jeepcrazy

New York Department of Environmental Conservation Here's the page with the tipline and the information you need http://www.dec.state.ny.us/regulations/2460.html

No but that sounds like a great idea for the next BassResource.com get-together. I guess that's about as good as I can hope for...just thought I might be poking for no good reason. I bet if I lose 100lbs I'd go faster.... <think the wife would be mad when I threw her overboard?> hahahahahaha

Hey guys, I recently got a new boat and promptly replaced the trolling motor with a MinnKota Powerdrive 55lb thrust motor. My boat is a 17' Xpress aluminum boat. My "problem" is how slow my boat is. I have a GPS and my max speed is 2.5-2.7MPH on the GPS, which seems really, really slow to me. The rentals on the lake blow by me like I'm sitting still...but I've invested so much money in my boat that bugs me. Is 2.5mph abnormally slow for a 55lb motor on a 17 foot boat? What would make it so slow? Can I do anything to talk it into picking up the pace? Thanks! -JC

Wow...amazing how quickly his tune changed from "I have..." phrases to shifting to talking about the company "he buys" these from. Based on that little nugget I wouldn't buy his bait even if it were the next Senko. Someone forthright would sell it sooner or later. There's a lesson in this: Nothing is a secret on the internet anymore. It's best to be honest about what you're doing, even if you're being a jerk. People might not LIKE a jerk, but they can trust one. Nobody can trust a liar. Whee....on to the fun posts about fishin.

Sadly....yes. My wife says if I spent as much time & effort organizing my office and my garage as I do my tackle box I'd be a much happier person...I say if i spent as much time doing those things I wouldnt' have time to work. I'm out of room in the tackle bag and it's the biggest one I could find. I'm going to have to start carrying multiple bags in the boat!

Personally if I had a "secret" bait I'd share it on this site in a SECOND. I had never been aware of the Fat Ika before BassResource and as a result of RoadWarriors posts about it I have caught more bass this year on the Ika than ANY other bait I use. (I get them @ Dicks in Manassas) If RoadWarrior didn't share his "secret" I'd be a lesser fisherman today. I'm grateful for every successful angler that chooses to spread information and share the goodwill and excitement that comes with catching our quarry of choice and helping each other learn how to be more successful. On a side note, my wife calls the Ika "the pickle with the skirt..." My first pack of Ikas were green pumpkin. heh Part of me totally understands wanting to protect your "secrets," but personally should I learn that boogers on a treble hook catch big bass...BassResource.com members will be the first to know about it. ;D

Thx...I must be blind!

Hey guys, Where do I find the place for laying down and receiving a member challenge? I see lots of results but don't know where to go to get one. Thanks! JC

lol I know! The little guy made my grub move funny, it's the only way I knew. I'll have to fit him into my avatar somehow! At the rate they're growing in the pond it'll be 10 years before he's worthwhile. With an attitude like that I'm sure i'll see him again though!

We have that issue in my neighborhood pond. It's an overcrowding issue. I ran it by a fisheries biologist and he instructed me to remove 25 fish per acre, and when I thought I'd taken out too many take out 25 more. (Only fish 10" or smaller) Essentially it'd thin out the population significantly and allow for the fish to grow. We did it by having a fishing derby (for the kids, took the fish to the river) and things haven't improved DRAMATICALLY (it's only been a season) but we already see bigger fish. -JC

I went today and it was blowing like hell...my Xpress was like a sail. I found a nice semi-cove on the opposite side of the wind and we were able to catch a couple. I promised my daughter we'd go to day so in the wind we fished! How does a drift sock work? I will make sure to pick one up. Thx for the tips folks, I truly do appreciate it. -JC

Look at the upside...it can only go up from here... He was so funny I had to take a picture. He hit a 3" grub that was as long as he was.

Ok...so a little nugget about me. I *HATE* fishing in the wind. Hate it hate it hate it. On otherwise beautiful days where I could/should/would be fishing, I'll stay home because I hate fishing in the wind so much. It blows the boat all over the place, it makes fishing finesse that much harder (my strong point) and of course, it blows your crap all over the place. So here's the point of my post: It seems like I'm going to have to learn to deal with fishing in the wind. Every flippin nice day we've had here in VA has been windy. Every one for the forseeable future is supposed to be windy. What techniques do you use in the wind this time of year to produce a catch? Suffering from an unreasonable dislike for windy days in VA.... -JC

I had fun at the local lake this weekend too. Putting in was relatively uneventful, I was gearing up the boat off to the side and a fella stopped and asked me where I was in line. Awesome! That's the way... Rest of the day...not so good. Pulling up to end the day some guys back their boat down the ramp as we're approaching the dock...I wait for them.... They get out and they haven't geared up yet. They spent 20 minutes on the ramp getting their crap together! To top it all off as I'm backing down the ramp two folks in a canoe pull up onto the ramp (from the water) and leave their canoe so they can go to the restroom. Right in the middle of the ramp. I wasn't pleased, but then again this was a Sunday...BEAUTIFUL weather and I had nothing else major to do. So all things considered it could've been worse. I really hate it when someone has crappy ramp manners though! Great post!

Funny... I got it done today using stainless steel nutserts from my local hardware store. I used the type that have a large flare on top making them able to be screwed in using two smaller screws. I took the boat out today, didn't catch much of anything, but the motor held great! Thanks for your replies!! -JC

Thanks guys. I'm currently seeking one small human for temporary insertion into the cargo area of my (evidently) small boat. Pay includes beer, lunch, and admiration from me so long as my memory lasts. Anyone miniscule of stature but lion-like in heart close to the Front Royal area? ;D

Hey guys, Got a new MK Powerdrive for my Xpress 17 footer, which previously had a Motorguide 40. The mounting holes are totally different, which is fine I suppose, but now that I've drilled the holes I've realized that none but the smallest human alive will be able to get up in the storage area to get the nuts on the underside of the bolts. Does anyone have any ideas on how to get this thing mounted? I can't POSSIBLY get up in there to put the nuts on. Self tapping heads will ultimately round out the holes and become unstable, right? Thanks in advance for any ideas. -JC

Hey guys, My truck was broken into last night and they messed with my new boat a bit...so now I'm thoroughly paranoid. I have a MasterLock Coupler Lock....but I'm wondering how else do you guys secure your trailer? It's in my driveway but I'd like to be reasonably sure they aren't going to take my boat and run. Any ideas? Thanks! -JC

Honestly I don't know. I've been buying batteries from those guys since I was a kid and they've never steered me wrong. I went in looking for one Optima Blue top and I left with two of these, and I ultimately spent about the same amount of money and I think I'm better off. No worries here. They're the size of a type 31, not a 29 though...realized that when I was installing them in the boat today.

Local distributor. Awesome guys to deal with. I know the retailers are a little higher, but they have distribution places all over. I had to drive a ways (an hour) but I think it was worth it!

I never had any trouble with my EverStart, but I just picked up a pretty cool alternative today: U31TMX by Interstate Batteries It's actually an industrial deep cycle designed for floor scrubbers. It fits in size 29 battery boxes, but is extremely powerful for the price. Specs quoted to me by their Industrial Division were 145 rate AH with 225 minutes @ 25amps According to the guys I worked with at the local distributor (all fishermen) those numbers were very conservative, and they make an even bigger one for the truly adventurous. Price? $109 That was a good 40 bucks cheaper than the similarly spec'd Trojan I looked at, and way cheaper than the (not apples to apples, I know) Blue Top I looked at. I'll post a thread on a real review later in the summer after I've run it awhile. In the meantime it looks like the battery is a good deal!

I ran this by a Fisheries Biologist with the Virginia Department of Game & Inland Fisheries. According to him it's a genetic variation and nothing to be worried about.

It was colder than a witches t!t this morning...32 in Front Royal, VA. I prefer 82 on the lake the other day... Man this sucks!

Not to throw another wrench into it, but Gander Mountain is clearancing last years finders...I got the Humminbird Matrix 67 with GPS for 299.00 I've had it out twice and the detail is pretty unbelievable for the price. Maybe check with your local store and see what they've got? Just my .02 since you're still brand shopping.

Pretty interesting, I took another trolling motor (I have another one handy) and hooked it up to the same wires, it runs in the correct direction. This one runs backward. I flopped the wires and it runs correctly, just a PITA. I'll make sure my locator is off that circuit. Thanks for the advice fellas.