End of Summer Blues

I hate when we get past summer vacations and the kids go back in school. Everyone is distracted and busy getting everything organized and need to run extra errands. Also, have you noticed how early it is getting dark in the evenings since Labor Day. I have; it stinks!! Before long we will be turning the clocks forward. I call it the end of Summer Blues.

But all is not lost, the end of Summer also means the beginning of the Fall fishing weather. Cooler nights make for good sleeping weather and a changes in our local waters. Pleasure boaters and jet skiers are out in smaller numbers and boat traffic in general is down. Ramps and other boating facilities are freed up making boating and fishing more stress free. This is all good news for the die-hard anglers.

Our local waters also change greatly during the Fall fishing season. The grass starts to break up and fish move to the hard cover. The fish become concentrated making a good spot even better. The fish also don't seem to mind if the water gets off colored as much as they did in Mid Summer. Crank-baits, Spinner-baits and top water get going before the fish head to their wintering holes. Most angler really like the Fall fishing season, almost as much as they look forward to the Spring season. I know that I have liked it and probably more than Spring.

 Fall is always a exciting time for tournament anglers, it brings the end of season tournaments and Championships. Anglers get to see where they have stacked ended up to their competitors after a long season of competing on various trails. Some angler will get to move on to future tournaments or jump to another level because of their fishing prow-less. Congratulation to them for a job well done.

When you go home tonight after work and the auto sensor on your truck's headlights flip on the lights, it alright to mad, but only for a minute. Then flip that switch in you head, because it's time to get out there and get ready to catch some fish, enjoy the weather and get ready for the end of the year tournaments. That's the way to handle the End of Summer Blues.

Long-Drawnout Winter Is Hard On Your Equipment

Here we are in early March, the weather continues to keep everyone from fishing the local waters. It either snows every other day or the rivers and bays are frozen, making going fishing is impossible. But remember that even though you are not using your boat, these long drawn-out winters are hard on you equipment.

Long stretches of not using your boat is always an issue, but long cold winters are even worst. I am going to give you a few items to check out on your rig and urge you to go back through older blogs we have posted for further details if needed. Ethanol always tops my list as it causes the most problems every spring for our customers. Get that old gas out before you run your boat this spring. Batteries are next on the list, remember that a charged battery can not freeze, charge your batteries at least once a month. Drain plug out and bow raised will keep the pumps from freezing and breaking over the winter from water that get into your bilge area. Boat covers, today as we recover from about a 10" snow fall yesterday, we have the guys in the shop out getting the snow off the boats on our lot. I know that the last thing you want to do when you finally get home from the hours long commute is to go out and remove the snow from your boat cover. Here is the problem with not getting the snow off your boat cover, it is easier to remove the snow right after it falls than it is after it has had a chance to freeze. When it melts a little, then refreezes it is really hard to remove. This is hard on the boat cover and you; it can also cause your windshields and seats to become damaged. When the water from the melting snow form into a small lake in your cover; I know that you have trouble not casting into it after the long winter of not fishing. That is the time to remove the water before it can freeze again and damage the seems in the cover.

I hope that these few items will allow you to have a trouble free first trip out if the weather ever cooperates and the snow melts, rivers and bay thaw. If not, you can always take a trip to Florida and fish the Big O for a week, man that sounds like a great ideas, Huh!!!            

Ranger Boats Sells To Bass Pro Shop; The Sky Is Falling

On December 11, 2014 Johnny Morris (founder of Bass Pro Shop) announced that he had signed an definitive agreement to purchase Ranger, Triton and Stratos Boats (Fishing Holdings LLC) from Platinum Equity. This blog will explain what this means to customers and dealers. We will also have some fun with those that claim that the sky is falling after hearing the news.

Ranger Boats has had four owners before Bass Pro Group LLC (Johnny Morris's new company) signed a letter to of intent to purchase Fishing Holdings LLC. Ranger was founded in 1968 by Forrest and Nina Wood in Flippin, AR. The Woods were one of the cornerstones that spawned the sport of competitive Bass Fishing. Without them and a very few others, the sport we love and participate in today would have never developed. They ran Ranger Boats for many years, supporting tournaments, anglers, conservation efforts and the town of Flippin along the way. As time past an opportunity to sell the company to a group consisting of some of the Southland Corporation family (of 7-11 fame). That group knew nothing about the business or the sport which cause it to fail and the junk bonds that they used to purchase it were then purchased by Genmar Corporation (Irwin Jacobs). Irwin Jacobs was a Wall Street Raider, he bought businesses and broke them off into parts to sell them off. He had been in the marine business for several years and owned many different boat companies. He purchased Operation Bass and turned it into FLW Outdoors that we know today. The economic downturn of 2008 forced Genmar into bankruptcy. Then Platinum Equity (a global investment firm that purchases businesses, makes them profitable and flips them for profit) purchased Ranger and Stratos Boats in the bankruptcy in 2010. Time came for Platinum Equity to flip Fishing Holding for a large profit and this brings us to today.  Bass Pro Group LLC agreed to purchased Fishing Holding LLC.

What we know today is that Ranger Boats in it's present form will continue to operate in the manner it has for many years. Ranger Boats will not be sold at the Bass Pro Shop locations. Ranger Boats will continue to be managed by the present team, CEO Randy Hopper that has been with Ranger Boats for 40 years, 25 of those as CEO. We know that Ranger Boats has a new owner; Johnny Morris. We know that owners of Ranger Boats will have their warranty and service just like they were promised and will not be affected at all by this change in ownership. What we don't know is what we don't know, going down the road things do change but only time will tell what those changes will be.

As a Ranger Boats dealer since 1988 and having the Ranger's line here at the store since 1986, I am fully confident in the new ownership of Ranger Boats. The only scenario that would have been better in my eyes is if Forrest and Nina Wood would have repurchased Ranger Boats. Having the Tracker -Nitro brands at one of our dealerships since 1998 and having dealt with Mr. Morris's company for many years, I believe in his business plan. Like Forrest and Nina Wood, Johnny Morris is a true cornerstone of our industry. He is responsible for one of the biggest innovations in the history of the boating business; completely factory rigged packages, not unlike Henry Ford's production line. Mr. Morris is also heavily embedded in our sport and has a passion for fishing like Forrest and Nina. He owns many outdoors product companies and gives a lot of his time and money in conservation activities just like Forrest and Nina. Both of the companies have a similar past and investment in our sport. I believe that Johnny Morris purchased Ranger Boats to save it's legacy and to make sure that Ranger Boats would be around for many years to come. Some people buy businesses to flip them and get a return, I believe that Johnny Morris bought Ranger because the sport he loves needs Ranger Boats and if he can make some money, that's good too. Looking forward, if these 2 companies work together and take the best practices of each company, this mega marine deal will work out for everyone; customers, dealers and manufactures. I am looking forward to being here to enjoy the new days for Ranger Boats.

On the day of the announcement and in days since; the phones here at the shop, social media and fishing websites have been bombarded by haters and so called experts saying that Ranger is done and quality will diminish just like it did when Tracker Marine bought ProCraft Boats. People were claiming that you will be able to buy a Ranger at BPS (a fact that we know is not true). Some speak of never buying a Ranger Boat again and discuss brands that they may have to buy instead, the bantering back and fourth was unbelievable. I could go on and on  and on but you get the idea. I have found that most people (not all by any means) that post on these sites don't have a clue on how the industry works. There is no reason on earth that someone as smart as Johnny Morris would pay millions of dollars to purchase a profitable company with the legacy that Ranger Boats has to make it fail. No Reason.

I would be interested to hear any input that you may have on the purchase of Ranger Boats by Bass Pro Group LLC. I have been a Ranger Dealer since 1988 and they have been here at he shop since 1986, I think we will all be fine. As far as I am concerned, it's full speed ahead and I see no reason that the sky is falling.

Boat Trailers Used In A Saltwater Enviroment Need Special Care

If you have a boat trailer that is used in a saltwater environment; then you should take special care to keep from having issues down the road, leaving you on the side of the highway.

All boat trailers require maintenance; checking to make sure that the lights work properly, tires are good and are inflated to the proper psi., wheel bearing have been greased and on larger trailers making sure the braking system is working. Trailer used in an saltwater environment need all these same things, but a couple extra steps will keep you from having issues only saltwater trailers seem to have. The paragraphs below will each address an issue and some of the steps to hopefully keep you from spending time and money to get your rig off the side of the road.

If you use your boat in saltwater; it should have an galvanized or aluminum frame on the trailer. If you have a painted trailer you are asking for big problems going down the road. Painted trailers age very quickly in the harsh saltwater environment, lights quit working, brake systems and couplers corrode, even their frames and their welds fail in time. If you use a painted trailer in saltwater, wash and rinse it thoroughly using soaping water every time you put it in the water. Painted trailers are not made for saltwater use in general. Galvanized and aluminum framed trailers should also be washed after every use, but they will hold up for many years to come.

Lighting on a saltwater trailer is an ongoing issue that never seams to end. Most of these issue with the trailer lights are due to corrosion in the wiring harness and especially with the light grounds. Every light will have a power from the harness and a ground to the trailer frame. These connections should only use high quality connectors and stainless steal fasteners. All connections should be either shrink-wrapped or at a minimum be covered in liquid neoprene, No electrical tape PERIOD. Check the lights periodically and take the time to repair them correctly so they are not a ongoing issue.

Tires, wheels and hubs should be check every month or so depending on the amount of use. Any of these items will leave you on the side of the road. Underinflated tires will not have the capacity necessary to carry the weight of your boat, causing a tire failure. A tire that is 5 psi low could cause a blowout on your trailer. Wheels and hubs need to be checked to assure that they are tight and damage free. Hubs should be visually inspected to make sure that seals are not leaking grease which could cause a bearing failure. Everyone has seen a boat trailer sitting on the side of the road missing a tire and wheel, this is caused by lack of maintenance in most cases.

Trailer brakes, especially on larger boats are important to keep you safe on the highway. Some boats that are towed weigh in at over 10,000.00 lbs. It takes a lot of brakes to stop your tow vehicle, now add 10,000 to that. Saltwater trailers brakes have an big issue with corrosion, trailer brakes should be checked at least once a season to make sure that they are working properly. Brake hardware if drum brakes are used or slides if using disc brakes should have anti seize applied to ensure that the brakes continue to function correctly. Trailer brakes should be rinsed off while you are cleaning your trailer after use to help prevent this issues.

Now we will talk about an issue that have arisen on newer saltwater trailers that you might not have thought about. Many new saltwater trailers are now coming with aluminum wheels. They look good for those that want them, but they have started causing some unique issues if not maintained. The aluminum wheels have fused to the steel hubs on the trailers, this issue is cause by two dissimilar metals interacting with the saltwater. I have seen incidence where the wheel and to be cut off the hub to get them separated. Destroying the hubs and the aluminum wheels. Can you imagine having a flat on your trailer on the side of the highway and you can't get the wheel off even with the lug nuts off. YIKES. Talk about a bad day!!!! The solution to this issue is to remove your wheels at least once a year to clean away any corrosion. I have added anti seize to the hub face on my trailer to alleviate this issue, however you MUST constantly check your wheels lug nuts to ensure that the wheels remain tight if you take this measure.

I know that these precautionary maintenances seem like a lot of work and hassle, but they are nothing compared to being on the side of the highway on a Sunday afternoon with the family. A little care will ensure that it is not you we see on the side of the road with a wheel missing.       

   

Some Complaining About Fishing On The Potomac River, What Do You Think?

The fishing on the Lower Potomac River has been tough according to most anglers that we have spoken to, others seem to be catching good numbers of fish. Below we will discuss the river and how fishing has been. What are your thoughts?

The fishing on the Lower Potomac River has always been pretty good. Over the last 30 years that I have fished the river, fishing has always cycled between good to one of the best fisheries in the country. Today, many of the anglers I have spoken to say bass fishing has been lousy. These anglers claim to fish hard all day without catching a keeper bass, some of these anglers are seasoned high caliper fisherman. Other anglers say that fishing is tough but they are catching good numbers of bass on the river. On a recent visit to our Virginia location last month, an angler came in complaining about his day on the river, later on that same afternoon I talked with a different customer that claimed to catch 40 fish with 17 being keepers while fishing with his buddy that day. Seemed like the river wasn't the same dead sea that others have been complaining about. So what is the deal with the bass fishing on the Potomac River and what can be done about it? Let me first start by stating that I am not a marine biologist and don't claim to be an expert. I look at issues in a simple way and sometimes the answer is not as complex as it seems to be. Sometimes the complexity of an issue is far more involved and for those answers you will have to see what the marine biologists come up with. Below we will look at some of the issues and causes with possible solutions to those issues.

Grass or lack of Grass: Everyone that has fished the river has noticed the lack of grass in the river. Hundreds to possibly thousands of acres of grass has disappeared on the river over the last couple of years. When the river was full of aquatic vegetation, fishing was great. BassMasters Magazine always listed the Potomac as a Top 10 Best Bass Fishery. The weights in tournaments and catches overall kept growing as long as the grass kept spreading throughout the river. I can remember the river before grass arrived, with a very few exceptions, no one fished below Mattawoman. The pre-grass Potomac was hard structure fishing; drop offs, holes, rock piles, docks, barges etc. Weights  in tournaments were low, sometimes under ten pounds to win. Then grass started growing up river in the mid to late 80's.  Around  1991 grasses spread to the waters south of Mattawoman and the bass fishing gold rush on Potomac River was on. For the next couple of decades the river was the best bass fishing ever. Grass thrived which meant the water quality got better, small fishes and other food sources had a nursery to grow in up in while expanding the food-chain for the predator fish. As the grass dies off, these great qualities die off with them, water quality gets worse, food sources and young of the year have no where to hide and don't survive. The bass in these locations that have grass die off are often caught be anglers quickly on any piece of structure or grass that remains, making it a great place to fish for a limited time before it becomes the dead spot. Nanjemoy Creek is a perfect example of no grass killing a great fishery. Several years back the salt wedge entered the creek killing all the grass, bass fishing was over in that creek within 2 years. Lack of grass I believe is truly one of the largest issues that faces the health of the Potomac River bass fishery. Grass on the river has cycled from area to area over the years; but now the cycle appears to be no grass in many areas. How do we fix it? Mother Nature and good environmental practices control the growth of the grasses that are the lifeline to our bass fishery. Hoping for better weather, a new cycle of grass growth and controlled smart growth regionally is all we can do going down the road.

Tournaments: Some locals including some guides blame the demise of the Potomac on tournament anglers; over-fishing, to much pressure on the resource and fish kills caused by those tournaments. There are a lot of tournaments on the Potomac, especially in the spring when the northern states have a closed season. Most tournaments are run well, especially the national tours that work hard to protect the fishery as their lively-hood depends on tournaments. Some local tournaments are run well but some not so much, all of us have seen guys standing in line with bags of bass on hot days trying to weigh their fish. These guides that blame the poor fishing on tournaments for poor fishing should look at the fishing hours put in by their companies, often having several boats out on any given day. That's 3 people fishing per boat several times a week. That is as many fishing hours as a club tournament. Some of these guide companies also put on corporate tournaments a couple times a year. So they could also be part of the problem they complain about. Here are some thoughts I have on mitigating harm caused by tournaments if they are part of the problem. Really high non resident fishing licences prices, it may keep some anglers from traveling to the Potomac during their closed season. Just remember not to complain when your fishing their state and the price for a license is high.  Make every tournament on the river pay a user fee that goes into a dedicated funds used only for the restocking of bass on the river, kinda like a greens fee in golf. The fee would vary by size of tournament, even club tournaments would pay a nominal fee but fishing would be better for everyone in the long run. Change the daily creel limit to 4 or even 3 fish per day per angler whether you are in a tournament or not. This would make the tournament standings a lot tighter and make it more exciting for all. It would also put an end to the talk that tournament anglers are not willing to contribute to the health of the fishery.

Water Quality: Water quality is a huge issue facing our bass fishery; it controls the growth of grass and the health of every living creature in the river. Our river is fed by several rivers, streams and creeks; Shenandoah River, Manocancy River, Difficult Run, Broad Run, Rock Creek, Occoquan River, Mattowowan to name just a few. When these headwaters flood and poor millions of gallons of water into the Potomac they bring with them thousands of tons of chemicals, trash and silt that fill in the lower river. Water quality drops and the rivers overall health pays a price. One of the most damaging results of this is the muddy water that happens in late winter and early spring. The silt in the water in conjunction with the cold temperatures stunt the growth of the aquatic vegetation in the river. This keeps the grass from growing and in turn hurts the water quality even more. The grasses help to filter the water, no grass, no filter. We have had several hard winters in a row that contained a lot of wind. Wind stirs up the water and keeps the grass from growing down river. Again Mother Nature and good environmental growth are he key to controlling this problems.

Invasive species: Some say that the snake-heads and blue catfish have a roll in the demise of the bass fishing on the Potomac. I have heard that snake-heads are eating bass on the river and I have heard from people that have checked the stomach content of these fish that no bass were found. This could also be true with the blue cat. Invasive species do not have any natural predators in the body of water that they are introduced into. This means that nothing in the river is keeping their population in check and from getting out of hand as nature intended. Humans are the only controlling factor of these species. This I do know, snake-heads and blue cats eat a lot of little fish, bait fish that in the past have been a food source for the bass. A diminished food chain means a unhealthy river and when fish have to compete for food, only the strong surviving. The solution to the snake head and blue cat is to kill and remove every one you can catch, both Virginia and Maryland fisheries management groups are pleading for this to happen. Maybe there could be a bonus weight at tournaments for adding one to your creel. Time will be the only judge on the effects that snake heads and blue cat have on the bass fishery, hopefully the results will be recognized before it is to late.

 Largemouth Bass Virus: Largemouth Bass Virus has been detected in the Potomac River. No know large scale fish kills have occurred on the river due to this virus. But it could be a issue going forward as the health of the river diminishes. Bass that carry the virus are more susceptible to death when they are in a unhealthy waterway, with a poor food-chain and with extreme water temperatures. All of these conditions appear to be present on the Potomac River today. We can only hope that conditions improve going down the road that allow the bass to remain healthy enough to avoid submitting to the largemouth bass virus.

We have looked at some of the issues and solutions to the struggling bass fishery on the Potomac River, but have we solved the problem?  I would say not, but there are some things that we as angler can do to contribute to a better bass fishery. 1. Remove every invasive fish that we come across. 2. Change some of the game regulations to help with conservation and help the river recover quicker.   3. Change some of the bad practices in fish handling plaguing some of the tournaments on the river. All of these will make a difference to the bass fishery. I believe that a tough fishing is a combination of several issues facing the fishery, Some fish could have died from the bass virus, some could have been eaten by snake-heads, some do die after tournaments but the lack of grass seems to be the largest factor. Healthy grass beds spread all over the river help the water quality, create a nursery for food sources to thrive and helps keep the river temps lower for the fish during the summer months. Nothing bad other than overheated motors occur from grass in the river. There is not much we can do to make this happen except pray for a mild winter and spring. Until the grass rebounds. do your part to help change the issues we can affect, it will make a difference.

Winter Won't Stop, Getting Your Boat Fixed Will Be A Problem

Winter this year just won't go away, every three or four days it gets cold and frozen precipitation falls. If you are one of those guys putting off getting your boat serviced, you are going to have a problem.

Every year when the weather finally breaks, customers bring in their boats to their mechanic to get them ready for the upcoming season. This generally happens over a month or so, many repair shops can handle the load. This year is different, when the weather finally does break, there will have a bunch of anglers wanting to go fishing. The problem is that the mechanics can only get so much done in a week. Everyone is going to bring their boats in at the same time and it will take some time to get all those boats repaired. The only fair way a dealerships can handle this is to take customers first - come first serve. A lot of customers will be unhappy with their mechanics. It's not the mechanics fault, they came to work every day and were there to serve you, you couldn't get your boat out or just put off taking the boat for repairs. Calm down, we will get through this, we always do. It will just take a little hard work and a little patience.

No one expected a winter like the one we are having this year. Things come up, we understand. But if you want to be one of the first to go fishing this spring and your boat needs some repairs, I would suggest getting your boat to the repair shop today. It hasn't snowed in a couple of days and that means it could snow at any minute.

It Just Keeps Snowing; Guys Are Going South

Have you ever seen a winter when it just kept snowing and arctic blasts keep coming through our area? I can't remember a year it seemed to snow several times a week, week after week. Local anglers are tired of it and a lot of the guys are going south.

We have a group of local anglers that go south every winter to get away from the cold and do what they like to do, Fish. This year it seems that the unusually snowy and extra cold weather has sent even more angler than usual south. Check out the FaceBook pages of your fishing buddies and I bet you will see the same thing. You will start to feel that you are the only one not fishing Lake Okeechobee. I have seen guys fishing on Stick Marsh, Toho and Okeechobee. I started to feel bad for myself, stuck here in the cold, while they were getting to fish wearing shorts and T shirts. Then it hit me, good for them. They are getting to fish. Hopefully they will come back with some stories and good photos that they can share with the rest of us. It will give us something to talk about and get us excited about the up coming fishing season, instead of sitting around dreaming of fishing.

Having your fishing buddies getting to go fishing is the next best thing to getting to go yourself.  We can all live and learn through their fishing experience. It looks like we will have to, the groundhog says it going to keep snowing and stay cold. If it continues, maybe we will get a chance to go fishing down south or at least get to go groundhog hunting.  

It's Show Time Again!!!!!

Every January it happens, Boating and Fishing Shows Start. After the holidays and deer season have past, anglers are tired of having nothing to do. They are tired of cold and short days. Fear not, It's Show Time Again.

In our region, many of the fishing shows have disappeared, they have been replaced by  boat dealer's having Open Houses, taking boats to fishing flea markets and smaller shows with only a few boats to look at. Several of the big power boat show are still around, but many fishing boat dealerships have discontinued going to those show because anglers generally do not attend that type of show. Few bass boat dealers survived the economic downturn and those that did struggle to find enough customers at the larger power boat show to recoup the expense of those shows. If you spend $25K on a display booth and sell only a couple of boats it is a burden that many dealership just could not afford. Fishing boat shows with 50 bass boats to look at may be gone forever. Hopefully our Government they will pass a law that every house needs to have a Bass Boat and then those shows that everyone used to attend will  return. Till then, we will just have to attend the shows that are still around or go to dealerships that carry multiple boat brands to cut down on running half way around the world to look at boats.

Yep, it has already been a long cold winter. But starting this week are will have something to do on Saturday and Sundays, we can call our fishing buddies and pile in the truck and go to the fishing show.Because It's Show Time Again.

First Freeze of the Year, Make Sure Your Drain Plug is Out

Our region just had the first freezing temperatures of the year. When that happens, you have a couple of items that you must do to continue to fish this fall and winter. If you don't take these steps, you better learn to dog pedal.

Many of the angler's in our region fish all year long, to do this, there are several steps that need to be done every time you go boating after the temperatures start to reach the freezing point. These steps are easy and only require a few minutes to complete and will keep you from having a problem that could possibly cost you your life. Water freezes at 32 degrees, when water freezes, it expands. This expansion is a problem for the pumps, values, hoses and even some engine parts on your boat. When a component freezes and cracks, a water or fuel leaks will occur. Water leaks will at a minimum will get you wet, hampers boat drive-ability and wreck you day. But much more dangerous results are possible; you boat could sink leaving you in the cold water causing hypothermia, loss of consciousness and possible death. The hazards of a fuel leak are just as dangerous, with fire and explosions possible. Leaks of either water or fuel should be taken very seriously as life and limb can be a consequence of a part failure.

So how can I keep this from happening to me? You can never stop every issue from occurring, but you can take the steps that will minimize your risk of them happening to you. First thing to do after boating in freezing climates starts at the boat ramp after you load your boat on the trailer. Pull your rig into the parking lot and trim your engine all the way down. This will allow the water to drain out of the engine completely, this takes about five minutes. No water in the engine means no engine parts freezing, cracking and causing fuel leaks. Next, remove your boats drain plug and allow the water to drain out every time you go boating during cold weather. Next, drain your live-well/bait-wells completely and leave them in the empty position. This will let the water drain from the pumps, valves and hoses and keep them from cracking which could cause a water leak. Now you are ready to drive home and park your rig. When you arrive home, if your rig gets parked outside, make sure that the nose of the trailer is cranked up to allow any water from rain or snow to drain out.  I always check my boat for water after parking the truck every time I launch my boat during cold weather, just in case a pump cracked. Do this by turning on the bilge pump, if it pumps water, put it immediately back on the trailer to find the reason water got into the bilge. That's all there is to it.

Take these simple steps during cold weather boating and chances are you will have a great time without taking any chances of something bad occurring. It should be mentioned that other engine services are required such as checking gear cases for water should be done before it gets to cold. Also reread our post from April about warming up DFI Engines, as cold water and cold air require you to warm your engine up before operating it in cold conditions. Some of the best fishing days I have ever had occurred on the Potomac River when ice was forming in the guides of my fishing rod. Cold weather fishing is great fun when you are well prepared and look at safety first.    

It's October Already, Time to Get Your Boat Prepared for Offseason Storage

Can you believe it is October already? This years weather has been unusual to say the least; Spring was late, Summer never really got Hot and now Fall is here. If you are going to put your boat away for the winter, it is time to get your boat prepared now.

If you are going to use your boat all Winter long,  you only really need to check your gear oil for water so it doesn't freeze once the weather gets cold. You can now go fishing or hunting as the rest of this blog will do little to help you. If you are going to winterize and store you boat this Winter, the helpful hints below will be of service to you when you do put your boat away later this Fall.

Here are some hints that will aid you in getting your boat ready to store or winterize later this Fall. The biggest problem with today's boats is the use gasoline with ethanol in it. Most people in our region have little choice but to use this product as it is mandated by the EPA for the entire I 95 corridor. In the past manufactures and mechanics recommended filling your gas tanks on your boat with fuel to prevent condensation from building up in your fuel tank. This is no longer the recommendation, keep as little fuel as possible in the fuel tank for storage. Now is the time to start monitoring your boats fuel level and now is the time to start adding a fuel stabilization product with ethanol treatment to your gas every time you fuel up. Here is what I mean by monitoring your fuel level, if you are going boating and plan on running around a lot it is OK to fill the tank up, if you are going out for a couple of hours and have enough fuel in the boat already, don't fuel up. When it gets the time to winterize your boat, you don't want to pump the fuel out of your boat if possible. By adding fuel treatment now, if you get caught and don't take your boat back out, the fuel in the engine will have been already treated. Another item that should be addressed now is water levels in your batteries. If you have maintenance free batteries, again you can now go fishing or hunting. If you have batteries that your can add water to, you should check it now rather than latter. Only use distilled water when filling batteries, you can get an gallon at the grocery store for only a dollar. The reason that you need to do it now is that it will have a chance to charge and cycle the battery. A charged battery can not freeze, if you put the water in latter it is possible that the battery will freeze. By doing it now, you can use the boat and the motor will charge it up.

Do these simple items now and when you get ready to winterize your boat latter this Fall, all the hard items will be easy not having to deal with pumping gas out of your boat or a bad battery next Spring.
 

High Tech Equipment on Bass Boats; Don't Let it Ruin the Fun

Today's bass boats have more hi tech equipment than an airplane of the not so distance past. Today's direct injection engines have more computing power than the Apollo spacecraft's. Bass anglers are using electronics that have so many features that listing them would make this a book, not a blog. Recently, I have dealt with several customers that became overwhelmed by using there electronics that it wrecked their day of fishing. Don't let hi tech gadgets wreck your fishing days, fishing is supposed to be fun.

I blame Apple's I Pad for all these problems; they do what people want them to do seamlessly. People's expectation is generally reached by Apple's products and customers feel that all electronics should be as easy and useful as there I Pads. You can learn to use an I Pad well in a couple of hours, but today's marine electronics take much longer to learn. Fact is, none of Apples products like water, if they get wet, you get to buy a new I Pad. They also do not have the capability of finding fish, charting your course, side & down imaging, setting your weigh points, showing your instrumentation or handling the rough conditions that your boat's electronics goes through. So if you take your easy to use I Pad fishing with you, chances are your become frustrated with it also.

Now that we have blamed Apple for all of our problems, let's talk about having fun fishing. Today's electronics are made to be useful in a variety of different applications, from off shore boats to kayaks. They are used by professionals to novices with different levels of experience. The key is to use the units to your level, while learning to increase your capabilities. Pros on the Tour fish for a living, they use their equipment every day and have years of doing so. Most local anglers have a job, that is what they do every day and fish when they can. Most units will make adjustments automatically for you when set to Auto Mode, use this mode and enjoy your day of fishing. If you want to get more out of your electronics; check out You Tube, your units manufacture web site, use a local guide to show you how to operate your unit. Then leave the rods at home, take the owner's manual with you and go play with your units. Pick whatever feature you want to learn on this trip and do nothing else, master that subject.  Do this a couple of times and you to will become an expert in the field of marine electronics.

 Today's electronics are great tools; they can help you catch more fish.  Don't try to learn how to use your electronics while going fishing. These are two different activities, one helps you get ready to do the other. If you are going fishing, go fishing, enjoy fishing.  Don't let your hi tech equipment wreck your fishing.   

The Heat of Summer Is Almost Here; Don't Bake Your Outboard

The heat of Summer offers boaters great weather and many days of enjoying life on the local rivers and lakes. Summer also creates some challenges for boaters, overheated engines cause by debris in the water and grass clogging water inlets is a big problem if not handled correctly. Read on learn how to make this seasonal issue no big deal or take a chance on baking your outboard engine.

Every Summer when boating traffic increases and the submerged aquatic vegetation (grass) grows all over the river we have customers pick up a dis-guarded  ice bag or even grass in their water intakes and overheat their outboards. It happens, the alarm goes off and everyone tries to figure out what happened. If no water is coming out of the telltale then it has no water pressure and the intakes are likely clogged causing your engine to overheat. This is the time when you can save your outboard and yourself thousands of dollars in repairs or let it sit there and bake. If you stop your engine when the alarm goes off, clear the debris from the water inlets and then start your engine up and give it an high idle in neutral, your engine will quickly cool back down. The worse thing you can do is to sit there and wait for your engine to cool down by itself. With no water circulating through the engine the temperature will stay high for quite a while, baking the engine and its parts. I have seen coils, hoses and wiring harnesses melt to the block because of this. It can turn into some serious dollars, as bad as including total engine rebuilds with additional accessories needing added to complete the repair. Not knowing how to handle engine overheating is a killer.

When you go out boating this Summer; enjoy the boating, fishing or whatever water-sport you like. If you overheat your engine take the correct steps to save your outboard engine and continue enjoying your day while others cook hot dogs on the engine blocks.

The Potomac River Is About To Be Trashed

The heavy rains of early this week have begun to head down the Potomac River watershed. The Potomac is about to be Trashed.

During the Spring every year we run a chance of the Upper Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers getting flooded out. The heavy rain storms of this week have done just that. As of today, May 9th, the Potomac River at Point of Rocks is at or near flood stage. River crest will happen tonight or tomorrow just above flood stage. You may be thinking, doesn't affect me, I don't fish the Upper Potomac. You would be wrong, it will affect you if you fish the Lower Potomac. This flood stage water is on the way to the Lower Potomac as I write this blog. Today when I crossed the Potomac at Point of Rocks it was high, orange and full of floating debris. This debris will take weeks to settle out on the Lower Potomac, especially up around the D.C./Maryland line. Tides on the lower river will also be higher than normal, which picks up debris along the lower rivers banks. The water clarity will also be affected on the Lower Potomac for a week or so. Logs floating cause many of the boating accidents along the river.  It affect the whole river when the upper river floods.

The important thing to keep in mind during this flooding is that your will need to use caution over the next week or so on the Lower Potomac. Those wanting to fish on the Upper Potomac should spend the weekend celebrating Mother's Day with loves ones instead of going boating and fishing. The debris and high water won't last long and the fish will be there next weekend. If you do decide to go out boating, please be careful, it's not worth getting hurt or tearing up you boat. Have a great weekend and take mom somewhere nice to eat.

Warm Up Those DFI Engines, Water Still Cold

A late Spring has our local water temps fairly cold for this time of year. Don't be fooled by those couple warm sunny days, warm up you DFI engines before blasting away from the dock.   If you don't, cold seizing will be a term you will become familiar with, one of our best customers had this occur during the 1st B.A.S.S. Weekend Series on the Potomac last week.

DFI (direct fuel injection) engine are very common these days. They are 2 stroke engine like Mercury's Optimax, Yamaha's  HPDI and Evenrude's E Tec engines. These DFI engines get great fuel mileage compared to engine of the past, but these engine are very hi tech machines with very tight tolerances. These tight tolerances can cause an issue that hurts the engine or could even blow up the engine in extreme cases. During the colder months in the Fall, Winter and in the Spring when the water is still cold the engine can cold seize. It happen because the pistons in these engine is manufactured from aluminum which heats up very quickly. The sleeve in the aluminum block that the piston rides in is made of steel which heats up much slower than the piston. The piston expands quickly as it heats up, the block does not expand until the engine warms up when the water temps are cold. This causes the piston to stick to the walls of the sleeve or cold seize. It causes a scuff on the piston which shortens the life of the engine. Sometimes it breaks the piston or the connecting rod that connects it to the crankshaft. If this happen we are talking about big bucks to repair the engine, as much as $10,000. Ouch, not a good way to start off a day of fishing. But don't be scared, preventing cold seizing is easy. When ever you go fishing and the water temps are below 50 degrees, let your engine warm up for a couple of minutes before jumping on plane. Those of you with a SmartCraft gauge or a engine water temp gauge need to get to a engine temperature of at least 120 degrees. That is all you need to do to prevent cold seizing.

So when you take your DFI powered boat out fishing during the colder months of the year, let that engine warm up before you leave the marina. Those couple of minutes of time will keep your engine from cold seizing and save you possibly thousands of dollars. If you don't want to wait, that OK too, we need business during the colder months of the year.  

    

Boating Safety, Things Change Over The Winter

It has been a long off season for fisherman on our local water. When heading out fishing for the first couple of times this Spring, boating safety should be one of your major considerations.  That's because things changed over the winter.

When you aren't on the water for several months, you don't see the changes that are happening to the river. Maybe the commercial fisherman ran some nets in a area that you always drive through. That Nor'easter could have raised the river level, moving trees from the banks to the channel that you drive in. It is even possible that the river's navigation markers have gotten moved by a barge. There are lots of different things that can happen along the river during the off season. All of these issue make boating dangerous for the first couple of trips in the Spring.

Going out on the river after a long Winter? Take your time, look around and take notice to your surroundings. Think boating safety, because a lot changed on the river over the Winter.

Time to Go Fishing, Boat Ready?

The first of March is right around the corner. Days are getting longer and the temps are climbing, is your boat ready for spring? Now is the time to check over that fishing boat before your fishing buddies say let's go fishing Saturday.

If you did a good job of putting your boat away for winter, getting ready will be a snap. If you didn't, plan on spending a day to get your boat ready for the water. Getting ready is a hassle but getting to the water only to find that nothing on your boat works really stinks. First thing to do is to check the water in your batteries if accessible. Then charge your batteries, all of them. After the batteries are charged, check every electric component all the boat; pumps, lights, depth finders and trolling motor. If everything works great, if not fix it or start a list of items that you will need to continue. If you winterize your motor, all you will have to do is top off your tanks with some fresh the gas, hook up the water and pop it off. If you didn't you should take a fuel sample to check for phase separation and water. Then check you gear oil and change if necessary. Make sure it is pumping water and runs OK before heading to the water. Then check your trailer tire pressures, tires loose air while idle and this causes them to loose load capacity which could lead to tire failure. Also check your trailer lights as ground wires could have corroded over the winter. These are pretty easy items to check out yourself, if you don't feel comfortable doing them go to your local marine dealer.

Do these checks to your boat and you will be in pretty good shape when heading to the water. Then all you will need is your buddies to call, hey, let's go fishing on Saturday.

Bass Boat Shopping Has Changed Forever

Many things change over time, which includes how people shop for their new bass boats. Technology has changed the process of picking out a bass boat forever, for better or worse.

Back in the day, most buyers went to their local fishing or boating show to inspect the new offerings from the boat manufactures. They would check out new accessories in the vendor area, talk to friends and try to pick out colors and the model boats that they desired. After deciding on the model they wanted, they would follow up with the local dealer that sold the boat brand. Professional salespeople would ask the customer the correct questions to make sure that it was the correct rig to meet their needs. Then they would look at colors to make sure that all the colors picked went together. The system worked pretty well.

Today there are fewer dealers and the local shows only have a fraction of the boats on display. Because of this, boat purchasers have turned to the Internet as the method of purchasing their new rig. The web is a great place to gain information about models, options and get opinions from others from sites like Bass Boat Central. Manufactures website have videos, color programs and show current incentives that are available. This is all great for the consumer, information is a powerful tool. The problem with web sites is that you don't get the personal attention. The web site does not know your boating area or its needs. They are made to show the world what the manufacture offers. Websites will not tell which colors go together on their coloring program or that someone that is over 6 foot tall would need a tilt wheel in order to fit behind the console. There are holes in the purchasing system on the web.

The moral of the story is that times they are a changing; the Internet is here to stay. Go to the web and do you due diligence, figure out the models that you are considering. Then take the time to drive to the dealerships that carry those brands and sit down with a professional salesman before you make your final decision. Tell them what you expect from your new rig and how much you can spend. The salesman at any reputable dealership will help you make the correct choice on your next rig, it's their job and a happy customer will send more business to their dealership. I think that a blend of old and new are always a good way of doing things, works out great when shopping for a new bass boat for sure.

I'm Looking Forward to Fishing Season

The 2012 fishing season for most in the Mid Atlantic Region is over. The holidays will be here and past shortly, only long/dark cold evenings are in our near future. You can sit around being miserable for the next couple of months or you can start  putting together a plan for the 2013 Fishing season. Personally, I am looking forward to the 2013 fishing season.

You may think, what does he mean by putting a plan together for the fishing season? It is really pretty simple, it's the old What, Where and Why of fishing. Think about your past year; what would you do differently, where would you like to fish and why? Do you need additional equipment, should you fish different tournaments? Do you want to fish different bodies of water, take that special fishing trip you always dreamed of or fish a spot on your home water that you never fished? It can be as simple as wanting to learn to use a specific lure better, say a jig. In that case, do the research, get a supply of jigs ready by purchasing them or making them and get ready to learn how to use a jig. Planning for the up coming fishing season can take a while but it can also be a lot of fun.

It is up to you now, you can sit around watching reruns on TV and being miserable or you can get ready for the up coming fishing season. If you use this down time to plan your 2013 fishing season, I'll bet you will have the best fishing season ever. I know what I'm doing, I'm looking forward to fishing season.



  

Batteries; Will Yours Work In The Spring?

Every year when boaters get their boats ready for the fishing season after a long winter layoff, they find that their batteries have gone bad. Have you thought about your boat's batteries lately? Will your batteries be any good in the spring? Battery failures are more common than ever, today's bass boats use more battery power than in any time in the past. We have added a lot of new equipment to our boats, bigger engines and other devises that all run on battery power. Batteries have never been cycled like they are today, causing them to fail at a alarming rate and fail much quicker than in the past. This blog discusses tips to keep your batteries from going bad over the long winter months.

Marine batteries lasted 3, 4 even 5 years in the past before going bad, today with the heavy loads and constant cycling they are lucky to last three years. Batteries that are not maintained can last as little as a year and a half. So what can you do to save your batteries from going bad over the winter? Well that depends on whether your batteries are worn out or not. If they are worn out they can't be saved by keeping them maintained, but if they are good and just need maintenance your can keep them from failing. Here is a list of things that you should do to keep your batteries maintained. The first thing you should always do is keep your batteries fully charged. A charged battery can not freeze, this means that if your boat is sitting all winter you should charge your batteries a least once a month. Cold weather along with today's engine and some electronics cause a constant draw on the battery which draws the voltage out of the battery. So your battery is going dead even if your are not using your boat. Some customers ask about pulling their batteries from their boats, don't do that, just keep them charged. The next really important thing to do is to make sure that the fluid level on the batteries is full if you have a battery that is not maintenance free. Only use distilled water to fill your batteries, not tap water that has many minerals in it. After filling the batteries fluid level charge the battery until it is fully charged. Battery connection are the next item on the list, make sure you have good battery connection on all your batteries. Bad connection cause poor charging, higher amp draw and heat that causes the battery to be cycled more. When checking the connection do not grab a pair of pliers and check the wing nuts, grab the wires and see if they can be moved, tighten if loose. I suggest replace all wing nuts with hex huts for better connections on every battery. That is the end of the list to help keep your batteries from failing over the winter.Pretty easy stuff huh?

Batteries are the heart of today's bass boats, take care of them and they will take care of you. Now it is up to you, go check on those batteries before eating that big Thanksgiving meal, you will be to tired afterwards.

Is Your Boat Ready for Hurricane Sandy?

We don't get many Hurricanes here in the Mid Atlantic, but it is starting to look like one is coming to visit us Monday or Tuesday. The time to get your boat ready is now, not Sunday or Monday when conditions may make it unsafe to prepare. Is your boat ready for Hurricane Sandy?

Many boaters in our area don't even think about getting their boat ready for a hurricane because they keep their boats on the trailer. You might think that your rig will be OK sitting in driveway or in your yard. Some customers keep their boat in the water, if you do? You should pull it out as soon as you can and then get it prepared for the storm. I keep a couple of boats on South Florida where hurricane preparing your boat is a must, below I will share some thoughts that you might not have thought about.

Preparing your boat for a hurricane is much different than preparing for afternoon thunderstorms that hit our region on a regular basis. Hurricane's last for hours, even days, we are in the 4" to 8" of rain cone as of this writing. Tree roots become loose from the torrential rains, the wind will be blowing for hours, even healthy trees come down during a hurricane. The first thing you must do is find a safe place to park your boat. Look around the area that you usually park your rig; can trees fall on it? Are there items near by that could be blown into your boat by the wind (trash can, carts, bikes, etc...)? If your rig is parked on pavement or concrete, chalk your wheels so the wind doesn't blow your boat into something like your car or truck. If it is parked on the grass, make sure that you can back up to it without getting stuck in the mud after the storm passes. Pull your drain plug, you might have a auto bilge pump, but we are talking a lot of rain, your battery might go dead trying to pump all the water out. If your batteries go under water, they can cause damage to your boat. Park with the trailer nose up so the boat drains well. Charge your batteries, you may not have power for some time after the storm  and you might need your boat after the storm in case of a emergencies. After the storm make sure that you get the the standing water off your your boat cover, the weight of the water will stretch the material and possibly break your windshields.These tasks might seem like a pain, but it is easier to get ready for a hurricane than it is to come back from not getting ready and costs a lot less.

 Do these things and you should be as prepared as possible for the upcoming storm, don't get ready and I will talk to you next week. Have your insurance agents phone number and the claim number for us when you drop your boat off for repairs. Please be careful during this storm and hopefully everything and everyone will be OK.