Bass Club Digest

But then, other than the trailer, one doesn’t have to worry about tires. Wiring on the other hand is a completely different story, that and many other troubles can wreak havoc on the water come tournament time. Boat breakdowns — Mr. Murphy of Murphy’s Law fame undoubtedly invented such headaches just for tournament anglers.

And what follows is a look at some of these troubles and hopefully, how to shoot ’em down before they cut short a successful day on the water.

Angler Scott Dobson, Clarkston, Mich., said he is fanatical about checking things out and being preventative to avoid any sort of breakdown.

Considering some of the huge expanses of open water he fishes, this extra care is understood not only for tournament success, but quite simply just to make sure he makes it back at all.

“I was 30 miles out in Lake Erie and blew a blade on my prop, there was no reason for it to blow, it was new, but it did,” said Dobson who started fishing in the Lansing Bass Club and now fishing FLW and Stren tourneys.
“For whatever reason, and it’s highly unusual for me, I didn’t have a spare. I had no cell phone service.

“It could have been a bad situation, but there was no wind, and with only one blade broke I could idle, and I made it in.

“I’ll never get caught without an extra prop again. When it comes to solving boat breakdowns and the troubles that can follow, you have to be prepared. And I go above and beyond when it comes to that.”

Dobson said a majority of bass boat problems will lurk in the lower unit. The wise angler (and probably the ones that make back to weigh-ins most often) takes extra care of his outboard’s lower unit.

“I change the lower unit oil four times during January through November, or at every 40-50 hours I put on the motor, and you can put hours on one quickly considering time you might simply spend idling.”

Dobson also takes the prop off to examine before every trip.

“Even something as simple as having one plug fouled can keep you from going on plane. So having spare plugs is just one of many things you can do that allow a quick fix and have you back up and running.”

“A booster pack, a flashlight, spare fuses, a good set of tools and a cordless drill are all things that you should have aboard come tourney time. These simple items can help keep you in the game,” he said.

Pickwick Lake fishing guide Roger Stegall, Iuka, Miss., is no stranger to bass tournaments either. So he’s certainly aware that problems can occur on game day.

“Oh, I have my horror stories,” said Stegall, who was a charter member of the Lee County (Mississippi) Bass Club in the 1970s.

“Bad batteries are the worst. You need to have quality batteries and make sure they all keep a charge. Just the other day, I pulled a fellow in from the lake, and his batteries were awful. He tried to pay me, but I said, ‘No, keep that money and go buy you some good batteries. It will end your troubles, and I won’t have to pull you in again.’”

Stegall noted that there are variables in all tournaments, just like with everything else.

“There are things you can control, to a degree, and some you can’t. With boat breakdowns what you do is make sure you take care of things you can control — before tournament time. Or even during tournament time, be prepared to take control of such problems.

“If you are prepared, 90 percent of the time you can correct dilemmas on the water, if you do a little advance planning.

“But time and time again, you hear of tournament anglers that run out of gas, or their batteries went down. These are things that can typically be handled with a little common sense, precautionary planning and awareness,” he said.

Fish if possible, despite problems

Despite boat problems, Stegall admits there is one thing he won’t let the situation do to him, if at all possible.

“I won’t let it discourage me from fishing,” he said.

He formed such an opinion at a tournament once.

“At blast off I hit a rock one year and it sheered the lower unit off so that it looked like a shark had bit it off.

“My tournament partner said, ‘Well, I guess we are going to troll back and go home.’ And, I said, ‘No, we’re going fishing.’

“Somebody stopped, and I told them we were going to troll, and if we weren’t back at weigh-in to come get us. And then I dropped the trolling motor and began going up the lake; I timed it so we fished up the lake the first half and down the other.

On the way back, I trolled through a swimming area in the lake and cast near the diving board, primarily because there was nothing else to cast to. Well, that’s where I caught the last fish of the day and weighed –in almost 20 pounds, missing first by an ounce.

“I learned then, despite the breakdowns, you should always try to make the best of it.

“I am a competitor, so if I have problems in a tournament, I am going to try and find a way to keep fishing. Of course, I am going to have some kind of game plan, (you’ve got to have one) especially if I’m fishing on a big, remote reservoir. And yes, I am going to let the first boat I see know that I am having boat trouble. I want somebody in the tournament to know that I can’t get back to the ramp. So in the back of my mind, I know someone will come looking, but then too, I am going to fish. I am shooting my self in the foot when I quit,” Stegall laughed.

You Have To Have Tools

Tournament angler Mike Wurm, Hot Springs, Ark., is constantly amazed at how few tools anglers carry in their boats.

“I can’t tell you how many times I run across anglers having mechanical problems on the way that say, ‘All I have is a pair of pliers.’ So at the least, you should carry a regular toolbox in your boat,” Wurm said.

“I am also a fanatic about being prepared and preventative maintenance; I guess I get that from my father. Why kill the whole day trying to get off the water? Carry a pair of jumper cables, some tools, extra spark plugs, etc., and for no other reason than, ‘you never know.’ It doesn’t take much to save you a lot of time and a lot of agony.”

Quick Fixes

You can even be creative when it comes to quick fixes in a fix.

Whether to keep you in the club points race, or simply make it back to the ramp, one does, what one has to.

Wurm said he remembered a quick fix he made way up lake on the Lake of the Ozarks.

“I had been running 1 1/2 hours when I started smelling gas and heard the motor sputtering. So I pull over and check the motor and gas is everywhere. I take the filter off, turn it up and an O-ring falls off in the water. Then I start looking around to find something to make an O-ring out of. I find a thin black strap, cut it and put it in the filter to work perfectly as a seal. I run back to weigh-in with no problems. I sold that boat, and as far as I know that quick fix is still in there.

“But the main thing to note is that quick fixes can bail you out, but you have to have the tools to make such quick fixes, otherwise even that isn’t going to be possible.”

On The Road

Preventive planning is the name of the game when it comes to thwarting boat breakdowns. And just as you take added precautions to make sure there’s no worries on the water, it doesn’t hurt to also do so en route to tournaments.

“If I am on the road, and stop to get gas, I always go around my boat and trailer just to check,” Wurm said. “I check straps, tires, etc. If there’s something that could cause me problems down the road, such checks are going to let me know in advance. I had rather find out about a problem and be stalled at a gas station than somewhere out on the road.”

Wurm also noted that he always travels with a cover on his boat.

“Not only do I believe I get better gas mileage and not have to worry about theft should I make a short stop, but the cover is also going to keep out grit, gravel and dust out of the boat.”

Keep An Ear To The Ground…Er…Water

Mark Davis, Mt. Ida, Ark., started fishing with the Ozark Bass Club in Hot Springs when he was a teenager. And he said many outboard breakdowns could be avoided if anglers will only pay attention for telltale signs.

“I think a lot of outboard breakdowns on the water can be avoided, simply by paying attention, ” said bass pro Davis.

“How many times in a tournament situation has somebody’s outboard gone out, and the owner said (or thought), ‘That’s funny, just the other day I noticed it was making a funny noise,’? Well, that’s the kind of thing you need to be paying attention to and looking out for. If you notice something out of the ordinary about your outboard, go and investigate. You can nip a potential problem in the bud. Always be suspicious,” Davis said.

Davis said something else that is an added boost to trouble-shooting is a booster pack. He always carries one with him.

Basically a “portable jumpstart”, in quick-fix situation, a booster pack can help you get your big outboard going or help you get through the day on your trolling motor.

“It is portable and it is like having an extra battery and in a tournament, anglers want any extra juice they can carry.”

Davis added that quick fix know-how—understanding the basics of knowing what’s needed to get you going again is always a plus.

“You don’t want to forfeit the day, you want to fish. But you also want to know the limits of what you can do on quick fixes, and that’s not only how far can I go on like this, but I far can I go without risking damage to my boat?” Davis said.

Electronic Know-How

There is no doubt, knowledge is power and knowing electronics is what will help tournament anglers stay powered up said Michigan bass pro Kevin Vandam (who got his start fishing in a bass club as a teen).

“Ninety percent of the problems all competitive anglers are going to face involve their boat’s electronics. When you buy a new boat, it is the responsibility of the dealership to give you a full schematic of the electrical system, and you need to learn it.

“Know the wiring. Know what has fuses, what has breakers. You can quickly cure most electrical problems in a minute or two, if you know how. And believe me something as simple as losing the use of your front depthfinder can be an unwanted pain on tournament day,” Vandam said.

BoatU.S. Helps Troubled Tourney Anglers

The BoatU.S. (www.boatus.com) ANGLER policy specifically mentions fishing equipment coverage. Fishing equipment is defined as rods, reels, tackle containers, electric trolling motor, and other fishing-specific items. Coverage is up to $500 per item - for example, a rod and attached reel is considered to be one item - and $5,000 per incident.

BoatU.S.’s ANGLER policy also offers tournament fee reimbursement coverage. For example, if you are unable to participate or are forced to withdraw from a fishing tournament because your boat and/or trailer suffer a claim, BoatU.S. ANGLER will reimburse you up to $500. (This is in the event the tournament provider won’t. It also has to be a claim the policy normally covers that keeps you from participating.)

Likewise, ANGLER Membership will provide for the on the water or on the road towing. On the water it will help get anglers back to the ramp so that they can get repairs done and on the road to their destination.

Steer Clear of Stranded: Quick Tips & Tricks

Have a tool kit in your boat plus quick-fix parts such as extra spark plugs, spare props, etc. (Some anglers even carry spare trolling motors.)
One thing is for sure; you can’t make most needed changes if you don’t have tools or parts. Be prepared.
In today’s Age of Communication. Everyone has a mobile phone. Like your boat’s batteries make sure your phone is charged should you need it for an emergency call on the water.
You can avoid many outboard problems simply by using the unit and routinely checking things over while in use. Outboards that sit for long periods, typically have more mechanical failures.
Lower unit care. You can score big on the trouble shooting care if you just make sure your outboard’s lower unit is oiled, greased and well-sealed.
You know all those minor things you have been meaning to fix? Do it. Small problems can lead to big ones.

-Taylor Wilson

Web site designed and hosted by Roe Graphics.