Tip 2 importance of Changing Anodes

from Coastal Angler Magazine | March 2023 | Panhandle Edition

TIES STATE RECORD

The importance of changing sacrificial anodes in your four-stroke outboard is extrememly important. Sacrificial anodes help keep corrosion out of your outboard motor. They are just as important as changing your oil on a regualr basis. The anodes are the first line of defense against saltwater corrosion.

Four strokes tend to get corrosion in cylinder heads due to lack of maintenance including not flashing the motor and changes the anodes. We recommend cleaning or changing the anodes every hundred hours or every oil change. This is one of the most inexpensive things you can do to prolong the life of your motor. Just flushing the motor will not prevent all corrosion from saltwater. The anodes sacrifice themselves to save your motor.

The pictures below show the lack of maintenacne on this motor. The anode is completely gone, which causes the corrosion to eat into the cylinder head. This causes water to get into the oil system.

Pensacola, FL - Mar 2023

Hello to all my Pensacola Fishing Buddies! It's Your favorite OG, Capt. Brett here to give you another monthly report! March is time for 4 things: spring break, sunshine, Spanish mackerel and SHARKS! I love shark fishing in the spring! There are a lot of fish biting, but none put up a fight like a big old shark! Of course, this is the best time for sheepshead because they come to the pass and spawn and are easy to catch off the rocks or drifting the deep water, but I like to focus on the sharp toothy critters! When looking for sharks in and around the pass the best thing to do is send down a whole bonita butterflied and slow drift the pass. I like to use a heavy or extra heavy rod with a Shimano Talica 25 spooled with heavy braid, heavy top shot, and a Carolina rig with heavy wire and a 9/0-10/0 hook straight through both lips of the Bonita. Sometimes the sharks get it on the first bite and sometimes you will have to feed it to them! When they start taking drag crank down hard and pull up! Once hooked you will be on the fight for a while so be ready for those arms to burn! I also love spring for Spanish Mackerel. Typically, a good rule of thumb is that when the Dogwoods Bloom the Spanish are here! The best ways to target them are to troll for them or sight cast. My favorite lures are glass minnows, small Rapala crankbaits, and spoons. The best areas to try are around the pass, off the beach, and nearshore wrecks! I hope this helps you all catch more and diverse fish than what you normally target! Good luck and tight lines!!