Tournament News Powered By Lake Drive Marine
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By Louie Stout
Drift Paddles are necessity for Michiana wind.
There’s a saying in fishing that “wind is your friend.”
A breeze blowing across the water stirs things up, breaks up the sunlight and gets fish – especially predator fish – actively feeding.
But the wind can be a curse, especially here in the Midwest where it can blow hard and come on unexpectedly.
As a bass fisherman, I like to fish windy flats and points, especially this time of year, but sometimes the wind makes it difficult to control the boat properly.
Drift socks can slow your drift. They’re basically funnel-shaped nylon bags that you toss into the water and attach with a rope to your boat. The bag catches water and that slows you down.
But I’ve come onto a better solution, one that requires far less effort and is more versatile - Power Pole Drift Paddles.
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Z-Launch simplifies launching boats alone.Launching your boat alone on a Michiana lake can be a pain at times, but the new TH Marine Z-Launch Cord eliminates a lot of the hassles.
The durable elastic cord attaches between your (locked) trailer winch strap and the nose of the boat. As you back into the water and the boat slides off the trailer, the boat stays connected to the winch.
As you pull forward, the elasticity of the cord absorbs the shock and guides the boat smoothly to shore. Once the trailer clears the water, simply unhook the Z-launch and toss it in your vehicle, secure the boat to shore and park the trailer.
The cord expands to more than 20 feet when taut and returns to its original size when relived of pressure. One end has a heavy duty, spring-loaded clasp that attaches to the bow eye and a large steel O ring that clips to your winch strap.
Suggested retail is $39.95. Visit www.thmarine.com for more information.
Z-Launch simplifies launching boats alone.
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(Provided by Ranger Boats)
D&R Sports Center Marine announces the addition of legendary Ranger Boats to the lineup of its Kalamazoo-based dealership. As an authorized Ranger dealer, D&R Sports Center will be the local home to some of the industry's most acclaimed models, including the award-winning Z500C Series of bass boats.
Owned by Randy VanDam, D&R Sports Center offers a variety of outdoor sporting gear, from fishing tackle, boats and electronics to firearms, archery gear and hunting accessories. Long known in western Michigan, northern Indiana and surrounding areas for its wealth of knowledgeable and professional staff and outstanding customer service, the dealership now offers a full line of Ranger and Ranger Aluminum freshwater boats in addition to its other new and previously owned marine inventory. Along with its dealership's factory-certified service facility and parts department, D&R Sports Center enables boaters and anglers to manage the full spectrum of boat ownership from a single, centralized location.
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(Provided by Mercury Marine)
Mercury Marine demonstrated to the media its new Active Trim system, which automatically delivers instant, effortless trimming of boat engines.
Designed to suit entry-level and expert boaters alike, Active Trim simplifies boat operation, while improving engine performance and decreasing fuel costs.
New boaters immediately are able to trim their engines properly with no intimidating learning curve, and experienced boaters won’t need to monitor and adjust trim constantly upon changes in boat speed or turns.
Using Active Trim has been likened to switching from a manual transmission on an automobile to automatic transmission.
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(Provided by BoatUS)
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is asking for comments on a proposal to increase the amount of ethanol that must be blended into the nation's fuel supply for 2015 and 2016.
If adopted, these proposed levels will require the use of a record amount of ethanol, forcing higher-level fuel blends (including E15 or 15% ethanol) into more gas stations. Remember that most marine engines are built to only work with up to 10% ethanol and itís prohibited to use gas containing more than 10% ethanol in all marine engines.
Please take a moment to go to www.capwiz.com/boatus/utr/1/EWXDUYRXXD/KWXKUYTXED/10931147561 and send a message urging the EPA to lower the ethanol mandates to ensure an adequate supply of fuel that will work in your boat.