The Boat...Oh well I Tried

[Fran Myers]

I knew bringing Spoonplugging to Africa would be a challenge. In order to do the best job I could, I made sure I brought all the correct rods, line, reels, and lures. Tiller boats are not easy to find so I actually ended up buying 2 boats. The first just ended up being too small and cramped.

The second boat is called a Tug20. It is shaped very similarly to a Troller but the side are considerably shorter. It is very maneuverable and light. The only problem is that there is a lot of water coming over the back corners when launching or aggressive maneuvering like we do with even slight waves. I have to admit I came in really early one day because it bothered me so much and I couldn't get my composure back. We are bailing regularly.

It's a nice little boat for small light people but for me and all the gear we are getting to the boats limits.
Another issue with the boat we are having is the motor. It's a brand new 4 Stroke. The quality of the fuel has it running so poorly that we have to rev it up constantly to blow crap out of it. We also have to burn the fuel system dry before pulling it out of the water because there is so much ethanol in the fuel, the motor is very difficult to start the next day.

And other than having someone steal gas out of our tank which lead to us running out of gas one day - these minor-ish issue have been our biggest problems. The weather and water are issues but I can't control those so I don't really consider them problems, just things to deal with.

Unfortunately there hasn't been many fish pictures or video taken as yet but we go to Lake Inanda today and we will have to take video whether we catch fish or not. It is very beautiful here. But absolutely the same as we have all read about in the Greenbook and Home Study.

It's so the same that I have spent most of the time training my companion. He caught his first bass trolling with him driving the 2nd day. More than once he's said that what I am showing him, what he's read, and what is in Mr Perry's video is exactly what he's seeing right now while in my boat. I didn't even catch a bass my 2nd trip out. Howard is a good student.