Fishing Rhino

If the wheel is not bent, a straight edge and a smart level can be used to determine camber. We used a smart level to set the angles of the rear links on a race car as well as camber. The length of the straight edge should sit against the step of the wheel that holds the bead, not the edge of a wheel. To make sure the wheel runs true, jack the trailer, put something that almost touches the step where the straight edge will sit. Spin the wheel. The gap should be constant when the wheel is turned. When doing this, make sure the wheel bearings are properly adjusted. If they are too loose, they can allow the wheel to wobble, making it appear the wheel is bent.

Marine Stabil recommends one ounce per ten gallons of fuel, and double that for storage. If you aren't using some type of fuel treatment you should. I use it throughout the year, even if I'm on a fishing trip and use a couple of tanks of fuel in a week. When the season is winding down, and I'm not fishing as often, I use an ounce per five gallons of fuel, as recommended by Stabil for storage. No need to add extra when the boat may not be used for several weeks.

Movement, also known as presentation is important. However, there is no one best "movement" that fits all situations. Sometimes they want a fast retrieve, other times they want to take it on the drop, or as it sits motionless, or nearly motionless on the bottom. The beauty of fishing is that it's like a puzzle. You need to figure out how the pieces fit together. Some days they'll hit anything while on other days they seem to have lockjaw. Every day is different. Heck, some days the fish are fickle wanting one thing now, and something else an hour from now.

Jackall wacky jig heads. They are made of tungsten. I switched to the Buckeye Flick It jig head because it works as well and is cheaper. Plus, it's football head. The price difference is not huge, maybe a buck or two for a three pack. So for the stuff we've been using, they should work as well. For the Zoom Fat Alberts and the sluggos, all we'll need is a drop of super glue to keep it in place. I've used it for Flappin Hogs on the Jackall jig head and it holds just fine, maybe better than the barb. I've tried a few, and prefer the Loc Tite Super Glue, primarily for the dispenser, and the larger size compared to Crazy Glue and the others. Ya, gotta do what ya gotta do.

I think you are referring to torsion axles. I could find plenty of images, but nothing that referred to alignment, with good instructions or illustrations.

I'll make a recommendation based on what I've seen during my lobstering days. Back then, I got my bait from fillet houses. The most commonly used knife, by those who made their living day in, and day out was the Dexter Russel. It was the most commonly sold knife for that purpose in the ship supply businesses. The "cutters" had an assortment of knives depending on the type of fish they were processing. In addition, they were constantly touching up their knives on a smooth "steel". The sharpening steel with fine grooves is for sharpening butchers knives. The smooth steel amounts to the old time barber's leather strops. It produces a smooth edge which is better for cutting fish, while the grooved steel provides a microscopically jagged edge which is better for cutting beef. They also had an assortment of stones to use when a few swipes across the steel were not sufficient. But, any knife, expensive or cheap is only as good as your ability to put a keen edge on the blade. Here's the type of knife most of the pros were using when I frequented the fish processing plants in New Bedford. The knife below also comes in an eight inch version. http://www.dexter-russell.com/Item_Details_1.asp?id=476&line=SG

That might work, but I'd try it a little shorter. The water is 18 to 24 inches deep where I am casting. That's to the bottom. Many of the rocks come to within a few inches of the surface. But, it would allow me to let the bait hang in the pockets between the rocks. Would work nice with surface ripples to impart a little action to the suspended bait. Nice. I can fish two rods at once. One with the bobber, and the other the way I've been fishing. If the bobber technique works, it will be easy enough to add a bobber to the line on the second rod. Excuse me. I'm off to buy a couple of bobbers.

I'm still not understanding it. Here's the definition of caster, as I understand it. It is either the king pin inclination, or the angle formed by a line passing through the center of the upper and lower ball joints to the perpendicular. Caster - Definition Caster angle is the angular measure from the vertical of the suspension of a steered wheel in a car or other vehicle, measured in the longitudinal direction. It is to the angle between the pivot line (an imaginary line that runs through the center of the upper ball joint to the center of the lower ball joint) and vertical. Car racers sometimes adjust caster angle to take optimize car performance in particular driving situations. The pivot points of the steering are angled such that a line drawn through them intersects the road surface slightly ahead of the contact point of the wheel. The purpose of this is to provide a degree of self-centering for the steering - the wheel castors around so as to trail behind the axis of steering. This makes a car easier to drive and improves its straight line stability (tendency to wander). Excessive caster angle will make the steering heavier and less responsive, although, in racing, large caster angles are used to improve camber gain in cornering. http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Caster Caster Definition Caster can be defined as the forward or rearward tilt of the projected steering axis from true vertical, as viewed from the side. This line is formed by extending a line through the upper and lower steering knuckle pivot points. For vehicles with front control arms, visualize the line extending through the upper and lower ball joints. On strut equipped vehicles, the line extends through the lower ball joint to the center of the upper strut mount. Caster is always viewed from the side of the vehicle.When the upper pivot point is rearward of the lower pivot point, caster is positive. If the upper pivot is forward of the lower pivot point, caster is negative. When the two points are straight up and down from each other, the caster is zero. A maximum side to side variation of ±.5° is recommended on most vehicles. Caster is NOT a normal tire wearing angle and is used as a directional control for stability and steering returnability. http://www.aligncraft.com/terms/terms.html#FrontCaster

Yeah, and we drive on parkways, and park on driveways. (Gallagher)

I've never fished this late into the season, so I entered uncharted waters (figuratively speaking) for me when I went to my nearby honey hole. It did not disappoint. I had to change my technique, and when I did, I began catching fish in numbers and larger average size that were comparable to mid-season fishing. The pond I fish is shallow, with an extremely rocky shoreline. There is emergent vegetation (mostly purple loosestrife, a vinelike plant) around nearly all the pond. The water at the edge of the vegetation line is a foot and a half to two feet deep between the rocks. The bass are holding in the shallow water, close to the vegetation. Most of the fish are caught tight to the plant line. Ideally, I try to place my casts withing a three foot zone against the plants. I've gotten zero hits trying further away from shore in three to five feet of water. And I've made a concerted effort each time I've been out to work the "deeper" water away from the shore. Don't laugh at me describing 3 - 5 feet as deeper water. This pond is only 6 - 7 feet deep in the center. I'm fishing a Flick It, 1/16th ounce football jig head and hook with a wire weed/brush guard. Color doesn't matter. Wacky rigged Senkos, 3, 4, or 5 inch, watermelon with black/red flake is my bait of choice. Cast the rig and let it sit for five to ten seconds. Then lift the rod tip high, and pull the bait toward you in tiny increments. It is very similar to jig fishing. You should feel it ticking along the rocks. If I don't get bit on the first ten feet of the retrieve, I crank it in and cast again. Don't be afraid to let the bait lie on the bottom without moving it, even during the retrieve. Pause and let it sit. The fish are very sluggish, and it seems you have to run the bait by their nose in order to trigger a strike. Their metabolism has definitely slowed down, and they make sluggish runs or head shakes. While they do not fight as vigorously as in the summer, the upside is that I am still catching fish, and a Senko is good for several fish. Water temps on my honey hole were 45 - 47 degrees last week. Yesterday with the warm weather we've had, they were up to 54 - 55 degrees. The bite was the same, though they did seem to have a bit more vigor yesterday. Trust me, the wacky rig on that jighead rarely gets hung in the rocks, and you cannot get a rockier shore than that on this small pond. When farmers cleared the land around the pond, the rocks that didn't go into building walls, got dumped along the shore. It's nearly impossible to put a paddle down and not feel rocks. I've tried curly tail grubs and sluggos on 1/16th ounce jig heads, and they get hung on every cast. I suspect it's because the wacky rig tends to bridge the narrow gaps and keeps the jig head suspended. Whatever the reason, it goes where other rigs cannot. So, to those of you hardy souls who are still venturing onto the water, and the fishing is slow, give it a try. The past three trips I averaged over four bass per hour, plus the occasional pickerel, crappie, and white or yellow perch.

I'll answer. If the trailer tires have any camber, and the tongue were to be lifted to perpendicular the camber would become toe in or toe out. A couple of inches one way or the other of hitch height will produce a negligible effect on camber. I'm not an alignment expert, but I was involved with a local stock car, and we checked the camber and toe of the rear end every week. If it took a hard hit, then we had to bend the axle tubes to put 1.5 degrees of camber, negative on the right and positive on the left, plus a sixteenth of an inch of toe in on the right side. We bent the tubes by heating and quenching them to make the metal "draw" in the desired direction. Caster was critical in the front end geometry along with toe and camber. Never heard of caster in a solid rear end. That's why I asked. Some get the terms confused. Just so we are all on the same page.

Time for me to break out one of my favorite sayings. A boat is a platform on the water to get you to where the fish are. Once you are there, the fish do not know, or care if you are in a 70,000 dollar marvel, or a leaky rowboat. In fact, a water rocket may slow down the learning curve. I see folks all the time doing this. They make a few casts. No fish. Zoom off the next spot. Repeat over and over again for the entire day. You cannot do this in a kayak, canoe, jon boat, or row boat. You learn to work an area thoroughly and efficiently. You also see images on your sounder, if so equipped, that the guy/gal doing 40 - 80 mph never sees. Small patches of bottom that hold fish are seldom missed on a boat cruising along at 2 - 5 mph. Does the bass boat provide an advantage over the puddle jumper? Of course, provided the fisherman is knowledgeable, or familiar with that body of water. It gets him from a patch of productive bottom to another patch of productive bottom quicker. But, this does not make him a better fisherman. What's between your ears is more important than what's between your feet and the surface of the water.

Caster? That's interesting because caster is the kingpin angle, or, in the case of double wishbone suspensions, the angle of a line through the centers of the upper and lower ball joints to the ground. Caster is what makes a car go straight when you release the steering wheel. Conversely, when you are backing up and release the steering wheel it will snap suddenly to one side or the other. Shopping carts have "caster" on the front wheels. The pivot line falls forward of the wheels, which is what allows them to follow the turns you make. The same with dolly wheels. However, when you back up a shopping cart the front wheels do a 180 and the pivot, though now behind the wheel in relation to the cart, still leads the wheel in the direction it is going. Bicycles and motorcycles have caster in the front wheel so they will not only track, but also provide camber during turns. Steering a car to the left or right also increases the camber in the front tires. Technically it adds it to one and decreases it to the other since there is negative and positive camber. In any case, it makes the top of the tires lean in the direction of the turn.

What's wrong with people? Some just don't have a life away from their computers. The only "social" networking I do is on this forum, and the occasional exchange of emails. Got to be bored as all get out to seek stimulation in tweeting or facebook.

One other thought. When it comes to the wiring, it will only cost you a few bucks more to have the wiring for cable/satellite and phone jacks installed. Better to do it during construction than to have to fish the line through the bays between studs after the walls are closed in. In the olden days, they'd put an outlet for phone jacks in every room. The multi-phone systems only need to have the base phone connected to a jack. Still you should take it into consideration and have at least two jacks on each floor. Until (maybe they have them now, I don't know) they have routers for cable or satellite receivers, a connection in each room is something to consider. A lot of folks like to have a tv in the kitchen and each bedroom in addition to the den and living room. It may seem like overkill, but it is a selling feature down the road.

That's true, but there is no way to know if it's technique, or the bait, or perhaps, both. Find out if it's technique by using the same bait. Then, progress from there. Once the fish are found, it becomes a matter of bait and presentation. The guy getting whupped may actually have better technique, but is using a grossly inferior bait, as far as the fish are concerned, so he gets his butt handed to him.

Brings back memories of the past road trip to Kentucky Lake. Didn't get skunked, but the surf looks familiar.

Is this your first house? Here's a few things to keep in mind. Some things you can cheat on to save money. Other things are not too practical to go with economy grade. Do not skimp on the heating/ac system. They last for years. The better units will pay for themselves over their lifetime. Same thing with plumbing and wiring. They are permanent parts of your home. Anything that gets buried in the walls, crawl spaces or attics are not items to skimp on. Floors? Maybe you'd like hardwood or tile rather than carpet or inlaid. Here, you can save a few bucks since you will probably change them in ten to fifteen years, and they are readily accessible. Electrical lighting fixtures is another place to save. Basic ceiling or wall fixtures plus outdoor lights for your doors or driveway. Again, these are things you can easily change in the future. You can do room by room, or fixture by fixture, replacing them as you can afford to. Even countertops fit into this strategy. Go with formica. It will last for years and can readily be swapped for stone, Corian, or whatever suits your fancy. You can do the same with kitchen cabinets, but you don't want to skimp too much. You still want a basic, something that pleases your taste (for now) that is durable and servicable. Cabinet prices can vary widely. It's up to you to determine what you can live with now, that will serve you for a few, or many, years but can be changed without getting into major renovation. Windows. Go with the absolute best you can afford, and take care of them. Doors, the same. Remember, the higher the insulating value of the units will save you in the cost of heating and/or cooling your home. Insulation? Do it right when the home is being built. It's not something you want to redo in the future. It begins to pay for itself the day you move into the house, or turn on the heat or ac. I'm sure I missed a lot of things, but it should give you a general idea. We lived in our home for a few years with the porcelain light bulb fixtures for ceiling lights. Sorry I can't help you with price info. But the above principles apply no matter where you build or what the going rates are.

If my buddy is outfishing me 14 zip, I'm not going to let stubborn pride stop me from switching to what he's using, even if it means begging one or more from him. I've had guys with me who are catching next to nothing while I'm pulling them in one after another. I tell them I have plenty of extras, baits and hooks, of what I'm using only to hear no thanks. They are bound and determined they are going to make the fish want what they are using. Leaves me scratching my head. It's also been the other way around. Doesn't take me long to ask if they have enough to spare me a few.

I'm usually done by now. But, the fish in my favorite pond are still biting. It's close to my home. I fish it from a canoe with a trolling motor. The canoe is on a friend's property at the pond. So it's convenient even if only for a couple of hours. Costs less than two bucks for the gas to get there and the electricity to recharge the battery. Every day is a bonus, since it shortens the off season. As long as they continue to bite, I'll continue to fish until the pond freezes or it's just too cold for these old bones.

You cannot align a straight axle trailer? Of course you can. It's done by straightening the axle if it's bent. You may not be able to do it with shims or adjustments, but the toe (in or out) and the camber can be measured. If the tires are not parallel or perpendicular, the wheels are out of alignment, and need to be aligned by someone who knows how to do it. It's cheaper than replacing the axle, and increases the life of the tires. It's done on straight axle rear ends on race cars every day to set the camber and toe to improve handling. You can buy cambered spindles which are welded into the axle tube, or the tube itself can be bent.

There is no one set answer. If they aren't slinging grease, or having water intrusion, they shouldn't need greasing as a matter of course. However, you should inspect them regularly, and when towing the trailer, feel the bearing housing when you stop. It should not be hot. Check both sides. Keep this in mind, if you tow long distances the side which gets sunlight on it will be the warmer of the two. If you see any white when you pull the cap, it shows water intrusion. Especially bad if it's salt water.

I made it on my abacus.

It seems I do better when there is little or no traffic on the pond. Does that prove anything? Not likely, because the traffic, be it other fishermen, joy riders, or jet skis prevent me from fishing some of my favorite spots. It certainly changes the way I fish the pond, and that will change my results. It doesn't necessarily prove the reduced production is that the traffic has reduced or turned off the bite. In the situation described in the starting post, my opinion is that if the fish are there, the traffic does not bother them. If the traffic annoyed them, they'd skedaddle outta there. That they stay shows they have become accustomed to it, or that it simply doesn't affect them in the first place. Heck, some fish take up residence beneath and around busy docks where there is plenty of boating traffic and unnatural commotion. Floating docks clank and squeak from wind, waves and people walking on them, yet the fish stay. Boaters clunk coolers, and other gear on the dock, yet they stay. But, a fish that is accustomed to peace and quiet in their haunts are probably startled by the rare boat that buzzes by. The question then is, for how long does it put them off?

Bad performances? Maybe they should have lip synched.