Another FLW boat crash

[Champ188]

On ‎1‎/‎26‎/‎2018 at 11:58 PM, fishinwrench said:

There is a very important element of the sport that gets very little attention given to it.   There are scads of articles and instructional videos about rods, reels, lures, lines, sonar, ect.  But when was the last time you heard a "pro" discuss proper trim angle and/or throttle control when crossing rough water?   When have you ever drove 2-3 hours to sit through a seminar about safe and responsible boat handling?  Oh hell no....but you'd drive 700 miles to hear KVD discuss his hook choice for square bill cranks.   Ever heard or read anything about the differences between running with full fuel tanks and full livewells vs. running light?  Of course you haven't.  There are tons of fishermen out there with hydraulic steering that don't realize that they can't feel steering torque.... therefore they don't know that the alignment of motor and hull is not conducive for safe right hand turns.  It ain't a car you're driving, right hand turns are way more clumsy than left hand turns, and the faster you're going the clumsier and more out of control they get if the trim angle is off just a bit. Hardly anybody that is a hot stick Bassin' man even acknowledges that. 

Everyone's head is full to the brim about how to fish a chatterbait over grass, how to punch matted hydrilla, how to choose the best sunglasses, and how to set up your sonar for optimal target separation. But they haven't a clue about how to read channel bouys in a big river, how to read a squall line, or how to spot differences in the distance between white caps to avoid a shallow bar or hump.  Maybe there needs to be more articles, videos and seminars on stuff like that.

A bunch of people with D's and F's in basic math are sitting in the algebraic geometry class.  The teachers don't care as long as they continue to get paid.

I don't think there's been a better post in a very long time on all of Ozark Anglers than this one ... Darn. Well. Said. 

[Champ188]

On ‎1‎/‎27‎/‎2018 at 6:30 AM, Basfis said:

I feel sorry for the co-anglers. If I toured and my son fished the co-angler side, the increased frequency would have me pushing. 

Sub out the word "son" for "wife" and you'll have 90 percent of the reason I quit derby fishing. Got to be way too many numbnuts out there with steering wheels in their hands that I wasn't about to put Donna at the mercy of any longer. She held her on for years in pro-am events, making the Classic every year but one during a decade of fishing Central Pro-Am. But some of the worst rides she ever took were in Walmart BFL events, which are a branch of FLW. Too much youthful testosterone and lack of knowledge/skill where operating a high-speed bass rig is concerned. 

[dtrs5kprs]

On 1/28/2018 at 11:20 AM, fishinwrench said:

Hot foot throttle's are popular but there's a lot to dislike about them.  In rough water it's best to have a consistent throttle setting, and that's impossible to do when your bouncing around in your seat.    For years outboard manufacturers did not even offer them, they were strictly aftermarket items, but now Merc offers one for smart craft applications only. Lots of premature powerhead failure was caused by foot throttle's back in the Black Max days. 

Another reason they weren't offered by manufacturers is because unless you keep a very neat and tidy boat they are dangerous. Stuff laying loose on the floor of a boat always finds its way under the console and right under that hot foot, never fails. If you ever lose a jar of pork rinds, spool of line, water bottle, or bottle of Real Craw....you can usually find it trapped in the hot foot.

There was an accident last year at the boat ramp because the guys GoPro Hero (that he thought came loose from its mount and flew in the lake) got jammed up in the Hot Foot.

Some of the exact reasons I will never have a foot throttle. Learned a lot of that on the Mississippi River.

[J-Doc]

On ‎1‎/‎26‎/‎2018 at 11:58 PM, fishinwrench said:

There is a very important element of the sport that gets very little attention given to it.   There are scads of articles and instructional videos about rods, reels, lures, lines, sonar, ect.  But when was the last time you heard a "pro" discuss proper trim angle and/or throttle control when crossing rough water?   When have you ever drove 2-3 hours to sit through a seminar about safe and responsible boat handling?  Oh hell no....but you'd drive 700 miles to hear KVD discuss his hook choice for square bill cranks.   Ever heard or read anything about the differences between running with full fuel tanks and full livewells vs. running light?  Of course you haven't.  There are tons of fishermen out there with hydraulic steering that don't realize that they can't feel steering torque.... therefore they don't know that the alignment of motor and hull is not conducive for safe right hand turns.  It ain't a car you're driving, right hand turns are way more clumsy than left hand turns, and the faster you're going the clumsier and more out of control they get if the trim angle is off just a bit. Hardly anybody that is a hot stick Bassin' man even acknowledges that. 

Everyone's head is full to the brim about how to fish a chatterbait over grass, how to punch matted hydrilla, how to choose the best sunglasses, and how to set up your sonar for optimal target separation. But they haven't a clue about how to read channel bouys in a big river, how to read a squall line, or how to spot differences in the distance between white caps to avoid a shallow bar or hump.  Maybe there needs to be more articles, videos and seminars on stuff like that.

A bunch of people with D's and F's in basic math are sitting in the algebraic geometry class.  The teachers don't care as long as they continue to get paid.

Gerald Swindle

He covers what you said is needed.  Trim angle, explains the trough of the wave and zig-zag between the valleys of waves. He also said slower is better.  Keep nose of the boat light and wear a life jacket.  Then he demonstrates it in the video.  He also runs a hot foot but keeps a constant speed......not on and off.

A hot foot is no different than a gas peddle in a car.  If you know how to drive a race car correctly, you will appreciate having both hands on the wheel and being able to back off the power in a split second if needed without taking hands off the wheel.

Swindle also covers this issue about the hot foot.

 

 

[fishinwrench]

Glad to see someone giving tips on things other than how to catch fish, cuz there's alot more to fishing than just catching fish.  

Swindle gets to swap out outboards every year, and doesn't have to pick up the tab for a blown powerhead.  Constant changes in RPM will take a considerable amount of life out of that motor.  During acceleration and deceleration there is alot of steel on aluminum stress going on, and I don't need to tell you which one is gonna give first.  The wrist pin (steel) or the piston (aluminum)?  Those holes go from round to oval quick enough without taking hours away with a Hotfoot.  But to each their own, the more blown powerheads there are in the world the better off my family lives.  😀

[joeD]

NASCAR and Indy car drivers crash all the time. They’re pros. No one gets too upset.

Do not understand the moralizing and finger wagging affontry because of a rare boating accident in a tournament.

 Yes I do. We know better and it would never happen to us.

[Guest]

I gave up Pro/Am tournament fishing after 2 FLW series events in 2007. 

I quickly realized that it was more about boat racing & egos than actually catching fish. There's no need to drive maximum speeds in high winds.

Day 1, I drew a local that hadn't pre-fished in weeks & was totally unprepared. He spent most of the day riding & looking to see which big-name pro was on his spots. The wind started blowing 30-40mph & the ride back was killer. I thought I was gonna be bounced  out of my seat at anytime. Luckily the back seat flew out, causing him to stop monetarily. Then he continued  Busting monster waves at high speed while the prop screamed outta the water every few waves. It was brutal.

The last day was a fog delay. When they finally blasted off, you could see the fog down river. We entered into 30ft of visibility for 5 miles. Meanwhile they were other boats passing us in the fog. It was so eerie to hear the boat coming & not seeing it until it began to pass you doing 60mph. Luckily the pro was an older veteran & he opted to slow down & pull off at the first spot versus making the 50 mile run that he planned. I was so glad that he did that. 

Now, this kinda stuff isn't just pro's. I've seen locals drive like that too. 

[Guest]

This won't ever get old. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kz8rjZiADts

[J-Doc]

8 minutes ago, TrophyFishR said:

I gave up Pro/Am tournament fishing after 2 FLW series events in 2007. 

I quickly realized that it was more about boat racing & egos than actually catching fish. There's no need to drive maximum speeds in high winds.

Day 1, I drew a local that hadn't pre-fished in weeks & was totally unprepared. He spent most of the day riding & looking to see which big-name pro was on his spots. The wind started blowing 30-40mph & the ride back was killer. I thought I was gonna be bounced  out of my seat at anytime. Luckily the back seat flew out, causing him to stop monetarily. Then he continued  Busting monster waves at high speed while the prop screamed outta the water every few waves. It was brutal.

The last day was a fog delay. When they finally blasted off, you could see the fog down river. We entered into 30ft of visibility for 5 miles. Meanwhile they were other boats passing us in the fog. It was so eerie to hear the boat coming & not seeing it until it began to pass you doing 60mph. Luckily the pro was an older veteran & he opted to slow down & pull off at the first spot versus making the 50 mile run that he planned. I was so glad that he did that. 

Now, this kinda stuff isn't just pro's. I've seen locals drive like that too. 

That last part about locals....

 

 

Oh yeah. I have seen if many times.  

It was a Hook Line & Sinker sponsored event launching out of Hickory Creek last winter.  A friend and I were outside the mouth of Monte Ne and just A bit south of it. Sitting on a 20ft flat striper fishing.  

 

These jackals came screaming up the river with most of the using 4 blade props way over propped and too high so they could get their Rpms back up to recommended levels (bad boat setups).  They would come within 30, 40, and 50ft of us just to reduce THEIR effort and cut a little off their path.  Here we are, with rods out, fishing, minding our own business and within 30-40yds of the shoreline.  There was plenty of lake left over the main channel side.  

 

No consideration for anyone other than themselves.  And most of them were running $40-50k boats and some $60-80k. 

Every one of them...all driven on energy drinks, flat brim hats, and egos. 

[Guest]

I've seen the absolute worst boat driving skills & knuckle head drivers during the Arkansas Big Bass Bonanza on the Arkansas River. Nothing compares to those idiots. I narrowly escaped getting hit head on in an entry canal to a popular oxbow lake. I had another genius run between my boat & the grass mat. He literally hit bottom in 1ft of mudflat & stranded his boat directly on top of where I had been catching fish. I tried to wave him off but he said I was trying to wave him on. Lol, you cant make this stuff up.