We go through all our motors in the fall to ensure everything is working well for the next summer. One of the most common problems we find with our motors is line wrapped around the prop shaft. I know none of our fisherman get any line caught around the prop but none the less the line appears every year. It is amazing how much we actually pull from the shaft. This line can cause the seals at the bottom of the motor to break and let oil out and water into the lower unit. The worst line we encounter is "Spider Wire" type line. This stuff is almost bullet proof and causes the most damage.
I tell this so that if by some unfortunate accident the "other guy" gets his line wrapped in the prop, and you are driving the boat, please don't wait til his reel is empty, take the 1 or 2 minutes to pull the line from the prop so we don't lose a motor. It only takes a second to do when it happens and you can use the time to curse at your partner. The fish will wait, as they snicker, and be ready to bite when you have the line untangled. And when you do take the line off the prop, please don't throw it in the lake. Put it in your pocket and bring it back to camp to augment the stories you will tell anyway. It is always best best to have the proof readily available.
Then throw the line in the garbage where it belongs.
Thanx
This is not a furry disk, it is fishing line!
