MrGiggles

So in other words, not worth it.

Can't a guy just enjoy his bad investment for a little while at least?

The water finally cooled off enough and the shad are schooled up tight. Find them and you can fill the boat quick. I caught one on a spoon but changed to the drop shot and did a lot better. I'm sure a jig and plastic would work just about as well. Brought home 13 in two hours last night. No short fish.

Worth it on a 90hp outboard? I've got a 21P turning point hustler 3 blade aluminum right now. Turns about 5700 wide open at 39mph. The 4 stroke is definitely sluggish out of the hole with a full livewell and a passenger but it does okay. Whats your alls experience with stainless props on a mid size outboard? I tried one on the 60hp Merc that I used to have. I really couldn't tell a big difference. I eventually ran a 4 blade Mercury Spitfire on that motor which was my favorite overall.

What I liked the most about Livescope was the perspective it gives you. You can see exactly where you are in relation to a drop off, point, brushpile, etc. Obviously with 2D you can only see straight below you, and SI is useless unless the boat is moving. I didn't catch loads more fish with it. I caught more for sure but it still doesn't make them bite, just makes them easier to find.

I'd really like to see a ROI study broken down by major and including trade degrees that's fairly recent. If you search "is college worth it" half the results are just colleges telling you how much money you will make after graduating. Like you said on average you will make more, but with STEM grads on the high end and basket weavers on the bottom end, not sure how it pays for somebody in the middle. And income is all relative, those higher paying jobs are pretty much only located in bigger cities where it costs more to live. $100k a year in KC or STL is barely middle class.

I wouldn't recommend it to a young person unless they already have a specific direction and a good way to pay for it. I had some classes with a few older guys, I think they did it mostly for fun, and for something to do. I couldn't stand programming. I totally cheesed my way through that class. There were parts of it that were kind of fun, but I didn't relate to any of my classmates and the material was awfully boring. I'm not going back unless I have money and time to burn. I just don't really see the return on that investment with the current job market and cost of living in bigger cities.

Steeples belong on the roof of a church.

And the smell of Cope straight. I quit chewing and switched to vaping a few years ago, but I still miss the smell and taste of the real deal. Frankly I hate vaping, but if it keeps my teeth in my jaw longer, I'll stick with it. Grandpa always had a dip in and it reminds me of him. "Grandpa Mike, what are you spitting for?" "Got a fly in my mouth."

That is what I have been doing to get back to the ramp for the past couple of months.

It was running dry. In theory there's no way for this setup to flood the engine. If it overfills, gas will hit the vent switch, set an alarm, and the PCM will shut down the lift pump until the vent switch is cleared. Which is both smart and stupid, it will likely never fill the crankcase with gas and blow the powerhead, but a vent switch failure could leave you dead in the water.

New float switch took care of it. Ran like a champ tonight.

My brother's wife is a pretty active smoker. Says the different strains are what can cause paranoia and anxiety. If you don't like one try another. I've only smoked once. Not a bad feeling, it was kinda like an alcohol buzz but without the physical impairment.

Frames and drivetrains are the same, although it's not quite as simple as same truck with different badges. The differences are in trim packages and how they're outfitted. GMC is marketed as the higher end luxury option, Chevrolet is the everyman's truck. The GMC will often come standard with what a Chevy only includes in the higher trim packages. Could be a bigger engine, air suspension, heated/cooled seats, etc. There are exceptions though and some trims that overlap.

Cost savings and the ability to use the same FSM from a 75hp all the way to a 350hp Verado probably. I'm not sure how well a pulse driven pump works on multi-cylinder 4 strokes, BRP made it work on a 2 stroke, wouldn't think it would be all that different. Looks like Honda, Yamaha, and Suzuki use cam driven diaphragm pumps to supply the VST. Other than a sticking needle and seat, not much to go wrong. Mercury has had a lot of trouble with them, mostly float switch problems and the regulator hoses blowing, causing them to suck gas into the intake.

Just got back from a test run. Took a while to get it to act up. Seems to run perfectly forever until you shut it down hot and fish for a while. It quit shortly after my first stop. No light, no power to the lift pump. Next I checked the float switch. Ground on one side and 5v on the other. It's supposed to close and show 5V on both sides when the FSM is empty, however it was definitely empty and the circuit was open like it was full. Then I jumpered the float switch wires and the lift pump kicked in like it was supposed to, although it overfilled and set a vent switch code, which is normal since the float was bypassed. I cleaned and tested that float switch probably 20 times in a jar a gas before, but I guess it doesn't really compare to being loaded and hot. There really isn't any moving parts to it, must have an internal magnetic switch, not much you can do there except replace it. Hopefully that takes care of it, I'm starting to question my skills since I've "found the problem" three or four times now.

It is stupid. Electric pumps suck at drawing fuel, especially this type. That is no secret. A mechanical pump and a needle/float would have made way more sense. And the fact that the lift pump is totally computer controlled makes it worse. Honestly I'm kind of leaning towards the lift pump driver in the ECM being no good, but I don't have any hard facts to back that up. It would be easy enough to bypass with a relay, but I'm not sure you could ever make the ECM live happily knowing it's not running a lift pump. I guess it makes sense from an R&D standpoint since they can use the same FSM for all 75-135 motors, saves some money there. I'll take it out tonight and see what it does.

That's fair, I knew you don't mess with four strokes but I thought you may use it on Opti's and the newer 2 strokes. Looks like there's a guy in Bolivar that does it and could help me out if I needed it. It would sure save a lot of time, instead of back probing and running two or three meters, just plug it in and verify that the float switch is open, vent switch status is satisfactory, and see that the lift pump is supposed to be running. Then back probe the connectors at the ECM for the lift pump to eliminate the harness. Looks like the PCM handles both power and ground for the lift pump, the high pressure pump has a relay. Should be the other way around since the lift pump is the one being modulated constantly. Call me weird but I'd rather diag electrical than fool around with itty bitty screws and linkages on a carburetor.

The fishing and weather have been so good I've just been putting up with it. Troubleshooting this stuff without the Merc CDS software is difficult to say the least. You don't have that stuff do you, @fishinwrench?

So I guess it's time for an update. The Merc runs beautifully, for short periods at a time. I'm still having fuel pump problems. I tried another aftermarket part which still had that bleeder hole. Worked better but would still quit after running for a while. I ordered the Walbro pump last week and put that in. This pump has no bleeder hole. Holds prime much better but still, same problem. Runs like a champ 2-3 miles out to the first spot, fish for a while, start it up and it won't pump after that. Back to priming. I've got a small LED light back probed into the lift pump power/ground wires that will show whenever the PCM has it powered up, and another wire going into the float switch signal. I will leave them coiled up on the deck, so when it acts up I'll be able to see what's going on. For some reason I don't think the lift pump is running after a short while.

I think it's cool and all, but at the end of the day the most expensive power is the kind that you make yourself. I don't know why people spend all kinds of money just to say they're "off grid." Doesn't seem like it would ever pencil out to me.

https://www.renogy.com/2000w-12v-pure-sine-wave-inverter/ That's about equal to what a standard outlet in your house would provide before the breaker popped.

Seems like it would work but only being 50ah would be sapped pretty quickly if you tried to do much with it other than charge cell phones. A $100 Everstart 29DC, some cheap panels, and a good inverter would give you twice the capacity for half the price if weight and packaging is not a big deal. You can buy used Lipo medical batteries on eBay under the Valence brand name. They're pretty cheap compared to other lithium options.

Many have a few of my flicker shads stuck in them. If you ever want to find some just go troll for a while. You'll find every one in the lake.

Having the waypoints makes a big difference. There are a lot of piles that do not have signs, and even if they do it makes them way easier to find. Looks you were headed right to a couple of good piles in your second pic. It almost looks like you already have the waypoints loaded, I know a lot of those symbols match up to brush piles that I know of. I don't know the lake that well from Masters to where both arms meet. I usually fish from Masters down to the 245 bridge. Past the bridge you start getting into a lot more timber. Just west of the island, there is a long, shallow, underwater point that is pretty good spot. I think it's an old road bed, and there are some brush piles scattered along it. Without a contour map, you wouldn't know it's there. It's not really a big secret, as there are usually several guys fishing it at any given time in the warmer months. Stockton is pretty cold hearted. 90% dead water and it's always been kind of feast or famine for me. But when you get on them, makes it all worth it.