TIPS & TRICKS

Here we post tips and tricks to help you fishing ! If you miss one, contact us and we'll send it to you. You may copy and paste them into your own archive.

July 14, 2011
Very few notes today but thought we would toss in a couple of spot hunting videos if you will !







#1003: Tackle prep 04/20/2011

Every season requires some preparation and maintenance. Here we offer you tips and tricks about boating, fishing, equipment etc. Tips will be archived monthly. The first one here is tackle preparation and replacement. This can be a bit tedious but it’ll pay off for you on the water. Here are some tips we recommend every season.

Inventory: most of us carry a large amount of tackle, all types and sizes. If you’ve kept tournament notes and or good fishing logs, you’ll know what you use the most. Sit down with your tackle organizers of choice and see what you really have. What’s broken ? What do you need to refill ? Make a good list and watch for deals !

Condition: The condition of your tackle is critical. A few considerations are crank bait finishes, spinner bait blades, hard bait hooks, jig hooks, etc. Spinner bait blades should be clean and the finish shined. You need that flash in the water. Toothpaste does a great job on the blades and wont damage the finish. If you use Secret Weapon Lure spinner baits, and we do recommend them, check your clasps and blades so you can reorder ahead of time. Crank bait hooks should be closely inspected. Any bent or rusted hooks should be replaced. We recommend #4 trebles on ½ ounce lipless and medium divers. Change front and rear hooks. Your button up ratio will improve. On deep divers and ¾ ounce lipless use #2 trebles front and rear.

Rust: If your jig hooks have rusted they should either be reconditioned if the corrosion hasn’t begun to eat at the metal, or discarded. Rust in your tackle packs can be prevented with silica gel packets in your boxes or rust inhibitor strips. Both can be easily found on the web.

Organize, organize organize. Time spent looking for tackle on the water results in less casts !

　

#1001: Boat setup 2/22/2011

The 2009 season brought many things to light as usual but probably the most time consuming was boat setup. A few points to remember here; bass boats use a lot of fuel. Decreasing drag improves fuel economy. Time is of the essence; a 10 second hole shot will get you to the spot last. Outboard wear and tear; a ten foot rooster tail will get you to the outboard service tech much quicker !

Some prop tuning and boat setup will improve your efficiency on the water. I've found some props right out of the box are not cupped well. Send your prop to the doctor. Not only to repair nicks/polish etc. but have it cupped. Experiment with the pvs tuning to get the hole shot dialed in. The pvs system does not effect you on plane. It is critical though for prop spin up.

Weight distribution; if your prop is cupped well and the correct pvs plugs installed for your load, you can move your heavy gear forward in the boat. The weight forward contributes to the "fall over" on the hole shot and with proper cup, will not effect your bow lift on pad. Of course if your carrying 500 lbs of tackle up front this may be an issue !

Prop to pad height; most of us have been there. Here's where the jack plate comes in. All bass boats are not created equal. I start at 3.5 inches below pad when I'm setting one up. Tune it from there by watching rpm and water pressure.. When you start to loose speed on the GPS yet gain rpm and drop water pressure, you've gone too high. Back it down at 1/8 inch increments to find the sweet spot. Forget your trim gauge for now. Don't even look at it until you've found the spot.

Here's the real tough part; Leave your rods at home ! Boat setup up is time consuming and laborious. Its really easy to suspend the setup runs and start pitchin at a stump. You'll be glad you did it though. You'll launch better, save fuel and have a more stable boat ride.

Contact us for more information. Here's a useful link also !

Bass Boat Setup

#1002 Beware of alcohol in your fuel !

In many states now, 10% alcohol is mandated at the gas pumps. Alcohol absorbs moisture, therefore drawing moisture into your boat’s fuel system. Older fuel tanks are not designed to take this at all. The tanks are deteriorating from the inside out. This will cause serious engine problems. Even with newer tanks, which are designed to stand the alcohol, moisture drawn into your fuel system is devastating. Fuel lines, injectors, carbs, cylinders; all areas that will be attacked ! Here are a few things you can do to counteract the damage;

Add Mercury Dry Fuel and marine Stabil at every fill up. This is a must. Both are designed and specially formulated to “dry” the effects of 10% alcohol.

If you’re storing the boat for any length of time pay close attention to the amount needed. Storage time, which we consider to be anything over 30 days, requires a higher dosage of both treatments.

Use reliable fuel vendors. Our own experiments with fuel stations in our area found nine of ten were pumping 10% alcohol by volume. The one offender’s sample we got was 60% alcohol ! The test kit we use is available from Briggs and Stratton’s on line store. Very affordable and a must have. The reason for 60% alcohol is the method used to mix it. When the distributor fills fuel tankers at the depot, alcohol is added then. The only mixing that occurs is driving from the depot to the station ! Pretty poor method so beware ! Test your fuel to prevent costly engine and fuel system repairs.