Taking the problems
out of fishing
It's just about that time of year again. Spring will be
here before we know it. And it never fails to see some
anglers at the ramp, trying to get their outboard fired
up. They mess with it for a while, and like me most of us
are fishermen and not outboard mechanics, so off they go
back home with the days fishing left behind. I fish year
round so my boat doesn't get winterized. But that doesn't
mean my rig doesn't need attention.
If my boat doesn't run then a lot of times that will mean
I'm missing out on a pay check. My Yamaha outboard
doesn't require a lot of maintenance. I use nothing but
yamalube outboard oil and I buy a good name fuel. I will
have B&J Marine do a check up from time to time to
keep me on the water.
Batteries are usually a cause for a lot of starting
failures. Use good batteries and keep them charged at all
times. Leaving a battery at a low or no charge rate is
asking for trouble. More than likely you'll see that
those batteries will not hold a charge and then you're
out of action.
Fuel lines and left over fuel. If you leave fuel in your
tanks over the winter you will need to have it removed,
if you didn't add a fuel additive to prevent trouble.
This can cause major problems and put a crunch on your
wallet. If you have a boat that's been used and not
maintenance very often then you may want to check your
fuel lines, they can get dry rotten and cause you
problems.
One other thing, Trailers get over looked so often. I was
talking with Brian at B&J Marine and he said that
trailer bearings/axles can have water in them, then the
cold winter weather hits and it will freeze that water.
This will put pressure on the bearings which leads to
problems causing the bearing to go out. So be sure to
check for this.
I just want to warn you, don't wait till the last minute
to take a boat into your dealership, they get slammed in
the spring. And if you're like me, you'll want to get on
the water when the weather warms up. So give them some
time and they'll get you back in business.
Awareness is the doorway to fishing success
Good fishing
Scott Patton
Good fishing, Scott
Sponsers – Stratos Boats, Yamaha
Outboards, St. Croix rods, Team Fish Fishing line, ZOOM,
Bluegrass lures, Rattle Trap
See
Scott's Web Site
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