fishnkamp

Yes for sure. Just make sure they are the right ones.

Where do you live,just the general area?

Back up, if you are asking if that knot is best for attaching your line to the spool on your reel. then yes it is a good knot for that purpose. It is the only time I use that knot. Make sure you get it tied correctly and it is tight because if not your line will slip on the spool and it will act like your drag is not working. We get a lot of those complaints like "I just bought a new reel and it does not work" You will need to know several other knots like the double uni knot to tie two lines together ,the palomar and trilene knots are good knots for tying on lures etc. I hope I ansered your question you left it kinda vague.

Back in the 70's I ran nothing but Champions in my Mercs. Since that time, Mercs come with NGKs. Go write down your serial number. Go to your local dealer and find out what plug the engine calls for. My dealer has the NGK plugs in stock. I deal with him often so he lets me buy the ones he gets in bulk rather than the ones normally boxed for resale. I save a few bucks and pay only a bit more than if I run a few miles away to a local West Marine. Put the right plug in and it should work much better. By the way, do not go by the plug number I listed, it came from my Seloc Manual. That manual has a table that covers a ton of models and years and is correct most of the time, but not always. It has the correct plug listed for my engine though, it takes a BUHW-2. It is funny, in the 1990 to 2000 model years the 50,60,75, and 90 hp engine are all 3 cylindersengines with different cubic inch bores and use different plugs in them. Like the bore and stroke of a 75 and 90 is the exact same but use two different plugs in them. Wierd!

I actually have a President 40 series reel and use it on one of my bass rods.I prefer it.It balances fine and holds enough line so keep it. I would spool it up with the Suffix mono. if in the future you find yourself wanting to try some 30 pound braid and a stiff mono leader then unspool 1/2 of the Suffix mono, wind on 1/2 spool of braid and install your leader. At least the Suffix will not be wasted. Keep the remaining 1/2 a spool removed for backing on another reel. I used a partial spool of Suffix Elite for backing on several reels till it ran out. Lays on reel smooth.

i would definitely get the right one. I would not trust the drag and right now you have done nothing wrong. You deserve to get the right spol. They should send you out the correct one and a return mailing label. Often companies will get a credit card number and not charge anything unless you fail to return the incorrect piece in a certain amount of time (often 2 weeks)

I have three suggestions and I fish some of each brand. First Dobyns Fury rods run $110 to $120 and are great rods. Now up scale a little in your budget but well worth it is the Dobyns Sierra. The Sierra rods ( like the Fury's ) are light feel great and balance well. As you go up in the lines from Dobyns the components get a little nicer and the blanks seem to get a little lighter. I would look at several rods depending on you needs. If I was throwing light jigs all the way to 3/4 ounce jigs in shallow water out to say 20 feet of water I would be choosing between a 703 or a 734 Fury. In the Sierra line look at the 683, 684, 703,704, 733 and 734. If I was going to throw heavy football style jigs deep or flip and pitch then a 735 in either series would service me well. Sierra rods cost $160 -180 so they are just above your budget but well worth the pric. Next look at the Powell Max3d look at the 723 or 734 if you want a little beefier stick. My favorite is not on their website . You would have to call out and talk to them. It is being reintroduced. I fish an earlier version but I love their 683Max. That stick is my all around swiss army knife.Go read Tackletour article here.http://www.tackletour.com/reviewpowell683cxfast.html A Powell Max3D will cost $159. Lastly go to Irod. Look at the Genesis II rods. My choice would be either a IRG704C or an IRG 744c both are great sticks. I fish a IRG703cc for traps and cranks and love it. They run $149. There is not a bad choice in those. First decide if you are looking for a lighter jig rod like the MH 2/4 to 3/4 or the heavier rods like the 1/4 to 1 1/4 rods. Then the choices will be lessened but there is not a bad rod in those i offered.

No, but if you live in TN already you have no idea the ways states in the east get in your pocket. My crack about MD taxing the rain was not a joke!! Our governor O'malley had such a tax, along with thousands of others. His nickname was OWE'Malley! The property tax on my 1/4 acre property and a 1600 sq. ft house is over $2000 a year. The property tax on a much bigger house and larger land parcel we looked at near Cookeville was about a whopping $300 annually. Since a republican governor took over (only the second time in my lifetime) some of the taxes were repealed, but it is still too expensive to live and play here. I do love it out there.This April we spent 10 wonderful days on Dale Hollow and we have stayed on Center Hill about 4 years ago. The next lake on my to do list is probably going to be either Chicamagua or Tims Ford. I am trying to decide for next April. Have you fished either?

That should be a fish n ski model or sport boat. I had a ProCraft fish n ski and it is my favorite boat i have owned and I have owned 11. We used that boat to fish, tube ski and just cruise. It was great. Mine had a 200 efi Merc motor on it and with correct prop it would run 72 mph. Now back to your Nitro. Things like the livewell pump and fuel gauge are most likely wiring or even fuse issues, To replace and repair them no big deal. No electronics actually that is okay. Today you can get a 7 inch unit like a Lowrance Elite7 TI which will give you very close performance to the HDS series units for half the price. The HDS units are not overpriced they over optioned for most users. For example, if you own one of the brand new engines AND you pay for Smart Gauges then you can network the engine to your fish finger and monitor your engine's vital signs. Obviously you and I do not have those engines, so that and many similar options are not worth spending money on. An Elite 7 TI will give you a great GPS Mapping unit with a sonar unit featuring 2d sonar imaging along with chirp down scan and side imaging. All that for $800. As for a trolling motor you can upgrade to a 24 volt unit and the extra battery along with an on board charger. If you go get a beverage, sit in a comfy chair, and are willing to read a friend of mine's article about buying a used boat, you can learn a lot about what to look for and what to look out for when buying a used boat. Go here: http://www.baybass.com/node/200 Let me know what you think about Bryan's article and if you get the boat. You never mentioned where you live but if it is in the MD, Northern VA. area Bryan provides terrific up to date fishing reports as well as tackle reviews on his site baybass,com

Hello and welcome to the board. Years ago I fished from two different canoes. Both of them had a tm on a bracket. They work really well. Just before you do that check with your states boating regulations. I found out the hard way, that as soon as my canoe had a motor on it ( the state did not care if it was electric, gas or solar powered lol) they wanted to dip into my wallet as deep as MD. can, so it had to be registered. One day a very polite DNR officer was happy to tell me and also allow MD to dip into my wallet a little extra bit. Wasn't he nice!!! Of course MD is the state that taxed its citizens for the privilege of rain falling from the sky! I can not wait to become a citizen of Tennessee soon. Oh and by the way those side pontoons look cool.

Well 3 cylinder outboards are not the smoothest idling creatures but no I do not consider it rough idling. You might want to change the spark plugs.Which plugs does it have in ti. It most likely should have the BP8H-N-10 ngk That is a NGK plug. Do not even think about running a Champion plug, it will run rough. Depending on how old it is you might want to replace the three ignition wires also. I did it to mine this year and they were not hateful in price. Make sure they are all the way in to deliver the fire easily. You may even want to put a bottle of SeaFoam in your tank and run it through your outboard. You may have some gunked up carbs.

2 piece spinning rods are easy to find. 2 piece baitcasters are not so easy to find, almost all of them are one piece. Bass Pro's Tourney Special comes in a 6'6"Medium for $49.00. There are a couple of others but they run from $75 to over $100 for just the rod. That Tourney special would be good with an Abu Garcia Silver Max 6.4 to 1 reel for $59.99. Again it is available as a 2 piece rod and is a quality piece not junk. That would fit in your budget as well.

How long is your son's spinning rod? I do not want to set him up with too long a rod for his comfort, just as I am looking for a rod with a shorter handle again for his comfort. The choices are a little tougher because you want a 2 piece rod. My first suggestion is a Abu Garcia Black Max combo and can be found here:https://www.amazon.com/Abu-Garcia-BMAX3-661M-Baitcast/dp/B01IZXKC8S/ref=sr_1_8?s=sports-and-fitness&ie=UTF8&qid=1469748527&sr=1-8&keywords=abu+garcia+black+max+rod The combo is okay, but I think it would be much better to consider these two independent pieces instead, for a reel go here: https://www.amazon.com/Abu-Garcia-PMAX3-Profile-Fishing/dp/B011LV0H4A/ref=sr_1_1?s=sports-and-fitness&ie=UTF8&qid=1469749598&sr=1-1&keywords=abu+garcia+pro+max+3 or you could choose this: http://www.gandermountain.com/modperl/product/details.cgi?pdesc=Lews-Laser-MG-Speed-Spool-Baitcasting-Reel-LSG1SHMG&i=924808 As for a better rod look at the Abu Garcia line again, but this time lets look at the Abu Garcia Veritas in a 6'6" 2 piece Medium action with a fast tip. Go Here.http://www.tacticalwholesalers.com/search.asp?keyword=Veritas&search= I personally fish two longer rods in this series although they are one piece. They are really good rods and he will not outgrow it, like he might with a starter combo. If you choose the Veritas [lus a ProMax it would cost $115 if you choose the Lews and he Veritas it would run $135. One is in your price range and one is just slightly above but include a very good rod.

I would go with the Avid X ,but if you want one for wacky rigging take a close look at the Avid X 6'8"MXF rod. I have a friend that been fishing with one and he loves it for unweighted sencos, light texas rigs, tubes, grubs etc. It is going to be my next rod, only I am going to match it up with an Okuma RTX30, man that thing is light.

Oh I am sorry, I guess it was too late my brain did not connect the two threads. The Stratos Boats are nice. That VLO is in great shape. The only thing I would do to that boat would be to remove the center seat. I hate walking on the center seats. They always intsall the rubberized mat on the back of the seat so no one trips. By walking on the seat back, eventually the vinyl cracks or the threads and piping come apart. Since that is a hinged flip up seat I would either leave the hinge on the seat and get a spare from Stratos or remove it and use the existing one.. Next I would get some aluminum diamond plate or some 3/4 inch plywood, paint it real good to seal it then carpet it and make a cover plate for the walk up and storage underneath. I have seen a lot of boats using the diamond plate in that area. Otherwise I think that is a beautiful boat and should serve you well.

I look at it this way, the 17 and a half foot aluminum boat runs well with its 75 hp engine (that is max hp for the boat). A fiberglass boat the same size will weigh more and may have a max hp of about 115. The boat will perhaps run just a tad smoother but in my experience it is not big enough to justify the extra expense it will cost to run it compared to the 17'6 to 18'6 aluminum boats.. The question was "what is the minimum boat size that would be comfortable for two anglers to fish." A 18 foot 6 inch fiberglass bass boat will most likely have a 150 hp engine and most times at least a 90 inch or bigger beam. Many of the 17'6 " fiberglass bass boats have a beam more like 85 inches. The combination of extra length and width will mean the 18 footer will be more stable, and with its 150 hp engine it will run in the high 50's or 60s. It just makes a better all around package. One last thing to consider it is harder to sell a fiberglass bass boat in the 17 foot range with a 115 or less horsepower engine. This boat is the 11 my wife and I have owned in 40 years. Our two big ones were fiberglass with the biggest a ProCraft 20 footer with a 200 EFI Merc. By the way what boat did you get?

Ranger dropped wood around 1987. I have a friend that wrote the best article I ever read about buying a used boat. Bryan (the author) is a friend of mine, has his own website, and is one of thee three best sticks I have ever met. I have been lucky to share my boat with him and learned a ton doing it. If you want to learn a lot about used bass boats get a glass of your favorite beverage, find a nice comfy chair and spend a little time reading his article. Go here: http://www.baybass.com/node/200 . When you get done let me know what you thought. I actually saw him spit and polish his R81, sell it and go on a crazy search for his next rig and finally purchase it. It is a neat read. By the way he has had many Rangers and is a bit of a historian on them.

Are you looking at an aluminum or fiberglass boat. If you are going aluminum a boat like my 2010 Lowe Stinger 170 works fine for two serious anglers. If I was going with fiberglass, I would not go less than 18' and prefer 18'8 or bigger. There are tons of older used 18 footers with a 150 on them. Look around for a used 1990 to 2000 Ranger. Most of the 300 and 400 series rigs were in that category and fish well. Lots of Skeeters and others like that as well. Here is a picture of my Stinger 170, it is 17 feet 6 inches long and has a 75 Merc on it. I have fished it on the Upper Chesapeake bay as well as in big lakes in Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, MD. and PA. Almost all of the time two anglers fish off it. I did purposely remove the middle seat so it is more comfortable and no one is walking on the seat to get up or down from the rear deck.

Almost no one builds with wood in a modern day bass boat. Ranger was one of the first to go away from wood back in the 80's I believe it was. Go out to youtube and search for videos from the Ranger,Triton Skeeter, Phoenix etc. They all have videos on how they build boats. These are very informative.

First i suggest you buy a spool of inexpensive but quality mono or copoly line. I like the Bass Pro Excel mono in 14 pound test for backing. This takes up some space and if you tag into something like a big catfish, musky walleye, or like around here at home, a big striper there nothing to worry about.. Tie the backing and main line on with a double uni knot. Now for your main line consider either 8 pound P Line Halo or CXX. Make sure you use a little line conditioner but the Halo is so tough you can not bite through it. I also have some P Line FloroClear on a couple of rods. I believe I have 10 pound on one of my crankin rods. If you want to go straight braid then i would use either 832 or Power Pro green in 20 pounds.

Here is what I did recently. I had a G Loomis GL3 rod that broke on the deck of my boat. Totally my fault. I went down to the local dealer to get a replacement. My rod was maybe 4 years old. The factory changed from he standard reel seat with a metal sleeve and metal lock rings to an uplocking plastic seat. Hated its feel. I paid an extra upgrade charge to move up to IMX. Got the new IMX rod and fished it. The plastic downlocking reel sleeve and rings loosened up often. I became afraid that I would break a $300+ rod. So I had a local, extra talented, rod builder strip the complete cork handle and plastic reel seat of and replace them with a set of split Winn Grips and an American Tackle Comfort reel seat. They are so wonderful I had another Loomis rod redone just to match the feel. I had him use the "Natural" Winn grips so it still looks kinda like cork. The feel is so much better than cork. I like the feel and its sorta tackiness. Then just go find your closest rod builder. I guarantee you will be glad you did. Notice we also added the section of Winn Grip in front of the reel seat. It is sooo comfy to rest my thumb on the grip and not on the typical threads many rods have there. Check out my before and after pics.

Ii have been a professional mechanic for over 35 years. I have had a camera in my tool box since I first started. I know this is not much help now but for the future take some snap shots as you tear down. They are a lot of help in the long run.

Here are several alternatives for you. One is to check with a local tackle shop and see if someone nearby repairs reels. Second choice is to send it to out board sponsor Delaware Valley Tackle. Third is to contact Diawa in California. I have a friend in VA that regularly sends reels out to them to be cleaned, greased, and repaired. I am sure one of these options will solve it. To me is sounds like a bearing issue beginning. If so not too big a deal. Depending on what they find, maybe there are some hot rod updates they can do (upgraded bearings, drag components etc.) and the reel may come back better than original.

Call Powell Rods. Ask about a Powell Max3D model 683 CEF. They had dropped this particular rod from the line up but the owner said it is back. Before that go read the Tackletour review on the original Powell Max rod. I own one of the original Max (not the MAX 3D) rods and the reviewer is right. It is the most versatile in my arsenal. I purchased it and matched it with a Diawa Exceler reel and that puppy can do amazing things. It is not good at casting baits below its 1/4 rating which is fine, but it does not care, it throws anything above it. They even threw an 8 inch 2,5 ounce swim bait. It is not on their website but he said they were available. That rod should cost $150. Here is the TackleTour review http://www.tackletour.com/reviewpowell683cxfastpg2.html

The easy part is the second part, If you look at the u bolts holding the winch stand you see a reflector next to the rear u bolt. Loosen both u bolts and move the stand back so the rear u bolt is behind that reflector, so about 2 inches maybe. now your bow roller should be next to the bow eye. Tighten both u bolts back up tight and evenly. The boat is sitting pretty good on the trailer front to back so no problem there, Maybe you can change your bunks from carpeted to one of the new really "slick" bunk materials like Gator Baks. Look here http://www.gatorbak.com/gatorbak-3-5-x-1-5-synthetic-bunk-cover-pair/