Just wondering what everybody does to their boat before winter fishing on the river and after. Been out a little under freezing but never cold enough to break stuff. Just looking for a little insight. THANKS!!!!
plug your livewell fill lines from the outside of the hull with corks then just use a screw to get them out after winter.
Dry off your trolling motor shaft. It really sucks when they freeze in the down position. make sure you drain your trailer and not juice the ramps.
I make sure that i have RUBBER on the soles of my boots.
On the live well, IF you are running on open water, can’t u use the live well?
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On the live well, IF you are running on open water, can’t u use the live well?
well i hope your running in open water in your boat and yes you sure can and will usually work just fine but i have cracked fill pumps from freezing while trailering home so my livewell is a dry box in the winter time now
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On the live well, IF you are running on open water, can’t u use the live well?
well i hope your running in open water in your boat and yes you sure can and will usually work just fine but i have cracked fill pumps from freezing while trailering home so my livewell is a dry box in the winter time now
You can also fill the livewell up with a bucket. You DO NOT have to fill it up all the way. It is amazing how little water you need to keep the fish fresh and alive all day long in the middle of winter.
Don’t forget to wear a life jacket!
FDR
At the end of the day. Lower your main motor, and kicker too if applicable, to allow all of the water in the motors to drain out.
FDR
So would you always leave your motors tilted down in the water while fishing?
A few years ago, I got this advice:
It is very easy to get a boat ready for cold water fishing. First of all, you don’t have to worry about the motor freezing up…unless it is an inboard. All outboards self drain, meaning the water drains out of the engine when you shut it down.
There are precaution, however, that should be taken to make your day as pleasurable as possible.
Plug off your livewell. I use a boat plug in the intake and outlet drains of my livewell to make sure no water gets into it. If water is left in the livewell it could freeze and do damage to the livewell pumps. If you keep some fish bring a cooler or just lay them in the bottom of the empty livewell.
Keep a spray can of windshield deicer in your boat. When I first get out on the water I spray the shaft of my livewell with the deicer. This keeps the shaft from freezing up which could stop me from putting my motor up/down.
If you boat has a water pressure speedometer disconnect it and plug it. These work by drawing water up a hose into the boat. If this hose freezes it can burst or pull loose from its connection causing a water leak.
If it is very cold outside turn on your back light for your locator. This creates enough heat to keep your locator working smoothly. Like I said, this is only necessary if it is very cold out (below 5 degrees).
Make sure all of your grease fittings on your engine are full of grease. Boats without power steering have a grease fill section where the steering linkage connects to the motor. you don’t want water to get into this and freeze. Keeping it full of good grease eliminates that threat.
Make sure the bearing seal on you trailer are in good working order and are packed with clean grease. This is something that is important regardless of the weather.
When you pull the boat out of the water be sure to pull the trailer up just far enough that it is out of the water then stop and let it drain before continuing up the ramp. This stops the draining water from icing up the launch. It is just respectful to anyone launching after you.
After you pull your boat off the launch lower the motor all the way down and let it drain. When it is done draining lift it up and lower it all the way again. This ensures that there is no more water in the engine. Some people start their engine for a few seconds out of the water to drain it but I don’t think it is needed.
Pull your drain plug. as soon as you get the boat out of the water pull the drain plug. This will drain any water that might have gotten into the boat before it has a chance to freeze.
Scott has all great ideas. I just have one thing to add. Instead of window deicer (I’m not a big fan of dumping that into the river) use spray cooking oil, such as Pam. It works just as well and I don’t feel bad about dumping junk in the river 
just winterize your boat!
There are no fish on pool 4 in the winter anyway! 
For starters I would get a real boat that can handle the cold… You know like an Alumacraft 
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