Maggiesmaster

Seems to me the only thing you would really need to do is make sure all the water drains from the lower unit. You can always 'winterize' later.

Sometimes I fish consecutive days and want the trolling motor battery fully charged. The motor charges the starting battery enough, and if worse comes to worse it pull starts easily.

I recently purchased a BassPro XPS 4/4 onboard charger; the one with two-4amp connectors. The manual says to connect one set of wires to the starting battery & the other to the trolling motor battery. I've got a small outboard and am not concerned with charging the starting battery. Can I connect both cables to the trolling motor battery--two reds to the positive & both blacks to the negative?

Is there any way to read the thermocline on my Garmin 7SV? I read somewhere that depth finders can tell the depth of the thermocline. Is this correct!

I'be got an Alumicraft 1648 with a 9.9 hp Tohatsu. It's really stable & my 40 lb trolling motor does well. It's a lot lighter than conventional bass boats & does really well.

Glad you found it! Bad grounds have always been my bugaboos! If you take special care to make good connections, protect the wires and have great grounds you probably won't have problems.

Is this not how most modern onboard chargers work? My BassPro model is about 4 yrs. old & this is what the owner's manual says. Also, my voltmeter shows a charge of around 13.6 volts at maintenance charge.

Before you get a new charger, pick up a good quality voltmeter ($30-$50) and check the trolling motor voltage when it's charging. It should read 13-14 volts. If it does, the charger's ok & you have other problems. If not, it needs replacing. Most modern onboard chargers are configured to send the total output to the uncharged battery. For example, a modern two bank eight amp charger would charge each battery at 4 amps until one is fully charged, then all 8 amps would be directed to the uncharged battery. Starter batteries are recharged by the outboard, and generally don't need much recharging by the onboard charger. The the trolling motor battery should get 8 amps, which should be sufficient. Of course, as in anything, the larger the better.

If you're in a boat, the only snake worry you have is one that falls on the boat from a limb. Good news: most tree. Limbers are banded water snakes, not cottonmouths. Bad news: while not poisonous they're still aggressive & will bite.

The side-vu reading on my Garmin 7SV shows a black area on either side of the midpoint line. What does this area represent?

Make a rod tube: get some 6 or 8" sch 40 pvc pipe. Cut it a bit longer than your longest rod. Glue one cap on the end, and glue a screw adaptor on the other--also glue sponges in both caps to prevent tip breakage. Pop rivet at least one handle in the tube and you're set.

Zoom worms are just too soft for me. Netbait worms stay on the hook much longer.

I recently had cataract surgery and am able to wear sunglasses with only readers. However, the shade of Costas I want to get don't come with readers. Has anyone put those stick-on readers on their sunglasses? If so, what is the best brand?

I've mounted my new Garmin Striker 7sv on my bow mounted trolling motor. Unfortunately, due to my boat's construction, the trolling motor is about 5-7 degrees forward from perpendicular; there's no way to easily correct or compensate for this. How much will this affect my side and down view? Most of my fishing is done at 15 ft. or below depths.

A bunch of us fish a small lake with many overhanging trees. A 5 1/2 or (preferably) 6 ft. rod is perfect. Longer rods don't work as well.

Bass Pro has their Pro Qualifier reels on sale for $50. I've got several Lews Tournament Pros, but these are 1/4 the cost. Are they worth buying, & will I be disappointed in the difference?

BD's show is one of the few that caters to the average bass fisherman. Sure, he hawks products, but you can catch fish with them, as you can with most others. I'm sure both Hi-Seas and Stren lines would work well for me.

I've got a couple; good rods.

I've got three Lew's Tournament Pro reels and one Lew's 'ultralite' Tournament Pro(??) and they're all great. However, one of my favorites is an old 'gold' Carbonlite. It was less than half the Lew's price for about 60% of the reel. I've read the new Carbonlite's aren't as good. In any event, I'll stick with Lews.

The best way to 'pitch' with a spinning rig is to use the 'slingshot' technique. Let enough line out to reach about the last guide on your rod. Then, open the bail and, hold the line with your index finger, pull the (single hook!) lure back with your other hand. Aim the rod at the target and 'shoot' the lure; releasing the lure and the line at the same time. The first times you'll fail miserably, but you'll quickly get the hang of it. This method is the best I've found for placing lures under docks, trees, etc.

I've replaced bunk boards on several of my trailers and did it like this: purchase pressure treated boards of the proper length at Lowes or Home Depot,drill the proper holes to bolt them on, and that's it. For the covers, I don't use carpet, but use plastic or polyethylene covers over the boards.

I've got 60 lb. test braid on a rig I want to use to pitch & flip jigs. The water in my lake is stained but relatively clear. How long should I make my mono. or flouro leader?

Since you said you can go $150---my recommendation is to S T R E T C H it to about $165-170 & get a Lews Tournament Pro from Ebay. I've bought several that way, and they're the best reels I've found. People here have said less the less expensive Lews are good too, but I don't have experience with them.

I've dealt with them several times. Their prices are reasonable, they sell more Netbait worms than I can find anywhere else, and their shipping is scary fast. I'll order from them a bit later this year.

I'd have to order it from them. I've got three Lews Tournament Pros that are my favorites. The Browning wouldn't be as good, but it's less than half the cost! I've also got a 'gold' BassPro Carbonlite that's an excellent reel--it's the best value of all my reels.