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Suzuki Marine SS Motors
If a new boat or repower is in your future do yourself a favor and take a close look at the Suzuki SS lineup. Impressive performance backed by unsurpassed reliability sets Suzuki apart from all others! Watch as Dean Rojas takes his Balzer Bass Boat through the paces.
The first V6 4-Stroke that was specifically built to power tournament Bass Boats, larger Flats Boats, performance Pontoon Boats and even serious Ski Boats. The other guys were quick to notice and built a few copy cat outboards. But nothing comes close to the DF250SS… a Big Block “Hot Rod” that will put an ear-to-ear grin on the face of any boater with a need for speed and power. Now available in Shadow Black Metallic and for the “Special Ops Guys”, you can opt for the Matte Black finish.
Follow Dean here.
See the full Suzuki lineup here.
Find out more about Blazer boats here.
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Inspecting and Maintaining Your Boat’s Hydraulic Steering
Experienced boaters know that regular inspection, preventative maintenance and fixing small problems before they become large ones are the keys to trouble-free time on the water. Many boaters, however, tend to overlook their boat’s hydraulic steering systems when it comes to providing this care.
Helpful Tips From the Experts at Dometic Marine
This isn’t surprising, given these system’s overall reliability and durability in the marine environment. Owners of outboard-powered boaters have come to expect smooth, easy steering control all of the time, and rarely think about steering system components until they wear out or need repair. According to Brian Dudra, Vice President/General Manager for Dometic Marine, boaters can ensure trouble-free steering and extend the life of hydraulic steering system components through simple inspections and maintenance steps.
“While each of our hydraulic systems are designed for the harsh marine environment, like any critical control system, it requires periodic checks and maintenance,” Dudra explains. “As per your owner’s manual and product labels, hydraulic steering systems should be inspected prior to every use for fluid level, steering response, leaks, or worn/binding components.” In addition, most systems require a small amount of maintenance from a qualified dealer every six months for detailed inspections and greasing of key areas, he adds.
Key areas on outboard hydraulic steering systems include hoses, hose connections, the steering cylinder and cylinder shaft, the support arm, the tiller arm connection, the steering helm where the wheel attaches, the steering wheel, and the hydraulic fluid. Here’s how to inspect and care for each of these areas.
Check The Helm
Starting with the steering helm, make sure the steering cylinder and helm hydraulic hose connections are tight. Dudra recommends greasing the helm shaft when installing the steering wheel to facilitate easier removal in the future. Check the hydraulic fluid level inside the helm by unscrewing the fill plug and looking inside. The level should be 1/8- to ¼-inch below the lowest thread in the fill port. If lower than this, fill the helm to the proper level, but avoid over-filling.
Check the steering response when turning the wheel. It should respond within a quarter turn. If not, the system might need fluid or there might be air in the system, which requires purging. For tilt-and-lock steering helms, also make sure that the plastic covers are properly secured in place.
Inspect Hoses & Fittings
Next, it’s time to give your hydraulic hoses the once over. When inspecting these hydraulic hoses, run your hand down them to feel for cuts, chafing or cracks. If you discover this kind of wear, have a qualified service shop replace the suspect hoses.
Also, inspect the hose fittings to ensure they are tight. Feel for hydraulic fluid leaks or weeps by running a finger around the fitting. If you find a leak, try tightening the fitting. If that fails to stem the leak, arrange to have a qualified service shop address the issue.
Examine The Steering Cylinder & Glands For Leaks and Wear
Most outboard-powered boats use front-mounted hydraulic steering cylinders. They are built to provide years of smooth operation, even while being constantly splashed with salt water. Still, the cylinder itself should be periodically inspected. Regular inspections should focus on the cylinder hose connections and glands on each end of the cylinder to ensure that there are no leaks.
Inspect the glands, which contain seals, on the ends of the steering cylinder by running your finger around the edges. If you discover fluid weeping from the glands, it’s time to replace them with new ones using authentic SeaStar parts.
Give special attention to the steering cylinder’s shaft and support rod. Carefully inspect the cylinder shaft for salt buildup, corrosion, nicks or scratches that might damage the cylinder. Any major damage might require replacement of the entire cylinder.
Apply a thin film of grease to the visible portions of the support rod. Thet rod should be removed and inspected annually. The support rod and outboard tilt tube must be cleaned of all old grease and debris prior to re-applying quality marine grease before re-installing.
Fix Leaks Where You Find Them
If the hose fittings are weeping fluid, the hoses might require replacement. The same applies to the glands, which seal and wipe the cylinder rod as the cylinder moves back and forth, as mentioned earlier. SeaStar offers a gland replacement kit and O-ring seals for the bleeders and other fittings to fix leaks in this area.
If you follow the provided instructions carefully, fixing leaks in this way is a relatively easy job for competent DIY boaters. You can also turn the job over to a qualified marine shop. To ensure the steering is secure and tight, check all of the assembly nuts for proper tightness, including the adjusting nut on the starboard side of the support rod, which helps remove slack from the steering system.
Purge Air From The System
Air in the hydraulic steering system can cause sloppy, unresponsive steering and noisy operation. It can even make your boat unsafe. Air can find its way into the hydraulic system through leaks or when replacing any of the system’s key components. It must be purged through a process called “bleeding.” Your owner’s manual will explain the process if you want to do it yourself, but it usually requires two people and can become messy from spilled and expelled hydraulic fluid. If you lack the confidence, tools or manpower to get the job done, ask a qualified marine shop to handle this.
Check For Water Intrusion
You also want to make sure that water hasn’t made its way into the system, where it can cause damage and internal corrosion. “This is a subjective examination, but can be performed by taking a syringe and sampling the fluid in the helm reservoir,” Dudra advises. “If the fluid looks like ‘chocolate milk,’ then the fluid is likely contaminated with water.” If this occurs, the entire system must be inspected for leaks. Once these are fixed, the system should be flushed thoroughly with clean oil to remove any contaminated oil that can cause future internal damage.
One Good Turn Deserves Another
Inspecting your boat’s hydraulic steering system twice each year and taking care of any small issues when you find them will help ensure optimum performance and years of trouble-free boating. “Steering is a vital control component on your boat,” says Dudra. “The ability to safely and confidently maneuver at speed or in close quarters makes for an enjoyable and safe day on the water.”
To learn more about marine steering and components from the industry leader, visit www.dometic.com.
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Seeing is Believing
Cypress, CA (September 17, 2021) – Line watching is an art. Only highly observant anglers can distill what’s happening beneath the surface by analyzing line behavior. They know a fish is taking when line slips away at an unusually fast rate. Perceptive anglers also appreciate line twitches. Those quick tics on an otherwise leisurely lure drop that signify something’s amiss. To satisfy this acuteness, Daiwa introduces J-Braid Grand x8 in an immensely visible Chartreuse color.
Daiwa’s J-Braid Grand x8 in new Chartreuse color is the brightest line in the boat.
The stunningly bright line excels in other situations, too. Seeing, as well as manipulating line in low-light conditions is challenging. Line gets wrapped around rod guides, even the cleat on a dock or tiller if you can’t see nearby hazards. J-Braid x8 Grand in new Chartreuse color lends supplemental visibility when natural lighting wanes. Moreover, Chartreuse yields visibility in deeply stained and muddy water so you can see where your line enters the water.
Color aside, Daiwa’s established J-Braid x8 Grand is an exceptional performer. The minimal diameter line is composed of premium 8 carrier braid using only the finest materials from Japan. J-Braid Grand 8x is spun with the patented IZANAS™, a new state-of-the-art material that utilizes 8 carriers.
So, what are the benefits? For one, J-Braid Grand x8 is four times more abrasion resistant than the commonplace 4 carrier. Despite the added carriers, J-Braid Grand x8 maintains a narrow diameter and is well-bodied to lay smoothly on the spool.
Attributes don’t end there. J-Braid Grand x8 is famous for its long casts and silky line delivery from the reel. Moreover, it’s sensitivity is unmatched, and knot-strength exceptional.
To enter the element of invisibility, from a fish’s position, Daiwa recommends tying-in the appropriate length and weight of J-Fluoro Leader. Known for its invisibility, abrasion resistance and strength, the 100% fluorocarbon leader material is a favorite in both freshwater and saltwater.
J-Braid Grand x8 is available in 6, 8, 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, 50, 65 and 80-lb. weights. Available spool sizes are 150 yards (6 to 50-lb.), 300 yards (all weights) and 3,000-yard bulk spools (10 to 80-lb.).
OTHER COLOR OPTIONS:
ISLAND BLUE
A majestic blue tone with high visibility while incorporating water and sky contrast.
GREY LIGHT
Light gray and is visible in low-light but blends into the water color spectrum.
DARK GREEN
Dark Green is preferred in situations where you tie directly to the hook or lure without a leader.
For Daiwa’s latest color catalog and/or information on Daiwa products, call Daiwa’s Customer Service Department at 562-375-6800 or e-mail inquiries to: CSR@Daiwa.com. The URL for Daiwa’s website is Daiwa.us
About Daiwa Corporation
Daiwa’s first spinning reel rolled off the assembly line in 1955. Since then, the company has grown into one of the largest and most influential tackle companies in the world today. To handle sales and distribution in the United States, Daiwa Corporation first opened its doors on September 26, 1966, operating from a small facility in Culver City, California. Today, based in Cypress, California, Daiwa Corporation sells tackle throughout the United States, Canada, Central and South America. From the very beginning, Daiwa’s emphasis has been upon innovation and quality. The result is a long list of product features, design and materials that have become standards for the fishing tackle industry. Daiwa’s long-standing record of innovation has left a visible mark on the majority of tackle manufactured today and continues to advance the sport of fishing. Learn more at daiwa.us
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Dayton, Tennessee Angler Boats Heaviest Championship Round Weight in Bass Pro Tour History – 58 Bass Weighing 168-11 – to Earn First Career Victory, $100,000
ST. CLAIR SHORES, Mich. (Sept. 15, 2021) – Dayton, Tennessee pro angler “The Real Deal” Michael Neal has long been considered one of the best pros in the world without a signature professional win. For nine years, Neal has made a name in the pro bass-fishing world with his consistency – always near the top of the leaderboard, but never ON the top. Wednesday, at the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour CarParts.com Stage Seven at Lake St. Clair Presented by Covercraft in St. Clair Shores, Michigan, Neal finally came out on top.
Neal caught 58 smallmouth bass totaling 168 pounds, 11 ounces – a new Bass Pro Tour Championship Round record for the heaviest one-day weight – to win by a 76-pound, 2-ounce margin over second place – also a new Bass Pro Tour record for the largest margin of victory.
“What a week! I really am not sure what to say at this point,” Neal joked in his post-game interview. “The first win of my career. I won the (Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit) Angler of the Year title earlier this year, but this is my first actual tournament win and it feels really, really good to get the monkey off of my back. I’ve had so many second-place finishes – I finished second this year at REDCREST. I never would have expected my first win would be with smallmouth. I’ve never been a smallmouth guy – I grew up on the Tennessee River fishing offshore. But, I’ll take it.”
Neal caught his fish this week mainly off of one key area near the mouth of the Detroit River in Lake Erie – a spot that he described as a massive grass flat with some high spots, rock and depressions mixed in. He estimated that the flat was about ¾ of a mile long, and loaded with smallmouth.
“I came here in Day 2 of practice, really because I was just sick of fighting the wind,” Neal said. “I doubled up on a crankbait, then caught one or two more, then left. I really had no idea what this area really held. On Day 1 of the tournament, this was actually my fourth stop. And you can see what was here… it was just crazy.
“I got to catch them on a little bit of everything,” Neal continued. “I caught some on a vibrating jig, a drop-shot rig and a crankbait. The crankbait was by far my number one bait. And they all had Gamakatsu G Finesse treble hooks that were designed by Aaron Martens. Even though he couldn’t be out here with us this week, I want to give a special shoutout to Aaron for designing those hooks. You’re going to lose some fish when you’re fishing smallmouth, no matter what. But I caught the majority of them, and those hooks were key.”
For his accomplishments Neal earned the top prize of $100,000, but most important to him – the giant red Bass Pro Tour winner’s trophy that he now will keep forever.
“It feels so good to finally win. I caught tons and tons of fish, had a great time and broke several records this week,” Neal went on to say. “But records are meant to be broken, and I’m sure someone else will break them the next time we go to another phenomenal smallmouth fishery.
“I’m really looking forward to getting that trophy. I’m way more excited about the trophy than I am the money, at this point. Just to have that – nobody can ever take that away from you. I’ll spend the money, but now I’ve got the trophy to take home and have forever.”
The top 10 pros from the CarParts.com Stage Seven at Lake St. Clair Presented by Covercraft finished:
1st: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., 58 bass, 168-11, $100,000
2nd: Alton Jones Jr., Waco, Texas, 30 bass, 92-9, $45,000
3rd: Scott Dobson, Clarkston, Mich., 31 bass, 85-12, $38,000
4th: Adrian Avena, Vineland, N.J., 26 bass, 77-9, $32,000
5th: Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., 27 bass, 73-6, $30,000
6th: David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., 19 bass, 52-3, $26,000
7th: Fred Roumbanis, Russellville, Ark., 16 bass, 51-3, $23,000
8th: Gary Klein, Mingus, Texas, 14 bass, 43-9, $21,000
9th: Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., 14 bass, 40-3, $19,000
10th: Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., 11 bass, 27-2, $16,000
A complete list of results for the entire field can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Overall, there were 246 bass weighing 712 pounds, 3 ounces caught by the final 10 pros on Wednesday.
Roumbanis won Wednesday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award, weighing in a 5-pound, 2-ounce smallmouth that bit his medium-diving crankbait in Period 2. Morgan won the $3,000 Berkley Big Bass award for the largest bass of the event with his 6-pound, 5-ounce largemouth bass that he weighed in on Day 5 in the Knockout Round of competition.
Academy Sports + Outdoors pro Jacob Wheeler of Harrison, Tennessee, clinched the 2021 Bass Pro Tour Angler of the Year (AOY) Tuesday and the $50,000 prize. Wheeler needed to finish 13 spots ahead of Blaine, Tennessee’s Ott DeFoe to clinch the title, and after DeFoe finished the event in 32nd place, Wheeler’s 5th place finish locked up the first career AOY title for the 31-year-old pro.
Link to Photo of 2021 Bass Pro Tour Angler of the Year Jacob Wheeler
Link to Video of Wheeler’s AOY Trophy Presentation
The CarParts.com Stage Seven at Lake St. Clair Presented by Covercraft featured anglers competing with a 2-pound minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable. Minimum weights are determined individually for each competition waters that the Bass Pro Tour visits, based on the productivity, bass population and anticipated average size of fish in each fishery.
The MLF Bass Pro Tour CarParts.com Stage Seven at Lake St. Clair Presented by Covercraft was hosted by Macomb County, St. Clair Shores and the Detroit Sports Commission. The six-day tournament showcased the 80 top professional anglers from around the world competing for a top cash prize of $100,000 to the winner.
Television coverage of the CarParts.com Stage Seven at Lake St. Clair Presented by Covercraft will premiere at 7 a.m. ET, Nov. 13 on the Discovery Channel. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on the Discovery Channel, with additional re-airings on the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman Channel. Each two-hour long reality-based episode goes in-depth to break down each day of competition.
The Bass Pro Tour features a field of 76 of the top professional anglers in the world – joined at each event by 4 pros that qualify from the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit – competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, competing for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual Heavy Hitters all-star event and the REDCREST 2022 championship.
For complete details and updated information on the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, the Discovery Channel, the Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, the World Fishing Network, the Sportsman Channel and on-demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with offices in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 13 countries. In 2019 MLF acquired FLW and rebranded it as MLF BIG5, which expanded its portfolio of catch, weigh and immediate release events to include the sport’s strongest five-biggest-fish format tournament circuits. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams, and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
Major League Fishing – WE ARE Bass Fishing™
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Lester’s Secrets for Fishing the Salad
For anglers not used to picking apart coontail, eel grass, milfoil, and hydrilla, as shown from left to right in the attached photo, approaching massive acres of aquatic vegetation can be as intimidating as a high school quarterback walking into an NFL stadium full of fired-up fans.
Team Toyota’s Brandon Lester has made a detailed study of how to pluck bass from grass en route to winning $800,000 thus far in his short pro career. And he graciously shares a look at his playbook in timely fashion as early fall often begins the best ‘grass fishing’ of the year.
A garden variety is best
To the casual observer with an untrained eye, expansive acres of matted vegetation might all look the same. Look closer at a place like iconic Lake Guntersville and you’ll see coontail, eel grass, milfoil, and hydrilla often mixed together like Olive Garden’s famous house salad.
“Anytime you see three or four species of vegetation growing together, I can almost assure you that’s going to be a great place to get bites. In fact, you need to look for places where one kind of grass marries up against the other to form a sort of a transition, that’s the juice,” grins Lester.
Punching hydrilla and frogging milfoil
“I want to be careful about not speaking too general here, but in order to make grass fishing a little easier to grasp, typically, hydrilla grows a little deeper near the main river or creek channel, versus milfoil that grows a bit shallower toward the back of the creek,” says Lester.
“So, for the most part, hydrilla is best suited for punching a little beaver-style creature bait on a 1.5 ounce-weighted Texas rig. Whereas milfoil may only have two or three feet of water under its mats, so they can find a frog a lot easier,” he explains.
He uses 50-pound Vicious No Fade Braided line when frogging, and 60-pound braid when punching a Texas rig.
Create a disturbance, then listen for the Rice Crispies
One trick Lester learned from the ‘old timers’ was to run his boat up into the middle of grass mat to stir the ecological pot beneath. Obviously, this should be done with caution because you can’t be totally sure what hazards lay beneath the huge carpets of vegetation, but it most always rings the dinner bell.
And the best way to tell if the dinner bell has been properly rung is to stop and listen for a couple minutes before ever making a cast. Lester and others will tell you if the bluegill, bugs, and baitfish are active it will sound like Rice Crispies cereal crackling in a bowl of milk.
“If you’ll be patient and listen for two or three minutes, you’ll be able to hear if things are popping and crackling, and if they are, you’re chances of getting bit are good. But if you don’t hear the ‘Rice Crispies’ you should move on,” says Lester.
Drop some BBs in Kermie’s belly
Asked to pick just one frog amid a fishing tackle universe that is overpopulated by amphibian look-alikes, Lester chose a Spro 65 size Bronzeye in a color called natural red, but he adds a little magic to Kermie’s belly.
“I’ll drop two or three BBs into my hollow bodied frogs to add a little noise, and if the grass mats are super thick like hydrilla often gets, I’ll actually add a single ¼-ounce worm weight inside my frogs to make them sit deeper in the water as they bulldoze their way through the thick stuff,” explains Lester.
Listen to Lester’s wisdom, and these once intimidating large acres of aquatic vegetation will have you plucking fat bass from hydrilla and milfoil like a top chef dicing through romaine and iceberg.
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