Family, friends and I rented a slip in Texoma and about to drop our fishing boat in Texoma. We have never left a boat in the water for a long period of time and was wondering about pitfalls and things that would keep us out of trouble from fellow TFFers. We will be traveling from Plano so important things to keep or not to keep at the dock etc. Thanks in advance.

I would say first thing is, if you can afford it, get a boat lift. Keep the boat out of the water. If you can't get a boat lift, keep the trailer easily accessible so you can pull it from the water every so often and give it a good scrubbing.
Get a good boat cover and keep it covered. That will keep the inside clean. Every other inch of the boat will get dirty sitting at a marina. Simply nothing you can do about it.

Set up a fish cleaning station and clean your fish at the lake. It's cleaner and easier than bringing fish home to clean.

As far as setting up the dock for fun - depends on what is allowed and how much space you have. Fishboy Frank has an awesome dock. The necessities I have are a fridge, chairs, a cleaning station and a small storage that I don't keep anything in that I don't care too much about. On my wish list in a small ice maker. Does your dock have water and electricity? That is a must for me.

Don't keep anything at the slip that you don't mind losing or that you don't mind paying an insurance deductible for.

I love the time spent at my dock. They are a lot of fun!

Good luck!

If you want to turn your nice boat into an old boat fast, put it in a slip without a lift. The water will stain it, and the algae will grow on it in about two weeks of non use. If you pull it out, and the algae dries on the bottom, you almost have to sandpaper it off.

I agree with the recommendation to get a lift and a good cover. If you have electricity, connect a timer to your chargers so you can keep your batteries charged. Nothing is worse than to arrive at the lake for early morning fishing trip and find your batteries are down and you can't even start your motor.

+ 10 on the boat lift! Never keep electronics on the boat. Don't leave nice rods reels, ect on boat.

Get a good power washer, and lots of simple green.

I have a very nice lift for sale? Call me!

+100 on all the above. Just got my second slip. The first one i gave up because of no lift. This slip I got a lift and I found it on Craigs list. I gave $3000 for it and it works great. I left my boat uncovered this last week and was surprised this weekend with how dirty it got in one week. have a good cover!

A lift is a valuable asset especially on texoma. I lift my boat and it makes a huge difference. If you do not the bottom will foul pretty soon and you will see a large amount of growth and discoloration. Also, a good lock box for rods and tackle is a must. I make a living at my slip and all my tackle and rods go into a good strong lock box on my dock. This makes it a lot easier than hauling all my gear back and forth every day. Also, a large wagon or pull cart is very handy for hauling heavy items from the truck to the boat. I use a wagon that I got at tractor supply. The good thing is that having your boat at the lake ready is going to spoil you fast. It is great!!!!!!!! Where are you going to be located?

Thank you for all the advices. I would like to get a boat lift but will likely not since my boat is nice but I do not think it's worth the investment. Having said that, I may change my mind after I see the results or get tired of power washing.

I am keeping the boat at Ceder Bayou. I guess I am in the market for a boat cover and a timer. Since it's my first time leaving the boat on the water, my fear is that the boat will be under the water or floated away from where I tied it. Having said that, my attitude is like a phrase someone here has said; you wont catch fish unless you are out there fishing. Again, thanks all an anymore advices are appreciated!

+1 on what VIP and pretty much everyone said. I'm in my 28th year of boats and slips. The first boat ever owned I tried the bottom paint (Way too expensive in my opinion so don't do that!) and the boat still got scum on it. Save the money from the bottom paint and get a used lift. Look around and you can find a good used one. Get a good solid dock box with the lock hinges on the inside of the box. Don't keep too much in there though. If a thief wants in he will get in. A broom is a must for the cob webs etc. A good thick boat tarp cover with poles to hold it up are a must for storms. "Bait" the stall with some plastic trees from Bass Pro for crappie. Christmas trees are nice but you won't get hung up on the plastic ones. Be sure to tie them off with a rope to your dock to a circular I-bolt. After a lot of years I finally have a party dock that we use a lot. Got my brother to kick in some and it's like a little condo now. We entertain a lot down there and my brother had his annual Union party there last night. They had a blast. Have fun that's what it's all about!

I forgot probably the most import part - glad Frank touched on it. I keep a few old poles at my slip. Poles that the tips have broken off so they are basically junk. I typically go to the slip before everyone else and take an old fishing pole and walk around the whole dock knocking down spider webs. The ladies do not like them and I have found a 7 ft pole is great for getting to them before they get around you!

Another thing is, you will want a lot of bungie cords or tie wraps. Everything on my dock is bungied or tie wrapped to a dock pole or screwed into the deck.

As Frank said, the most important thing is to have fun with it!!

Spider Netting is also a very good idea. I acually work at a marina on texoma and those nets do wonders. I see boats all the time that have them and dont have them and the amount of filth is greatly reduced when having one.

Spectracide Bug Stop is what I always used on my boat and dock when I had a slip. It worked so well that all my neighbors were using it too!! You could really tell who wasn't treating their area!! Get the liquid in the gallon bottle and a pump sprayer. I sprayed the boat, walkways, furniture and the deck. Better coverage better results. I usually only applied twice a year. Now it has been almost 3 years since I have bought any so I am not sure if the formula has changed!! If it hasn't.....well, you will thank me later!!



http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BQU...EV09251KE1Z706K

My hero VIP, I thought the most important part is the RED carpet??? Gotta have a cushie platform to lay the fish for the important pics to post to all uour buddies? Thats all.

Hadn't heard of that before. Could you expound on what it is and where I can get some? Sounds interesting....

Spider Nets.
Check this out.
http://www.yachtdocs.com/services/spider-nets