Fishing Rhino

Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain. The last time we were at Pickwick, Nashville was shut down. I - 40 was shut down. It was a deluge, to put it mildly. But it didn't hinder the fishing. In fact, I like rainy days for fishing. Fewer fishermen, fewer pleasure boaters, fewer jet skis. What's not to like about the rain? I've got two sets of foul weather gear on the boat, both extra large, one for me, one for a guest, if needed.

Exhausting is more like it.

Horn, whistle or other suitable hailing device. Fire extinguisher

Congratulations are in order for the new milestone. Sounds like you're going to need an assistant spell/grammar checker.

One of us misunderstood the question. It's not, only bacon, or only cheese. Try it this way. If you had to give up one food, bacon or cheese, which would you keep.

They must. Probably why they'll eat insects, birds, worms, lizards, etc. But, your question brings up another conundrum. Can we really call fish that live in fresh water "sea food"?

I understand the "do it your way" syndrome. While I enjoy fishing with others, and I do so regularly, there are times when I do prefer to fish alone. I can do it my way, without regard for the person on the stern. I also enjoy having the "day off" and letting someone else be responsible for positioning the boat, fighting the wind or current. On the stern, my only responsibility is to not snag my partner when I cast. I also understand the desire to have your own fishing department with you. It's like a security blanket. But I have learned to make do with a single tackle bag, a double worm binder, and three or four rods. The double binder will hold 20 packages of plastic worms, craws. or whatever. The bag will hold five 3700 boxes stored on edge, so any one is readily accessible, and a smaller box on top of the 3700s.

The post makes it sound as though the Lord has stuck someone else with your clunker.

Don't know what to tell you about the two part. It expands, but how much? You'll need to know, so you can make a reasonable estimate. You'll need to have an opening, probably where you pour the two part foam. That opening allows the excess foam to escape, before it sets up. I'd avoid the white, lightweight stuff they carry at Home Depot or Lowes. It is not waterproof. It's fine in buildings where it isn't susceptible to battery fumes, or oil. But for the innards of a boat, not so good. You need a marine grade, closed cell foam, for what you are doing. Google "instructions for two part marine foam flotation" or something similar. You should get plenty of info on how to use it.

I'm not quite ready. Here's my list of to dos. Clean the boat - less than a day Check the trailer bearings, service as needed, grease the pivot points on the tongue - It's not slinging grease so at the most a pump or two. A half hour. Clean the truck - less than a day Have the truck serviced, lube/oil/filter, rotate tires, replace heat shield on the transmission - no time, my neighbor is the service manager so he drives it to work and returns it at the end of the day. Packing, some done, the rest will be done a couple of days before leaving - A half hour plus what I might add those last two days. Make sure all tires, truck, trailer and spares are properly inflated for a long haul. - ten to fifteen minutes. Less than two days of leisurely work to get everything done. Relax on Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday early a.m. if not before midnight on Wednesday, drive to Pickwick - 20 hours drive time plus stops. Arrive at Pickwick Friday morning, April 26. Fish, bathe, eat, sleep. Repeat for nine or ten days. I think I can live with that.

I got tired of all the professional "team" sports years ago. It was a while in the making, but when the NFL players went on strike years ago, it was the straw that broke the camel's back. I got tired of hearing the owners and players whining about how tough they have it. The average football player's career is about five years long. They want to make enough money in those five years to live in the lap of luxury the rest of their lives. The owners? With the television receipts, the games could be played in empty stadiums, and they'd still be in fat city, just not quite as fat. Neither side has a grasp on reality as the rest of us experience life. I walked away, and never looked back. It sure freed up a lot of Sunday afternoons in the fall. I found out that there was life without football, basketball, hockey or whatever.

It depends. How long have you been married?

I have several jigs. So you can take your pick. I cannot use them in MA because of new regs banning the use of lead under one ounce, or shorter than 2.5 inches, if I'm not mistaken. That does not include skirts and trailers. I'll be fishing them while I'm at Pickwick. I have a decent assortment from which you can choose.

Not Rhode Island, but close by in MA. Water temps are still cold on the Cape Ponds, 41 - 43 degrees. Fought the wind today and hit two ponds, MashpeeWakeby and Ashumet. with a buddy. Fished a total of maybe five hours from a boat. Our catch, 1 perch, 1 large pickerel, and 1 decent smallmouth. That's it. Ten days ago, we tried MashpeeWakeby and caught four nice rainbow trout with bass baits. The fish were quite lethargic. We need some warm, sunny weather and things will pick up.

I also seem to recall that we had a 55 Mercury that was positive ground. I think it was also a six volt system. I believe Ford changed to twelve volt in '56, maybe '57. I think that was when they changed to negative ground.

Why am I getting this image of Gomer Pyle running around yelling, "Citizen's arrest! Citizen's arrest!"? http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=gomer+pyle+citizen%27s+arrest&view=detail&mid=7A0D6A5476F8C55D20437A0D6A5476F8C55D2043&first=0&FORM=NVPFVR

If it works every time you bypass the solenoid with a jumper, the problem is somewhere in the solenoid, or the cable which feeds power to the solenoid. A solenoid is nothing more than a magnet created by the electric current. It pulls down on a jumper bar with contacts on each end, activating the starter. After much use, the contacts get coated with carbon from arcing, which acts like an insulation. It gradually builds up as the contacts arc, until it does not always make a good connection. If after swapping, you get the same intermittent problem, follow the line from the solenoid to the battery. It's possible you have a loose or dirty connection at that point. Take it apart, clean it up, and reconnect. See if that solves the problem. Did you jump from the battery directly to the starter. If you did, then try jumping directly across the two connections (battery input, and output to the starter). I'm guessing that you'll have the same intermittent problem. If you do, then the problem is with the cable from the battery to the solenoid.

I seem to recall many years ago that an auto electrical guy told me that some cars used a "common ground" which in the case of lights was the body and frame. The lights only had a positive wire running to them. Other cars used a two wire system with a positive and a negative line for each light. Maybe it was the other way around, but that was the first time, and until now, the last time I heard that term used. The engine, body and frame were connected by ground straps. The ground straps, when they had a problem would cause a failure of many electric circuits.

That indeed is a bummer. Take care, and don't do anything foolish that could extend that fifteen days on the DL.

I don't tournament fish, but if I did, I'd clean out all the extraneous "stuff" that boats seem to collect. I typically carry six pfds in my boat, three inflatables, three jacket style. I'm covered for everyone except kids. Were I to tournament fish, that would shrink down to two. I've got four sweatshirts in my boat. Three would go. Towels three or four, down to one. You need to streamline what is on your boat for everyday fishing to accommodate others when you take them. To keep it short and sweet, get rid of the clutter, and put the gear you expect to use where it is readily accessible. For you, don't bury your plastics under crankbaits, spinnerbaits, topwater, etc. I've got four fenders stowed on my boat, just in case I want to raft up with others. Two, maybe all four would be left on the beach for competitions. Same with dock lines. They'd go. If you unexpectedly had to tie up, use your anchor line. I've got two sets of foul weather gear. One would go into the pile of other stuff that was removed. Get down to the bare necessities. Efficiency is key. The less fumbling around looking for something, the more casts you can make. The more casts you make, the more fish you will catch.

Outstanding news. A great reason to celebrate. Family is indeed more important than the surroundings, though I see nothing wrong with that location.

Two things. Get an outboard motor flushing attachment. Connect to a garden hose, place the muffs over the water intakes, turn on the hose, and run the engine to flush it out. The other concern is the wheel bearings on your trailer. Stay on top of them. Make sure there is no water intrusion. Salt water will ruin bearings and seals much faster than fresh water. If you see any sign of water, clean your bearings and all other related parts, repack the bearings, and replace the seals. Running the boat in fresh water will flush the cooling system of your outboard.

Or Dinky

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=general+lee+horn+audio&mid=27CF25FCC434BAF0848327CF25FCC434BAF08483&view=detail&FORM=VIRE7