Weekend Angler

Alright so I went to BPS last night for the grand opening of the Spring Classic sale. This year I wanted to stock up on my favorite lures so I could reduce my 'restocking trips' throughout the season. I was on a mission and I had a spreadsheet in hand to prove it. The sales were better than usual this year. Berkley PowerBait soft plastics 25% off, Zoom plastics 20% off were my personal favorites since those are 2 of my primary suppliers for plastics. Add a mail in rebate for Berkley and you can get up to 67% off per bag! I made the mistake of wearing a green sweatshirt to the sale. Pretty much the same color as the staff. You see where this is going. People kept asking me to help them find something. A couple times, if I was close by to what they were looking for, I just showed them and went about my business. On a sour note I'm pretty disappointed with the selection at the Independence, MO BPS. They have a good selection of baits but a poor color selection for eac...

I'm going to start by saying that I am by no means an expert on marine batteries. That being said, I've done my homework and feel I can offer some educated advice on the subject. This post is going to concentrate on dual purpose marine deep cycle batteries for use as a trolling motor battery. Dual purpose marine batteries are very common nowadays. These batteries have sufficient reserve capacity to use as a trolling battery and sufficient cranking amps to use as a starter battery. In theory, a single battery could be used for both trolling and starting. I don't recommend this unless you have a way to manual (pull start) your engine. So what should you be looking for in a trolling motor battery? The simple answer is Reserve Capacity. What the heck is reserve capacity you ask? I did too. Reserve capacity is simple; the length of time, in minutes, a battery can operate at the industry standard measuring stick of 25amp draw. So if a battery has a Reserve Capacity of...

If you're anything like me, you have a healthy case of cabin fever working right now. Make good use of this time to get your tackle organized, boat squared away, and stock up on tackle (Bass Pro Shops Spring Classic begins 2/26). My Tracker PT175 needed some attention this off season. Here's a quick list of what I was facing: 1) Trolling motor panel at the bow needs to be replaced including trolling motor plug. 2) Need new batteries. 3) Need some minor carpet repair on the front deck (thanks to fishing with knobby soled shoes last season - not recommended!) 4) Advance throttle button on the throttle lever needs to be replaced. 5) My windshield keeps coming loose ...and my solutions so far: 1) I'm making a custom bow panel that will house a new trolling motor plug, a 12V outlet (for fishing lights etc), a battery gauge, and a tilt/trim switch. I'll post pictures when done. 2) I've done some extensive research on marine batteries. I will post all my findings and a...

Welcome bass fishermen! I am a lifelong bass fisherman who has a true passion for the sport as a hobby as well as tournament angling. I'll try to offer some valuable information regarding lures, equipment, boating, etc. Hopefully you'll find this blog to be informative and sometimes comical. ENJOY!