Bass & Walleye Boats articles from January 2006

Bass & Walleye Boats archives from January 2006

Crowning moment.(journalists win awards)
January 1, 2006... In my first Holeshot (May 2004), I wrote: "My team is on the floor." Meaning, essentially, that BWB's staff editors, department editors and field editors were solid; that I had 100 percent confidence in them and no intentions of trading anyone...

Slip-free Stratos.(Backwash)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2006... I just finished reading the article "Foul-Weather Angler" in your October issue about the Stratos 201 ProXL/E-Tec 225 H.O. In the performance data you showed a top speed of 76.4 at 5800 rpm with a 1.85:1 gear ratio and a 26-inch prop. When I...

Just one easy payment.(Backwash)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2006... I made a payment on your site and just wanted to thank you for making it so simple. Everything was easy to find. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Roland Gauthier, Jr. Canterbury, Connecticut

A leak of their own.(Backwash)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2006... Great issue as always, and I have a comment regarding John Tiger Jr.'s article on leakdown testing. Should not there be a time component in the test (i.e., take your readings after X seconds), or do you just wait until they stabilize--that is,...

Battery and assault.(Backwash)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2006... In response to the letter in Backwash regarding Everstart batteries (December 2005), I think you should know that at our dealership we have a nickname for them in the shop, "Neverstart." You did a great service to your readers by leaving them...

Corrective notice.(Correction Notice)
January 1, 2006... In our Top Guns issue (December 2005), Field Editor Lee Boyt stated: "The Legend LE 21 features an all-composite hull with a marine plywood transom." That statement is incorrect. Legend uses composite transoms on every boat it builds. This...

Ping vision.(Electronic Fisherman)(Column)
January 1, 2006... We've all heard launch ramp legends and marina myths about what sonar can and can't see and, like me, you've probably tried to pluck the grains of truth out of the gallons of bilge water. It isn't easy, not even when you've spent three decades...

Steering 101.(Seat Time)
January 1, 2006... As you read this, it's the dead of winter in the northern hemisphere, and although boating takes place year-round down South, it's colder there, too. Having lived in central Florida for four years during my college days, I know that boating...

Loving diesels.(Fast Lane)
January 1, 2006... There are hundreds of Hurricane Katrina survivor stories from the Mississippi Gulf Coast where I live that capture hearts and minds. This isn't one of them--at least in the sense of Reader's Digest-like drama. This story is about a...

FishAmerica aims to restore sportfish in Gulf of Mexico.(FishAmerica Gulf Fund )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... The FishAmerican Foundation's FishAmerica Gulf Fund was established last year to help restore efforts across four southern states for sportfish habitat and facilities that have been devastated by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Through the fund,...

B.A.S.S. Classic goes to Lake Toho; Elite Series takes on new format.(CITGO Bassmaster Classic )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... This year's CITGO Bassmaster Classic will take place on central Florida's Lake Tohopekaliga Feb. 24 to 26, close to BASS' headquarters. Officials say there are many perks to having the event on Lake Toho. For the anglers in the tournament,...

Skeeter Boats captures its fourth CSI award.(Around the Dock)
January 1, 2006... For the fourth straight year, Skeeter Boats was awarded the 2005 Marine Industry CSI award by the National Marine Manufacturers Association, being deemed as the boat company that provides "Excellence in Customer Satisfaction" in the category of...

First College Smash-Mouth Bass Championship aired.(Around the Dock)
January 1, 2006... College-level bass fishing was captured for the first time on ESPNU in November. The first College Smash-Mouth Bass Fishing Championship consisted of six two-man teams from six universities and took place on Lake Monticello, Arkansas. The...

Digital pinger: Raymarine DS500X; This unit is a prime example of how Raymarine's digital High Definition Fish Imaging works.(Fishfinder Test)
January 1, 2006... Raymarine's midlevel fishfinder is the first of the company's digital technology units we've tested. The DS500X is a dual-frequency (50/200 kHz) sounder with an adjustable transmitter output of up to 500 watts (RMS). Our test unit came with an...

Cool tools: West Marine's portable tune-up kit; The chrome-plated tools are an ideal size to have on your boat.(Fishfinder Test)
January 1, 2006... Pulling and inspecting spark plugs are among the first things a boater does when encountering motor problems on the water. But how many folks carry the necessary items to clean off and regap plugs? Instead of carrying expensive home tools...

Tempress seats come in three camouflage color sets.(Finders Keepers)
January 1, 2006... Tempress (214/678-9400; tempress.com) offers two types of camouflage seats that are functional yet rugged. The company's All Weather seat ($99), available in three camouflage color sets, is designed for use with Tempress' quick-disconnect...

Bennett trim tabs kit is NMEA 2000 compliant.(Finders Keepers)
January 1, 2006... NMEA 2000 compatibility and trim tabs have finally met. Bennett Marine (954/427-1400; bennetttrimtabs.com) offers a trim tab indicator kit ($120) that enables you to see your trim tab position on a GPS, sonar, chartplotter or any multifunction...

Marine series sharpeners work on knives and scissors.(Finders Keepers)
January 1, 2006... Sharpen your standard and serrated knife blades with one or both of the Master Sharp Marine Series sharpeners ($9.95, sold separately), new offerings by Creative Sales Co. (866/869-8115; creativesalescompany.com). Both the portable and...

Reely express yourself with a fishing rod antenna.(Finders Keepers)
January 1, 2006... Tired of your vehicle's antenna looking so plain and ordinary? Add a personal touch by replacing it with a fishing rod antenna ($29.95) by Reel Expressions (800/204-4185; reelexpressions.com). Choose among three styles: spin cast, bait cast and...

Marine muscle: the number of outboard models available for '06 might be down, but the technology and dependability is higher than ever.
January 1, 2006... The year is 2006--the deadline set by the Environmental Protection Agency for marine engine manufacturers to raise their corporate emissions averages. And what an impact it has had on outboard offerings as well as boat manufacturers. Gone are...

Fully charged: Charger's new-for-'06 396 TF offers bass anglers a tournament-ready layout with electrifying performance.(Cover Story)
January 1, 2006... There's an urban myth that we media types are "Very Important People", and setting up a boat test is simply a matter of making a couple of phone calls and, voila, it's a done deal. Let me tell you: Nothing could be further from the truth. ...

Add on or built in? We compare factory transducers to the one built into Minn Kota's Universal Sonar option.
January 1, 2006... Back in the days when a bulb-type flasher was high tech, a resourceful fisherman came up with the idea of strapping his fishfinder's transducer onto the bottom of his trolling motor. We have been having trouble with that setup ever since......

Quick change artist: it hunts; it fishes. G3's new Outfitter V170 adapts to the season.
January 1, 2006... The G3 Outfitter V170 is truly a multispecies boat. You can load 'er up with all your angling gear and use it to fish all the way 'til school starts and the leaves start to turn. Once fishing season ends, you can switch out your equipment and...

Curing chine walk: seat time, as well as proper setup and steering components, are key to eliminating this potentially dangerous condition.(boating accidents)
January 1, 2006... It's fun to browse the many websites that host forums on the setup, maintenance and modification of high-performance boats. Often, the websites feature posts from "newbies" who are learning to drive vee-pad performance rigs. Invariably, the...

Freshening up: Ranger Boats puts a new feel into its popular 620VS multispecies platform.
January 1, 2006... When the line went taut and my fishing partner's rod went bendo, I knew we were in for a good time. The fight was short and predictable as is expected when fishing alongside Jim "Big Daddy" Nolan, one of Ranger Boats' pro staff. He brought the...

Weathering the elements: we upgrade a standard switch panel on a center-console bay boat to a Blue Sea Systems WeatherDeck.(Product/Service Evaluation)
January 1, 2006... For five years our pair of switch/fuse panels, mounted on the inside of our center console, had served us well, and then saltwater corrosion set in Just like that, our electrical system went from solid to questionable to dead in the...

Turn of the century: Century's 1902 bay boat takes anglers through skinny water and deep, open water alike.(Product/Service Evaluation)
January 1, 2006... Measuring a tad over 18 feet in length, the latest bay boat from Century fills a niche between the all-too-common 17-foot center-console class and the crowded over-20 class of bay boats. It offers a craft that a certain market of bass and...

The Champ.(Champion 203DCX, fishing boat)
January 1, 2006... Whether on large or small lakes, Larry Michalec says his Champion can cover them all with no problem. The angler from South Carolina lives on Lake Murray but he's never been confined to it. "I fish the Fishers of Men National Tournament...

If it ain't broken in ...(motorboat maintenance)
January 1, 2006... In your 225 DFI shootout in the June issue ("The Main Event"), the Merc 225 Pro XS ran 1 3/4 inches above the pad with a 14 1/2X28-inch prop at 5930 rpm and a top speed of 90 mph. I have a brand new Bullet 21XD with a Merc 250 XS turning a...

Pressure cooker.(Shop Talk)
January 1, 2006... I have a Merc 150 EFI that I cannot get a water pressure reading of any more than 2 to 3 PSI at any rpm from idle to 5600 rpm. This started when I bought my boat a year ago in February. The water-pressure gauge was broken (probably frozen) and...

Pick-up the pieces.(motorboat maintenance)
January 1, 2006... I just bought a beautiful Skeeter TZX190 with a Yamaha 150 HPDI on a jackplate and a 23-inch Yamaha stainless wheel (all factory). When my boat planes, the speedometer immediately moves from 0 to 40 mph (or thereabouts), and stays there until I...

Just venting.(motorboat meaintenance)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... I have a 2004 Navigator 1750 with a 90-hp Johnson four-stroke with a 14X19-inch prop. It gets 37 mph on GPS. Is that good or will something else give me more speed? Also, where should the antiventilation plate be in regard to the bottom of the...

Gearcase drag.(motorboat maintenance)
January 1, 2006... I have been a reader for some time now. In the past, I've always been able to fix my boat problems by reading your magazine. I run a 1999 203 Champion with a 2006 Mercury 250XS. Its problem is top-end speed. Originally, the boat had a 1999 225...

Don't ask, don't tell.(A Jones for Boats)
January 1, 2006... If you're in the market for a new tow vehicle, make no mistake--there are some stunning differences between car salesmen and boat dealers. Unless I've been shopping all these years at some unique places, I have never seen a boat salesman sprint...