Fishing Rhino

You are correct that for a while, coolers were banned at the race tracks, at least those that drew sizable crowds to provide an enticing target for terrorists. They started that following 9/11. It may have lasted at some tracks for two or three years, but there was such an uproar from the fans, and the track attendance began to drop, that they began to allow coolers. Some tracks may still ban coolers, but the tracks we have been to soon dropped the ban on coolers. Daytona International banned coolers for speed weeks in 2012. Then, a year or two later, they allowed 6X6X12 inch soft sided insulated coolers. It could hold six cans of beverage and an ice cube or two. If I recall correctly, they held at that for a few years, but when attendance continued to drop, due in part to the economy, and in part to alienating fans, they upped the cooler size. All of the tracks the Sprint Cup Series races on are owned by either NASCAR/International Speedway Corporation, or Bruton Smith/Speedway Motorsports Inc. We go to Daytona and Loudon every year. Daytona is an ISC track, Loudon is an SMI track, and both presently allow coolers.

I haven't had the pleasure of seeing some drunk vomitting, but what some thoughtless cooler carriers do is this. Rather than carry the melted ice down to ground level, they simply dump it while they are in the stands. Heaven help anyone standing below. I've never gotten one of those showers, but some were narrow misses. I have seen it happen several times. In some stands there is a "roof" beneath the seats which protects those milling around at ground level. But the older tracks and seating, not so much.

You can have five persons with each having their own bed, provided someone sleeps on the couch. Even more if you bring a mattress for the floor, or cots. Just keep in mind there is only one bathroom, so there might be a waiting line for the shower or the porcelain throne from time to time.

I can't comment on the price of beer at local venues since I do not go to them. But this thread gives me a tiny bit more appreciation for NASCAR. At least they allow you to take coolers into the track. In fact, I think they've upped the size so you can take in maybe a dozen 12 ounce cans. And that's per person. At least it gives fans an option. If they don't want to be bothered with a cooler, they can pay the high prices. While I cannot be sure, I don't think they are at the levels mentioned for the stick and ball games that have been mentioned in prior posts. They are overpriced to be sure, but not quite as bad.

Well, truth be told I am afflicted by a memory leak, but I wouldn't expect my young computer to have similar problems.

It depends on how far you draw down your batteries. My Z-8 came with a Guest two bank charger, 5 amps per bank. So far, it has charged the batteries for the next day when plugged in after a long day on the water. It did the job on the road trip to Guntersville this past spring. I'm guessing the six amp per bank should do the job, but there are others on the forum that can give you a better answer than I.

Thanks. I went through the "end process" directions above. The videos are now loading fine. I stored the directions in one of the drawers on the computer desk for future reference.

Regarding the flash player. I do get messages saying I need to install the latest version, but when I try to download it I get a message that the latest version is already installed.

No, can't do it. IE9 is not compatible with our wireless printer. Canon PIxma MG5220. Never had this problem until recently. All the latest updates and downloads are installed. Have run the updates and computer automated tune ups.

What's it for? A 24 volt trolling motor and the main engine battery? A three battery 36 volt trolling motor? Will you ever need it to charge quickly. After a long day on the water, and getting home at dark, will you want to be at the lake by sunrise the next day? Basically, what you need for a charger depends on how much you draw your batteries down, and how quickly you want to be able to recharge them. Not knowing that info, it's impossible to make an informed recommendation.

windows seven, Internet Explorer

This is something that has just started. When someone posts a video I get a gray circle with an exclamation mark in the circle. Around the gray circle is a white ring, with a gray ring around that. If I right click on the exclamation mark, then click on properties a window opens where I can copy the url. I copy the url, open a new tab and paste the url in the address box, then click on the arrow. It will open the thread, and the videos will be displayed. The BR banner at the top of the page also shows the same exclamation mark, circle, ring icon. What's with the exclamation mark in the gray circle, and what must I do to get the videos to show when I first open a thread? It's not just this website. It happens on others, while some websites' videos show up without going through the above procedure.

Sasquatch? What, no mother-in-law jokes yet?

I know a guy from the South who is so lazy he married a pregnant woman.

Though I will be away, for clarification, is that 5 dollars per vehicle for parking, or 5 dollars per person?

I have a standard answer for folks who ask me why I don't keep any to eat. You can only eat them once. They can be caught many times. That being said, I have no problem if someone wants to eat what they catch, provided they are legal size and not over the limit.

It took a while, but I finally smartened up. The belt on my winch kept bunching up on the handle side of the winch. To make matters worse, the edge was chaffing. Other than having a plastic cover, my winch is pretty much as shown in the images below. I cannot powerload on most of the ramps at the ponds I fish, so I have to winch the boat onto the trailer. Because of the bunching, I'd crank the boat up a foot or two, then back the belt off the winch, and lay it on evenly. Still, it would pull to the handle side of the winch, even for the last inch or two. To make matters worse, the belt has a cut about a quarter inch deep into the edge of the belt, caused by a raised ridge on the side plate, caused by the stamping process. It was cut at the last inch or two pulling hard over the edge of the plate, where maximum stress occurs. While perusing the winch, and the chaffed belt, it finally dawned on me that the winch should be aligned so that the belt should favor the opposite side plate, because it is curved away from the center of the winch at the outer edge. That allows for the belt to slide onto the spool without having to ride over the ridge on the opposite plate. To correct the problem, I did two things. First I positioned the winch so the belt was clear of the flat side plate and touched the plate with the curve at its outer edge. To account for the times when the boat may be slightly off center, I took a fine file and chamferred the edge of the flat plate, eliminating the offending ridge. You can see the difference in the side plates in the images below. Some winches have flat plates on both sides. Check the alignment carefully, and remove any ridge that can chew into the winch strap's edges.

For fishing tournaments, everything else being equal, faster is better, for one simple reason. Less time motoring from spot to spot, allowing a fisherman to make more casts. Faster doesn't make you a better fisherman, but it does allow you to reduce travelling time, during which you never catch a fish. Speed is an important factor in fishing tournaments, with time constraints. Maybe not the most important, but important all the same.

Anything from a tube to an offshore salt water fishing boat is nothing but a platform on the water to get you to where the fish are. It's up to you to determine what best suits your wants, needs, and budget. All boats are compromises when you factor in purchase price and operating expenses. You state as much with the newer smaller, or larger older. Stability, storage, speed, style, etc., are but a few of the things you need to consider. A smaller boat will cost less to buy and operate. On the other hand, a smaller boat will not be as stable when you move around on it. A smaller boat will not have the storage space of a larger model. You may like the layout of one boat better than another. You need to get out on a variety of boats to find what you like best.

I'd guess it depends on the state. In MA, you have to register any boat powered by anything other than sail, paddle, oars, etc. To register my trolling motor canoe, I had to produce a certificate of origin, along with the serial number. I also had to produce a document to prove the sales tax had been paid. I was then issued title papers. The odd thing in MA is that they title the boat, the trailer, but not the motor, regardless of horsepower. Your best bet is to contact the state agency that registers boats. They can best advise you on how to proceed.

Hey man, are you going fishing, or surfing? Sorry, but that's the first thing that popped into my mind when I saw the way you were "standing" in your boat.

Some will say Lowrance. Others will say Humminbird. Your best bet is to go to a store where they have both brands on display, and hopefully a sales person can explain the differences and will allow you to tinker around with them. Both should have a demonstration mode where you can play with the features of both. One thing you need to be aware of beforehand, while the prices seem comparable for similars size displays, the transducer does not come with the Lowrance, or it didn't the last time I looked. That will add a few hundred bucks to the price of the unit to make it operable.

Alas, it looks like I will not be around. Our daughter will be having surgery in the last week of Sept, or the first week in Oct. We'll be heading down prior to and remaining for at least two weeks post-op, possibly longer.

Interesting. I've never been bitten by a mosquito while on the water, even close to shore. I suspect it might be a problem for bank fishermen however. I'll hazard a guess as to why mosquitos don't bother me on the water. They "feed" on warm blooded animals, and are attracted to body heat. I don't think they naturally find much to draw blood from on the water so they remain "ashore" where there are birds, dogs, humans and other warm blooded critters. While you will find flocks of geese, ducks and other birds on the water, I don't know if a mosquito's suction tube can penetrate the layers of feathers.

I went to the G3 website but could not find an options list. Went to Tracker, and they only offer two options on their Tournament 190, trailer brakes and a charcoal ratchet strap/cable cover. On their Nitro series, manual jackplates and hydraulic jackplates are available as options. The Z-8s and Z-9s come with manual jackplates as standard equipment. The option is an upgrade to a hydraulic unit. I did some searching and found the G3 legaleeze when someone asked the same question as you on a boating forum. There response stated that their boats, as built, meet or exceed Coast Guard and industry standards. They would not recommend modifications to their hulls, as the modifications might result in a non-conforming hull. If you have an '09 G3, it likely has some warranty remaining. In fact the hull might be warranted for several years, but I don't know. If it does, I would suspect that modification might void any warranty and if your transom failed, you might own it. Just something that you might want to consider before actually doing it.