Amarley

I think you should be fine. It's not ideal, but make sure to give yourself plenty of stopping distance when braking. I have an f-150 and brake extremely slowly in most situations, especially if you don't have trailer brakes.

I re-powered my 17'6 bass boat with a 115. The 115 hole shot is pretty dramatic (i.e. the bow raises up pretty high), and wondered if a hydrofoil would help plane out with a lower bow rise and plane out quicker. Anyone have any ideas here? The new outboard also just has an aluminum 3 blade prop, so didn't know if moving to a 19 or 20 pitch stainless steel prop would help the boat plane out better as well. If you recommend a hydrofoil or fin, what is the best non-drill type to buy?

I think it would help at first, but have never tried it. I don't know if the cleaning agent would hurt the gel coat. The fiberglass restoration system included an "Oxydation Remover" which had some grit in it. It removed the skuff marks and mud stains with ease. I also looked around yesterday and found the Meguiars fiberglass restoration system on Amazon for about half the price I paid at Gander Mountain. If you have a buffer, they sell buff pads and polish pads, too.

I take the approach that fishing in a boat that is paid for is much more enjoyable. It is, afterall, a hobby.

For squarebills and spinnerbaits, I like a 6'9 or 6'10 rod in MH. I recommend the Big Bear 6'9 MH-F or I also like the Powell Endurance 695CB. The Powell is my squarebill rod and it is awesome. Both are extremely light and easy to handle. The Big Bear grips are unique and are great for sweaty hands in the summer time. I like the shorter rods and handles because they are easier to handle for long periods of time and very accurate to cast. I fish a lot of laydowns in my area, so this is my preferred setup.

My boat was starting to get mud/dirt marks on the white fiberglass and skuffs from the trailer. So, I bought the Meguiars fiberglass restoration system and went through the steps last weekend. The boat looks brand new. Don't get me wrong, it took about 3 hours or more to do, but it was well worth the time and $50 to buy the kit. I am going to do this annually from now on, with at least the polish and wax, maybe not the oxidation remover. Any other good tips for fiberglass care? I wipe down the boat every time I pull out of the water, store indoors, etc.

Wow!!! I'm heading there Sunday and Monday. Anybody been there in the last week or so? How are the conditions? What should I come prepared for?

I'll throw just about any lure with my irod 704C. The lure weight rating on it is 1/4 oz to 1 oz, but the sweet spot is about 5/8 oz. That rod is money! Spinner baits, jigs, swim baits, worms, anything you can think of, it can handle. It's turned into my pitching rod, too.

That's good news! Worrying about this ethanol on older engines is getting old, fast!

I had success with both swimbaits and craws. I didn't go all the way up to the Big EZ, but used the smaller version. I guess it's like an improved "rage rig" when you use a craw, but I would let it sink and then burn it just off the bottom with a craw. They hammered it even better than the swim bait.

The gas station carries it near the lake I fish. Thank goodness. Costs about $.50 more per gallon though.

I like the rage and paca craws, but the durability of each is pretty poor. The rage craws have the best and most consistent action, but I typically only catch one or two fish before a claw is ripped off or the body ripped in half.

Ordered some Duz It's this winter and finally got to try them out last weekend. I used the gold blade model with some EZ Swimmers and an unnamed craw. Lets just say the big ladies gobbled it up all day long. I think it worked well bc the water was somewhat stained, yet the presentation was more subtle than a spinnerbait. I'll be using this bait during spinnerbait conditions from now on. It's weed less and can be fished in many ways and it catches hogs!

Paca craws. Try them on shaky heads. I found a local company last week that makes the best craw I've ever fished. May be too early to let the cat out of the bag!

Congratulations! I'd hate to tell you anything wrong, but my uncle got a 225 Mercury and we had to drive it with the trim all the way down for an hour. Ask the dealer or call Mercury. Get ethanol free gas.

I had a good tip from a guide. He mainly uses black jigs and then changes his trailer color to dial in what they want. Then, once he gets bit, he'll change his jig color to match his trailer. Pretty smart way to do it IMO.

Just re-powered my boat with a rebuilt 1998 Johnson Fast Strike 115. It's the 60 degree V4 Loop Charged version. What's the best oil to keep this thing humming along? I'm in between the Johnson Evinrude XD-30 oil and the XD-50. The XD-30 says it is for carbureted engines, but I don't believe it's a Syn-Blend. The XD-50 is a Syn-Blend, but it says it's engineered for direct inject. What's the best route to go here?

Get him something nice that he'll appreciate and make him earn it. Make a deal to help you out with some chores or cleaning your boat. Win-win and he'll have something he earned that he's proud of. I can give you a deal on a bait caster set up since it's for a kid getting into fishing.

KY- KY Lake or Dale Hollow (sits on the KY/TN border).

I fished in a local tournament last Saturday in the wind and rain. I didn't bring gloves because the temperature was supposed to be around 50, but it ended up feeling much colder with the wind and rain. I got some very minor frostbite (frostnip) on my hands and had to go to the doctor. My hands were white and could barely grip the rod by the end of the day. Six days later, I still don't have all the feeling back in my fingers. The doctor said it could be another week before all of my feeling comes back. I'll have hot hands, dry towels and gloves on board from now on when it's below 60 degrees. Better safe than sorry! Even though it's not life-threatening, it's pretty wild not having feeling in your hands for several days. In some ways, the in-between temps (40-60 degrees) are more dangerous, I would have packed appropriately if the forecast was for 35 degree weather. On a funny note, I went to set the hook one time with my freezing hands and threw my spinnerbait rod and reel into the river. My partner and I finally dredged it up after 15 minutes with some crankbaits. Pretty crazy day!

Genesis II is my favorite rod. I'll take a genesis II over omens, gl2's, powells, and most other rods within $100.

I like a double-tail grub, or a paddle tail swimbait by Gambler or Reaction innovations (skinny or little dipper).