Fishing Rhino

Well........................, look at the positive side. It would make a great winter boat in the cooler climes.

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According to the bass the fish are healthy. They have adapted to the changes in the lake and are continuing to find the food they need to stay healthy. According to your description the symptoms indicat that the fishing stinks. At the moment, with the algae bloom, it does indeed stink. One or two fish per two hour outing. A couple of weeks ago, it was five or six per hour, sometimes more. It isn't just the visibility. Some areas of the pond are clogged with brown gunk (another form of algae?) that floats on the surface buoyed up by gas trapped underneath. From a distance the "bubble" under the brown matter makes the mess resemble a cypress knee. Those bubbles can protrude a couple of inches above the surface of the pond. Some areas are clear of this stuff. It tends to be found along the northeastern shoreline, probably because it is not anchored to the bottom, and the prevailing wind is from the southwest. I've given up on that pond until the bloom dies off when the weather cools, probably in September. A few hundred yards to the west is another pond which is about twice the size but has always been similar in character. It has no such problem and the water is sparkling clear, and it remains much as it was forty years ago. If anything, there has been more development along the waterfront of that pond, so it can't be attributable to the use of fertilizers for lawns, etc. In fact, when I fished Devol Pond forty years ago, there were active farms with livestock that had access to the pond. My father-in-law's cows would wade in the pond in the summer heat. Today, only one farm, on a smaller scale remains, so there is considerably less runoff from manure. The fields, by and large are only used for haying. Supposedly, the state has recently taken water samples. I don't know what action they will take since there is no public access to this pond. Usually when the state spends money on something it comes with strings attached, such as providing access for the public. Sawdy Pond, which has no noticable problems is on the Mass, RI border, and drains into South Watuppa Pond, bordered by Westport and Fall River, MA. Devol pond drains into Sawdy Pond via swamp and marsh, which apparently filter the cause of the problems in Devol Pond. Regards, Tom

LOL, no. But I still have it. It's missing an eye or two. One eye is held on with a band aid, and another with electrical tape. The winding on others is unravelling, and the female part of the coupling needs to be reglued. I'm thinking about getting it "restored", just for old time's sake. Even the ultralight stuff on the racks is nowhere near as flexible as my old Wonder Rod. At the butt, the blank is not much more than 1/4 inch in diameter. Who knows? If I do get it fixed up, I might try it just for giggles. I doubt it could cast half the stuff in my tackle box now. Regards, Tom

It depends. Not all jon boats are created equal. Years ago, I had a 12 foot Sears jon boat. It was riveted and thin gauge aluminum. I doubt it weighed 60 pounds. Today's welded versions are much heavier. I believe that a twelve footer might weigh 125, or more. You will want to get foam that goes over the gunnels to avoid metal to metal contact between the boat and the roof rack. It is available at most large sporting goods stores, but a better choice would be the high density roll bar padding that can be found at shops that cater to automobile racers. Regards, Tom

A bit of history, circa 1968. In the summer of '68, my wife, our daughter, and I took a trip with my parents to visit my uncle who lived in Huntsville, Alabama. Since my uncle had said he would take us fishing, I brought along my trusty Shakespeare Wonder Rod, a seven foot two piece job, and my Pflueger Freespeed spinning reel. This rig came from the S&H Green Stamp "redemption" center. I still have that rod sans a few eyes. It is about as limber as a piece of well soaked linquine. If you wiggle it back and forth, the rod will flex into an "S" curve. My uncle, who had all the latest and greatest, fast taper, heavy action spinning and bait casting rods, laughed at my limber stick, as he called it. If memory serves, crank baits were all the rage at that time, and my uncle's assortment was matched only by well stocked tackle shops. Even so, the day before our fishing expedition to one of the TVA waters, maybe Wheeler, the other escapes me, south of Huntsville, we stopped at the tackle shop for a fishing report. The fish were hitting on something my uncle lacked so he stocked up on them. Dark and early the next morning we were off. We launched his boat just as it was getting light. For the next couple of hours we got not so much as a nibble. My uncle and dad were tossing everything in the arsenal, while I was going through my Daredevles, Mepps, plastic worms, Jitterbugs, Hula Poppers, Creek Chub Plunkers and what else with no luck. I was down to the only lure I hadn't cast, a three inch gold rebel. My recollection is that the entire lure was gold, no black back. First cast, a strike, and a two pound Kentucky Spotted Bass. Second cast, another even larger. When we were done, I had boated 17 Bass, my uncle and dad, zero. On the way home, we stopped at the tackle store. We had kept about ten bass on ice, and my uncle showed them to the proprietor. He made a comment that we'd had a good day fishing. My uncle corrected him that I'd had a good day fishing. He and my dad had struck out. It turned out that the tackle shop did not have my lure in stock, but the owner was going to order six for my uncle and six for himself. I don't know if my uncle had any success with them, or if his telephone poles would impart the same action as my "limber stick". Even a blind squirrel finds a nut now and then. Never hesitate to try something new or different. Regards, Tom

It is available in colors to match your vehicle. But, I hadn't thought of that. The bottom wouldn't be a problem, but the sides and the other surfaces would be for sure. Thanks for that input. rhinolinings.com/products/solarmax Regards, Tom

I've had great luck with the Luck "E" Strike perfect finess worm rig orthe Luck "E" Strike perfect worm rig. Rig them with a worm to be weedless and they go through the thickest of junk and gunk without a problem. Occasionally the tag end of the knot will grab a very fine filament grass or algae, but not often, and just a strand or two. The head will allow it to dart downward as it falls off the pad or down into an opening in the weeds. I fish it in rocks and weeds with good success. Good luck. Regards, Tom

Had a 12 foot jon boat years ago. Have a 15 foot canoe today. I had the experience of capsizing the canoe earlier this year when I reached over the side of the boat with the paddle to poke at something. Good thing the water was warm and shallow. It happens faster than you think. Keep in mind. A fishing boat is never large enough. You can always use more room. Go with the jon boat. It's more stable. It has more room for gear. The canoe is working for me......for now. But I'd prefer a jon boat, so I'm going to build one. Regards, Tom

Take the cover into consideration for the area you are fishing. Are there weed beds nearby or even worse, vegetation such as water hyacinth a big bass can get into, making it impossible to "horse" them out if you are using light line. Or, is the bottom rocky? Does it have submerged snags? If you are fishing open water, or a fairly smooth bottom with light vegetation, you can probably get by with light line. I've caught smallmouth over five pounds on two pound test line, but that was in open water with no known obstructions. It can take as long as thirty minutes to wear down a big smallmouth on two pound test. That may not be a good thing. It's considered sporting when compared to winching 'em in. But the lactic acid buildup can be a death sentence, while winching 'em in does little, if any long term harm. It has been mentioned, but cannot be overemphasized, drag setting is critical with light line, or any line when a fish can exert greater force than the tensile strength of the line. It takes patience to land a fish on light tackle. So, be patient when you finally hook that lunker, and resist the temptation to tighten that drag. I speak from sorry experience. Be sure to run the last few yards of your line through your fingers regularly. You will feel any nicks. Be sure to trim the damaged line. One other thing. Try larger bait. If you are using small bait such as Mepps spinners, they appeal to small fish, which seem to beat the larger, warier fish to the bait. I've used a Storm, Tails and Scales, four inch swimbait, which caught several bass. A few weeks ago, I hooked into ten, landed eight which ranged in size from 2 to 6 pounds. (Chartreuse color) Never got a "tap" from a small fish. BTW, those lures have a lead weight in the head which makes them dive. You can real them fast, slow, or jig them. Whatever it takes. Their action is incredible. I've also used the Storm four inch Goby along the edges with good luck, and to my knowlege, there isn't a Goby within 200 miles of the waters I fish. Ya never know. Regards, Tom

That's an interesting concept. However, it poses the question, why the shortage of forage for the bass? Could it be something other than too many bass? I'm concerned about one of my favorite ponds, and the majority of bass that I catch average better than two pounds. This pond, when I fished it forty some years ago contained no largemouth and plenty of smallmouth, pickerel, perch, bluegills, crappie/calico bass etc. My dad won a tournament with a smallmouth that weighed just shy of eight pounds. I had caught several smallmouth in the five pound range, primarily during the spring when they were on the beds. I also caught a 36 inch pickerel and a 16 1/2 inch crappie back in the 1960s. The pond is about six feet deep with three small areas of about nine feet. Back in the day, the entire west shore was lined with lilly pad beds from a hundred feet wide to a hundred yards or more. The water was always clear. Now, the pond suffers from tremendous algae blooms which reduce water clarity to zero. The only way you catch a bass now is if you land the lure or bait on its nose, and it strikes as a reaction. If you don't get a hit in the first crank or two of the reel, odds are you should retrieve as quickly as possible and cast again, working every inch of the weed cover along the shores. I have been told that the algae blooms have gotten progressively worse over the years. Will there be a bloom of sufficient magnitude that it will deplete the pond of oxygen, wiping out or seriously reducing the fish population. Right now, by your fish size standards, the pond is healthy. But different symptoms indicate otherwise. Regards, Tom

I'm in the planning stages of building a fiberglass jon boat. It will be a foam core construction to provide adequate stiffness without excessive weight. The inside of the hull will be smooth, and the runners/wear strips/ stiffeners on the bottom will be on the exterior (glass over foam). I dont like interior grooves or ribs that can make cleaning a pain. The foam core will provide rigidity while affording a smooth, obstruction free interior. I'm wondering if anyone has experience with Rhino Lining or similar material on the inside of the hull to provide sure footing and deaden sound? I know some who have had it done to their pickup beds, and they have nothing but good to say about it. It occurs to me that carpet can have some negatives such as hooks snagging it, or grit getting into it. I may be wrong, however, thus my query regarding the pros and cons of each. It also seems that carpet when it is wet may add significant weight to the boat, while the rubberized liner will not. How long does carpet last? Any input will be valued and appreciated. Regards, Tom

Hello all, I'm 66 years old, and live in Westport, MA. In my youth, I was an avid freshwater fisherman. When my job took me to Cape Cod, I began saltwater fishing for Stripers and Bluefish. Also did some freshwater fishing on the Cape as well. We moved back to Westport in 1972, where I continued sportfishing for Stripers and Blues in the waters of Buzzards Bay and Rhode Island Sound. One thing led to another, and I became a commercial lobsterman for over twenty years. As the lobster fishery became overcrowded and overfished, not to mention the onset of shell rot disease, I shifted from lobstering to making fiberglass stock car bodies. That's another story. Anyway, when I finished lobstering, I had no interest in getting out on water of any kind, for any reason. But things and people change. I enjoyed playing golf when I had the opportunity, but with retirement looming on the horizon, and more free time on my hands, I began to think about fresh water fishing as something I could do in my remaining years. While zooming around in a full bore bass boat at 70 or 80 mph did not appeal to me, the idea of applying what I had learned in the years of lobstering to rod and reeling for freshwater fish piqued my interest. So, presently armed with a canoe, three spinning rods and two baitcasters, plus plenty of ammo from the Bass Pro Shops and the local sporting good stores, I renewed my assault on the local stocks of largemouth and smallmouth bass. I look forward to the forum being a valuable resource, and perhaps affording the opportunity to meet some of you in the future. Regards to all, Tom