james 14

It's happened on nearly every rod and every reel on multiple spools bought over the last 4-5 years. I think age may be part of the problem as I can't directly recall it happening on fresh line. However, I used to keep PP spooled for years with no problems. EDIT - looking back I would actually say more like the last 3 years. 4 years ago I was still using line that was at least 3-4 years old and only changed it because it was "old" and I started fishing tourneys every month. Maybe 2 years ago I had the first break off mid cast and have had several since then on many different reels. I think there's something where a loop in a backlash gets caught and the line isn't able to stand up to the shock on that small area. I'm using and have always used 50lb. I used to flip with 30lb and rip lures out of emergent vegetation without a second thought. If I did that now it would break most assuredly.

Okay that makes sense. Didn't want you to get your wires crossed

Probably a good idea. My two biggest problems: 1. Line loops during a cast catching and snapping. NEVER happened until 3-4 years ago. 2. Line snaps when ripping lures out of grass. e.g. ripping a spinnerbait off of a lily pad stem. I used to rip entire pads clumps off the bottom. Now I can plan on losing the bait if I don't go and retrieve it.

Bolded and underlined. You will not be staying with 4 batteries.

Umm...am I missing something or are you under the impression that you are going to replace your 4 12v batteries with 4 6v batteries? You will, in fact, need 8 6v batteries to replace 4 12v batteries.

I'm about to respool all of my reels and before I buy another 1000 yards of power pro I want to consider using something else. I've been using the stuff for over a decade and it's simply not what it used to be. I used to beat the crap out of this line and never had it break. Yesterday I had it break three times and one of those was snapping on itself mid cast. I also never had to worry about how old it was. I can't help but think that's part of the problem. So I'm going to start anew and, very possibly, with a different brand. If anything out there holds it's color that would be a plus as well. Suggestions?

Nope.

I recently had some motor trouble that I'll inquire about later. First thing I need to do is fix the warning buzzer so I can get some feedback from the motor if it's trying to send it. I just noticed that, when I turn the key, the buzzer doesn't sound like it normally does. I have no idea where this thing is...therefore I can't fix it. Help?

I live in Central FL. I have both the little ones without wings and some of the larger ones with wings...but not the big palmetto bugs. I don't mind having to bomb every once in a while but I need to find a way to at least keep them at bay so it doesn't have to be every 1-2 months.

Can't keep these dang things out of my boat. I don't leave any food in the boat and spraying with Ortho doesn't seem to help or last long enough. The boat sits covered in the driveway. Thought about bombing it but I've never used a bomb before so I'm a little unsure about it. I also wouldn't know quite where to put it...maybe in the cockpit with all of the compartment lids open and the cover on??? Then I still have to figure out how to keep them from coming back. It's not a huge problem at this point but with them eating away at rubber buttons and leaving their poop behind I'm not waiting around to see how bad it can get.

That depends on what type of fishing you're doing. As WRB it's just a casting technique. I prefer braid with everything and use a leader if I need flouro or mono for any specific scenario. I actually prefer to use as short a rod as possible. With moving baits that don't require a hard hookset I'll go as short as 6ft. I try not to go longer than 7 and will use that for baits like a fluke or worm that require some hooksetting power. This is less important if I'm pitching to something like a grassline as opposed to a dock and I'll actually stick with the longer 7.5-8ft hvy rod for the grassline or mat punching scenario.

A friend of mine is selling an 1198 that's barely used and less than a year old. However, that's a little over your $400 price range...but he's well aware he's getting nowhere near the near 3k they are new.

Until I drove the boat with the 70 I wouldn't even buy it much less try and think about what jackplate I want. If the 125 struggled getting it on plane there is no amount of setup that will make a 70 work.

20# isn't enough of a weight difference to risk what will likely be a situation where you run out of power and wear the battery down faster. AND you'll likely pay way more for that AGM.

This actually makes a great deal of sense. Now that I think about it it probably came loose during my previous trip due to the amount of oil lost from the reservoir. I wasn't thinking about how little oil is actually used (less than a gallon per 50gal tank for me). I'm always careful about trimming my motor up all the way but I'm going to be even more careful now.

Most likely not. What is the weight difference? The deeper you discharge a battery the sooner you'll have to replace it. Rather than looking at a battery tester you should look at a voltmeter and when you drop below 12.4 volts you're doing damage to the battery.

Merc Opti 200hp Went out today. Noticed a bit of oil where the wiring cluster loops over the edge of the back deck. Had run the boat at idle for about 300 yards. Turns out the oil hoses for the motor and reservoir had come apart where they were joined together just outside the motor housing. There's actually two hoses that run from the reservoir and this was the one that runs directly to the engine block and not the one running to the reserve tank. I never got an alarm (thought I was supposed to get one anytime oil was pulled from the reserve tank) and never noticed any ill symptoms from the motor itself. I'm also missing about a gallon of oil but have no idea where it came out and really have no idea when the hose came loose. I cut the end of the hose that had split and was able to slide it back over the fitting with the other hose. From there the motor ran fine all day, however, it was an idle speed only lake. My last trip was 2 or 3 weeks ago where I was running WOT for a good portion of the day with no problems. Is there anything I should check besides adding a couple hose clamps to the ends of those hoses? I have no idea why they weren't there in the first place...or why there is a joint right outside the cowling...or why there's a joint in the hoses at all??? On a positive note (I guess) I found where my speedo tube was disconnected. On another negative note somehow my dang transom saver bounced off the trailer and is probably somewhere on the interstate. When it rains it pours it seems. I did catch some fish, however...and the TS didn't destroy anything on it's journey off the trailer and motor.

Now what's REALLY frustrating is when this ISN'T true. Like on tourney day when "what I've always done" doesn't get me "what I've always gotten" and I'm left scratching my head wondering why the heck the 20lb stringers I could catch with my eyes closed on any other day turns into 2 or 3 dinks.

Put your anchor out, pull your TM up and take a picture with your phone. Then tell them you're reporting them to the tournament director. Each club is different but a lot have a rule about being within 50 yds or so of a boat with the anchor down and TM up. I'm not sure what the purpose of the rule is but I imagine it'll make them think twice about running you over. Even if you just took the pic that clearly showed how close they are it could at least raise some eyebrows about sportsmanlike behavior. Some also have rules about being within casting distance of another competitor or fisherman.

Yeah sucks cause he was on my fantasy list, however, I'm really glad for Chris Lane. Maybe one of the last guys I would've picked to win this event but he's in the Classic now...on his home lake.

Interested how things have turned out now a couple weeks later! I think A-Mart may finally get his day. I hope he wins the tourney too...I've got him on my fantasy list! And to think I almost picked EE instead of him.

Good question. I imagine he'd have no problem keeping it since you'd be hard pressed to find an "amateur" tourney fisherman who hasn't taken some prize money from some kind of tournament at some point. There'd be no way they could limit eligibility unless the stipulation was that they couldn't take prize monies only while they were on the college scene. Furthermore, NCAA doesn't regulate college fishing and they're the ones who make the rules in the other sports. And lastly, a college angler who gets to the classic and actually wins would have their ticket punched into the Elites so I doubt they'd be too concerned about their eligibility...there's 500k other reasons as well.

Looking at the MK Edge TM at BassPro you're sitting at a $70 difference between a 55# 12v and a 70# 24v. Add in another hundred or so for an extra battery and that brings the total up to $170. Having used both a 55# and a 71# recently I can tell you it's most certainly worth the extra $170 spread out over however long you'll own the unit (plus the extra cost of an extra new battery every 2-3 years when you replace them). If you were in a 14-16ft aluminum boat you could "get by" with a 12v but in a 19'er I'm looking at a MINIMUM of 70# and likely getting a 100+# 36v at some point. I just got a 36v on my 21'er and...oh...it's NICE! Bottom line - get the 55# and in a year (or less) you'll be looking back at that $170 you saved and WISH you could upgrade up to a 24v for only that amount.

Did he check the kill switch? Motor will turn over but not crank if the switch is pulled. Leaving the motor uncovered in the rain shouldn't be a problem. The motor's exhaust comes out through the prop. If you're trying for a while to crank it you're going to have gas come out the exhaust and, therefore, into the water. It it floods or backfires (or sometimes for no reason) it can also spit out black goop of some sort. Still using the same battery? Jumping an engine, usually off the TM battery if the cranking battery isn't working, doesn't give it the same amperage which can make it tough to start...especially if you've already tried to crank it unsuccessfully and flooded it. A lower unit problem will not keep the motor from cranking so you can probably rule that out. It's either something like the kill switch or it could be a carb issue.

Was on Kiss. chain today. Fished a spot and hit two fish immediately. Spent a bit of time there with only one more fish and when I realized I had wasted too much time I looked down at my sonar to see the water was 97 DEGREES!!! Picked up the TM and left immediately to find cooler water. That's the hottest I've ever seen the water. Fortunately that was only an isolated area.