Prepping the boat for Spring

[bman]

I had a few hours free yesterday afternoon and told my wife I wanted to go down and test run the boat for an hour.
Had a new (used) trolling motor and fish finder put on last week and wanted to make sure they worked.
Also wanted to clean the old tackle out and make sure everything else was working.
My 3 year old heard me talking about a boat ride and asked if she could go. I knew I would not get as much accomplished but how could I say no?

Found out Tyler was picking his son up from school about the same time and invited him to join us.
Marion was excited!

Boat cranked right up and out the channel we went...
Lots of snacks on hand

We made several stops to look at birds and markers

As far as the boat:
Had to ad oil about five minuets out of the landing
Trolling motor worked well... The foot control will take some getting used to.
The fish finder is a Lowrance with Down imaging... very cool tech. I'm a Garmin guy so lots to learn there.

Need to go back and grease the jack plate, tighten up some loose screws with 5200
And it needs a bath!

Didn't have a chance to touch the tackle.

Finished with Dinner at Hammaknockers with a happy little girl!

Wish I had got a lot more done but would not trade the time with the little one!
Great day and I have a short checklist before my next "real" fishing trip.

Oh yea... Surface water temp was 62 degrees. COLD.

[Danibeth]

She's a cutie Barry. Looks like a fun day on the water, if a bit on the cold side...

[Steve Stinson]

Not that my boat sits still during the Winter, but I've been catching up on all the maintenance as well. One interesting thing I figured out is that the brush used to clean a 12 ga. shotgun also works perfectly for cleaning out the steering tube on your outboard.

I was able to remove my steering cable from the tube, run the brush through several times with some oil on it, then grease the tube back up and re-insert the cable. Steers easier now than it has in a long time.

Steve Stinson

[SHOWBOAT]

looks like a good day Barry.

I just take mine to Parkway every January. This year got a little pricey; not only did I get the annual service and three new batteries, but I added hydrolic steering. The steering is a huge upgrade.

I think we have a Rock Landing tournament this year. That would be a fabulous crew for you.

Is the restaurant open yet? It wasn't as of a few weekends ago.

[bman]

They are working on the deck under the Tiki Bar... Wont be long!

They have offered to host a BigBend social at the restaurant as soon as its done!

[Shackman]

Some of my greatest trips resulted in very Little fish but a very happy Little man. I have been prepping my relatively indestructible 1680 G3 for Spring, and last weekend started to drop lower end for water pump replacement. Probably been 2yrs since I did it last at this point but was still peein. Low and behold, she's stuck. I am not a fan of the Mallet although a few blows made slight progress. I was afraid to lift it all the way and apply pressure to transom... any suggestions on a strategical maneuver to unstick a stuck sithiation. And I have gotten all the bolts, even the hidden one for the anode under the plug. Oh yeah. 2006 Yamaha 40HP 2 stroke. Appreciate any suggestions.

[Shackman]

Uuuugh... Please disregard previous post. Rookie mistake, forgot the last bolt tucked up in front of the trim tab... Duh.

[bman]

Uuuugh... Please disregard previous post. Rookie mistake, forgot the last bolt tucked up in front of the trim tab... Duh.

Glad you figured it out!

[MudDucker]

Looks like a fun time and great memories made for those kids!