Hitting stumps

When bouncing around in a stump field , crawling though it very slowly , you guys put engine in neutral or just continue . No bashing please just asking . Thanks for input .

Depends on the stump.

I tilt the motor a bit to try and avoid a solid impact and idle. If it starts to ride up on one, I shift to neutral and let nature takes its course.

^^ This is what I do^^

Same, dont want the prop to be banging off stumps if i can avoid it

this is it.

I do similar but I tilt the motor up a bit more so the bottom of the skeg is about even with the bottom of the pad. Rarely will the prop ever contact a stump in this position. It takes a little practice but works well.

With your boat on the trailer tilt the motor so that if you pulled a straight edge off the bottom of the pad, the skeg would be about even with that line. Now get in the driver's seat and note the angle of the motor. In this position, you still have the power to reverse the engine and stop the boat if you begin to ride straight up high-center on a stump. If you get the motor too high, you lose most of the reverse thrust.

I do as mentioned above. On Monticello and this is the only lake I have ever done this. I have had my boat become a see saw on a stump before..

I have no issue taking a boat into a stumpfield, just slow and easy.

Same here. I tilt the motor up to try to be sure the prop doesn't hit the stumps. I believe every time you hit something solidly with the lower unit, especially the prop, you are that much closer to a high dollar repair job.

Are there any lakes within a couple hours north Houston that isn't filed with stumps? I live in Magnolia but I'm from Tennessee and recently bought a boat so I'm not used to shallow water and stumps at all. I'm not afraid to take my boat out in the local lakes but I sure would like to go somewhere occasionally where I don't have to worry about it. We've been on Lake Conroe a few times and just went to Raven Saturday. We've fished Raven quite a few times in kayaks and enjoy it, especially on the weekends because it's not so crowded and rough. We've fished Lake Livingston quite a bit also in kayaks but new to the boat scene here.

Copy That on not afraid of stump fields , I have put my Skeeter thru some rough terrain , always take it slow , puckered up a couple of times when rocking on a stump .

I do like a lot mentioned above. As soon as I hit something I try to figure out "how" and "where" the stump is and if momentum is easily carrying me forward I just pull back the throttle and ease over. If it starts to hang up I either keep going forward or stop and try to back off.

Now as to what scares me more $$ wise is when I slide off the stump and my LSS transducer and regular transducer are back there(already knocked my old one off(didn't have the right bracket) and have tilted my LSS one up several times. Plus having the Talons mounted I am concerned with the stump potentially landing directly in between the bracket and boat and I'd be stuck good. Here on the Red River its just something you deal with each time out. Caddo isn't any better in some places either. I have a Tracker so the aluminum hull will be fine but I don't think it slides as easily as the glass hulls do IMO.

Hammer down..the less boat in the water, the less chance of hitting something...KIDDING..read above for instruction.

In most cases, you should be able to feel which side of the boat the stump is on. If you do, turn the boat to that side, then the motor will get out of its way.

I don't really have a problem with them but I have a boat for it.

This is one of the reasons I have a hydraulic jack plate, makes idling in shallow water or stump fields a little easier.

This and I always have the jack plate all the way up if you have one.

I don't change a thing...... slight pressure on the throttle and you eventually come off.

If I'm in a stump field I kill the big motor, tilt it up so that only the skeg is in the water and use the trolling motor to get me through. You can usually see the high stumps and steer around most of them. I'm assuming you're talking about a place like up in the back of Kickapoo or Flat Creek where stumps are 5ft. on centers. That's my way of dealing with a stump field but to each is own. I learned the hard way and the hard way is expensive.

x2

What kind of boat do you have? My Champion just slides off of them before I really get a chance to shift to neutral but have been in a ranger that would get stuck on top of them. By the time you hit the motor or prop, any damage that was going to be done, is done. I just play it safe and idle 3-4 mph and have never had an issue even when hitting one dead on.

Now, I have run over a stump and lost a drain plug before but that's another story

Skeeter 202 , 200 Yamaha , 1999 year , but again I put it in some very rough terrain .