Hey y’all, hope everyone’s having a good day so far! Earlier this week I made a post about some boat issues I’m having and it brought me to something else that’s been heavy on my mind regarding boating and maintenance. B Latt, you’ve done a great job detailing some items to consider when in the market for a used boat. Anyone in this market, please check these videos out. It makes all the difference! About 2 months ago I got this 2010 Ranger 518 with a Pro XS 200, ol 2 smoker! Soon after I got the boat I paid a fellow here on Lake Murray to install an impeller and all new spark plugs. He also did a compression check, all cylinders showed over 100 psi. Well within a good range. I ran this boat every single day for about a month until I noticed that my boat was stuck running about 4500 rpm’s. That’s all she had. I immediately shut the boat down and trailered her over to this gentleman to try and diagnose the issue. I was told he checked the plugs once again and wasn’t able to duplicate my issue or find any codes. I of course went to run the boat that same day and again, same issue. Boat runs fine, pees great, idles great! Nothing past 4500. I waited a couple of weeks until the mechanic got back from a Memorial Day vacation and dropped it off again. A day later I got a call that my boat needed a power head. A “compression check” had been done and I was showing 70ish psi on all six cylinders.. I do have a little bit of a maintenance background (military) so I knew in my gut something was off. I was quoted $12,500 for a power head. Instead, I opted to pick my boat up that day and resorted to checking things out myself. Yesterday I was able to get my hands on a compression tester. The first thing that I noticed was that all 6 plugs that I had paid for to be replaced were long gone. Burnt UP! After doing the compression check with a mechanic here at home myself, I showed 100+ psi on all 6 cylinders, all well within a good range of each other. Also to note, one coil had some more than mild corrosion on it and low and behold coils happen to be a common issue with these early pro xs motors. Although I haven’t gotten the boat fixed yet, parts have been ordered and fingers crossed for a solid boat next week. With this said, please y’all, pay for a second opinion. Do your research on dealers/mechanics. Learn this stuff! Knowing that there’s some people out here that have said yes in my case is sickening. Us anglers have a target on our backs being our hobby’s cost us as it is. I always try to have faith in mankind, but I don’t mistake my kindness as weakness either. If you or anybody you know needs work done around the Lake Murray area (South Carolina) or anywhere for that matter, please be mindful. Our time on the water is sacred and boat issues are enough as it is! God bless y’all and tight lines 🎣

The calm before the storm. Thursday Night Tournaments at Laker Walter E. Long aka Decker Lake is a few minutes from being underway🙏🏽🔥

Pump'n out some beauty's..

What are (in your opinion) the top techniques when fishing this type of water / cover it’s super clear and TONS of standing submerged vegetation the only technique I found to work is throwing a popper around some sets of floating docks and couldn’t find a bite with a swim jig,lipless, Texas rig craw, and a jerkbait the one thing I didn’t throw was some sort of swim bait like a mag draft or something along those lines what would you recommend thanks

🚨⏰Hey SUFam! Don't forget the roundtable tonight. A lot of members have been diving deep into tournaments and wanna hear about them so this evening we're gonna do tournament recaps!!

See you all at 8PM! I sent out a link via email but you can also log in using the pinned link in the community (Roundtable) tab!

Had a nice day on Lanier today, while it was windy most of the day I was able to catch a few nice ones using the techniques we have been talking about. The Brian Ned Rig kit, and Carolina Rig were successful. Caught a nice one on a brush pile with the good ole drop shot. Unfortunately while practicing to use the Ketch board for measurement and picture, he decided to take a leap back in the water - I had a good laugh. The wake boat passing did not help, juz sayn. I guess putting the board in your lap on the kayak is not a good idea 😀. Lesson learned!

If you haven’t tried the Zman Willow vibe yet I recommend you try it. I used it today with a craw style trailer and caught a limit around lay downs. Slow rolling near the bottom.

(Blog post)

'32nd of 37 and Proud of It!

Most of you know I work here for SUF, but I am also here to learn with you all.

Yesterday I fished a tournament here in Ohio and placed 32nd of 37. Believe it or not, I walked away so HAPPY. Some of you might think that sounds crazy, but this tournament was different. I actually set out to compete. Not with anyone else but myself.

Admittedly, summer fishing has never been my favorite. Fishing in Ohio is already hard, but summertime? Big oof. That's a whole different level of hard. This is what I've told myself for the last 10 years I've been bass fishing, but this time I wanted it to be different.

 So, I took the following steps:

1) Watch all the videos I could about summer fishing and tournaments here on SUF. I literally watched them any free time I got.

2) Downloaded the apps recommended during the roundtable and studied the lake. I went with Navionics and Deep Dive.

3) I decided not to let the pressure of the tournament get to me like it usually does and went out to have fun like you all said I should.

The day of the tournament, I woke up, had a cup of coffee, and Chris and I headed to the lake. The only expectation I set for myself was to use what I learned, and I held on to Brian latimer 's words that every time you compete, it adds to your knowledge and experience.

The day started off great despite the fact that I was nervous, but I decided to trust myself and everything I've learned here.

1 hour in, I caught my first fish. She was strong, and fought hard. I was so excited! I thought to myself, "This was a good one!" reeled her in, and of course—a big ol' catfish.

All good! Skunk off the boat. 

2 hours in, I caught my first bass. 13.5, and I've never been so proud to hit 'submit catch.' A few minutes later, fish number 2 was reeled to the boat and came off. Fish 3 same thing. 🫠

Around 6 hours in I brought fish number 4 in, and of course, she flopped off the board before I could snap the photo.

The next several hours flew, and not a single bite until 20 minutes before lines in, an 11-incher picked up my shakey head, and I got it on the board and submitted it.

For the next hour I watched everyone's place number change as they updated their submissions. Most fish averaged 12-13 inches and the winnner brought in 75.75 inches. The tournament ended, and there I was. Number 32 and smiling the whole time.

Why? Because I figured out what I needed to do, and I could've had a limit. Which was more than I thought I would! I learned so much about myself, and like B said, the experience will add up. I realized I could do it. One day I might really place in the top 20% and maybe even win something. I mean, why not me? Also, why not YOU?!

Such a gift to be out there, and I always say, we only get so many casts in this lifetime and we have to make them count. I had so much fun out there, and I can't wait until the next one!

Well finished 4th in our club tournament. I wish I would've taken pics, but it was hot!! Due to the heat they changed the bag limit to 3 fish. Finished with 8.95! Not bad for 1 day of practice a week ago lol.