Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition 3811 May 10-24 2019 | Page 34

32 May 10 - 24, 2019 SALTWATER VOL.38 • ISS. 11 Avoid Frustration: Get That Boat Ready! S pring is the in the air, and that means we’ll all be hitting the lakes, rivers and bays in search of hard-fighting fresh and saltwater gamefish. Whether you’ve had your boat buttoned up tight and stored away all winter long, or it’s just been a while since you’ve had her out for a day of fishing, you want that first trip of the season to go off without a hitch. The process of “Spring Commis- sioning” is all about getting your HEAVY DUTY WELDED SPLIT RING RING boat and 3X MUSTAD motor HOOK CHIP & PEEL ready RESISTANT UV REAL FISH WIRED THROUGH COATED IMAGE PRINT after any RIGGING kind of FOR MORE INFO WWW.AHIUSA.COM follow VISIT: us extended or call: 1-866-264-1562 layoff. Here are some tips all boaters can use to help ensure smooth sailing when they hit the water this spring. First, do a thorough visual inspection of your boat from stem to stern. Open hatches, lockers and other places where water may have gotten in and caused freeze damage, or in warmer climates, mold and mildew. Peek under the engine cowl or engine hatch to make sure that rodents or birds haven’t gotten in and used these enclosed spaces as a winter home. It happens more than you think, and these critters can cause some serious damage! Inspect your batteries and terminal connec- tions for leaks or corrosion. If you note any corrosion on the battery terminals, clean with a wire brush and treat with a dielectric grease to stop corrosion from coming back. Add distilled water to your battery’s cells if needed, and bring your batteries up to a full state-of-charge before that first trip. Go around the boat and power up all your lights, electronics, pumps and other electrical systems. Now is the right time to find out about blown fuses, loose, corroded wires, or other glitches — not during that much anticipated first fishing trip of the season. Make sure you open all of your boat’s seacocks that provide water flow to live bait tanks, livewells and washdown pumps. If the seacock mechanisms are corroded or are hard to manipulate, consider replacing them. If you properly stored your boat for the offseason using Techron® Marine Protec- tion Plus Fuel Treatment and changed your water-separating fuel filter, you’ll be good to go. If you didn’t, you’ll need to give your fuel system some TLC now. Change your water separating fuel filter, then add the proper amount of Techron Marine to your fuel tank and top it off with fresh fuel. Remember, just once ounce of Techron Marine treats 10 gallons Techron ® Protection Plus Marine Fuel System Treatment of fuel. Using it with every fill-up is a great way to keep your boat’s entire fuel system and is here to help your engine run smoothly, all season long. engine in top shape all season long. Our exclusive formula cleans and restores, ensuring You’ll also want to hook the engine to a superior performance and protection. With up to 24 water source (or put the boat in the water), months of fuel stabilization during the off-season and start the engine and let it run at idle for a few best-in-class corrosion protection, Techron ® Marine minutes. This will burn off any fogging spray is the solution you’ve been waiting for. you may have used months back, and will completely clean out the engine’s internal fuel system. It will also make sure that the Techron Learn more at TechronClean.com/Fish5 Marine has time to circulate throughout the entire system. Finally, don’t wait until the night before that first trip of the season to take care of these items. You want to make sure you have time to fix any problems you might find. It’s shaping up to be a great fishing season, so get our there and have some fun.- www.chevronlubricants. com. Keep your fuel system snag-free.