desmobob

View of the lake I first learned to fish, taken after a hike up a lakeside mountain: (Nikon Z 7II, AF-S Nikkor 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5G)

Congratulations, Luke! It's a sweet reel and I love mine. I believe Diawa recommends setting up the SV type reels with just enough spool tension to eliminate side-to-side play, then back off a click. I watched a Diawa YouTube video of a demonstration of the SV principle... I'll see if I can find it. Then you'll have to set up the magnetic brake to your preference. If you want to play it safe, start out with it maxed and work down from there... Diawa's video on how it works and how to set it up...

Mama of the flock of turkeys in the yard this morning...

Thanks Ron, I'm familiar with the issue of mono stretch and crushing/popping spools (learned about it many, many years ago with a plastic spinning reel spool). I was more concerned about the braid being much stronger than its rating and possibly bending a delicate, super-lightweight BFS spool with the strong pull of a big fish or snag. It must be a non-issue...

Edit to add: It looks short and broad from that angle, but it's a long and sleek boat from the days when boat racing was "a gentlemen's sport" (for rich guys) rather than being funded by manufacturers, sponsors and pros. Gold Cup racing on L.George, NY El Lagarto wins third Gold Cup at Lake George

At the county fair yesterday...

Oops. I'm a little slow some times. (And I'm really slow other times.) Another thing about me... I'm a gearhead and love going fast. I used to road race motorcycles in WERA in the '80s and have a Ducati now. I used to love downhill skiing and I also have a snowmobile. But if I don't watch the speedo in the car, I'll hold up traffic by puttering along at 53MPH. Never any worries about my lead foot destroying my MPG... I'm blaming it on getting older.

If your Nissan's fuel economy is measurably affected by the difference in weight between packing a full-size spare vs. the original space-saver, I'd be very, very surprised! I think weight, to a point, is much less of a fuel economy factor than aerodynamic drag, especially in flatter country. In other words, 300 extra pounds of cargo in an added roof rack might have a noticeable effect on MPG where 300 extra pounds inside the vehicle without the roof rack might not. Maybe in very mountainous terrain this might not be the case?

Interesting old mahogany boat seen (and heard!) on Lake George... Through the haze w/telephoto and heavily cropped:

As an interesting substitute for butter, I sometimes add peanut butter. A buddy who is a doctor told me it's his favorite way to add some protein to oatmeal. I tried it and liked it! (creamy or crunchy PB)

I mostly have, too. This morning's breakfast was "souped up oatmeal." I add chia seeds, raisins, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, and a little butter and maple syrup. That's my typical breakfast if I'm not having eggs and bacon, eggs and sausage, or a bacon-egg-and-cheese sandwich.

I sometimes enjoy my over-easy eggs separated by big, thick waffles. Here are some of those waffles, except in "dessert mode" with apple pie filling and whipped cream instead of eggs, bacon and Frank's Hot Sauce...

I'm a "knife nut" and rotate through lots of options. Currently, an Emerson Horseman seems to spend the most time in my pocket...

Explosives? So, a local outlaw was out in the lake, doing some dynamite fishing when the warden motored up alongside. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to arrest you for illegally fishing with explosives," the warden told the outlaw. The outlaw lit the fuse on a stick of the TNT and tossed it to the warden. "Well, warden... are you going to just sit there, or are you going to fish?"

That could be the case... Either way, it provides an explanation for the noticeable difference between summer and winter mileage in some parts of the country.

In areas of the country that see very cold weather in the winter (like here in the Northeast) there is a switch to "winter mix" gasoline for that season and a noticeable (as much as 10%) decrease in my mileage.

Surprisingly, it seems the last few nests the swallows built were attached to vertical surfaces: the junction of the ridge rafter and roof rafters. I'm thinking mesh screening or waferboard, etc. to close the bottom of the boathouse "attic" will be the only sure thing. Thanks for the suggestions!

That would be my kind of solution. I have a collection of springer air rifles from .177 to .25 from RWS, Weirauch, Air Arms, Beeman, Hatsan, etc. Unfortunately, it's not an option. ?

A friend of mine's parents have a nice covered boat dock on the lake. She just got a new tri-toon boat but can't dock it under the boathouse until the swallow nested in the rafters finishes raising its young. After that, we need to prevent further nesting. My idea is to cover the exposed rafters with some kind of plastic netting or screen. Anyone have any experience or knowledge of what might be the best material to use? Or is this a bad idea?

That photo makes me want to yell, "SQUIRREL!" ?

I used to use the Alberto on my leader-to-braid connection and was irritated when I sometimes broke off at that connection rather than the bait. If you want a leader-to-braid knot that's strongest, you'll need to learn the FG knot.

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Water temperature of the waters you want to fish may influence your choice. In the Backpacker Pro, my thighs are partly submerged. In the FatCat, they are mostly out of the water.

I have three float tubes ranging from a Backpacker Pro that weighs 3.4 lbs. including the pump, to about 20 lbs for a Outcast FatCat with backpack straps. I also have a Dave Scadden Raptor Lite Speed X kick boat. I use stocking foot breathable waders, zippered neoprene flats booties and Force Fins or SCUBA fins. For long hikes, the backpacking version is my choice. That tube, my waders, boot and fins will fit in/on a large daypack. For shorter or easy hikes, I like the FatCat, carried already inflated. I prefer the kickboat for areas where I can launch near my car. All are a load of fun and highly recommended! Outcast FatCat lake trout Early spring fishing from the Scadden kickboat... On a small mountain lake with the backpacking tube

When you first see them breach, it doesn't seem like such a big deal; it happens pretty slowly. But when you see the size of the splash on reentry, you realize how big a deal it is! That splash is probably 40' of whitewater spraying out of the ocean. ?