Fishing Rhino

"Get a Job" http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=get+a+job+song+&view=detail&mid=101BD9BA2E00116B4026101BD9BA2E00116B4026&first=0&FORM=NVPFVR

Very nice, thoughtful gift. PM sent.

That reminds me of the story about a guy who came to work every day, dragging a chain behind him. The security guard's curiosity got the best of him, so he asked the fellow why he dragged the chain to work every day. The man answered, "Because I can't push it."

It depends on the size of those "humps" or shoals. Some I fish are maybe twenty feet in diameter. The water is twenty feet deep, surrounded by 30 - 40 feet depths. We've hauled as many as four or five fish in succession off of that tiny hump. Other times only one. To make things more interesting, we have caught pickerel, smallmouth bass and largemouth bass from the top of that hump in a period of a few minutes. Another large hump (shoal) I fish has water as shallow as six or seven feet, but averages ten or eleven feet in depth. It is roughly 200 feet across, north to south, and 150 across east to west. Water depths around the shoal vary from 25 to 40 feet. There are times they are scattered on the shoal. Other times they congregate in sections of the shoal. I like to use marker buoys. I mark the shoal's perimeter at 15 foot depths. Sometimes I'll drift the shoal with a drop shot. Other times I'll cast a weighted plastic. There is vegetation on both of the above humps.

One thought comes to mind. Take care of your equipment, and it will take care of you.

They'll tell you more than depth. They'll also tell you bottom composition and transitions between different types of bottom and they will also tell you when you have gone from bare bottom to bottom with vegetation, and vice versa.

There are two things which limit how far to push a boat. The boat's limits, and the drivers limits. In most cases problems occur when the driver exceeds his limits. Jumping a waterfall. Why? What's the point? To be a daredevil? Do something like that and you may find your boat insurance does not cover negligence or irresponsible acts. Would you beat your vehicle with a sledgehammer then try to collect on your comprehensive and collision? Maybe it was my twenty-seven years as a commercial lobsterman that have taught me not to tempt fate on the water, be it the ocean or a pond. If my boat was an inner tube, I might take a journey down a shallow rocky river in it. I can easily pay for its replacement. Rapids? No thanks.

I'd call that a win, win.

Why tie off to a tree? There are these handy things called paddles/oars for moving the boat around, and anchors to hold it stationary in one area. If you want to reach areas that are not accessible from shore, a float of some sort is not important. It's a necessity.

Hey Eric, let's not get silly in our later years. Do not ignore your doctor's advice. Shooting a clot can kill you in the blink of an eye. I want both of us to live so we can fish together down the road of life.

The boat should take little maintenance. Cleaning, waxing, etc. Eventually it may need new carpeting. You can also inspect the wiring for chaffing and corrosion. Hinges, hatches, and other hardware should be checked for wear. Go over all fastenings. It's the motor and its controls including steering that calls for routine maintenance. When my boat is winterized I have them check the water pump (impeller and housing) for signs of wear. I also have the fuel filters changed. All mounting and steering fasteners should be checked to be sure they are tightened to specs. The trailer, if you have one, needs routine annual service, with special attention to the wheel bearings and seals. The folks who winterize your boat should know what periodic services are needed for your motor, boat and trailer. Preventive maintenance may not be cheap, but it is economical compared to repairing problems that arise due to lack of maintenance.

Good deal. Finding work isn't easy in the current economy, at least finding something that will provide a decent living with a few extras. Sounds like you done good.

Thinking of you man. It may have been more than fate that you did not attend the road trip. Take care, and follow you doctors' instructions to the T.

Since it's aluminum, how about Tintanic?

Only three times? Dinky must be slipping.

Cracks, like those you describe, may continue to "grow". They are stress cracks caused by flexing. If that is the case, the growth of the cracks can be stopped by drilling a small hole at the end of each crack. Use a small drill, 1/16" or less. I'd suggest using Gluvit. You can paint it over the cracked areas once you have prepared the surface according to the instructions on the container. http://www.marinetex.com/gluvit.html

File this one under, "if memory serves". Originally, there was only one grade of gasoline. As engine compressions increased, the heat generated by compression became sufficient to cause combustion. In other words, car engines would suffer the ravages of pre-ignition. Merely retarding the timing would not prevent pre-ignition. Octane levels were increased, to raise the temps at which the air fuel mixture would "ignite". Those of us who hearken back to and before the late sixties, early seventies, remember when car engines used to "diesel". If you've seen the movie "Vacation" you may recall the scene where the Family Truckster kept "running" clunking and knocking until it finally wheezed, and stopped long after the ignition had been turned off. It was quite common in that era, particularly in the "lean burn" engines that Chrysler developed. Adjusting octane content adjusts the ignition temp of the air fuel mix. The last vehicle I ran high test gas in was my '66 GTO. To my knowledge, which is admittedly limited, octane rating has nothing to do with the rate at which fuels degrade. Back in the day, we used the term "stale gas" to denote fuel which had been hanging around and caused starting problems, be it in a lawnmower, outboard motor, or vehicle.

I'd say no. The owner's manuals for the vehicles and outboards I have owned tell you to run a certain octane rating. They mention nothing about the ethanol blended fuels as pertains to octane rating. What they do recommend, particularly for outboards is the use of fuel treatments such as Stabil. The reason being is that the blended fuels will degrade faster, and also cause more problems with fuel lines.

What probably confused me was the ability to store waypoints and courses on a memory chip using the Navplanner2 program. When that chip is installed, it will show those on the display. I guess it's an overlay or something like that. I wasn't sure about the memory of the Navionics chip. But thinking about it, it can store tracks, so why not waypoints? Thanks for the clarification.

I've just finished cutting the grass and tended to a few other chores, so I'm good to go. By the by, did anyone catch a drum? I'm ready to bequeath my title of drum major to someone else. I'll find a jacket to a drum major's outfit, and we can have an official changing of the guard at the next road trip. Could be an annual happening at the soiree.

Not all lakes/ponds are in HD. While the HD maps are pretty accurate regarding position on the water, the non HD are not. You may be close to shore, and the display can show you as being on dry land across a road that runs along the shore. In those cases, the maps are only good for showing the general contours with very little detail about the pond. Having said that, you can "mark" your own waypoints on the non HD lakes and use them to return to the same spot (s) in the future. I think you will need a separate memory chip to store those waypoints. Wayne can give you the proper scoop about that.

I have the Navionics premium (not platinum) chip. I cannot say it denotes every one of these, but in some cases it shows submerged bridges, roadbeds, creek beds, emergent and submerged vegetation, as well as flooded timber.

I'm home, safe and sound. Left around 9:30 a.m. (Central time zone) Sunday, arrived back home in MA about 9:30 a.m. (eastern time) Monday morning. Another great road trip is in the books. Great to see old friends and make some new ones. Keep Steezy and his wife in your thoughts and prayers. I'm now in recovery mode. Good to be back home with my wife. The lawn isn't too bad. Will get it done today. All those in favor of doing it again after a couple of days to recharge the batteries say "Aye".

Pickwick, here I come. This may be my last post for awhile. I'm outta here in a half hour, and plan to be on the lake Thursday morning, maybe even Wednesday afternoon, but that's a long shot. I'll be staying at the Hampton Inn @ Pickwick Dam until our reservation begins for a cabin. If they have a computer for guests I'll keep up with the thread, and maybe post a fishing report or two. Looking forward to when the gang arrives.

And, in the just when you think you have everything under control department. The trailer had the bearings repacked and one seal replaced on Friday. Saturday morning the truck went in for oil change, tire rotation and once over before heading for Pickwick. Yesterday, I was running some errands and when I pulled into the driveway and stopped, it sounded like something had toppled off the back seat or something had tipped over in the bed of the truck. Nope, everything was where it had been. Had to make a quick run this morning to get a piece of weather stripping at a nearby hardware store. As I was driving down the road, I heard a clunk from beneath the truck. Sounded like I had run over a stick that bounced up against the bottom of the truck. A few hundred yards down the road, I heard it again, but not as loud. Sounded like a bushing had fallen out of the anti sway bar (stabilizer), or a shock. Went over a couple of pot holes, and nothing. The steering was fine and other than the occasional clunk all seemed normal. Ran it to the dealer that serviced the truck on Saturday and they took it right in. Road tested it, heard the clunk, and found the source. One of the links on the stabilizer had broken. Must have been what I heard in my driveway. The truck could have been driven without any problem, but not knowing what it was would have made for a very uneasy 1200 mile drive to Pickwick. Better that it happened when it did.