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I brought home a couple of new Whopper Ploppers about a week ago, thinking the wife would probably beat me. Instead she asked if they were the colors I had been waiting to find in stock, and they were, so she said she would have been mad at me if I *didn't* get them. And now today, the highlight of her day was finding out I put fluorocarbon on one of her reels. #Winning Married fishing buddies.

I usually run about a gallon of gas with 1.5 ounces of SeaFoam through my 225 Ficht, in the tank at 2,000 rpm, every six to eight weeks when not using it. About two months ago I went to do this when it was about 34 degrees outside. It wouldn’t start, and cranking kinda slow so I disconnected the negative cable from the battery, ran jumper cables from a TM battery to the cranking battery and reconnected the negative. Still wouldn’t. I check the plugs and it wasn’t firing. It was too cold to be messing with it so I gave up. Well, about three weeks ago, I tried again when it was a lot warmer and it was cranking over a lot faster. Still wouldn’t start and no fire to the plugs and the injectors were not firing. I’ve been the last three weeks looking for my service manual and diagnostics cable. The wife was happy because now the garage, one of the storage buildings and my computer/junk room are all nice and cleaned now, trying to find that service manual. I said my wife was happy, well that was until I told her that it was looking like the CPU was bad and it was going to cost approx. $700 to get it repaired. She commented “you had better find that manual”. Finely found it today. Started trouble shooting the electrical and saw the ignition/shut down relay was not energizing. Checking the grounding wire from the switches, it was at 3 ohms but when I turned the key off, it went to 0.2 ohms so made me believe the problem was not the ignition switch. I then go to check the kill switch and thought, why is the lanyard laying in the floor? Right there on the floor, with the clip still attached that goes in the kill switch. Put the clip back in the kill switch and the motor started right up. Two flipping months of agony, thinking I was going to have to shell out $700 for a CPU over a simple, dumb problem that should have been the first thing I checked.

This may be my new rig this year...

I took occasion to do a little kayak bass fishing with my grandson over his spring break. He has started tournament fishing in a youth division and is really into it. He probably knows more about bass fishing than I do, but I thought I might be able to teach him the value of small baits, light line and backwaters when limits are hard to find. I took him to Old Fort Bayou and Davis Bayou in Ocean Springs MS on an overnighter. Davis Bayou is perhaps my favorite brackish water destination. The part I fish is the upper reaches where most motor boats can't make it under a low bridge. I have caught upwards of 30 bass in a trip there. They normally range in size from under a half pound up to pound and a half. My bud lost a 4+ pounder there one time, and that's the biggest we have seen so far. I was using light to ultralight tackle and he was using medium stuff. He caught the biggest fish while I racked up an impressive total on 3" Senkos. Fishing with kids is the best! He hooked up with a 6 and a half pound redfish right off the bat and took a little ride. His best bass of the trip was a 2.5 pounder.

I posted this last year but it is just that stupid I will tell you again. I had left the boat outside last summer hooked to the truck, ready for an early morning drive to a club tournament. About 30 minutes into the trip I asked my brother, "Did you unplug the Battery Charger?" to which he replied, "NOPE!". 45 km of travel, we pull off to the side of the road and unplug the 50ft of Extension Cord we ripped out of the garage socket, tore the plug end off passing under the garage door and had been towing behind the truck since we left my house. Only in Canada Eh!

Megabass Levante Flatside Curado 200K Dobyns Champion 806HSB Curado 300e Shimano Expride A 7´2 H Chronarch MGL HG Shimano G. Loomis Conquest 844C MBR Metanium Mgl XG

You got a purty mouth

I guess my dumbest trick was running out of gas one time. By myself I wouldn't have cared but the wife was with me. It was about 8:30pm and luckily I was only about a mile from the boat ramp. I thought we were doing pretty good coming in on the trolling motor until two guys in a canoe passed us. And they didn't even offer to tow us in.

I got catfished that one time. she was 300+

Good morning folks, I just wanted to post a big thank you to the BassResource community and webpage. In 2017, if you would have asked me how to catch a bass, I would have had no idea. In need of a new hobby, I thought I would try bass fishing as I loved fishing as a kid. I've spent countless hours watching videos, reading articles, and failing to catch a fish at all. I'm certainly no pro these days, but it's a lot different now. Now I'm making better decisions about fishing location and baits, and having a LOT more luck. Just yesterday I made a quick lunchtime trip to the creek near my house, and in 30 minutes I spotted a few beds and landed 3 good sized LMB! All on TX Rigged Senkos, something I was really struggling with. Anyway, I just wanted to thank you all and the BR admins in helping a lost cause fisherman start to become more successful. My next goal is to get my wife, who already likes to fish, into the wonderful sport of bass fishing. Thanks Folks!!! Respectfully, Tim Cox

Yeah, I did. You probably did too! What is "it"? Bonzer mistakes with your boat. I just watched a video detailing some mistakes people make, and found myself nodding along all too often. Key point? None really other than we all do it. Especially if you get exited or rushed. I keeping with the mantra of openly sharing the good and bad, here are a few that I've done at least once... Forgot to put in the plug. This is my most common mistake and have caught it on the water, and missed it the whole day... Forgot to unplug the boat. Pulled this off a few times, and while it has not hurt anything, you feel like a dork for doing it. Forgot to store the jack wheel. Only once, and luckily it was a strong jack, and didn't break somehow. It did, however, manage to pop the tongue right off the ball. Since then, I lock the hitch on the ball --- I think that probably was a great lesson and probably avoided issues in the future. Forgot to stow the trolling motor. Pulled this off a couple of times, and doesn't take long to figure it out, lol. Forgot my rope, which with two anglers isn't a big deal... solo or with the wife who doesn't use the trolling motor a bit more frustrating. Forgot to actually plug in the charger... hooked it up to the extension cord, but never plugged in the cord. Forgot to strap stuff down on long runs --- kind of a meh thing, but in rough water, key! But the one I still catch hell over, isn't even a boat thing... Me and two buddies who don't get out on the water much at all went mid summer. It was hot. They brought chips, and decided to gnaw on a few after a few hours. Then asked me for the water that I put in the cooler bag. I opened my seat, and it wasn't there. Looked around for a bit and realized I had left it at home. It was super hot, and they just chowed down on some chips. According to them, they could feel their mouths dehydrating as I was admitting I left the water at home. Never has lake water looked so good, lol. I'm sure I've done more that I'm not thinking of, but so far nothing major or damaging. I do have a mental checklist I run thru around the boat now. Same thing every time. One staging the boat, one before pulling out at home, one prepping at the ramp, and one for prepping the trip back. It takes a couple mins max, and keep you from making extra mistakes, lol.

I still say hit the creeks . The current is ferocious here , high and muddy . Where the creek is at there is a big eddy .

Well she didn't make weight, she was 9.12 on the scale, so loader her back up took a pic at home and put her back on her bed behind the my old stump where I caught her. Can't seem to get the pic small enough to upload it.

Man y'll I'm on my way to get one weighted, pics coming soon, heads to Toledo town tackle

I throw the old Timber Tigers a bunch. The ones I throw are deeper divers than this. I like them and have caught a bunch of bass on them.

Spinnerbait is good for grass.

Everything posted are finesse jigs and a stretch to call them Ned jigs. Siebert Outdoors Morel mushroom jig, XL with Owner 1/0 and standard with size 1 are a good choice for Ned rigs, at .95cents each why look any further? Tom

Check around the transum for stress cracking, check the for weakness by looking for sinking around the Jack plate and rock the engine back and forth and watch for any flexing at the transum. Check the bottom for any patches. Ask if the engine is original and if it's been rebuilt, last time water pump replaced. Take it a test ride if possible. Ask how many owners and if it's been in or around salt water. Trailer tires over 10 years old must be replaced, plan on changing the trolling motor. The boat looks like it was garaged for sometime period, that is good. Tom

Good eye Darren. We both normally wear inflatables. I wear a belt style for kayaking and he has his own, but this time Papaw kinda screwed up. I told him I would bring everything for him but his tackle. As I was getting ready to launch, I realized that in my rush I had forgotten PFDs. We got our hands on some bulky type 2s to meet the legal requirement. Since there is no motorboat traffic, we were never more than 30 feet from shore and we are both very strong swimmers we opted to have them within reach rather than wear the type 2s. They are a PITA to fish in. When he was 8 I had him in the middle of a lake teaching him how to right a capsized yak and re-board.

Nope...never.....nothing.....deny, deny, deny.........Well, there was this one time where while fishing the Fox river in Wisconsin, we stopped at riverside restaurant for lunch and about 1/2 way through my burger some guys come in and ask who had the gold/black bassboat because it's floating down the river. All of the walleye guys got a good laugh since bass boats aren't the norm up there but one of them did take me to retrieve my boat. I tie better knots in my ropes now.

High-end reels & high-end rods aint gonna make you a better angler but they aint gonna hurt ya either! To become a "better" angler we have to admit what kind of angler we are. Ask yourself these questions Do you catch everytime you go out? Of those how often do you limit out? If ya aint catching it doesn't matter what tackle ya buy! Y'all want to become a better angler? Learn how to fish structure, with today's down scan/side imaging it's almost like cheating!

Remember going steelhead fishing back in Oregon with a buddy once and got to the river grabbed our gear ... put on the boots and !!!!!!...where did I put my fishing rod!!!

I haven't used the newer IMX Pro rods, but I would rate the champion on par with the previous generation IMX. Might even be a touch more sensitive, though the balance may just allow me to focus on the bite better. The IMX is not a great performer, in my opinion, given the price. I have rods at half the cost that compared favorably and many that outperformed it altogether.

Probably can't go wrong either way...but I'd vote for the classic no clacker model.

Here's a 100% accurate real depiction of what my Powell Max 3D 734CEF with 30lb high viz Power Pro Slick8 braid looked like when I spooled it.

Stay home until the water levels go down.

With a axle shaft inserted through the center of the spool like a wheel the edges of the spool shouldn't contact the line as it spin off onto the reel. Spinning reels the line should be comming off the bottom of the spinning spool, baitcasting reel the line comes off the top. Tom

I love those stickers, but dang it they are expensive!

What is another $53 bucks? At least I do not go to the bar and waste money there ... I get my return of investment on those Cant wait to try out the King Daddy its pretty big compare to the Live Target 65T

Don't feel bad WTS. About fifty years ago I was the general manager of a production woodworking shop. One of the employees told be his drill press wouldn't run. I noticed that the plug was about ready to fall out of the socket. I also saw there was a loose overhand not in the cord. I told the employee that knot was the problem, and that electicity could not go through a knot.. He didn't believe me. I pulled the plug from its socket, undid the knot then solidly plugged the power cord into the receptacle. Told him to try it now. He flipped the switch, and the drill press ran. I don't think I ever told him it was the loose plug that was the problem.

I just threw up in my mouth a little right there.

I stay on a pattern even if it's junk fishing! ?

I use an empty shoe box, stick 2 holes in the sides, then I take a kabob skewer, put it through the spool and the shoe box holes. I turn the box so that it comes off the spool counter clock wise.

I've had 36 volt Minn Kotas on my last several boats - 18 ft. Lund Pro-V, Crestliner Pro-Am 1750 and a Crestliner CMV 1850 for the last 4 seasons. I upgraded from a Terrova to an Ulterra two seasons ago. I'd not go back to a 24 volt system for a lot of reasons, but there' are thousands of very happy 24 volt customers out there...hard to argue with that. Your boat is much shallower than any of mine and should be fine.

Good to hear you don't have it and very smart taking measures to avoid it.

Yep, exactly what my mom experienced. I was concerned I might have it, it’s a requirement to be tested if you meet certain criteria (being fat) for a cdl physical. I don’t have it, my mom assured me the sleepy feeling I have around 2 is nothing like what people experience with sleep apnea.

Dammit. Now I'm mad I bought Phantom Shad over Perch.

I'd have bit you too

The madness is eternal. But from my experience with Champions and limited experience with IMXs, I'd say that you are pretty much right.

I have a 130 in perch and they kill it. Two summers ago I kid you not I probably spent 50% of my total fishing time with that one lure. It has hook rash like no other bait I own.

Drain plug? A semi annual event. ALMOST drove off with the trailer jack still down (once). That's an easy one to miss.

My buddy did the same thing. We went up to his cabin i have a boat he just bought a used boat. So on day 2 he wanted to get his boat on the water. So me and one buddy on my boat watched the other buddy at the launch trying to start his boat. I trolled up to his boat and he's getting frustrated he cant start the boat. I yell at him " is there a little red switch by the throttle" he's all mad and shruggs me off so i go back to fishing and after a half hour he trailers his boat and fishes with me for the weekend. He gets home on monday and realized it was the kill switch the whole time.

We need less crappy weather, more crappie weather.

I lose.

2018 Triton 189 TRX, 150 Opti, Ultrex 80lb, hot foot, jack plate, tournament series package and tournament trailer. Still breaking her in.

Clearly the deer was trying to swim across the water and a giant bass took it down. Think of the rod we are gonna need for the new topwater deer bait.

That is just downright nasty (what the hillbillies do, that is)!! Obviously it works great, but DANG! This whole deer carcass thing reminds me of that scene in Dances With Wolves where he finds the dead deer in the water which is supposed to be his drinking/bathing/everything water.

I’ll bet that’s a sweet smelling bridge to fish around ?.