Fishing Rhino

Fishing has been interesting lately, not to mention great. In the past two weeks, I have had to play doctor with two fish. The first was a bass that had something orange trailing out of its rectum. It was several inches long, and my first guess was an intestine. Wrong, it was what appeared to be a Berkley, ribbon tail power worm. It was a simple, straightforward matter to gently extract the foreign object by pulling slowly. No surgery required. The second was more interesting. It was a large bass that took the bait deep, requiring a certain measure of skill to remove it without causing further damage. Besides the bait protruding from its gullet were four objects, two green, one black, and one orange. My first guess was some type of gross tumor, but I was wrong again. Using my curved hemostat, I was able to remove four plastic worms from its throat. My guess is that during the fight, the fish tried to regurgitate them, as bass are wont to do. That enabled me to rid the bass of the non-digestible plastic. In addition, two bass had bloated bellies. While removing the bait the one and one half inch wide tail of its meal was waiting for the gastric juices to provide room so it could finish its journey to the fish's gut. I'm left wondering what happened to the hooks of those five baits.

Avoid small diameter anchor line. True, you can put more line on the spool of the winch, but you risk having the line dig in on the spool.

I've ordered the makings of some NED rigs. I'm looking forward to trying them.

Excellent, kudos. Get a large life insurance policy. Watch the wife's attitude change.

You are not factoring the tongue weight which is on the rear wheels, and that makes the rear axle the pivot point of a see saw. The weight pushing down on the car at the rear bumper takes weight off the front end.

Good job. I missed the preview feature. Nice to have the ongoing refinements.

Scott Atwater, now there's a name from the past. The father of my best friend from seventh grade on into the college years was a Scott Atwater dealer. He started out with a used car business and added boats in around 1955. McCulloch took over SA in '57 and shortened the name to Scott and a year or two later change it to McCulloch. They were notorious for burning up water pumps. Some engineering genius put the water pump in the top of the lower unit where it got heat treated by the exhaust until it could pick up a prime, and start pumping. As soon as the impeller started to wear, it could not draw water into the housing, and it got cooked. When Mcculloch took over, the first thing, or one of the first things they did was to move the pump where it belonged, in the bottom of the lower unit, below the water line. No need to pull a prime which required the impeller to run dry until it finally pulled the water up a foot and a half or so. They did however have "Bail-a-matic" which was a second pump stacked above or below the cooling pump. therewas a hole in the plate between the two impellers which provided water to the Bail-a-matic pump. There was a tube protruding from the lower unit to which a flexible rubber hose was connected. On the other end of the hose was a metal pickup with a strainer to drain the boat of any water that leaked in or rain, or whatever. It actually worked pretty well until the unit crapped out.

Hey, she's a role model, wearing her Flo-tation vest.

If you can ever get over that ladle phobia you'll be perfect.

I've been away. What happened to the managerial job?

C'mon, I remember using that expression a few years ago in one of your threads, only I spelled it correctly. It was Raider of the lost arc. If I recall it involved a problem with electrical service.

Ever take a look at the Zoom Fat Alberts? Talk about a lack of quality control. The bodies are misshapen, dented, and inconsistent. Most of 'em look like seconds. But you know what, they catch fish, and plenty of them. The last time I looked they didn't award "style points" for the best looking, most accurate production of fishing baits. All a fisherman wants to know is, do they catch fish. Take a look at Lunker Cities Swimming Ribster. It looks much like the Keitech Impact line of baits. A friend of mine "discovered" the Swing Impact and found them to be extremely productive. Then we got some Lunker City Swimming Ribsters. On some days, they'd out fish the Keitech, other days the Keitech were the better producers. All in all, I'd call it a draw. But, I found a bait I prefer to either of the 4" (approx.) mentioned above. It's the Lunker City Grubster, 2.75" Clear Water bait.

Okay, guys, I'm back in the game, and the fish are biting. Anyone interested in getting together, and trying an interesting, productive pond, I have an empty seat at the bow of my canoe. That puts you in the preferred casting area of the boat. If you want to know if it will be worth the trip, ask JG233.

I use a line when launching by myself. Experience has taught me that that line can be too short, not too long. It should be long enough so that when the boat floats off the trailer, you can pull the trailer clear of the water without towing the boat to shore in the process. At the very least, you need to pull the trailer forward, far enough to get at the line where you have it tied to the trailer. Once you learn where the boat will float off the trailer, back up just short of that, then pull the trailer from under the boat. It will leave the boat in place rather than drifting away from the beach. Note: be sure your tie downs are unhooked, and the winch strap is unhooked. Oh, and be sure to remove the transom saver if you use one. Pay attention to the wind. It can move your boat where you do not want it to go. Plan accordingly.

Congrats. You're going to be amazed at how many more fish you will catch in a day. You'll get in many more casts when those fifteen minute, 2.9 mph runs get reduced to a minute or two. You'll also have the benefit of history, when you've found those tiny patches of fish holding bottom in your canoe that you would miss because you pass them faster than the blink of an eye in your new boat. May you make a "dream team" together.

I've found the solution to the pickerel problem. I use fifteen pound test fluorocarbon for a leader. The six and eight pound test line I have on my reels is no match for the toothy critters. I make the leader about six feet long. That allows me several bait changes before it needs to be replaced.

my mistake. I just looked at the prop on my Optimax, and it looks like yours in the photo. The prop hub has a sleeve which fits into the lower unit housing, preventing excess exhaust from escaping.

You can "help" a boat get on plane by steering it left to right a bit. How much is a bit? Something that can only be determined by trial and error. The "V" in the bottom of the hull provides lift when the hull is forced sideways by steering input. The left/right/left/right steering is like rocking a car when it's stuck in the snow. I agree with those who say the diameter of the prop's hub is too small.

The main reason that motor manufacturers do not recommend them is twofold. First, they do not manufacture them, and it would be a serious liability for them to recommend something they do not make. Second is that they recommend towing with the motor down because it takes the strain off the hydraulic system. However, they do not assume any responsibility for any damage caused to the lower unit if the skeg makes contact with the road or railroad tracks, etc., while under way.

It depends on you. A console, and it's components add to the things that can go wrong with a boat. Mostly the steering mechanism. They also add to the cost, and as some have said, take up space in a boat. Space which can be critical in smaller boats.

For what it's worth. I have several gas powered toys. Lawnmowers, an edger, a chain saw, trimmer, etc. Every year, after being stored for the winter, I had to put new fuel in the lawn edger. It would not start on old fuel, no matter what. I started putting stabil in all the fuel I buy except for our two vehicles. No more problem with the edger. It will start right up on last year's fuel. Additives also help to prevent the deterioration of fuel lines that result from unleaded gas. Take your pick. Stabil, Startron, Sea Foam, whatever.

If you keep your boat clean and waxed, you should not need to buff it except for light scratches and scuffs. Buffing removes material, which in some cases is necessary. But regular buffing is a no no. Even tree sap can be removed without buffing. The UV rays of the sun will damage gel coat. If possible, store inside, or cover so the sun cannot inflict its damage. If not possible, use a good quality wax or glaze with UV inhibitors as has already been suggested. Do it periodically, be it once a month, or every two months.

Are you fishing from the shore? Maybe "they" are "angry" because the shore is littered with debris left behind by fishermen. It is not uncommon to see plastic bait baggies, and other debris such as coffee cups, and other drink containers littering the area around launch ramps. It's so bad in some places that it looks like an unsanitary landfill. Granted, it is not all from fishermen, but discarded line and other items linked to fishing point an accusing finger at fishermen. It's small wonder that some folks would resent fishermen, and be vocal about it. What really concerns me is the impression that the only thing keeping you from dealing with the "problem" physically, is that it could cost you the privilege to possess your guns.

Yes, but like with some retirement accounts, there can be a severe interest penalty for early withdrawal.

I wish I hadn't asked. Sensory overload has been reached.