Taking the Problems Out of Fishing

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