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Every child in America deserves to catch at least one fish on a Zebco, it is a right of passage!

Chili with: No beans is stew No meat is soup IMO, chili also requires some heat. It doesn't have to blow your socks off and make you lose your sense of taste for the rest of the day, but it should have some bite.

This was my Dads gun , as a child . He used to shoot critters , on the farm , as a youngin . Colt Woodsman . Smooth as silk . Deadly accurate . Had to get this out of the safe . This a cool thread . 🇺🇸🏴‍☠️

Prayers heading out to all our members and families of this latest hurricane heading into Texas/Louisiana. They honestly have suffered this year. Those that have never seen ground zero in person can’t fathom the destruction. Any member who needs help and or needs after the storm, just yell! Keep safe all.....David

Too much motor. Just like everything else has its limits. I assume you like speed a lot , I like bourbon a lot but too much bourbon will put me on the floor.

the flats around Tampa bay seem to be holding bigger bait the last two weeks and the redfish and snook seem to be hungry

Hmmmm - that's a convincing tune. I might have to change my vote. NO beans, more beer.

My buddy tried "once"...never again...he had a 22 TE with a T top....he and his girlfriend decided they were going to spend the weekend in Key West....all was "ok" until the keys with constant stop and go traffic....on the highway you can sit at 50 mph in the high lane but once he hit the keys, he said it was a nightmare and pulling it over the seven mile bridge was white knuckles... If you are only goin to the ramp a few miles away you can get away with it..but, anything with distance, I would get a good F150 truck or something of your choice in pick up with towing capacity. DC

Well my opinion differs.... as a Firearms instructor and rangemaster teaching new shooters actively for 15+ years there should be no issue starting her in a 9mm.... Ive taught hundreds of women to shoot who've never held a gun in their life. A big part of this is if SHE wants to learn to shoot? If yes your on a better path than if YOU want her to do it. I wouldnt even bother if she has no desire as chances are she wont dedicate putting forth her best effort. Time behind a weapon is what she needs as with anything and no different from us guys who all at 1st were leary of the sound and recoil the 1st time we shot something. Its a natural human response to flinch, slam eyes shut etc at loud sounds so as time goes on she will get accustomed to the recoil and report... some require more time than others. Tons of professional women shooters out there with vids on women learning to shoot so those can also provide help as its coming from a womens perspective and she can see a women whos successful which should lend her confidence she can do the same. Dont get me wrong its not counter productive if she starts with a 22 and is smart before risking a gun purchase specifically for her. The Smith 22 is the best out there in the "duty" style guns so if you are wanting to get a Smith for her it makes sense to go with the M&P 22 as it is an exact match or very similar to defensive carry pistols in the M&P line. I also taught many crossover classes (revolver to semi auto) to certify individuals on semis so Im well versed on the challenges Females face shooting them such as inability to continue to pull the trigger after so many rounds, difficulty in bringing the slide to the rear & difficulty loading magazines. Given that Id highly recommend the M&P sheild EZ over any other for a female carry weapon as it eliminates all those issues.

Had my 3 y/o play hookie from pre school for a daddy day. Caught a ton of small greenies, some mullet, and needle fish, along with a catfish. He had a blast, which was our goal.

Installed some new grab rails to the console which the boat never had. I also changed the old motor transom strap to the new one.

Im 55 and still fish Zebco’s They just call em Quantums now . 🇺🇸🏴‍☠️

Heres a piece of useless information that has nothing to do with this topic but does have to do with fishing reels.................. After World War 2 there was a factory in Texas that made bombs and bomb parts for the war effort. After the war the owner had all this equipment and machinery but the order for bomb parts obviously ceased. So the old man puts an add in the paper and basically says; If you have a product or an idea we can build it. So this other old boy from Texas has an idea for a fishing reel so he contacts him and they make a fishing reel from his design. They were so impressed with the design they agrred to start manufacturing them in large quantitys and selling them. However they did not know what to name this new reel. Well after some thought they decided to name the reel after the bomb company that was called "Zero Hour Bomb Company" thus Zebco was born!

Prayers going out to the northern Gulf citizens and our fellow fishermen . 1 Hurricane is enough but not 3 back to back! Lord, please keep them safe as well as give them the emotional strength to keep going. Amen

Bowl of Chili - Beans Hot Dog Chili - No Beans (it's a Southern Thing)

Beans, beans, good for your heart. The more you eat...

Me and Mike ("InTheSlot12") headed back to Louisiana last Friday for some fishing, great food and fun. Our trip was originally scheduled for earlier this year but postponed when Hurricane Laura hit the coast. We spent two nights at Cajun Fishing Adventures Lodge in Buras fishing with a Florida guide. The weather was less than ideal for shallow water sight fishing—overcast and windy—but we made the best of it. Our guide worked hard to put us on numerous fish both days, including an impressive red drum that Mike caught on a 4” Z-Man DieZel Minnow in Opening Night color. The fish, caught in 2’ of water, measured just a tad short of 48” with a girth of 27”. We estimated the weight at 40 pounds. And, we learned that a StowMaster net won’t hold up under the weight of a fish like that! Mike also landed a whopper of a black drum and we had 25 reds between us for the two days. I landed a nice red on a MirroLure 84MR in black/white/silver after bombing a long cast to the back of a shallow water pond. The eat sounded like someone had dropped a piano out of an airplane and then the fish immediately headed for the Roseau Cane and tangled up in the grass and mud. After a struggle, the fish was free from the vegetation and then brought to the boat after a short fight. On Sunday night, we headed back up to NOLA, checked in to the hotel and then headed out for some wonderful food and drink. The plan was to meet Captain Lucas Bissett in Hopedale the next morning for the first of two days fishing with him in the bayous and marsh drains between Lake Borgne and Chandeleur Sound. Monday was tough fishing, with high water, weak tides, and strong winds. We caught several green-stained bass and one red for the day. Mike had a big red hooked up for a short fight but was unable to land it. And, I had a massive strike (swing and a miss) on a top water lure, but no luck. With hurricane Zeta heading towards the Louisiana coast and strong winds forecast for the next day, we cut our trip short and headed back to South Florida on Tuesday morning instead of fishing the second day. Overall, a great trip—good fishing, fantastic food, drink and fun. It is said that the most wasted of all days is one without laughter. We certainly did not waste any days on this trip! Here are a few photos.

The lack of new rods/reels has me cleaning up and respooling the older stuff so not all bad

We hit the water at 0730....and made our way to the back....running the Lopez we were fishing along the Everglades Waterway by 0830... We made a few spots with no love.... I decided to go to a new spot which we have never fished where I saw on my GPS a large oyster bar that stretched about 500 yards....along a deep channel. After thirty minutes of NADA....I saw some swirls off in the distance....I thought i was a manatee or something..but, suddenly, I see the big uglies swimming around the boat.... I grabbed a live shrimp, tossed it into one of the swirls, and then it was game on.... I had the opportunity to catch two of these bruisers.... Overall day less than stellar, but, as Don H says, it only takes one fish to make the day....for our team, it was two uglies.

Frying pompano is like frying fillet Mignon. You just lost your man card!

I do not think the Jeep will do nearly as well as the F150. I was following behind a guy pulling a boat not long ago on the turnpike, Probably a 23 foot but higher sided than a Pathy. As we were deciding to pass him I thought how I would hate to be him all white knuckled going down the highway.....He was pulling with a Jeep Wrangler.

made it to the skiff.....next step, finalize the turnbuckles... Hatch opens....

A little behind on the numbers and review I wanted to post, but here it is. The pros, cons and my opinion. I have a 2000 18’ Light Tackle(smooth sides) that was turned into the CAD hull Redfisher(not sure when newer style started I think 07?). I had a Yamaha 150Vmax carbed motor that lasted 20yrs. Rather than rebuild I repowered with a 2020 140 Suzuki with a Suzuki prop 3Rx14x20P. Yamaha fuel burn: not really sure but it wasnt great. It did decent when just onto plane, 3500-3700rpms. It was fast, cruise 34-37mph, topped out at 54-55mph. Suzuki 140 PROs: fuel burn is nothing short of impressive, almost makes fuel. Idle speed/trolling it gets almost 8mpg, cruising at 23-30mph it gets +\- 6-7mpg depending on conditions and load. Wide open 46mph at 6200rpm(limiter) light load, around 4mpg I think it does as good as the old Vmax at cruise. It is insanely quiet, it is no exageration when people say you can forget to turn it off or forgot it is on. It is light weight, and has the stern sitting a little higher than with the VMAX (Zuke 410lb with offset powerhead). The weight fits the boat well, I rarely have to use tabs when cruising as it doesnt porpoise at all. CONS- I do miss the cruise speed, some runs are long and the extra 5mph at cruise was nice along with the chime walking top speed. Probably wouldnt be noticible if I didnt have it before. It is slower to get onto plane but still does within 2-2.5 boat lengths regardless of load. I do miss the smell of 2 stroke smoke in the AM. Keep looking for an airfreshner but cant find one 😉.

Great smile

Sold

Watch it will be like the people selling used glocks for a $800 - $1000, a used ugly stick with a broken tip is gonna be listed on offer up for $300.

Upper 10k’s sunrise...from the bow.

Took advantage of the wind/lack there of with a late AM trip. Was able to get an inshore slam within an hour. Trout was small, but it counts! Lost a few large over slot snook and caught a slot 24” red along with a smaller one. Released everything as I read there was a large amount of fecal bacteria in the Vero area. Was fun all the same and caught a bunch of fish.

On our first run of the year, skiffin16 and I dug up some healthy gags in some very rough seas and steady wind. With a bildge pump failure. Not an easy trip but got the meat. (John lost a fish that would have swallowed this one whole! There’s some tanks down there).

I'm heading for a long weekend fishing trip soon and I am going to do my darndest to catch a red drum on my dock demon. I figure if the reel explodes at least I'm only out $20. I'll let you know how it goes.

Sun is setting for a minute ! 🇺🇸🏴‍☠️

🥃🥃

Re doing the new to me 1900 (and btw, first fish I caught on this boat a fighting little undersize Snook). The cushions were crap, well almost 20 years worn. The guys at Castaway Custom came thru! 20mm “soft” SeaDek.

Thank you all so much for your time and expertise. I love this forum! I called my mechanic (Lou Baquero at Advantage Boatworks - he is the best) and he agrees that the problem is not being over-propped, but some issue with the engine. According to Lou (and you guys) the problem is most likely a coil issue, a clogged injector, a spark plug issue, or a problem with the stator. He said that if I at one time was getting a max RPM of 5800 with a light load, a heavy load should not reduce the RPMs down any further than 5400 RPMs, max, and probably not even by that many RPMs. I agree with Troy that Powertech vs. Powertech, it appears the 21 pitch would be better than the 23 pitch I am currently running. I will be bringing my boat into Advantage Boatworks next wweek and will let you all know what the problem was once it is fixed. Thanks again! Mike

I have been using Shimano Stratics for ever. I like the 3000 but have a couple of 2500 that work just as well. If you hunt on line you can find them for $150 or so that would be last years model.

Strong gag bite again on run #2. Ran out of bait. At one particular spot, could NOT move a fish off the bottom. Again and again we’d try... two 200 plus lbs guys with heavy tackle trying to get a fish off the bottom only to get abused over and over. We even tried one guy holding the rod up and one guy reeling but you could not turn the reel handle. Probably a Goliath. We need a chiropractor! Otherwise, easy limit on quality gags. Great season so far.

Agreed. Really pretty. Someday I hope to have one of them shiney new SHOs hangin on the back of mine!

So sad, sickening 🤮

Just had stainless brakes installed on my 2014 Ameratrail dual axle trailer. New lines, calipers, rotors, pads with stainless backing, master cylinder and solenoid, bearings, buddies, bunk carpets, a few lights, and a front bumper. Eddie English Company is Pace, FL is the place if you are in the panhandle. Great folks, great quality, great prices. Now she stops just right!

The Ruger Mark Series are great practice guns. It does make sense to stick with the same platform, like the M+P and move up in caliber as confidence builds.

If you are starting to shoot from scratch like say beginner targets browning makes great 22 pistols For that. If you are thinking about teaching defense fundamentals you will be happy w the m&p style especially if she wants to move up in Caliber say to a 9mm like you and I have. Might sound basic but One of the biggest things is hand size and weight. The pistol should fit and not be overly heavy (have a wife and 2 grown daughters...all were very different in their needs) for the user. Lots of good choices if you can find the ammo. A good shop w lots of options should help narrow down the proper fit for her. Best of luck. hutch

turnbuckles in place ready to go feeeeesssshhhhh

Don’t forget the 7% tax , and rigging $$ . If you go with new gauges . Prop . Oh boy . It’s like buying the cheese pizza , but you really want the meat lovers . 🇺🇸🏴‍☠️

Nice ride. We have been renovating the same boat for 3 months. All new wiring, hoses, pumps. It cranked tonight for the first time after a minor rebuild and service. Theses are great boats. 3rd hewes in the family for us. 1999 Light Tackle 18. Pics next weekend.

little update, we scoured the tank and went through the Alodine application process then coal tar epoxy coated the tank. We were joking about my 2 year old having to replace the tank when she’s my dads age. Probably won’t last that long but I hope it lasts my lifetime.

0 hours.....

I finally broke down and replaced the pesky blue toggle switches on my panel. I ordered Carling tactile replacements, which have no lights and are supposed to be waterproof with the rubber covers, which I also replaced. I found the switches for less than $5 each. It sure is a good feeling to turn on a pump or light and not worry (as much). If you have those blue light switches, consider reaching out to me for notes and vendor info. You'll end up replacing yours as well I bet. It was a couple hours well spent.

That’s the old style, non cartridge, livewell pump. I suggest you replace the pump with the new style, cartridge type, rule pump. You might find that old pump on eBay. I alway carry a extra cartridge with a Deutsch connector on the boat, you never know when a pump will fail and you have a bunch of bait that’s going south quickly.

A little Biscayne Bay Father Daughter time... Fishing at Sunrise!