Tad Pole

As some of you may remeber back a few months ago we were all getting cabin fever and someone asked the question "what are you gonna do to the boat before the season starts"?well i replied that a tune up install the fish hawk we baught and the boat was going to the shop for a new shift cable and a check up. and now the scarry part! We was told the the seal between the transom and the outdrive was broken and the engine and outdrive had to come out to repair it about a $1500 bill. After consideration it was decided that we would get it fixed. The service center called back the next day with more bad news it seams that many years ago someone else had tried simular repairs and they done a bad job and it leaked well there was some transom rot! Now the estimated repair bill is over $3000 we debated for a few days on scrapping the boat and calling it quits.The boat is worth more than the repair bill to be sure but in these times it is hard to come up with the money to repair it.And simply putting a bandaid on it and selling it was not an option(Damn morals) so finially we decided to get this damaged repaired as well. well she came out of the body shop today and went back to the mechanical side and we were told barring any complications that she could come home most likely at the end of this week. It has been tough not having a boat in the early part of this season but with a little luck we will be back out there in a week or two like nothing ever happened with a boat that will give us many more years of faithful service as she has in the past.

Ok i bought this lure 4 or 5 years ago and i dont know what it is or for that matter where i can get more,i call it my Port Sheldon spoon because thats the only place i ever caught anything with it,but it has produced almost every single trip out there. It has no name stamped in the blank and it has a plain silver back anybody seen it before?

Rick just bought a new silverado he debated long and hard on the duramax and finially went with the gas his reason was that the only real work the truck will do is pulling the boat to the lake and back and get this the salesman convinced that it would be a waste to go with the diesel(still trying to figure that one out)but all in all a very nice truck and very comfortable plus better mileage than the 98 with the 5.7

Man those are some awesome looking boats but dont you think your being just a little bit greedy? welcome this is a great site you will like it here

Looks greats you did what looks like real quality work. I have witnessed and heard of many troll plates being destroyed by ussually forgetting its down and throttleing up and bending it up I think I would need a saftey that wouldn't allow me to throttle up until it was up

I never miss a show it was a good one, good tension between johnathan and Kieth and the twist with the two jakes is cool. I think Phil passes at the end of opie season and there just starting king crab season but all the same he don't look good did anyone else look at him when kieth and john were fighting in the begining.gonna miss him,he and sigg are my favorites

I also use the Alberta clipper fixed sliders and i seldom run free sliders and never run stacker's anymore. We have four riggers on the boat and sometimes i think thats to many,the reason i don't run stacker's is i would rather run another lead core or a dipsey.

Good job on the shift cable repair, Jon you should have given us a call Rick and I would have went with ya we went out to gun lake lookin for crappie and perch and struck out there.Hopefully the Tad Pole will be home by next weekend.

Rick took it over to halls yesterday hopefully they know what there doing. They promised to have it done by friday so hopefully everything will work out and the Tad Pole may get in the water yet this year!!!

I can atest to this it works like a charm last year i was frustrated when the fire line backer i have on our full core kept pulling out of the clip so in desperation i thought what would happen if i turned this little deal here around backwards?? then after doing it before i set it out i was concened it wouldnt run properly because it does change the angle of the line slightly and to my pleasure it ran perfectly. It is seldom that you can make improvements to your gear or spread and it costs you nothing so anytime you can do that its a major plus!

Looks good Jon the Tad Pole has a very simular set.we mounted 100w flood lights on the top of them,lights up the back of the boat like high noon!

I have Sprint also i have had excellent service from them,excellent coverage and i love the plan i have. just ramblin on but i just wanted to be part of the fun!

Ok Jon then you know the problem with the boat. I'll tell Rick ya said hello and Thanks Randy

We called sportfishermans service center this morning and asked about some outdrive work (cobra) and they said that they don't work on cobra outdrives::side note i appreciate the fact that they told me that instead of just trying to do the job::and they recommended Halls sports service center in standale. My question is ,has anyone used this facility did they do a good job?cost?and in a timely fashion i know nothing about them so any feed back would be appreciated.

Terry your gonna like the power that boat will have we have the same engine and outdrive on our 23 foot glass boat with four onboard and a full load of fuel(75 gal) she tops out at 35 mph on the gps,infact it pulled out of the hole so good that last year when we dinged the prop in snug harbor we upped the pitch from 19 to 21 currious to see how much difference that will make.anyway good looking boat congrats

We're looking for a good shop to take the boat to its a 23 ft cuddy with a 4.3 i/o and a cobra outdrive,we may need the shift cable changed and we want to get the outdrive checked out. any recommendations? we live just south of grandrapids. thanks guys in advance. Randy

Andy, i work as a auto mechanic and so i have many tools thats allot of other guys may not have. so if you need something let me know i dont have a problem loaning tools to you seeing how we have fished on the same league and know each other. besides i know what your boat looks like!

I have a slide hammer but i'm in portage.i'll loan it to ya but you gotta come get it.and it goes without saying return. glad to help if ya wanna do the running

Not even my boat and i got a little choked up:cray:

You must leed a charmed life,the lake shore south of you has been socked with fog all day not to mention it is monday and most of us have to work on mondays and to be the first guy out. I think I'm jealous. Naw seriously nice going oh ya I am jealous

The Boat Stays in a closed pole barn year round all the equipment stays on the boat and it is there when we go fishing,almost makes trailering the boat worth it. side note:hardly a time out goes without us forgetting something but at least its not the fishing stuff

well as i sit here looking out the window at the sunshine and the snow is melting i know that the time is coming soon,all must be ready so that when the chance comes there will be no delays. The fish hawk has to be installed,I have decided that a full tuneup is in order this year,a oil change,have to get to Gander Mountain to pick a spool of wire.also need to respool a few dipsey rods that have been running the same fireline for several years.the boat is going to the marina to get the shift cable fixed or replaced.i have no idea how many hooks need to be sharpened but it is several hundred to be sure.the boat trailer needs the bearings greased, the winch needs some attention as well.i want to rerun the wiring for the GPS (hopefully to stop interferance).and thats not counting anything that comes up along the way.......crap i better go get started.

Nick is that installed?probably a little rich for me this year but damn I want one!

How much?! I want one!!! well we'll have to see but i can dream right?