Fishing Rhino

Decent gas mileage towing a 21 foot boat with a 250? It depends on your definition of decent. I have friends with all three makes of trucks, having similar power, and gas mileage is comparable with no significant difference in mileage.

At nearly 700 bucks, it should perform like the putter of Jackie Mason/Jack Hartounian in Caddyshack II.

While it may look like moss, I suspect the crud you are referring to is filamentous algae. There is no bait known to man that is totally impervious to the stuff. Just the knot can bring up a pound of the stuff. Ok, that's a slight exaggeration. Its depth is never uniform. It can be a few feet to a few inches below the surface. This is particularly true from mid-summer to mid-fall. The reason is that it is thick enough to trap gases from decaying vegetation, which will float it to the surface. Try something like the baits you suggested or you can also try the fluke style baits. At least you can rig them so the head of the bait will cover the knot, and rig it weedless. Fiddle around with different speeds and types of retrieves 'til you find out what depths you can fish without snagging the stuff on every cast. In the shallower areas, try topwater baits. There have been times I've done well with shallow running baits. At other times it seems impossible to avoid it.

I'd say the kid has an aptitude for being a surgeon. Performing circumcisions.

I'd check with a sign company that makes decals. They should be able to tell you.

Go to Home Depot or Lowes. They used to sell aluminum angle iron or aluminum square tubing. Either one should work. I say used to because I don't know if they still do. Been a few years since I used that stuff. They had it in several sizes and thicknesses. Came in eight foot lengths.

At least it will be an intelligent conversation..................I think.

You can always use the old tried and true response when they can no longer provide a reasonable answer that will never satisy a child. "Because I said so."

Yes, I think you did. And it is an unbelievable price.

Why not have responsible adults instead of more nanny-state regulations? I agree in principle with that sentiment, but, how do we get responsible adults? And, what do we do with those who are not responsible?

Keep in mind this may be useless unless you make long runs with your outboard. The electronics on my boat run off the starting battery. I seldom run the outboard for more than five minutes at a time because the ponds/lakes I fish are fairly small, the largest being five miles long by a mile and a half wide. I have yet to make the "long run" from the extreme north end of the pond to the south end of the pond when fishing. It is a quick jog here and a quick jog there. The pond I fish most is only a mile and a half long by a half mile wide, so from one spot to the next takes no more than thirty seconds. My starting battery failed a couple of weeks ago. Had to swap with one of the tm batteries to get it fired. Back to the ramp. Get the jumpers from my truck. Switch the batteries back. Use the jumpers to get the motor started, then joy ride for a half hour or so. Bit by bit the electronics sapped the batteries. A tenth of a volt one day. Another tenth or so the next. And after a season of fishing, I had drained the battery so it could not start the engine. When I got home, I put the voltmeter on the starting battery and it was just above eleven volts. Hooked up the charger and when fully charged it was 13.4. Way2slow has given you sound advice. Depends not only what the amp rating is for your alternator, but also how much you run the main engine. In my case, that item would be useless, since it would never divert power to the trolling motor batteries.

When I bought the boat, I ordered a cover, and was told that could happen. The answer is yes, let the road grime get on the boat and clean it when you get to your destination. That's the advice I was given, and just passing it along for what it's worth. I do not speak from experience, but, what advantage would it be for a salesman to tell me not to use the cover while trailering the boat? As for you Long Mike, I do not own a superior aluminum boat. Someday if I am lucky, I will be able to upgrade. Seriously though, you do have a drain plug in the event of rain. I do however doubt it would have let the water out as fast as that monsoon was dumping it in. I remember Big O telling me that when they were fishing in that weather on Pickwick, he had both bilge pumps running and the water in the cockpit was above his ankles.

Not knowing the rules of navigation can be deadly. While I did not witness it, I knew the boat captain involved. Lobstering in Buzzards Bay can be hazardous on a clear day. It leads to, or from, the south end of the Cape Cod Canal. A foggy day and the lobsterman in question saw a tug and made to pass by its stern. The captain of the tug gave three blasts on his horn, which signals he has something in tow. The lobsterman, not knowing the regs, thought it was a friendly toot, waved at the tug and continued across its stern, only to be run over by the empty barge it was towing. He was literally run over. His boat along with him and his crew were passed over by the entire length of the barge. The lobsterboat never broke the surface and sank on the spot. The three men barely escaped with their lives. The tug may have been making 10 - 15 knots, tops. The lobsterboat was even slower. Speed was not a factor, but ignorance of the "rules of the road" was nearly deadly.

Thanks Uncle. Very nice of you.

I was told not to cover the boat when trailering. Road dust and grime will get trapped beneath the band which fits tightly against the hull. As you drive down the road, no matter how tightly you install the cover, there will be some "working" where the dust and dirt are trapped and it will chafe the boat's finish, moreso if it is a fiberglass boat with a nice finish. Use it to protect from the sun's rays, or leaves and other debris from collecting inside when it cannot be stored under cover. Use it when you are trailering and in short order, you will be able to see where it fit snugly around the boat when the cover is off.

A boat is a platform on the water to get you to where the fish are. Or, where you think they are. No single boat is going to do everything well. A bass boat is purpose built for one thing, to be as efficient as possible for the pursuit of fishing. Everything except the rods you are using is safely stored out of harms way, but readily accessible. In the Lund you are describing, you cannot store as much gear out from underfoot. But, it is definitely safer for the kids, and definitely will take more weather. You seem to know what you are looking for, and a bass boat is definitely not it.

Put an egg in your shoe and beat it. Make like the wind and blow. Sounds like a line from the C&W song "Back When".

RW's been around. Russ, the last I saw from him was about his trip to visit Redline Robert. That was a few months ago. He did undergo some type of heart surgery, but was doing fine afterward.

Thank you. It is very much appreciated.

Moderator? Hey, it's a step up from your former role as a hall monitor. Advanced fishing skills means he's taken the training outriggers off his kayak. Congrats. Why do I feel like I'm living on the edge? :D

Sounds like the prior owner had a crappy taping job done. Electrical tape, if applied properly will look neat.

Make sure the holes are dry, or you'll be wasting your time with the silicone. If you can get beneath the deck, put tape over the holes to stop the silicone from running out. It might be easier to get a piece of dowel, slightly larger than the hole. Sand a taper on one end, put some waterproof glue on the dowel, and tap it snugly into the hole. Then cut flush with the deck. Repeat three more times and you've got an absolutely watertight plug in each of the old holes. Do put silicone in the new holes before installing the screws. It will seal the drilled edges.

I checked with Glenn before posting this. He graciously approved it as a worthy cause. Our younger daughter Kristie owns and operates Waterdog Kennels in Temple, GA, about 40 miles west of Atlanta. She does some obedience training, but her main business has been boarding, and training dogs for hunting and field trials. In the past two or three years, in addition to that, she has gotten into the rescue of dogs, primarily labs, but others as well. The dogs are first taken to a vet to get them up to snuff healthwise. They get vaccinations, and are treated for any physical ailments. Then they are trained in the basics, to walk on and off leash and to obey the usual commands, come, heal, stay, sit, etc. After this period, during which they are quarantined, they are introduced to other dogs for socialization. They must be kept apart from the dogs being trained and boarded, until they are ready to be socialized. This requires a separate facility, which at present is very limited in the amount of dogs that can be rescued. There are plans for expansion, which will be underway soon. Kristie is one of a thousand applicants accepted by Pepsi to "compete" for a 50K grant. The ten winners are determined strictly by the number of votes they receive. Today Kristie is at #56 and needs to get in the top 10. So she needs votes!!! You can vote daily online, by facebook, and by texting. For those who are techies, and are hooked up with all three, you can cast three votes daily. Voting ends on October 31, 2010 Here is Kristie's page. Be sure to check out Libby's before and after photo on the page. http://www.refresheverything.com/lifeislabs Hope this part of an email Kristie has sent shows up. If you want to receive updates from her you can contact her by email, and you will be added to the list. Number 1 is for the page linked above. It's easy to vote: 1) Click here 2) Click "vote for this idea" 3) You can quickly sign in using facebook, an existing account or by creating an account 4) Then click "vote for this idea" AGAIN (very important!) now that you're logged in An EVEN EASIER way to vote: Text* 103192 to Pepsi (73774) *No additional charge; standard text messaging rates apply. And vote through facebook: CLICK TO VOTE!1) Go to the Facebook App and install 2) Search for Life is labs and vote! THANK YOU for your support. If you have an extra few seconds, please leave us a message in the comments area to show your support. And don't forget to share this email and our voting page with your friends and family. While you're there, you can share it on Twitter and Facebook and/or add a widget to your website or blog. Thank you for letting us email you. We'll keep you posted on our progress. Sincerely, Kristie, Drew and the dogs

Humminbird Interlink

It's weird indeed. All I get in the little window is the upper left corner of the page with the "File Edit View Favorites Tools Help" and square with the "-" in it, the square to maximize the page and the red square with the "X" to shut the page. There is nothing but the shortened toolbar section, not even the url line and the page title above it. I clicked on view, then clicked on full screen. Now it opens in full screen, but hides all the toolbars and the page that is open. Move the cursor to the top, and they appear, and are operable.