAR out of them at that point. If you do alot of fishing then replacing batterys every Spring is cheap insurance. Nothing can ruin a good bite quicker than a sub-standard power source. And lower voltages generates alot of heat in the entire circuit, causing corrosion at every splice and excess heat at the armature brushes. Once the brushes glaze over you've cut your start-up power permanently.....even AFTER you replace the batterys.

It's all about the weight..... I think. :?:

LMAO Yep, the harder I think the dumber I get. Fish are just flakey, period. Should just leave it at that and accept it. You can't reason with them....ever. You say "what's the matter?" They say "NOTHING'A!" OOOO-Kaaay'a ! But you KNOW there's "something'a, and you're gonna pay for it.

I do 80% of my fishing in less than 7' of water. I can tell you for a fact that baitfish or their predators do not evacuate the shallow flats during high pressure days....I can see them! In most places where I fish the deepest the plankton can go is 3-4ft. unless they burrow into the bottom. I just don't think it's about plankton, but I could be wrong. And if it was all about sunlight penetration then seeking out and fishing various degrees of shade would save the day. No, there are days when LAKE fish just flat shut down, simultaneously, over a large area, sometimes almost statewide. River fish seem to be more reliable, possibly less effected by the atmosphere above the water surface, that is a fact.....but what does that tell us ?

I don't think there's any argument that changes in the weather effect the bite, and that is basically all that a barometer indicates.....A change in the current weather trend. I've never been able to put a pattern to it though, such as " they bite better on a falling barometer", or " they shut down on a rise". Many times however, I have been on a really good bite and then seemingly for no reason the bite just goes dead. Then within 24-36 hours a significant or noticable weather change will occur. In a case like THAT the fish seem to be effected by it before any of our "measuring devices" even begin to fluctuate. That has always perplexed me. What IS IT that triggers either the predator or the prey to change its M.O.?

It always ticked me off that Missouri (a no-fault divorce state that awards the female with EVERYTHING, regardless) has a year-round fishing season. We were screwed from the start Then again, at least it gives us something to do while we are homeless and paying off all the marital debt.

Close enough. Culprit 10"

Two guys were out fishing near a bridge when a funeral convoy began to cross. One of the guys took his hat off and placed it over his chest until the last car was out of sight. The other guy looks at him and says, Wow Gus, I'm a bit taken back by your sensitivity there, I never knew you to be such a softy. Gus says: Yeah well, we were married for 26 years.

Those are the kinda guys that I respect more than the title winners. I know a handful just like your boy "Pete", and you'll never see any of them at a weigh-in, and likely won't see them in the local tackle shop either. Extremely low-key, ghostly old fish predators.

LOL Pretty much I guess. There's still a difference between standing your ground with a boss.....and just flat refusing to even HAVE a boss.

Good Knight !!!!! Wow!

In my experience they seem to turn what would be a glancing blow into a solid hit more times than not. And in gravel it increases the odds of a small rock getting pinched between prop and the guard. I prefer to just slow down and run without any "guards".

That's actually a very good point. When I was learning the finer points of locating and catching fish there wasn't the internet to learn from so info came in small bits easy to digest and plenty of time between tidbits to test and refine the things I picked up on.. IMO now I would think it to be a bit overwhelming to be a beginner studying the options. There has to be a ton of tail chasing going on these days, and I almost feel sorry for some of you younger fellas because before you have given yourself enough time to learn the finer points of flippin'/pitchin' you are out playing with drop-shotting and jacking around with Shakey heads and s#!t.

I'd say y'all just hit on it in a nutshell. If the drive and desire is something you have to "work at" then you're constantly on an uphill course. You have to have an almost inborn obsession that seems natural to YOU. If your obsession with fishing hasn't caused you some problems in your life, like with keeping a job or being a good husband, then there's always gonna be guys better at it than you. It's harsh and unhealthy in reality, but excellent fishermen care more about the fishing than they do anything else in their life. It's not a "sacrifice" that they make.....it comes from selfishness just like an alcoholic or a drug addict. Striving to be the best fisherman possible......Is that REALLY what you want?

I can only imagine your wifes reaction to your choice of cases I'd expect a case of that nature would never go to trial because.... 1. Local ordinances would determine any evidence pretty cut & dried, and both the prosecutor and the defense would easily be able to sort it out. 2. An unbiased jury would be nearly impossible to round up. People, as a whole, are either Strip clubs YES!, or Strip clubs NO!

Sounds good.

You got it. Matter of fact everyone involved here is invited, got plenty of room and extra boats. Wouldn't that be a hoot?

Excellent idea. I'll offer ZERO assistance if you stick it in a tree though.

Just to be clear, Wal-mart and flea markets are ok, right? Or is this strictly a Dollar General thing?

I'm in ! Gotta kick Ronnie's @$$ with some googly eyes.