LB report 8/30/19

[catchinon]

Mooseman and I went out in my new boat so I could learn more about it and hopefully catch some cats. We had a fun time figuring out the Minn Kota and it's a good thing we did. Tell ya why later. It has a foot pedal that doesn't work very well so I ended up sitting in the bow operating it by hand on my lap. It kind of comes and goes, working whenever it feels like it and taking a break when it wants to. Ben told me it probably needs the dust blown out of it and then be sprayed with contact cleaner. One of the worst parts is that it won't run on the lowest settings and we needed that to stroll for cats.

When we first got there Justin told me he hadn't fished that way before, so he needed to get rigged up. I told him what Ben and others have shown me. I went ahead and threw out my firetiger flig with a piece of white bass on it and proceeded to work on my other rig. We were barely drifting. In just a few minutes Justin yelled that I had something on. He set the hook for me as I scrambled from the bow to the stern. He soon scooped up a 25"er for me. We got all four rigs out shortly after and began our adventures with the electric motor. We took turns trying to get it all together and into the water. We tried calling and texting a few people for help but got it right eventually on our own. Didn't help that there were extra wires that didn't go anywhere [mad].

I sometimes hate catching the first fish right off the bat. Too often that signals a slow day afterwards, and that's just what we got. I was fishing a Santee rig that had accounted for a fish earlier in the week, in addition to the flig. Mooseman was set up with two fligs, at first one with carp meat and the other with white bass. Later he switched to white bass on both. His flig rigs were identical to mine but the fish just weren't interested. As I said before, we couldn't really go as slow as we wanted to and I'm sure that didn't help. Eventually Justin alerted me again to "a whole lotta shakin' goin' on" with my stern pole with the flig/bass setup. This fish fought very hard. He got under the boat and just refused to come out. When we got him in the boat he measured 27", just a half inch from being long enough to give my score a bump. Drats.

Since things were going slow and we started getting hung up in rocks even though we were in 9 fow we decided to reel in and run on down by the orchards. I started the motor and it was smoking a lot so I turned it off. Tried it again and still a lot of smoke. Not wanting to take a chance that we might damage the motor, we decided to use the kicker instead. Couldn't figure out how to get it started though we both had run such before. I know it will be some dumb little thing we didn't know to do [blush]. Sooo, we decided to run in under electric power. We hummed along with the controller set on 10. We hadn't gone very far down past the springs, but the channel didn't get any closer very fast. I had visions of running out of battery before we got there. We had to go out around the shallows and rocks near the first two springs but we watched the sonar and kept a safe distance. I had made arrangements for BLk to meet us at noon to check the boat over and give me tips and advice since he has a pretty similar boat. We made it with time to spare. I managed to keep a wakeless speed going up the channel and stayed straight although the controls were a bit balky.

Lynn came and looked the boat over and gave it his stamp of approval. I was pleased. I tried the motor again and it started up but still smoked quite a bit. Lynn told me I could use the motor long enough to load. When I stated it up, voila, no smoke! The bad news was that I don't steer very well plus the electric motor made it hard to see. Eventually Lynn called it good enough. Gotta practice more and get set up better to load alone if I need to.

As the Bard said, all's well that ends well. Was a good learning day and I caught a couple of fish. Coulda beed alot worser.
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[Mooseman75]

Did you ever take it in to get the motor checked out? I had fun just being on the water and being apart of learning new styles of fishing and new equipment. That’s stuff I haven’t dealt with on my boat or on Jim’s pontoon. I’m glad we got some things figured out, except why when there is a whole lake water skiers feel they need to come within 100 yards of where people are are fishing and camp out. That is always a question I have but I don’t think anyone has an answer. But I’m down for more trips if you need a fishing buddy. Just let me know the time and day. Thanks Craig.
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[Tin-Can]

The bad news was that I don't steer very well plus the electric motor made it hard to see.

Craig, I am guessing you had some trouble getting the boat lined up on the trailer ?

I don't know a single new, and even old boat owner that has not had or still has that problem now and again. The solution to that is fairly simple, and you probably see it on lots of trailers. Mount up some side guides. With the boat placed exactly where you want it (that's the difficult part) mount how ever many guide supports you feel are needed to the trailer frame. At a height that will place your guides just below the top of the gunwales , and long enough to "steer" the bow of the boat into the bow stand (mine are actually slightly bent to follow the curve of the boat from bow point to about mid-ships.) As long as I get the bow in the first couple feet at the back of the trailer, the boat will actually "bounce" back and forth of the side guides and end up centered in the bow stand guide roller.
This is a great help when trying to trainer the boat in a crosswind. I've seen long time, seasoned boat handlers get their boats blown cross-ways on their trailers in a strong wind at the ramp. (Happens a lot at East Canyon, Willard, Hyrum, maybe even Utah Lake)

I built the guides for my boat when the ones that came on it from Yacht Club were not sufficient. Most guys will just buy pressure treated 2x4 or 2x6 for their trailer bunks, and 2x4 for their side guides. That's OK, but even pressure treated wood will start to splinter and rot when it is in and out of water all summer.
I found some Trex decking 1x6, married 2 pieces together, wrapped in marine grade carpet and bolted to the upright supports for my side guides. The Trex material does not rot, so all I have to do is wrap a new layer of carpet on the guides every couple years. Don't even have to take the guide rails off to do that. I also found some Trex 2x4 in a 20 foot length. Cut it in half, wrapped it in same marine grade carpet ( Lowe's sells it as indoor-outdoor carpet [] )
and bolted to the bunk shackles.

I am planning to make a trip down to LB this Wednesday 4 Sept. be happy to let you look over the Tin-Can trailer.
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[Kent]

Many times the problem with getting the boat straight on the trailer is because the trailer has been backed too far into the water. I have gotten the trailer partially on the trailer and then had the driver back the trailer up a little further and then finish getting the boat on the trailer.
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[Mooseman75]

Very good point. I learned this with helping my friend and his pontoon boat though he wanted it further out than what a fishing boat would require but I learned to have the trailer out a little bit so the boats not floating around. Thanks for the insight Kent.
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[utwalleye]

I always have my trailer to where I have to power the boat on to the trailer. that puts the boat on nice and straight, this even works great in the wind.
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[Kent]

[quote utwalleye]

I always have my trailer to where I have to power the boat on to the trailer.

[/quote]

I always do the same thing.
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[Cowboypirate]

I promise ya, I am twice as bad at loading a boat. It never goes where I tell it. My bride says I also have to steer not just yell.
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[Tin-Can]

[quoteand then had the driver back the trailer up a little further and then finish getting the boat on the trailer. ][/quote]

Yep, that works too. Except when there isn't another driver to back the truck up.
I fish about 75% of the time by myself. So I put the trailer in the water to the point I can see the side guides about 10-12 inches out of the water. That keeps boat from floating over the guides, allows me to put the bow right in the bow roller, with enough forward hull on the trailer bunks to keep me from floating backwards while I get the bow strap hooked and cranked tight.
Because my motor is a small tiller outboard, I unhook the fuel connection, and let the motor run until it runs all the fuel out of the carb and stops. But to do that it has to stay in the water deep enough to pump water thru the impeller. While it's running the gas out, I go over the bow to the trailer , and up to my truck bed. Then I climb out over the left rear tire, walk along the running board, and get into drivers seat. I never touch the water []. I go to fish, not wade in the water at the ramp [laugh].
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[Boatloadakids]

Time and practice help to learn the nuances of loading and unloading. I can launch and load my boat in less than five minutes -- have done it hundreds of times. Some things are best learned rather than taught -- (famous quote by Ice-Sled).

When I have my crew with me and we do our "pit crew" approach, we can be on or off the water in even less time.

Practice -- it's a good excuse to go fishin'.
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[Tin-Can]

That's the truth. I can launch and recover my boat by myself in just a few minutes. The part that takes me longer is making sure everything IN the boat is "road ready" when I get ready to leave the water. Got to be sure all the loose equipment is secured, the live well plug and hull plug is pulled (don't want to be accused of "transporting" fish)

I work my launch and recovery just like a pilot does their pre-flight and post flight , same way same direction around the boat every time.

20 years of Air Force aircraft maintenance habit........[]
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