fishinwrench

So they could put carp in those pretty streams instead? Think of the savings!

^^This^^ The sensor/caps have a habit of cracking around the thread ring after a few years. Mercury should have updated that POS but choose to ignore it year after year. Typical. Get a fresh new one and sleep easy for a year or two.

Woah! Baby Tarpon

I think that once my whites vanish I'm gonna target a mess of KY's on the flyrod. I know a brushy channel bank real close that is always loaded with them during the fall/winter.

I can probably get a Teleflex kit at 40% off MSRP after Thanksgiving. Other than that I dunno (ebay?). Dont see many of them around here, and have only installed 1 in my whole working life.

If you're replacing the compete gearset then you'll need the fwd.bearing/race, seal kit, and a new pinion nut also.

You didn't say what year, but does your lower unit housing look like this? http://www.crowleymarine.com/mercury-outboard/parts/497_200.cfm What parts are you needing?

Well done. That Kentucky is a hoss !

Yeah, for a single "multi-species" boat you're gonna have to include the following: Rough water capability with a strong trolling motor....yet not too big to get in behind the docks QUIETLY...nor too heavy to float/idle across a shallow stump filled flat. Plenty of open floor space and storage compartments to keep stuff off the floor. Oversized livewell(s). I might as we'll stop now since such a boat doesn't exist. At least not one that I would enjoy fishing from. You need a rig with all the features of a 18-20' glass bassboat, a 16-18' jon boat, and a 20-24' toon....all rolled into one.

I think that is the first walleye I've ever seen come from Pomme. Nice one too! Not to change the subject but how are the white bass rebounding there?

They are a blast! My favorite fly rod target by far, and if they'd just "get air" I'd never fish for anything else Consider yourself lucky for getting off the water before that gale started. I was on a wide open shallow flat (55° water) and it went from a manageable breeze to 3 foot rollers in a matter of 5 minutes.

Right on! I found a good mess today too. Brought 18 to hand on the fly, kept the best 10 for the freezer. That wind got plum wicked right before dark, didn't it? Whew!

I don't know if this is still the case but you used to be able to buy cheap free floating water bed mattresses for 30 bucks. You could lay something heavy on them and drag it all over the yard with one hand. I used one for years to move salvage outboards around my place, slide washer/dryer/fridge/and oversize houseplants across the floor, and in the Winter we'd pump it full of air and shove loads of kids down the hillsides. That thing was great!

That was sarcasm in it's finest form Well played Ham! A guy buying a boat with his wife in mind....proof that all that glitters is not sold Bunches of those "compromise boats" for sale with incredibly low hours on them. The wife is usually good for two half-days during the life of that boat. Buy her a jet ski and set her free, if she comes back she's yours, if she doesn't then she never was....AND YOU UNLOADED A JET SKI !

Quit talking crazy. Seriously though that Targa doesn't mind the rollers that's for sure, and if you keep a boat on a hoist where you have to cross some roughness to get to the fish then it's about as perfect of a boat for this lake as any I know.

Having spent a considerable amount of time in all shapes and sizes of boats I have come to the conclusion that the #1 most versatile fishing boat is a 16' jon boat. It will do it all and last forever. Customize it a little to suit your needs, and if your needs change you can re-customize it. Or hell, Own two....or THREE for the cost of one factory rigged boat. I currently have a 16' Lowe Olympic(wide Mod-V) set up as a flyfishing boat with uncluttered decks, and I have a 16' Lowe 1636 (plain ol'jon) for smaller water/rivers. And when/if I sell them I will definately make money. While it's true that really rough water is gonna be sketchy.....How much time do you really want to spend fishing in (or driving through) 3-4' rollers? Even if your boat can handle it you'll be avoiding water like that anyway unless you compete in big money events regularly, or you're the type of guy that has to fish the opposite end of the lake from where you launch from.

Amen!

Maybe they were barking squirrels and scouting for a future deer hunt.

How many in the group? If you're in NW Mo. You might consider going Northeast. Driftless.

I caught one crappie that was no bigger than my dock this evening.

Gotcha! I'll be up on the hill if you need me.

You can do your thorax "in the round" then flatten with a pair of these... AFTER the thorax is wrapped. Or you could do a woven thorax. Or you could make up a chopped herl dubbing brush, then trim it flat....And squeeze if you REALLY want an exagerrated flat/wide profile. Or you could scrap the hassle all together since in reality I don't believe you'll catch a single extra fish due to this tweak.

They are supposed to be Americas best trained engineers, surely they knew what they were doing. Unless there's a wicked quake I think it'll stay plugged just fine.