Year trolling motor....I have one lined up for the weekend but just in case it falls through I wanted to make sure it was okay without one.
you don't need one. But if you do have one then your boat needs to be registered. I'm not sure if that's a tourney rule (I'd think it is) but it's definitely a state law and I'd hate to see anyone get busted.
I've never heard of a canoe being registered before even with a trolling motor. I've fished Dudley for 10 years and never seen a ranger there so I figure bring the paddles and the rolling motor and see what happens.
I believe the rule is that once you put a TM on a boat you need to register it. A row boat does not need to be registered. Put a TM on it, it does.
exactly. When I first got my boat I didn't think I needed to register it because it would be under electric power. I checked with the state and found out that it doesn't matter, gas or electric you need to be registered.
Am I required to register my boat?
State law requires the registration of any boat that is powered by a motor and operated on public waterways in Massachusetts. Registration is required even if the motor is not the primary means of propulsion for that boat. Some examples of boats that require registration include fishing boats with motors, recreational motorboats, canoes or sailboats that use motors (includes electric motors), and personal watercraft such as Jet Skis or wet bikes. Boats exempt from registration requirements include those that do not use motors, and documented vessels (large boats that are issued a marine document and registration through the U.S. Coast Guard). Vessels used solely by a city, county, state, or federal agency will be issued a certificate of registration and number at no charge.
http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dle/boatregfaq.htm#Before
dudley is a puddle, a secret gem if you will. i wouldnt worry too too much about regi's. for livewells in the summer i always have an extra bag of ice just incase.
Basically it's more a matter if it's the law then it should be a tourney rule. At first I was thinking no big deal. If someone enters a tourney and isn't registered then it's on them. But then I started thinking we all have our boats registered. Would this conversation be as laid back if it were about fishing licenses? No way. People would be going nuts.
I usually freeze a few bottles of water but I hate the way they just float around in there. Do you just add the ice as the day goes on? I think I'm going to do that this year
Adding straight ice isnt good as the ice will have chlorine in it. You can use livewell additives such as Please Release Me which will deal with the chlorine plus do a bunch of other stuff thats good for the fish. Catch and Release is another good additive for fish that are bleeding. For cartoppers, everyone should read about adding hydrogen peroxide as well. Not too much of course. There are sites that state how much to add.
good call. I knew there was a reason I was using water bottles. I think the fluoride in the water. I've read this before. Thanks for the reminder
Yeah bagged ice is a no no. Frozen water bottles like you said Shawn. Not only is the floride deadly to the bass but the extream shock of adding a bag of ice to a livewell and dropping the water temp that quickly is deadly as well. WE usually bring a small cooler with 8 frozen water bottles. We add 1 bottle per hour and it keeps the temps pretty consistant.
sounds like a plan