haleywp

Many years ago, while at the camp we set out a trot line across the river and baited it up. The next morning the river had raised some. I get in the jon boat and start running the trot line. It was raining a little so I put on my cowboy slicker (you know the one that reaches the ground and covers your saddle). When I get to the end of the trot line where we had tied it to a limb overhanging the water I am looking at one of the biggest wasp nest I had ever seen. They were all up and their wings looked like jets on the runway ready to take off. Sure enough here they come. I let the trot line go, one of two pop me and in the water I go to get away from the rest. The slicker wraps around me like a blanket. I managed to grab the side of the boat and get it away from the tree. Invited the welding inspector at the plant we were building to go fishing. As we were fishing I look at the back of the boat and he was getting ready to change baits. I ask him what he was going to put on and he said a Texas rigged worm. I said grab that rod it is rigged up already. The rod was on its first trip. He starts fishing and gets a bite. When he sets the hook the back of the set brakes and he falls on the back of the casting deck. As he is going overboard I run back there and grab his feet and pull him back in the boat. The rod goes overboard. We rig up some treble hooks with weights and start casting. Luckily we catch the rod after pulling up every tot line in the area. Pat

I can remember in the old days we would come home from a football game and my Granddad would be parked in the front yard with his van. He had this van he had converted with a bed and everything you would need to camp for about a week. He had the boat on the top. We would leave out that night and go camp and fish. This was in the 60’s. You would put the 14-foot flat bottom boat in the water, grab the 2-foot Feather-lite (I think it was called) paddle and take off fishing. We did not have a trolling motor, and don’t even know if they made them at the time. I remember seeing my first trolling motor. It had a motor on top that was as big as a lawnmower motor with a shaft that bent at the bottom with the propeller attached. My first depth finder was a flasher paired with a paper graph. Then this thing called The Color-C-lector came out (I still have it and once found in storage will post a photo). You put small tape, provided in the box, every foot or two. You would drop the head attached to a wire down to the depth you thought you should fish, push the toggle switch and it would tell you what color bait you should fish with. Grandmother would not let Granddad drink at home. On the way to the fishing/hunting spot, about 3 miles from their house there was this long curve in the road. Granddad would pull over on the side of the road, cross over the barbwire fence and go out in the woods. He would return holding his favorite bottle of wine/whisky and off we would go. On the way back, if anything was left, he would stop and put it back. I be there is still a bottle in the hollow tree. Pat

As mentioned above zip lock bags are great. You can mark on them with black marks-a-lots the different size and style of baits. A cheap backpack from Wal-Mart is handy to carry them in along with some hard baits if you bank fish or in the boat as a non-boater. Or a cheap hand carry bag.

Is this what you are referring to: https://www.bassresource.com/fishing/hope_chronicles.html It's at the bottom of the article, although the hole article is a great read.

I don't know if they put one on it. It sits about 4" in the water. I have had it in lakes in MN with big boats running with no issues. If needed some Styrofoam could be added on the sides. Some small jon boats are less then 44" wide. I can stand and cast, flip, and pitch in it as it is. I am 6 foot and 185 lbs.

Thanks MickD. I have read many of you post and enjoyed them all.

Welcome to the forum.

Welcome.

Welcome and know you will enjoy.

Glad you made it. Know you will enjoy.

Welcome to the forum.

Could not open the photo to see what kind of trolling motor you have. If you go on YouTube there are lots of good videos showing how to trouble shoot and repair the trolling motor.

Well I am going to jump in with both feet. Yesterday I ordered an Advanced Rod Building Start-Up Kit and CBR Freshwater Rod Kit 7’0” Med-Heavy Power graphite from Mud Hole. I have been practicing using some rod supports built out of 1” X 6” pine boards on wrapping guides. Have not applied any epoxy yet or reel seats. I am going to retire the end of June and thought I needed one more thing to add to my list (that is growing by the day) of activities. I have watched many hours of vid’s on YouTube and think I will start. If there is anything you can tell me to look out for and/or give a beginner tips all would be appreciated. Thank in advance Pat

In 2005 I was in the Mankato, MN area installing a power plant. Coming back from one of my 3rd week-end trips home I stopped by the Cabela’s in Owatonna to do some shopping. It was late fall early winter. I spotted something looking like a small boat. While standing there looking at this thing a short plump older salesman walks up and says, ‘oh, you are going to do some ice fishing, a’. I told him not in this lifetime. He says ‘we use these to pull our stuff out on the ice for ice fishing’. I told him that is good. He says ‘what are you going to use it for?’ I told him what you are looking at is a bass boat. He looked at me as if I had just fallen off a turnip truck. He says ‘how are you going to make a bass boat out of that?’ I told him put a bracket on the front, a hand control trolling motor on it, an ice chest with a small seat, battery, and some small tackle boxes and you have a bass boat. As I picked it up, through it over my shoulder and started to the checkout stand I look back and he was laughing. I get it home rig it up and take it on it’s madden trip to a small lake. Front to back it was very stable, side to side it would turn over before a cat could lick its butt. Here is the first trip out on the lake. (Look at the guy in the upper right). Well, I tells myself this won’t work. I let my son-in-law and grandsons use it for about 5 years. One afternoon I ask my son-in law if he still had the thing. We go retrieve it out of a tank (small pond for watering cattle in TX) where they used it to retrieve doves during hunting season. I call Tractor Supply and ask if sell some large Styrofoam and he says no but he might have something I can use, to come see him. I drive there and come to find out when they deliver the small trailers they put 12” X 12” X 18” Styrofoam blocks between them to keep them from bumping into each other. He give me all I want because they blow during the night and set off the alarm system and he has to go out and see what is the issue. I buy some ½” all thread and 2” alum flat bar and drive home. I install three blocks on each side of the boat and take it for a spin. I can turn 360 degrees stand and flip/pitch with no issues. Here is the fix. Part 2 Well here it is 2018 and I am back in Mankato, MN installing another unit in the same power plane. I stop by Cabela’s and they have a new and bigger sled. At the end of ice fishing season I by the 96” X 44” sled. On this one I install a foot control trolling motor. Next will be some homemade power poles (YouTube tiny boat nation shows you how). This past summer while fishing around the Mankato area the local fishermen would see me in the boat (sled) and thought I was nuts, it got lots of head turns. By the way, I have a 20 foot Ranger Bass boat also. It will not go in some of the smaller lakes in North Texas so I use my small boats.