Fishing Rhino

You know you're getting old when you go to bed long before midnight on New Year's Eve. The preceding posts confirm the saying, "With age comes wisdom." Indeed, I made a wise choice. I was getting some much needed, but ineffective beauty sleep while you guys were watching stuff that SUCKED, apparently big time. ;D

Yeah, isn't a motorbike required to be registered/titled like a car or boat? Absolutely ! Title tells the story, the bill of sale is only important for purposes of paying the state sales tax, it does not prove ownership like the title does. Having a bill of sale doesn't mean that the property isn't stolen and if that is the case the buyer may be as guilty as the seller. If memory serves me correct, every vehicle I have sold privately, the titled passed hands at the time of the sale, or very shortly after. Here's an interesting quirk in Massachusetts law. When registering a boat, you must have a title with lienholders, if any, in order to register it. Outboard motors however are not titled. The boat is, the trailer is, but not the motor. Makes no sense to me since the value of a motor, in most cases, exceeds the value of the trailer, and quite often, the value of the boat. I went through this last year. I tried to get a title from MA for the motor. I had all the info that I owned it free and clear, and was told the state does not title outboards. Another quirk from this goofy state is that the trailer is registered by the DMV and the boat by an arm of the department of natural resourses. Register the trailer, and the dmv will take a personal check. Register the boat and the other state agency will not take a check. Go figure.

I'll make one more suggestion that I thought of doing, for traveling at night. Make a bar with tail lights that can be plugged into your truck, and clamp onto the boat. It may be overkill, but it's cheap insurance if you are on the road with your boat in the back during the night time hours. Not a bad idea for daytime either since both of the brake and turn signals are plainly visible. Neither can be blocked by the boat regardless of angle to a following driver.

It's a bargain. Whether you have a GPS side imaging sonar or not, I consider this a must have if you plan on stepping outside of your home territory. Even around home, it could be helpful. It has every lake/pond/river, including those in hi-def that are contained in the in the Hot Maps Premium Chips for the entire U.S. Plus, it also has all the coastal waters as well. You can print them. You can plot courses, waypoints, etc., and with the chip reader, that comes with it, (it holds two chips, one for a hot map chip and the other for a recordable chip) and overlay the data for use on your boat. Here are a couple of images I printed from Kentucky Lake. Pay attention to O'Brien Branch. Notice that flooded timber appears on the enlargement, not the first. Up to a point, the more you zoom in, the more info that will appear. If you have the Platinum Chip, you can zoom around in 3D. With shipping, from Tiger GPS, it cost just under 120 dollars. Ordered it on Tuesday, got it on Thursday. Order before 3:00 p.m. Eastern, and it ships same day from NJ. I forgot one thing. It will not produce map chips that will work in your Lowrance, Humminbird, Garmin or whatever. If you download waypoints, courses or whatever onto a recordable chip, they will interface on your sonar, and overlay them onto the chart/map on your display. The program comes on a disc. Once installed on your computer, you go to the Fugawi web site to get it activated. You can activate it on two computers. Fill in the info, with the product key and the serial number, online, and it will be activated.

I've trucked my canoe from RI to Cape Cod, to central Massachusetts on interstates, state highways, country roads and through cities without a second glance from cops. I always have a red or orange towel hanging from the end of the canoe.

It doesn't matter that he paid the going price for the item. If it's stolen, it goes back to the legal owner. The thief who stole it did not own it at the time of sale. He had no legal right to "sell" it at any price. Do you think the owner of the property loses his right to that property just because it gets sold to another for the going price? All that paying the going price for an item does for the purchaser of stolen merchadise does is help to get him off the hook for buying stolen merchandise. Paying significantly less than the going price for stolen merchandise makes the buyer complicit.

I've got a four door, half ton, GMC pickup. The bed is less than six feet. To carry my sixteen foot canoe with no problem. I place a piece of 3/4" plywood in the bed, letting it hang past the tailgate by about two feet. I put the tm battery on one of the front corners of the plywood, and a concrete block on the other. That prevents the plywood from tipping down at the rear. A ratchet strap, cinched down tight at the rear of the bed, using the tie down loops in the bottom, rear corner of the bed, clamps the boat and plywood to the bed. Another ratchet strap around the plywood and the boat, aft of the tailgate secures the boat. A bright red or orange flag at the end of the boat, and you're good to go. I fold up the back seat, place an old blanket on the carpet and toss the tm in there. Double check to make sure the ratchet straps are really cinched down. Use the medium size straps. I don't trust the small ones. The overhanging part of the boat will not move from side to side if you have everything tightened down securely.

I got my Navplanner2 yesterday. Played around with it a bit, and like it. There is one small glitch printing maps, but it may be something I'm doing or not doing. It leaves a straight unprinted gap in some maps. You can notice it on the left side of the second map. They are faint because I need a new color cartridge in the printer. The shallows should show as blue. Until I replace the cartridge later today it cannot print blues. I'll post more later when I install the new ink cartridges. They show up perfectly on the monitor. It does contain every map including the hi-def maps on the premium chips from every section of the U.S. You can print whatever you want from a map by outlining it. There are a bunch of tools for all sorts of things. Cheaper than a single premium chip and it includes a card reader and the program so you can plan routes, and store info and interface it with their chips for the sonar units. Here is a section of Kentucky Lake, and an expanded section of that map. The depth contour lines are in red. I'd prefer black. I got a new color ink cartridge. It fixed the pictures. The second is an enlarged section of the first. Notice O'Brien Branch in both. The "flooded timber" only shows up in the second after it's been enlarged.

If at all practical, I'd rather haul a jon or other small boat around in the bed of a pickup. Trailers are ok, but registration, insurance and maintainance more than offset the negatives of having to unload some of the heavier gear, batteries, tm, and tackle boxes to lift the boat onto the bed. Plus, you will get better fuel economy with the truck in the bed rather than on a trailer. I don't mind pulling a trailer. However, with a boat in the back of the truck you can get to places you cannot go with a trailer, or would not want to go with a trailer. No wheel bearings to maintain. No wiring or lights to keep up to snuff. No need to carry a spare for a trailer. It boils down to the KISS school of thought. The simpler, the better.

She tried to crawl aboard. I had to help her by grabbing the scruff of her neck. If I'm on the pond when she's let out, she becomes a nuisance. She swims out, goes after the paddle, if I'm paddling. I help her in, and get drenched in the process. She loves to swim, and loves people. Thank goodness she is satisfied with a brief boat ride back to shore. She gets out and leaves me alone...............until the next time.

Always release the fish back to the water as quickly as possible. Be ready to take your picture. Have your camera readily accessible if fishing alone. When fishing with a buddy, have them get the camera, ready to take a picture. Not many things bug me more than watching some host of a television show, hold the fish, admiring it from all sides, like it's the first time they've ever seen one and are trying to figure out what it is. Then, after holding the gasping fish out of the water for what seems like an eternity they give it a pat and a kiss, then have to hold it by the tail to revive it when they finally get around to releasing it. Catching a fish should not include subjecting it to show and tell.

In the tournament/outing section, I started a thread about a bass I caught in a small pond behind our daughter's house in GA the day before Thanksgiving. I've mentioned before that she operates a kennel and trains dogs for hunting and field trials. What may surprise folks is that she has also trained them to fetch fish as well. Here's the photo I posted, followed by others which tell the rest of the story. The boat, the rods and the bag of baits below me are all props. NOW, go fetch me another!

There is no doubt the Destroyer is a splendid little boat. Nice layout. Easy to handle. Gatta be as stable as they come for its size. If money isn't a factor, no problem.

I use one word to describe any and all changes be it depth, bottom composition, or vegetation. Transition. I've never been ice fishing in the traditional sense, but I used to go eeling through the ice. Eels "hibernate" in the winter. They ball up in groups, and these balls are most commonly found where the sandy bottom transitions to mud. Make a hole, poke around with the spear. If you only find sandy bottom, move further out. If you only find mud, move closer to shore. Once found, work along that line. When you jabbed into a ball of eels it felt like you had punched the spear into a pile of deflated innertube. Poke down, then a quick jerk of the spear to you and the eels would get impaled on the barbs of the spear. the tips of the tines were flattened, and rounded so they would not pierce the eel, but let the tines pass by them. Yanking it back on the barbs which are about an inch long would catch them. They aren't very lively but will squirm around a bit. Hold the spear over a plastic barrel, and turn the spear up over the barrel. Most of them would fall off and into the barrel. Some eelers would shake 'em off. Been a long time since I've been eelin'.

I use one word to describe any and all changes be it depth, bottom composition, or vegetation. Transition. I've never been ice fishing in the traditional sense, but I used to go eeling through the ice. Eels "hibernate" in the winter. They ball up in groups, and these balls are most commonly found where the sandy bottom transitions to mud. Make a hole, poke around with the spear. If you only find sandy bottom, move further out. If you only find mud, move closer to shore. Once found, work along that line. When you jabbed into a ball of eels it felt like you had punched the spear into a pile of deflated innertube. Poke down, then a quick jerk of the spear to you and the eels would get impaled on the barbs of the spear. the tips of the tines were flattened, and rounded so they would not pierce the eel, but let the tines pass by them. Yanking it back on the barbs which are about an inch long would catch them. They aren't very lively but will squirm around a bit. Hold the spear over a plastic barrel, and turn the spear up over the barrel. Most of them would fall off and into the barrel. Some eelers would shake 'em off. Been a long time since I've been eelin'.

I use one word to describe any and all changes be it depth, bottom composition, or vegetation. Transition. I've never been ice fishing in the traditional sense, but I used to go eeling through the ice. Eels "hibernate" in the winter. They ball up in groups, and these balls are most commonly found where the sandy bottom transitions to mud. Make a hole, poke around with the spear. If you only find sandy bottom, move further out. If you only find mud, move closer to shore. Once found, work along that line. When you jabbed into a ball of eels it felt like you had punched the spear into a pile of deflated innertube. Poke down, then a quick jerk of the spear to you and the eels would get impaled on the barbs of the spear. the tips of the tines were flattened, and rounded so they would not pierce the eel, but let the tines pass by them. Yanking it back on the barbs which are about an inch long would catch them. They aren't very lively but will squirm around a bit. Hold the spear over a plastic barrel, and turn the spear up over the barrel. Most of them would fall off and into the barrel. Some eelers would shake 'em off. Been a long time since I've been eelin'.

I haven't used it, and doubt that I ever will. There is a slight possibility that I might launch it from a grassy shore on my favorite pond, take one pole with one bait and catch one fish, then paddle it back to shore. It's a kit boat. The kit cost 1800 dollars, not including the fiberglass cloth and epoxy. Every winter some of the members get together and build a classic wooden boat from a kit. They've built kayaks, canoes, and this winters project is a Rangely Rowing Boat.

I'll be getting this tomorrow. It will surely help for planning trips to unfamiliar waters, and will interface with my Humminbird 898. I can study the maps, mark out spots that look interesting, then put them onto a chip that will overlay them onto the display in conjunction with the Hot Maps Premium chip. http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/landfallnav/NavionicsNavPlanner2.pdf

I'll be getting this tomorrow. It will surely help for planning trips to unfamiliar waters, and will interface with my Humminbird 898. I can study the maps, mark out spots that look interesting, then put them onto a chip that will overlay them onto the display in conjunction with the Hot Maps Premium chip. http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/landfallnav/NavionicsNavPlanner2.pdf

I'll be getting this tomorrow. It will surely help for planning trips to unfamiliar waters, and will interface with my Humminbird 898. I can study the maps, mark out spots that look interesting, then put them onto a chip that will overlay them onto the display in conjunction with the Hot Maps Premium chip. http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/landfallnav/NavionicsNavPlanner2.pdf

I have a room reserved at Moors for the road trip. Right now, there is an open bed for anyone who wants to share the expenses. About 36 dollars per night. First come, first served. Sunday through Thursday nights.

Personally, I like this canoe. Won it at the Westport Fishermen's Association annual clambake. Weighs forty pounds. No frames no stringers. White cedar strip planking, fiberglass cloth inside and out. 16 feet long. East branch of the Westport River, at the head of Westport. There is an interesting story behind the stone walls on each side of the river. Just to the left, across the river used to be a large building in which they built whaling ships. They'd launch them at high tide, then tow them to the ocean on the falling tide.

A circus tent would look small on that.

This photo was taken before the transducer was mounted. It is mounted on the same surface as the drains and intakes, in the area that is behind the transom saver.

Stick jackets. Then lay a towel down. Put the first rod's reel near the end of the towel. Place a second towel over the first rod's reel. Place the second rod's reel on the towel, against the first, then fold the towel back over the first two. Place the third poles reel on the first towel, then unfold the second towel to cover that reel. Set the fourth combo's reel on the second towel, and fold it back over the rods. Place the fifth combo's reel on the first towel, then unfold the second towel to cover the fifth reel, and so on. Stagger the reels so they aren't side by each and you can safely get a lot of rods in a fairly small place. Viewed from the end, it would have the configuration of corrugated cardboard with a reel in each open section. I'd venture that I could safely store and transport 30 or more combos in a single rod locker on my Z7.