If You’re Going to Repower Bass Pro is the way to Go

The fall fishing motor blues:

Starting at the end of summer and into fall my motor was giving me problems. The fall fishing was a total waste for me. The fish were in, I know because I had to fish from shore and watch huge schools of fish and birds feeding on bait along the Rhode Island coast. It was so frustrating, what torture. There I am fishing from shore watching the carnage out in front of me and only getting a fleeting chance at fish that move in close from time to time. Boy was my blood boiling. So I made the choice to repower. My motor is 10 yrs old and I assumed that repairs would get to be routine at that age and I didn’t want to go through the same frustration in the spring.

The Hunt for the right motor:

O.K. so I made the decision to repower now it was time to hunt for a motor at a reasonable price. I have this thing about getting the right deal. Whenever I buy a large ticket item like a car or washer I research, research, research to find the best product at the right price. It is usually a lot of work but it being winter and me not using the boat I figured I had the time. So I began calling around and researching prices on the Internet I must have phoned or emailed at least 10 different local marinas/ Stores. I even considered Ed’s marine superstore in Virginia, or ordering a motor from Boats.net in Florida and having it shipped and installed up here. It was while I was searching on the internet that I came across Bass Pro Shops (Tracker Boats) repower specials.

The search ends at Bass Pro Shops:

I had no idea Bass Pro did repowering. I thought they only sold boat packages. If you go to the Bass Proshops site (Tracker Boats) they boast that they are the number one Mercury dealer in the world. That's a pretty big claim and if you’ve lived as long as I have you get pretty skeptical of big claims, but I decided to give them a try. I went down to the store in Foxborough and spoke with Blake Phillips. He was very courteous, professional, and knowledgeable. There was no sales pitch, meeting in different rooms, or high pressure tactics like you’d get at a car dealer, just 2 guys talking about repowering a boat. After some back and forth I realized that they had the best price on a midrange 90 hp by far. No one else could come close. So I decided to order it, but in the back of my mind was that little skeptical voice saying how are they going to make up for the engine price, hammer me with an outrageous installation fee?

The Bottom Line:

Well I got a call recently the motor was in. So I headed down to settle the price of the new motor, removal of my old motor, installation of the new motor, prop, tach, trim guage, everything hooked up ready to run with my old motor crated. All I have to say is WOW! Not only was the price of the motor less than other dealers, the price of the installation and removal was ½ what other dealers wanted to charge. The whole price was from $2000-$2500 less than other dealers wanted. I’m truly impressed with their sales and service departments and I’m not that easy to please. It appears their claims were true. So if you’re thinking of repowering give them a call or send them an email. Tell them Steve Pickering sent you.

Who to contact:

Blake Phillips- Sales
Phone: 508-216-2663
Email: brphillips@basspro.com

Jason Hatlee- Service
Phone: 508-216-2671
Email: jrhatlee@basspro.com

Dont give up there still alot of stripers out there

The fall run is all but over, spring fishing doesn't pick up till early May. What do you do?? Get gear ready for next year, break down the reals and rods and sit around waiting and dreaming about spring. No way, there's still alot of stripers out there. Most experts believe all or at least most of the stripers head south on their annual migration, but that's not necessarily true. There are alot of small to medium fish that hang around all winter. These fish head up deep into rivers and estuarys and hold over just about all winter. In the last few years I've caught a large number of these fish through most of the winter, anywhere from 100-300 fish each winter. That's not a typo these fish usually get pretty stacked up in the rivers and estuaries and that makes them easy pickens. It's not unusual to get 30 or more in a night. It's an after dark or cloudy day thing and it can be alot of fun. This time of the year it gets dark pretty early. I dont go crazy fishing in bitter cold or myserable rain and snow storms. I just put a pole in my car and after supper or on my way back from work I stop off and take a few casts. If the fish are around you'll know it pretty fast.

Gear:
A 10-12 lb test outfit with 3" zoom fluke in white or white ice seem to do the trick just fine. I also use a 1/4-3/8 oz jig head. Cast it out and retrieve it medium slow with a slight twitch. Stripers can be very mellow in cold water so the hit can be really soft.

So dont put your stuff away and hybernate till spring the really good winter fishing is just about to start. Get a spare jacket, pole, and a bag of lures put them in the car and take a few casts you may end up fishing for hours. On a note of caution this kind of fishing can be addicting so if your wife suspects your having an affair coming home so late night after night I'm not responsibile.