bassless

The power cable on my HB 1198 keeps getting knocked loose when I'm underway. I'll be making my way to my next waypoint and the unit just turns off. For those who have had this problem, how did you fix it? I created a small and very crude shim yesterday out of a plastic bag...it's not something that's a long term fix. thx

53.

Days like those are what make the good days great. Keep after them.

I just did a Google search on "San Bernadino Mountains + Mountain Lions" and I got a long list of stories about run-ins with them. Given what I'm reading in the news...I don't think you could get me to go on long hikes in the dark through that area. Here's a nice link to mountain lion behavior, with a few excerpts on how it hunts and how you are likely to die: http://www.mountainlion.org/CAL_ch4.asp "Cougars are ambush predators.(44) Like most cats, with the notable exception of the cheetah, they attempt to catch their prey unaware, rather than chase it down. Unlike a bear, which kills its prey through brute force, the cougar is the epitome of speed and precision. The cat is silent on approach, quick on the attack, and efficient in making the kill." "The cougar fixes its gaze on the animal, lowers itself to the ground in a crouch, and begins to maneuver closer to the animal, taking care to remain hidden. It assumes an alert watching posture: head is stretched forward, the whiskers spread wide, and ears erect and turned toward the front. The cat will hold this position for minutes on end following the prey's slightest movement with its head.(13) When the prey draws within 50 feet or less, Felis concolor strikes.(38) Flattened against the ground, the cat darts forward, either running or with several bounds, and quickly closes the distance to its prey.(13) The angle of attack is usually from the rear or side.(1) Once at its prey's side it grasps the neck and shoulders with the front paws, claws extended. It will frequently strike its prey with such force during the final charge that in the case of a large animal such as deer or elk, the prey will be knocked off their feet. Although cats will attack from elevated positions such as a tree or boulder, they almost never land directly on their prey." "The prey is normally killed with a bite to the back of the neck at the base of the skull. The large canines are inserted between the vertebrae like a wedge, forcing the vertebrae apart and breaking the spinal cord.(13) The speed with which this takes place indicates that the concentration of nerves in its canines allows the cat to "feel" its way to the vertebrae in a fraction of a second.(5) In the case of larger prey such as elk, the neck may be broken by pulling the head down and back, breaking it directly or in a fall.(45) If this fails the cougar may grasp the throat, crushing the windpipe. This necessitates death through asphyxiation and takes longer, exposing the cougar to possible injury.(6, 38) The efficiency of the kill will vary, depending on prey size, cougar size, angle of attack, and other circumstances. Hornocker found that cougars were successful 82 percent of the time in attacks on mule deer and elk in the Idaho Primitive Area." Here's a link to a National Parks page on Mountain Lion Safety: http://www.nps.gov/pore/planyourvisit/yoursafety_mountainlions.htm If I had to go, I'd have 4 bright headlamps (facing front, rear, left, and right). I'd carry a Keltec KSG 12 gauge (12 shot capacity) and I'd strap two claymore mines to my backpack to protect against attack from the rear. After that, hey relax...whats the worst that could happen? Oh yeah...I'd also wear a thick leather collar with spikes to keep that cat from crushing my windpipe or severing my spine. I was going to say I'd cover the neck-collar with treble hooks but that might actually make the cat get stuck to you...which would be counterproductive...so I went with spikes.

I would encourage you to see a doctor and find a fix now, before it gets worse. I had medial epicondylitis...golfers elbow. With golfers elbow the pain is on the inside of the elbow, tennis elbow is on the outside of the elbow. When I first started having my pain I was mountain biking, fishing, shooting lots of magnum handguns, reloading, and lifting weights...any of that stuff could have contributed to it. I kept using the elbow through the pain, but eventually it got bad enough that I had to see the doctor. That began a 4 year process of trying to heal my elbow. It hurt anytime I used my arm. Washing my hands hurt, picking up a cup of coffee, petting the dog, scratching my face...anything...no matter how small...brought tons of pain. Ultimately i had physical therapy, countless doctors visits, 5 cortisone shots, a non-invasive surgery, and then a standard surgery when they open you elbow up. It was a long frustrating battle that cost me several years of activity. I started to think I'd never have use of the arm again because nothing was working. Finally, about a year after the big surgery, the elbow started to feel a little better. I slowly began lifting weights again and it seemed to be holding up. Now, 18 months after the big surgery (and about 4 years after this first started) I have pretty much full use of my elbow again. I can fish all day slinging long hard casts, I can ride the mountain bike for 10 or 20 miles, everything is good...but it took a looonnnnng time with a lot of trouble, expense, and frustration. In my experience, once it progresses to a certain point, the easy fixes won't work and surgery becomes the only option. Get it checked early and hopefully you can minimize your down time.

I recall that the guy who taught me how to fish told me that I need to make sure my Texas rigged worm was perfectly straight on the hook...it needed to look real. So I did that...every worm was on that hook straight as an arrow. Years later someone comes up with the Wacky Rig and it catches just as many bass as the straight worm. I saw a bass in the movie Bigmouth try to eat a turtle...I can't believe I've never seen a turtle crank bait. It seems like a bass will eat just about anything that moves and fits in it's mouth. I've been thinking about taking some of my daughters Sour Worm candy and fishing with it just to see if I could catch one with it. I'm pretty sure a bass has never seen a worm that's made up of 10 neon colors...but I bet they'd eat it. I don't think they do a lot of thinking about the baits...they just hit stuff when it feels right.

Bro...that makes no sense at all. Nobody asked for any advice...and certainly not on "when to respond." And there was no joke made...anywhere.

TNT.

I'd love to see you holding him up by the lips for a picture!

When you hire a guide you are paying for his knowledge of the local lake. Having a guides electronics with all of his waypoints is effectively having a guide...so I say it's cheating according to your "no guides" rule. Also, polygraph results are fairly controversial...probably more so when administered by some folks who are running a fishing tournament. People will always cheat...no matter what the contest...no matter how small the "prize"...even if it's just for pride or to be "known" as the guy who wins.

Yeah...anytime you do a poll it's tough to give enough options without giving so many choices that it becomes cumbersome. I started with just "yes or no" but then I thought it might be better to have the ability to be a bit more descriptive. If I'd have thought it out better I'd have left the "yes" out in lieu of the others. Making things even tougher to gauge is the fact that anyones response could change based on the period in which you asked the question. 15 years ago I'd have checked "sometimes"...but now I'd check "No".

Dude...I'll skip your inquisition. Stick around and you'll see other posts from me...some of which won't trip your paranoia meter. Or maybe...just maybe...I'm a government sponsored internet bot that shows up un-announced to forums to ask questions some people find suspicious...maybe even...sinister.

I've "cut my teeth" on fishing/boating/hunting over the past 20 years...don't figure I need to do anything special to talk about it online.

At what number of posts should I have waited for? 30? 50? 3,000? Let me know the appropriate number and I'll repost at a time that suits you better.

I've tried swivels in the past with no luck. In the past I've not been able to throw these smaller crank baits well with a bait caster...although that may be more of an issue with the size line I use on my bait casters. I tend to use 10 to 14 lb test on the bait casters. If I set one up with 6 lb test maybe I'd have more luck. I might have to test that out.

A bluegill colored crank bait, grinding it's way across a gravel bar. "nothing to see hear folks...just a defenseless bluegill disrespecting your area..."

That's an experienced angler right there. Lots of folks wouldn't have thought to adjust their drag and play the fish out. They would've broken off on the first run. HUGE fish. The biggest bass I've ever caught was 7.5 and I couldn't believe the size of THAT fish when it came up...I'd pass out if a bass weighing almost 20 lbs surfaced in front of me. I bet there won't be an open parking spot at that lake til January.

Done. I'll pick some up this week. The other day I got into a big school of bass that were willing to bite, but my line was so fouled up I had to cut it all off and re-spool on the spot. It was a long couple of minutes, knowing that the bite was on and I was out of the action. thx

It's a Pflueger Trion GX-7. It seems to do it with every line I've tried. My other spinning setup occasionally has problems...but nothing like the Trion.

Gotcha. I didn't intend to start a problem. I'm just curious because I saw some boating accidents recently (as we tend to do going into the summer) and it got me to wondering how many folks regularly drink while operating a boat.

Is this a contentious topic? Why would it get locked?

What is the best 6-8 lb test line for someone wants to minimize line twist on a spinning reel? The line is spooled properly, I always close the bail by hand, and i never retrieve line when the drag is in use...but i get line twist so badly that sometimes after a few casts it starts wrapping itself around the rod tip. It's crazy bad. I can't complete a half day of throwing crank baits without having to cut a ton of line off. I have used line conditioner as well, and while that helps to a degree, it's not a fix. I'm wondering if maybe this particular reel just has a problem.

Do you consume alcohol while on your boat?

Through a combination of tenacity and dumb luck I've stumbled into my first few smallmouth bass. I thought I was fishing for largemouth so it took me a minute to realize that the brown tornado I had been fighting was actually a smallmouth...but I was hooked. It was really neat to realize that I had just landed my first smallmouth bass. Now I really want to target these fish and try to make some consistent catches. I'm fishing a good smallmouth place....Pickwick Lake. I've been doing a lot of reading and my experience thus far matches up pretty well with the material I've read. My smallmouth catches so far have been from gravel bars on the main river. My first one was a complete accident. I was running a crankbait deep enough that it was running in the gravel and then dropping off the bar into deeper water. I was really burning that crankbait back to me and BAM! the rod loaded up and the fight was on. I was really thrilled. The second fish came a few minutes later the same way. A few weeks later...same lure different gravel bar...BAM! Another smallie. So...today I went out and purchased a variety of tubes in 3 and 4.5 inch lengths and various colors. I got some 3/16 oz jig heads and I plan to drag the gravel bars tomorrow and saturday. The water temp is around 90 degrees, they should be pulling current, and the water is likely stained too. Am I on the right track with these tubes? Or should I keep burning a 5 inch crankbait? Or is there another method I should be using that's even better this time of year? What do you think of my gravel bar strategy? Is this an optimal place to find them this time of year? The "main" channel is actually a few hundred yards out from the gravel bars. The water where I've been fishing drops abruptly from the bank down to 15 or 25 feet...then stays that depth until you hit the main channel a few hundred yards away and it drops down to 40 to 70 feet depending on where you are. Any advice is appreciated. I'll be fishing mornign, afternoon, and night.