bilgerat

I snagged a bunch of them at Wally World for $2.99 on clearance. Probably one of the best made cranks in that size and come in good colors. Early in the spring bass were killing them, now they're panfish magnets. I'll start throwing them again in the dog days of August and into the Fall. I have not had one run poorly out of the pack so far. Chartreuse/blue and sexy shad are good ones to start with. The all white one is another good one.

I think what Snook meant was not so much water 'purity', but what makes up the water itself. For example, New York's water has a unique mineral concentration. You could duplicate a New York bread or bagel recipe to the letter in another state and not get the same result. Altitude also has an affect on baked goods. That's why when I travel, I don't buy "Philly" cheesesteaks or hoagies because the bread is never up to par. Not that it's 'bad' bread, just not what I'm used to.

Glenn pretty much nailed it. He mentioned tubes, which can be rigged an infinite number of ways. Probably one of the most versatile plastic baits there is. Don't get obsessed with color selection, stick with natural tones in greens, browns and maybe some lighter ones for clear water. Rigged unweighted they will stay near the top, a 1/16 to 1/8 tube jig will keep them in the middle and heavier will allow you to work the bottom. If I had to fish with one bait only, tubes would be it hands down. Check out Poor Boys tubes. They are as good quality as any other tube out there and you get bags of 20 for under 7 bucks, plus it's hard to beat their color selection.

My buddies and I have been going to the Poconos every June for about 5 years now. We rent a vacation house in a development called Big Bass Lake. There's actually three lakes there, Big Bass, Lake Natalie and Larsen Lake. All three are considered 'trophy bass' lakes and are strictly controlled by Pennsylvania Fish and Wildlife. We had always stayed on Big Bass Lake, but this year we needed a bigger house due to more guys, so we made arrangements for a bigger house on Lake Natalie. So we arrive there last Saturday. We check in and drive to the house, pull in the driveway and walk down to the lake. My jaw drops. The lake is drained !!! There's literally 1' of water. The floating dock is sitting in mud. The rowboat that is part of the package is stranded on the ground. The lily pads are baking in the sun. We walk a few houses down and see heavy equipment next to the dam. This is not good. The guy that made the arrangements gets on the phone and calls the homeowners in New York and explains the situation. The owner swears he knew nothing of this and offers a 100% refund if we decided to back out that day. After some discussion, the owner arranged for us to have access to the other two lakes in the development and paid for all necessary fees and marina use. He also knocked $300 from our rental. The other two lakes were at full capacity and were within around 1.5 miles from each other. The only thing we lost was the ability to walk out the back door and down to the lake. So the week was saved. He probably could have said (rightfully so) that he had no control over the lake or situations that caused the need for the lake to be drained and that we were stuck. I thought it was decent for him to out of pocket the fees and such. It could have been worse. I would have gone home as I don't golf anymore and I don't go on vacation to sit in the house and watch TV. The marinas had racks for canoes and kayaks, so I had a place to keep my yak overnight. One guy had trailered in his 17' vee hull and kept it in one of the slips. We caught fish and had a good time overall. So now we know to ask ahead of time about about the condition of the lakes. Valuable lesson learned...

The only problem with Sliders IMO is the quality of the hooks can be sketchy. These could be an alternative for this rig and they are made with Gammy hooks.... http://www.basspro.com/Luck-E-Strike-Perfect-Worm-Rig/product/90001/-1329840

Earlier this week I was in the Poconos on a fishing trip. I had caught a nice 4 lb bass on a white spinnerbait and while removing the hook I saw a crawfish claw sticking out of it's throat. I had never seen anything like that before. I switched to a jig with a Rage Tail craw trailer and the bite turned off. So much for 'match the hatch'. Went back to the spinnerbait and found them again. Moral of the story...."If it aint broke, don't mess with it"....

Happened to me last year for the first time. Walked by another guy's rig that was sticking out of a pond prowler, got a Gammy EWG worm hook through my calf. Fortunately he had a pair of dykes in his truck and I get a tetanus shot every ten years. The guy who owned the prowler was mortified and couldn't apologize enough...he was more upset than me. I told him it was no big deal, kind of poetic justice for all the fish I've stuck over the years

Still on sale @ Tackle Warehouse - $5.99 for 1/2 oz, $10.99 for 1 oz. I bought the 1 oz, I realized I should have got the 1/2 oz. You won't go through 1/2 oz in a year...

I agree. I've been out with a buddy in the past fishing IDENTICAL tubes rigged the excact same way and one of us was hooking up while the other was getting zip. There was a cool thread last year about $1.00 WalMart spinner baits. The poster was simply tearing up the fish with them, he saw no reason to buy $5.00 spinnerbaits. I just got back from a week long fishing trip. Guess what got me the most (and best quality) fish ? A $2.50 clearance rack Strike King spinnerbait and a Mister Twister grub on it for a trailer. They beat that thing up like it owed them money. My opinion is that some guys think unless you spend top dollar you won't get good gear. Some things you shouldn't skimp on, others it doesn't mean a thing. If an expensive crankbait produces for you and gives you confidence, the cost is justified. If you're not a good crankbait fisherman to begin with, you're probably not going to be any better with expensive ones. In over 30 years of fishing, I've yet to have a fish poke his head out of the water and ask "Whadya pay for that ?"

As long as the built in safety switches (high pressure, low pressure, etc.) have not been bypassed or tampered with, you should be ok. They're there to protect the compressor, which is the most expensive part of the system. The compressor clutch will simply spin while the engine is running, but nothing inside the compressor will turn. When you get it fixed, they will likely tell you you need a new dryer installed. They are NOT trying to scam you. This is a critical part that removes moisture from the system. It works similar to a desiccant bag. Once the system gets air in it, the dryer is done. slonezp knows way more about this stuff than me, see what he has to say later.

So I broke down and bought a bottle. It was on sale and I added it into my order. I had read the stories about evaporation through the plastic bottles in the past, they now package it in glass bottles. The only other repair glue I had used in the past was Pro's SoftBait glue, which I wasn't impressed with. It dried hard and crusty, even in spite of my storing it in the fridge as recommended. I had a big bag of torn baits accumulated from a couple of seasons. The tears ranged from hook holes to tubes nearly ripped in half. Some of these baits are tough to find now and they were great producers for me. They now have a fine brush applicator as part of the cap. No tiny holes to clog up or drips and waste down the side of the container. When you initially apply it, it actually opens the tear up wider as the reaction of the glue to the plastic is instant. I really shouldn't call it glue, they say it catalyzes (liquefies) the plastic temporarily. In other words, it melts the plastic back together. You're supposed to apply it to both sides of the tear and immediately close the tear up. Then place the bait on a flat surface and let it sit a few minutes. That's it. So far I'm happy with the results. In spite of the 'melting' that occurs, I saw no deformation at all on the baits I repaired. Among these were tubes that were ribbed, like a Yum Vibra King. The fine rib pattern stayed intact. It was difficult to see where the repair was. On top of that, the repaired areas were as soft as original. The real test will be after a few weeks if they stay as soft. One last thing is after they sit, there is no noticeable chemical odor. However, it does have a strong smell and is flammable, so don't use it in a closet while smoking I let them sit out overnight before putting them back in the bags with the other baits. The main reason I bought it was I'm going on vacation for a week and if a particular bait becomes hot, I won't run out. There's really no decent tackle shops where I'm going and driving forever to find one while on vacation is out of the question.

As for the ac, the guy that told you that you needed to pull a vacuum was right. Now the system has got air in it, it will not work until it's pulled down and recharged. Another thing is that you may have lost some compressor oil in the process. It's time to find a pro. Ditto for the electrical problem. The money you spent on an alternator would have been better spent on a tech hooking into the onboard computer and properly diagnosing it. Once you install an electrical item, you own it. There are no returns on electrical items. As for taking the advice of a guy behind the counter of the parts store, that's risky at best. Throwing parts at a problem is always the more expensive way to go in the long run.

ALL trades are short on good techs for many reasons. One is kids get it drummed in their heads from day one if you don't go to college, you'll end up in a trade. There's a stigma to it. So a lot (not all) of the people coming out of trade schools are useless, while thousands of college graduates are chronically unemployed. I'm not knocking college, but it's NOT the only way to be successful. Another reason is like slonezp said, it takes years to build up enough skill and experience to get the big bucks. Everyone wants to come out of school and get $65,000 a year + full bennies to start and no nights or weekends. We stopped advertising for mechanics years ago, it's not worth the aggrevation interviewing zombies and bullshi**ers. The bottom line is if you have a skill, you will always have a job. I have never been laid off, because they know I (or any of my co workers) could walk into a competitor and have a job within an hour. That's the reality employers have to deal with.

I'm feeling it too. I roasted in a boat's engine room today for 10 hours, 5 months ago I was bundled in Carharrts working a fuel barge on the Delaware River. It was about 8* that night Thank God I have daughters. Nobody is following me into my trade. I'm 46 years old and the 'rookie' of our 9 man road crew. What's that tell you ?

I'm stunned. All of the talent Vancouver has and they resort to a beotch stunt like that ? Most of it is the NHL's fault because of their inability to consistently enforce the rules when it comes to cheap head shots. The rest lays squarely on the Canucks for putting a 5th string nobody out on the ice with one order..to lay out Horton. I'm disgusted.

Where are you from ? I've been a diesel mechanic for about 19 years and have 4 weeks vacation. We're a dying breed, there is now and always has been a demand for us. I get job offers often (I'm on the road) because there are no decent mechanics to be had in this region (East Coast). Sounds like you're getting screwed big time...Unless you're in the middle of nowhwere where your employer is the only game in town, you need to split. There's a HVAC guy on this board named slonezp. I'm sure he'll put his $.02 when he sees this. Good luck.

A little late for this, but did you use a good quality screwdriver ? Phillips screwdrivers all look pretty much the same, but there are subtle differences in the tips that separate good ones from Chinese made junk. A good one will fit into the screw head without any play whatsoever. On to your problem. I've never taken a Curado apart, but is it possible the screws have some kind of thread locking compound on them ? If so, a soldering iron with a skinny tip held onto the screw head for a while will transfer the heat down the screw and break the bond of the thread lock. You may want to get a better screwdriver and hopefully still be able to get a bite. If not, you (or DVT) may have to drill out the screw heads with a dremel type tool and small drill bits. Once the heads are off, you might be able to lift the plate off and have enough screw exposed that you can grab them with serrated needle nose pliers and get them out. Of course you will have to get new screws from Shimano. Based on my experience with them in the past with tiny parts, they may send them to you free of charge, although I don't know if they'll send them to Canada free. Good luck.

I'm not so sure about the yurt, but the little house looks intriguing. They say the trend is going toward smaller homes anyhow. I'm happy in my 3 bedroom rancher, I have no desire at all for the McMansions that litter the landscape these days anyhow. If you've ever been in or saw pictures of old homes, they were scaled down also.

I had the same problem until I started throwing smaller cranks. My hookup/catch rate went way up from before. Part of it was confidence I'm sure, I really can't explain the rest. The cranks I throw average around 1.5" to 2" long and are at most 1/4 oz. It worked for me. I'm sure a lot of it was I was throwing them for the sake of throwing them. I had a lot of success in the spring, then it tapered off a bit when it got warmer. I'll throw them again in the fall and it'll probably pick back up for me. Too many other things working for me now, I'm not sweating it.

A majority of all diamonds mined are used for industrial purposes - cutting tools, abrasives, etc. The technology involved with creating a diamond insert would be ridiculously expensive and a waste of time. The insert would have to be a mixture of diamond material and other binders/adhesives, etc. Most rod guides today have no problem handling the lines we have now.

Although it may not be a big deal to you, you are THE MAN in her eyes My girls are 14 and 12 now, but I (and they) remeber those days clearly. The look in their eyes when they rode without training wheels was awesome. Well done dad....

Thanks for the advice. In addition to my tacklebags being stocked up and ready to go, the duffel bag with the extra baits, line, etc. is probably as big as my suitcase...

When you say 'tab', are you referring to the outside door handle or the inside lock ? Can you open the door from the inside ? Either way, you will likely have to remove the door panel and see what's going on inside the door frame. If it's power locks, there will likely be some sort of solenoid actuator that may have failed. That will be a Ford dealer only item and could be expensive. You may get lucky and be able to free up the linkage with penetrating oil. Don't use WD40, the 'WD' stands for water displacing. Use PB Blaster or a similar type oil that is made to free stuck parts. Good Luck. You could try and Google "stuck door handle Explorer" and find something useful.

I'm headed to the Poconos for a week of fishing this Saturday. I plan on getting French tips and a complete pedicure before going.... On to the subject. Some plastics are a bit softer for better action, so durability suffers. Stiffer blends can be fine for 'do nothing' plastics like Slider worms and grubs. There's always a tradeoff. Pegging by either spring lock or old school toothpick through the head will help. I took advantage of a recent sale and am awaiting my first bottle of Mend It. I used to use Pro's Soft Bait glue, but it dried hard and crusty. I wasn't impressed. I stored it in the fridge as instructed but I still wasn't happy with the results. We'll see how the Mend It does while I'm away. That will be important as if I get on a hot bite with a particular plastic, I'll make it through the week. What are the odds of the local bait shop having that 'hot bait' ? Most of them (understandably) only stock the crowd pleasers. I guess the answer is to have the ability to repair them at night while you drink a few cold ones, or have enough new ones to get you through the trip.

12' 6" sit on top. Weighs approx. 65 lbs and is rated for 400 lbs. Best fishing related investment I've made in a while.