I went to a small lake here in T town called Lake Harris saturday. It's one of our water supply lakes. The water was slightly stained thank goodness, but the wind was out of every direction known to mankind at about 15 mph, gusting probably to 20 or so. I backed the truck to the ramp, slipped the 2 man off the tailgate and tied it off. Once I unloaded all the stuff from the truck to the ground, I started loading things into the boat from back to front. I slide the battery in first and next I put the trolling moter on back. I went to hook the T-motor up and there are no wing nuts on the battery, lol. Well wing nuts! ...I looked all over the truck for some spares I thought I had in there when I parked the truck but couldn't find them. I started to go back home (to stay) but I decided I had come all this far and i'm determined to stay and fish! One fisherman came in as I was looking and I asked him but he didn't have any spares either. So I scrounged around some more and the only thing I could come up with was a coke cap and a  bottleed water cap, which was thinner than the coke cap. I took my pocket knife and cut a little hole in the caps and shoved them onto the studs and twisted them down like a nut. Ha! it worked!... we have contact!

 Load the rest and shove off. Once i'm out a few yards I twist th handle on the t-motor and realize the battery is really low but moves the boat ok so I'm fishing. I go with the wind for about ahundred yards and decided (after no bites) to go upwind instead as far as I can and hopefully fish along the way and then drift back if I have to but once I made it back to the boat ramp the t-motor seemed to be doing a little better. I cross over to the island in the middle of the lake (not real wide). The wind picks up  . and is hard to control the boat. On 4 i'm more or less sitting still in the head wind at this point so I cast to the nearest point of the island and low and behold I get a hit on that first cast, fish on! It's a 12 " spot, make my way back to the same spot after boating the fish and catch another. It's a 12" LM. I ease up the shoreline some and catch another. Once I reach the front of the island I don't get any more bites. I drift back down and catch one more where I started on the island, 11" LM. I fish back toward the front edge for no fish and cross back over on the ramp side a good distance up the lake.then drift back down fishing some laydowns. I come to a V shaped indention and catch one small LM off a small log right down the middle of it. drift back toward the ramp some more and come to the arm that goes to the dam of the lake. I catch a small spot off the point. I head for the ramp and half way across it dies completely, so I paddled the remaining 60-70 yards or so with the wind. Loaded and left. I'm going to the other end next time and hopefully soon.

Fighing the wind took it's toll on the T-motor battery really quick today with it being a low battery and all(mostlikely bad battery), but I was very thankful to be able to get out today and catch a few. I caught everyone of those fish on a Zoom Magnum Lizard, teamed with a 3/8oz. brass bullet and a 5/0 hook from 1:30 to 5:15 pm.

Hey glad you were able to McGyver and save the trip. HUUmm I'll bet you check those posts for nuts before leaving home for a while.

   Very nice and at least you got out.   I spent the day installing my recirculating pump.

  Very nice and at least you got out.   I spent the day installing my recirculating pump.

I know what you mean Jackie, I spent the day installing an automatic bilge pump and just pittling w/my boat.