TomB

I just retired as VP of Engineering for a global auto company and 38 years in the auto industry and here's my input. Smell the transmission oil and make sure it doesn't smell burnt. You'll know. If yes, there is already a tranny problem. Most likely the fluid will be ok. Make sure the fluid is at the correct level when hot and engine running. Your manual will advise on how to check it. Low or high will be problematic. Don't add any additives and don't replace the fluid "just in case" since both can trigger problems. Draining tranny fluid can loosen dirt and particles and cause new problems. Modern methods are to leave the tranny systems alone. If stuck in traffic always shift to neutral when stopped to avoid the heat generated with torque converter slip. When climbing steep grades slow down, shift down, use four ways, and climb with the engine at higher revs but less strain. Don't worry about tranny cooling if the vehicle is rated for the load. You can turn off the a/c to reduce heat load into the radiator and allow better tranny fluid cooling. Make sure your tires are good and inflated properly.

I have a 170 in my Ocean Kayak and the scupper mount for it is a free exchange from Humminbird. The OK also has sonar sun shield that i really like. i don't know if a color unit would be better than the black and white 170. My first battery was a gel cell that only lasted one season so i replaced it with a sealed lead acid. One bit of knowledge, that school of fish you see when you raise and lower the anchor...is the anchor not fish. I use a 7 lb hand dumbell.

You may want to use the same strategy that keeps Canada Geese away: make the chewed parts bitter. A product called Goose Chase repellent worked well for me years ago. It's made from the seeds of grapes so it imparts a nasty taste with no toxicity. About 100 bucks a gallon but goes a long way and you could split the cost with others. You could spray parts and discourage feeding so they move on. European countries have a big problem with Martins chewing up car engine parts and they spray on bad tasting repellents.

Read the whole post. A stiff diaphram and heavy float will cause the starving and hot flood problems he described.

Sounds like a bad fuel pump but your carb float has probably absorbed gas and has gotten heavy leading to flooding when off. Could be both. To troubleshoot I would check the fuel pressure when running but you won't go wrong with a carb rebuild kit and pump kit. Pump diaphrams get old and hard leading to low volume but higher pressure.

I'm 6'6" 220 and have an Ocean Kayak 13 Trident Angler that is great but not easy to stand up in. I will add outriggers this winter. It was about a grand with shipping and rudder from Saco Bound. Take a look at a Feedom Hawk 14 at Cabelas now on sale for $1105.

I am new to using a baitcaster this year so I understand your situation. I bought an Abu Pro Max reel and an Abu Vendetta rod with 50 lb Suffix Performance braid and it is extremely easy to cast. Set it up as everyone suggests and have had zero backlashes so far. Runs so smooth my thumb on the spool is almost not needed. It just works perfectly even when i throw a long cast. Have been using jigs and crankbaits therefore no real light stuff where my thumb will be ready. Important to use about 50 lb braid or a comparable thickness mono or flouro so the line doesn't dig into itself on the spool. I also bought a BPS Carbonlite rod/reel combo plus 50 lb suffix perf braid. I really like the lightweight but the reel definitely needs thumb control. Not as forgiving as the Abu Pro Max. The Pro Max is LH reel and the Carbonlite is RH reel. I wanted to find out which i prefer. I am a righty and my initial impression is I much prefer the LH reel. The RH is not a problem but switching hands just seems like wasted energy. The Abu pro max was about 79 and the Vendetta was about 60 and the braid 20. I fish from a kayak and really like using the baitcasters vs a spinning reel. I could cast the BC with a glove on and the spinning not so well. I don't like the rotating bail hitting my lap constantly etc. Good luck!

I have an Hbird 170 that works well. My OC is designed to use the transducer through the right scupper hole and it has a special place up front with a lid as a sun shield. The 170 is black and white so the battery lasts longer than a color FF. Be aware if you use a vinyl covered dumbbell for an anchor. The FF will false indicate a constant school unless the anchor is on the bottom. It helps to attach a quick connect (SAE connector) with a foot of wire to the battery so you can leave the blade terminals on the battery undisturbed and just unplug the quick connect for charging. I tie wrapped the wire to the battery so it doesn't come loose.

Ask him to do it only using clockwise rotation, no counterclockwise.

I know exactly what you mean. My 18 year tried to do the same thing about an hour ago. Then we went outside and I replaced his upper radiator hose including removing the air flow meter and shrouds etc. He was impressed. Rubics cube solution = matching colored plastic. Car fixed = he drives to school.

Welcome! Like me I'm sure you'll find a lot of wisdom and helpful tips here.

Visit kayakbassfishing.com and click on videos. They have Feb 2012 videos on you tube. They show results with jigs and give all the details for cold water bassin.

Using momondo.com from airport code PIB to BUF the round trip is about $570. (Hattiesburg,MS to Buffalo) Driving the 2200 miles round trip will be about $500 gas plus about $400 van rental. Call and ask for minimum rental age. Some are 26 years old. Militaryfares.com has fares for about $440 I suggest you call Delta (800) 325-8224 and get the reservations person and ask for special fares for active servicemen. Worst case is you can see if driving is worth it. My son in law spent time in Kandahar. Thanks for your service!

My 2 cents: Get yourself a test light from an auto parts store (10 bucks). Unplug the trailer lights and test the feeds coming out of the vehicle. The brown from the vehicle is ground so clip the spring clip on the test light to the ground from the vehicle. Test each of the other 3 connectors individually with the pointy probe. One is for brakes, one for left blinker, one for right blinker. If all work using the vehicle ground then you have a decent vehicle ground. If not trace back the vehicle ground and repair. Then to eliminate or fix a bad trailer ground, buy 12 foot or so of brown lamp cord from a hardware store or big box. Run the lamp cord from the front ground connection to the rear ground connection. For the test you don't have to be fancy. Reconnect the vehicle to trailer and test the trailer lamps. If they work now then nicely route and connect the new ground wire using soldered terminals if possible. Use both wires of the lamp cord and secure with black strap ties. (never use clear because UV light weakens it) I suggest lamp cord because it is cheap, readily available, and the multi strands is an excellent conductor. (electrons travel on the outer skin of wire so more strands is a better conductor than a single wire) Hope that helps!

The OK PGB is about 5 inches wider than my Trident Angler so will be easier to stand up. But I absolutely love the rod pod and fish finder setup in my Trident. Good luck whatever you choose. You'll have a blast.

Hello Mike. A river yak is typically shorter for quicker turns vs a lake yak that is longer for wave stability. I have a 13 foot OK that suits my 225 lbs plus gear and my long legs. I don't use it in narrow swift rivers so quick turns in rapids is not an issue. A couple of tips: get a rudder if you ever plan to use it on lakes. The rudder helps hold your line in cross winds (not really used to turn the yak). If you will be mostly on rivers get a strong aluminum (not so expensive) paddle that will take abuse of rocky push offs. If you will be on lakes definitely get a lightweight but costly carbon paddle. I love my carbon paddle but treat it like a jewel. Consider the yak length in terms of transportation and weight. My 13 foot with gear is darn heavy and I use strap on wheels for longer distance overland hauling. My F150 with a T type bed extender works great over the road. I bought my yak from the sacobound website. Best web prices on the net but try your local yak retailer to see what they have too. Hope that helps.

Welcome wevo (and happy birthday today to wild bill ny!) I'm down in Goshen about an hour south of you. When the weather warms we should meet up and hook some fish! I'm a yak fisherman too. Maybe wild bill ny and others would join as well.

Kayak Angler on my iPad for 9.99 a year and Bass Angler Magazine for 17.99 a year on my iPad. Both are very good. Accessible on airplanes and anywhere I travel.

After 35 years as an engineer in the auto industry (now VP of Engineering for a German company) I find some of the suggestions "interesting." I would politely suggest that towing drivers please read and follow your vehicle owner's manual and the manufacturer's recommendations. You won't go wrong. The recommendations are conservative to keep drivers out of trouble. Believe me we test our vehicles and know our vehicles. As for pulling up wet ramps, AWD is best and RWD is worst (very wet tires) so good wet performing tires at the proper inflation with good tread can be important. AA rated traction tires perform best in the wet. Go to safercar.gov/tire and find a tire that is AA rated. Ratings are on the sidewall. Your vehicle's total rubber to road footprint is about the area of a sheet of paper so with RWD your wet contact patch is about half a sheet. Tire compound makes a big difference. As for safe handling, shocks and steering should be in good condition and inflate tires to the max on the vehicle tire label. Factory brake pads and rotors in good shape will handle the job. Aftermarket might too but one never knows what compound pads are used. Softer pads wear out rotors faster (imbedded dirt in pad) but give better feel and might not be as good when hot. Above all please follow the towing max load and suggested tongue weights in the vehicle manual. Hope that helps.

In my experience an aluminum prop is a mistake. They get chewed up from junk in the water and if it ever scrapes during trailering or loading it will break. The advice above is very good. And a prop that is cupped will give more high end thrust. 4 blade will be more fuel efficient but 3 blade will be more a balance of high and low thrust. Knowing your peak hp rpm you can visit a website and pick the right pitch etc. My friend would always make a half cast of his prop in concrete (cut down 5 gal bucket filled with concrete then prop pressed into firm concrete for shape) so he could pound out inevitable bends.

Catching trout in a pressured stream or river using a fly rod is not as easy as bass in a pond or lake. Trout are particularly selective because they typically lie and select food floating by rather than roam and hunt. They are expending energy and prefer food to leaves and sticks. The art of trout fly fishing is in correct fly selection and precise presentation. Fly fishing for bass should be tried and enjoyed by all but expect to invest far more effort in catching trout. Naturally there are exceptions but finesse is usually more necessary for trout and hence the gentleman or gentlewoman association. It's like painting a house and painting a landscape. Try both!

Thanks DVT. I'm about 5 miles from that GM so I'll check out a meeting.

Thanks to everyone! I will try and then decide. Switching hands seems like a pain. Just seems interesting that the sale reels are offerings are RH. Thanks roadwarrier for the technical referral. In fly fishing your free hand pulls in the fish, with spinning the rod pulls it in, and with baitcasting the winch-reel pulls in the fish. I will try in a shop and then get one version and keep an open mind to try the opposite. Buying more than one reel eventually will stimulate the economy right?

Greetings from NY Giants fan land. Should be a great Super Bowl. May the best team win and may the commercials entertain us all! Relative newbie to bass fishing. Fly fish for trout in NY Catskills and Delaware river and bass fish from a 13 foot Ocean Kayak Trident in local lakes and will try the Delaware river this year. Don't like using spinning in the kayak sitting down because of lap interference so I also alternate to spin cast. I'm 6 foot 6 so standing is tricky and I will make outriggers this spring. Plan to get a baitcaster soon. I fished as a teen and then had no time for 30 years with work and family so just got back into it recently. My fishfinder shows the fish but my techniques and lures are minimally effective. Caught about 5 bass last summer plus some perch and pickerel but enjoy being out in nature even if skunked. Plan to try the Bashakill for bowfin too. Really enjoy reading all the tips from experienced people. Thank you! Good luck and good health to all! Tom Will go with a guide on the Delaware when weather warms.

My first baitcaster. I am right handed and use my left hand to reel in my fly fishing line. Found lots of RH baitcaster reels but far fewer LH reels for sale. Am i missing something? Do most guys reel in with the RH? Thanks! Looking at Abu pro max, academy h2o, etc.