Fishing Rhino

Please, the first thing you should do is take a safe boating course. It should teach you more than just the basics and the rules of the road. It should also give you the fundamentals and more on how to handle a boat in adverse conditions. There is no trial and error learning when it comes to boating.

Yes, you get infinitely variable speed control. And, if I understand it correctly the digital unit controls speed by controlling the"pulses" of electricity where the non digital units use a rheostat to control speed. The rheostat resists the flow of electric current, and in the process some of the current is wasted.

Whatever way you go, I'd recommend you get a digital unit. Your battery(ies) will thank you.

It will still last a lifetime. Just someone else's life.

When my boat is parked at the house I keep it in a large wooden box called a garage.

Use the same common sense you use while driving a car. Before changing lanes (altering your course) check behind you to make sure no one is behind you so you don't cut in front of them. It is true that the overtaking vessel does not have the right of way. But having the right of way does not guarantee that you cannot be run into by someone who either does not know the rules of the road or willfully ignores them. Constant vigilance may save your well being.

The most unusual thing(s) about yesterday was there were two "party barges" on the pond. They have been tied to the dock all year, but this is the first time I have seen them on the water. One was towing an inflatable couch. The other was towing a small dinghy. I don't know why the dinghy, unless they intended to get into the shallows with it.

PFDs are not only "life savers". They are also "body finders".

One more thing to consider. Your anchor line should be long enough, and strong enough to also serve as a tow line. Unless, you want to have a line for each.

Regarding the foam. There are two types. One does not expand, and the other does. If you use the type that expands you'll need to cut some "vent holes" which will allow the excess foam to expand. If you don't, the foam may lift the decks off their supports. Gluvit is a good product. So is 3M 5200, which is a marine adhesive. Be careful with 5200. Do not use it to seal through hull fittings, or anything else than you may need to change in the future. It is great for bonding and sealing the edges of plywood decking.

I've seen people who struggle on the water, but have fun, and enjoy it. On the other hand, I've seen those who could sink their boat with what they catch yet they gripe, complain, cuss, and throw things around. They are obviously not having fun. You tell me, who's the better fisherman?

Use a wax, or other protective product that has a UV inhibitor. It's the ultra violet rays of the sun that cause the fading problem.

Simple fix for that "problem". Slide a piece of pvc pipe over the threaded rod.

I'm interested in a get together where we can fish then cook some hot dogs, steaks or whatever. But I like my own bed at night. Maybe I'm getting old. Getting old? I'm already there.

Seems to me that the simple solution is to sign onto this site using a compter. Then open your account, and hover the curser over the avatar. Then you can block the offender. Once blocked he/she will be blocked whether you use a smart phone or a tablet. You should not have to block him on every device you may use to access the forum.

Look familiar?

I cannot take selfies. But here I am with one of my feathered friends hitching a ride. Or, maybe he thought that mop of hair was a nest. This photo was not altered in any way.

I'd like to see a bass with a grin and a smile. The bass I catch seem to be grimacing in pain. I took this photo at a family reunion. I post it at great risk to my safety.

Doesn't MinnKota have a two year warranty on new models? Google MinnKota service centers. There may be one near you, that you could call. A teaspoon shouldn't cause a problem, unless the battery had a low or weak cell to begin with. Check all your contacts. Make sure they are clean, and tight. Most electrical problems stem from poor grounds or poor contacts in the circuitry.

Yes, we've all heard about this bait and that bait, or this technique and that technique. We are all searching for the bait that will work when nothing else does. This was shown to me by an old man who lived in a cottage along a private pond, to which I had access. So, without further delay, here 'tis. First, get yourself one, or more of these. They are still available. He showed me his that used a treble hook, so that is what I used. Funny thing is I haven't used it since getting back into fresh water fishing, but that's about to change. What to use for bait? Pork rind? Some kind of trailer? First catch a pickerel. Then split its belly open. Use a pair of scissors and cut an elongated tear drop shape from the pickerel's belly A couple of inches long is fine, and a quarter to three eighths an inch wide at the widest point. Impale this on the hook. And you are ready. It doesn't cast well, so I'd troll it behind the row boat I fished from. Almost forgot, slide the spring up the shaft so the mount for the hook will open. Put the hook on, slide the spring to lock the hook onto the eye. This bait would catch anything and everything in the pond. My biggest pickerel, 36", was caught on this rig. My biggest crappie 16.5" was caught on this rig. Try it, you'll like it. The bait monkey might hate you, but the money you'll save on baits will buy you a nice electronic toy.

Here's an update. I too am going the route of using a dealer rather than BPS stores. Last year I called to make an appointment to get the boat/motor winterized. Was told they no longer make appointments. They winterize them on a first come, first served basis. Was also told they had a four week backup on boats to be winterized. I could leave my boat and they'd call me when it was done. Sorry, I told them but I'm not leaving my boat anywhere for routine service when I will have to leave it on their property for four weeks. Wouldn't do it for one week. I asked if they could put my name on the list and I'd bring the boat in a day ahead of time when my number came up. Nope, they couldn't do that. So off to the local Nitro/Tracker dealer which is a half hour closer than the BPS supermarket. Bring it in, and I could pick it up the next day. Service matters.

In my first post I mentioned an implement for sharpening/honing double edge blades. Just came across it. Close the door on top, and crank the handle. The blade would flip from one side to the other, and it had a transmission which would reverse the rotation of the sharpening drums while cranking in one direction.

Jon boats are harder to paddle, simply because they do not "coast" like a kayak or a canoe. I had a 12 foot jon boat and a sixteen foot wooden skiff. Over a distance, the skiff was easier to row because of its weight. There are several types of boat hulls. There are displacement hulls, planning hulls. The old boats were generally displacement hulls, long and narrow. They were not fast like today's planning hulls, but they move along smartly with little horsepower. If you've ever seen how fast the rowing skulls move, they do so because there is little drag. With a ten horsepower motor, a jon boat will skim the surface at a pretty good speed. Cut the throttle and it will slow quickly. The first stroke of the oars will get the jon moving quickly, but you need to keep paddling to maintain that speed. The relatively large flat surface creates a lot of drag once the power is not applied.

Here's a pattern that might interest you. The first was done with pre finished wood. The wood in the bottom image was not. It was the type of flooring that requires sanding and finishing after installation.

The fickle finger of fate always strikes in conjunction with Murphy's law.