06-10-2010, 12:35 PM
[cool][#0000ff]I fished Willard Bay Reservoir yesterday, in spite of the "iffy" weather forecast. The actual weather turned out to be worse. Imagine that.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]It was calm but overcast when I launched. I wanted to try out using my larger battery...along with the added floatation of the double boat bumpers I had installed up under the rear compartment on my tube. I figured I should be able to get in SOME fishing, even if the weather turned bad...and it did.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I had fished a long ways out of the marina...mostly just kicking around and dragging bait with one rod while casting lures with the other. I just started catching a few cats on the bait rod when the wind came up. The waves built quickly and then the rain started falling...big wet drops. I was soaked in minutes. I had only worn a couple of layers, since the air temp was 65 at launch and supposed to get warmer later. But, I have a high metabolism and I was still warm enough to survive.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I figured this would be a good test of my motorized setup...with the larger battery. I cranked it up to 5 and headed for the marina. What normally takes me about an hour of kicking...in good weather...only took about 20 minutes with the motor. And, when I got back inside I did not feel like I had been whupped with a baseball bat.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]It was pretty calm inside the protection of the high dikes around the marina so I decided to fish for a while longer. Glad I did. I ended up catching a few nice crappie and one bonus 21" walleye. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I did not really use the larger battery enough to get a feel for how long or how much I could use it before it would die on me. Besides the speed run back to the marina in the storm I did use it for some short moves and for slow bottom bouncing lures for a while. It was still over 90% when I got home.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I was happy to see how well the extra floatation of the two bumpers held even the heavier battery (55#) easily level in the water (see pic). With both the motor on the front and the battery behind the seat my tube tilted only slightly forward before I sat down in the seat. The tube floated high in the water, even with all the extra weight, and I had no problems kicking around without the motor. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]There will still be a lot of trips on which I do not take the motor with me. Some places just don't need it. But there are a few that are going to be fished a lot more aggressively now...with some new tactics and techniques that I have not been able to use until now. And, I anticipate that I will be feeling a lot better at the end of the day on trips that formerly required long kicks to and from the better fishing areas.[/#0000ff]
[signature]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]It was calm but overcast when I launched. I wanted to try out using my larger battery...along with the added floatation of the double boat bumpers I had installed up under the rear compartment on my tube. I figured I should be able to get in SOME fishing, even if the weather turned bad...and it did.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I had fished a long ways out of the marina...mostly just kicking around and dragging bait with one rod while casting lures with the other. I just started catching a few cats on the bait rod when the wind came up. The waves built quickly and then the rain started falling...big wet drops. I was soaked in minutes. I had only worn a couple of layers, since the air temp was 65 at launch and supposed to get warmer later. But, I have a high metabolism and I was still warm enough to survive.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I figured this would be a good test of my motorized setup...with the larger battery. I cranked it up to 5 and headed for the marina. What normally takes me about an hour of kicking...in good weather...only took about 20 minutes with the motor. And, when I got back inside I did not feel like I had been whupped with a baseball bat.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]It was pretty calm inside the protection of the high dikes around the marina so I decided to fish for a while longer. Glad I did. I ended up catching a few nice crappie and one bonus 21" walleye. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I did not really use the larger battery enough to get a feel for how long or how much I could use it before it would die on me. Besides the speed run back to the marina in the storm I did use it for some short moves and for slow bottom bouncing lures for a while. It was still over 90% when I got home.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I was happy to see how well the extra floatation of the two bumpers held even the heavier battery (55#) easily level in the water (see pic). With both the motor on the front and the battery behind the seat my tube tilted only slightly forward before I sat down in the seat. The tube floated high in the water, even with all the extra weight, and I had no problems kicking around without the motor. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]There will still be a lot of trips on which I do not take the motor with me. Some places just don't need it. But there are a few that are going to be fished a lot more aggressively now...with some new tactics and techniques that I have not been able to use until now. And, I anticipate that I will be feeling a lot better at the end of the day on trips that formerly required long kicks to and from the better fishing areas.[/#0000ff]
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