Fishing Rhino

There was a thread some time ago about two strokes on some ponds and lakes being banned. I think you will find that reg applies to the carburetored and early fuel injection outboards, pre 1999, at least according to this from California. Unless I'm mistaken the same standard was applied in all other states regarding the two stroke outboards. Two-Stroke Vessel EnginesFacts About Two-Stroke Vessel Engines Two-stroke engines are not "banned" for use on all waterways in California, nor is there any plan to do so. Carbureted and electronic-injection two-stroke engines are considered high-emission engines. Generally, these engines were manufactured prior to 1999. A carbureted two-stroke engine can emit up to 25-30 percent of its fuel unburned into the water or atmosphere, which is why high-emission engines are prohibited on some lakes. There are no salt-water or river restrictions in California on high-emission two-stroke engines, excluding personal watercraft (vessels such as Jet Skis) bans in some areas. For example, San Francisco has prohibited personal watercraft within 1200 feet of its shoreline. See "Local Restrictions" on our Web page for a list of lakes. Direct injection two-stroke engines, made since 1999, are considered clean emission engines and can be used on every water body in California, with some exceptions not related to emission limits. A new direct injection two-stroke engine will normally have a label sticker (with 1 to 3 stars) on its engine cover indicating that it meets California Air Resources Board emission regulations for 2001, 2004, and 2008 for vessel engine manufacturers. Explanation Of Two-Stroke Vessel Engine Regulations And Restrictions Two-Stroke FAQ Local Restrictions - Reservoirs that restrict two-stroke engines. To see the local restrictions, click on the link below, then the "local restrictions" link on that. Again, you will see that those restrictions apply to all personal water craft or the pre 1999 two stroke engines. http://www.dbw.ca.gov/Environmental/TwoStroke/

A Soupy Sales blooper. At the end of his kids' show, when he thought he was off the air he said about his audience, "There, that oughta hold the little "illegitimate children".

Just looked outside at 3:45 a.m. Not enough breeze to fly a kite. We had some rain, but that's about it. Oh well, looks like the summer outdoor stuff got stowed early this year.

Boy, am I glad you mentioned that. I have a hub and bearings, separate, not assembled. I do have trailer brakes, but never gave it a thought until you mentioned it. Thanks!

Who do you know that eats something that smells like a fart? Besides a dung beetle that is. The stuff I eat smells fine. As it passes through my body is when it turns to sh.........., uhhhhh, ooops. If you get my drift.

No clean up crew necessary. The seagulls will have it cleaned up in a jiffy.

And all along, I thought tennis, like golf and polo were primarily the domain of the prim and proper crowd that came from the right side of the tracks. Those folks belong at a hockey game.

There's a saying that goes something like this. Grandchildren are your parents' revenge. Karma is a fearful thing.

The latest I heard was that Nantucket "might" get hurricane force winds. Around here they downgraded from sixty mph a few hours ago to thirty to fifty as Earl passes off the coast. Isn't there a C & W song "Earl Must Die"?

This wasn't storm related or anything, but earlier this year I bought gas and the station's network was down (couldn't communicate to CC servers) and they filled out the paper slip and took an impression of my card. This was in the Chicago suburbs and not out in the country either. I've had them do the same thing in the past couple of years when the electronic gizmo was having a conniption fit. In fact, there are a couple of stations around here that still use the old imprint machines as standard operating procedure.

If I had that kind of money laying around I would update to a glass boat..... I am one of those aluminum boat owners who would NOT call switching to a glass boat an "update." Personally, I would call it a downgrade. We all know you're one of those aluminum snobs. ;D

You can get them most anywhere, including WalMart in some sizes. I got mine from a local trailer dealer. They were cheaper than those available at BPS, but not by much. The reason I went to a dealer that has been around a while is for service, and access to his knowlege. He's been around long enough, and has a good reputation. Service is of the utmost importance with any product. Some people don't like bearing buddies, but here is his take on them, particularly if you ever launch in salt water. The knock on bearing buddies is that they just fill the outside of the outer bearing. While that may be true, if you trailer any distance, heat will be generated in the bearings. There is some air in the hub which also gets heated. When you launch in cold water, that air will contract, causing salt water to be drawn in past the seal which is designed to keep grease contained. They do not do a good job when warm bearing assemblies cool and the air and grease contract. That tends to draw water into the bearing assembly. The spring loaded bearing buddies or similar products prevent this. I don't have Bearing Buddies because my trailer came with the system that greases the bearings from the inside out, and I don't put the trailer into salt water. You can get a hub assembly with the bearings installed, greased, and ready to go. Comes in a kit. The price was reasonable if I recall correctly. That would be the most efficient way to go if you have a bearing fail. Pull the cap, remove the axle nut, slide the failed unit off and install the spare. No muss. No fuss. Chances are if you maintain the bearings properly you'll never need the spare. When I travel with my rig, I feel the wheels at the hubs at every stop.

A fuse/circuit breaker is to protect everything, not just the wiring. My Humminbird sounder says to use a three amp fuse in the circuit. Using anything more will void the warranty. You can develop a short in any trolling motor which can indeed burn out the unit if you exceed the maximum amperage they recommend using in the circuit. You want the breaker to trip before you can damage the unit, or ignite any flammable materials along the way.

If this has been posted elsewhere, I've missed it. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/7977013/Whale-put-to-death-with-explosives.html

Latest advisory: "SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT... A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR... * BOGUE INLET NORTH CAROLINA NORTHEASTWARD TO THE NORTH CAROLINA/VIRGINIA BORDER INCLUDING THE PAMLICO AND ALBEMARLE SOUNDS * WESTPORT MASSACHUSETTS EASTWARD AROUND CAPE COD TO HULL MASSACHUSETTS INCLUDING MARTHAS VINEYARD AND NANTUCKET ISLAND" Westport MA, that's me. And no, I'm not worried. Been through every hurricane to hit this area since Carol in 1954. The last one to seriously impact the area was Bob in '89, so we are due. Cash only Glenn? The last time the computers were down, they broke out the good old backup standby paper charge slips and filled them out by hand. Took a little longer, but that was it. Heck, in Carol, when the power was out for weeks, gas stations rigged up Briggs and Stratton engines to turn the pumps. Of course that was in the days before electronics controlled everything. Even then, most businesses have backup generators to run the stuff that is essential to operate even if not all the electric circuits. That's one good thing about living in an area where snowstorms can take out the power. It is essential to have some type of backup to prevent pipes from freezing in the winter. The Nitro is tucked in the garage. All our vehicles will be under cover as well. The generator is in place and was test run yesterday. The charger is hooked up to its battery. If the power goes out, turn a key, flip the switches on some circuits from outside power to generator power and we're in business. Enough capacity to make sure we have water, heat, power to the fridge, etc. Not enough capacity for every circuit, but will be able to live normally, like human beings. We have satellite tv, so it will work. If the power lines go down, we will lose the broadband internet service.

Congratulations. But, don't start wishing your life away. It's human nature, and most of us do it. You know, I'll be glad when they are potty trained. I'll be glad when they can walk. I'll be glad when they can walk, talk, or bathe themself. Trust me, changing diapers, and having to tend to their every need is a picnic compared to what follows. The challenges and responsibilities change, and become more serious every step of the way. With infants, you don't have to worry about where they are, who they are with, what they are doing or getting into. When they are an infant, home in bed, and the phone rings in the middle of the night, it's not likely to be good, but you know it doesn't involve them. When they are teenagers, out with their friends, and the phone rings "after hours", you tend to think the worst. Then they get married, you become a grandparent, and the cycle begins anew. Hope I haven't ruined your day.

Geeze, I forgot about those. Used to get them in flurries all the time and clicked on the "Report Spam" button without opening them. The frequency of them appearing in the Email list slowed, then stopped altogether. Can't remember the last time I got one. I may be a hard hearted son of a gun, but someone who jumps at every obvious scam like these should not be in the gene pool.

Put a spring loaded mount on it. One that will lay down at about 50 mph. That will reduce the drag to nearly zero, and it will pop back up when the speed drops below 45. Be sure to get one of the better mounts. The cheapo units will have your sonar flapping lock a chatterbait. ;D

Imagine you are in one spot on a pond in a kayak. Now, imagine you are on the exact same spot in a 50,000 dollar bass boat. What more or less can you tell about the bottom from either boat using only your eyesight? That's right, the answer is nothing. You cannot see the bottom structure, composition or cover any better from either boat. The side imaging sonar will work as well in either boat. The fact is, that unit is equally important, in any class of boat. If and when you get a bigger, better, boat, you have the option of moving it to that boat.

There is no "easy" way to repair gel coat. You mention stress cracks where the dock line pulled on the cleats. The problem with cracks of any kind in gel coat is that they are impossible to clean short of sanding them down and applying a coat of new gel coat. Then, you have to worry about the new gel coat matching the old. Gel coat does not spray like paint. It is thick and will have a worse than orange peel finish. There are several types of gel coats, and two types within each of those, a gel coat with wax, and without wax. Unwaxed is used for laminating. Waxed is used for finishing. The reason for the wax is it will come to the surface and prevent air from coming in contact with the gel coat. Gel coat is a curious substance. It is designed to remain tacky where it comes in contact with air. It allows the gel coat to form a chemical bond with the laminating resin during layup. So, you spray on the waxed gel coat which leaves you a bumpy finish worse than orange peel. Now, you can sand it smooth with progressively finer paper down to 1200 or even finer wet or dry paper. Once that is done, the surface can be buffed to a high gloss finish, or to a gloss which will match the rest of the boat. I work with fiberglass and gel coats, and apart from very minor repairs to dings and diggers, I wouldn't attempt to repair any significant area of gel coat. Not having seen the boat, my guess would be that what you have is less noticable than attempted repairs would be.

The fishing was OK, nothing great, but other events made it a memorable day. Fishing on a Cape Cod pond, on any weekend between the Fourth of July and Labor Day can be "interesting". I was going to fish a fairly small pond, a mile and a half long and a half mile wide. The ramp is an unimproved hard sand beachlike ramp, requiring all four wheels of the truck to be in the water before the boat will float off. It has a small parking area that can handle seven or eight boats with trailers, if they are parked fairly snug to each other. Once a few rigs have parked, it becomes necessary to back into the area from the road since it is impossible to turn around in the area. Got to the pond a half hour before daybreak. Two fellows had already launched and were waiting for the rest of their buddies. They were having a small tournament of six boats on the pond. We chatted and made small talk while I was waiting for enough daylight to head out. I got onto the pond as soon as I could see well enough to navigate, but before there was enough light to tie a knot. Headed toward the north end of the pond and began fishing along the shore working my way to the north. A fellow headed out in a double ended rowing dory, out for a morning row, or so I thought. He was headed my way and as he rowed past, we exchanged good mornings. No sooner had he gotten past me, he shipped oars, grabbed a rod and began casting. He had to row a hundred yards or so to get to me. I was somewhat surprised when he began to fish within casting distance of me, but this is Cape Cod in the summer. I continued to fish as though he was not there and worked my way past him, without another word being exchanged. I quit fishing just after noon. When I got to the ramp, the area was packed with cars and people still trying to launch boats. Several boats were parked on the side of the road, sporting flourescent orange parking tickets. Parking is not allowed on the road, or the roadside. I got to the ramp, dropped the anchor off the stern, let the wind drift me to the shallow water and tied the bow line to a small tree. The boat was well clear of the ramp. A boat was backed into the lot, and a jeep was parked behind it. The fellow who owned the boat asked if I was leaving and how long it would take me to load and leave. He was concerned about how long the process would take, telling me that the place had developed into a cluster****. I laughed at him, and said I'd launched before five o'clock, and parked my rig, and that I was the third person to put in. Also told him that the cluster**** was caused by people like him trying to put ten pounds of turd (I didn't say turd) into a five pound bag, not me. He looked at me and said, "Yeah, you're right." Oh, I almost forgot. Someone had planned well ahead to secure their parking spot. They had parked their rig with a big pontoon boat in the lot the night before. The guys who were there ahead of me told me the tow vehicle was locked and no one was in it. Funny thing is, when I loaded at one in the afternoon, the rig was still there with the boat on the trailer. They must have planned for an afternoon outing. It is the only launch area I use in the area that does not have a "NO OVERNIGHT PARKING" regulation posted.

Somethin' ain't right about that. No way any baler I've seen would pack the hay nicely around his body leaving his arms, legs and head sticking out and remaining attached to his body. For him to be baled along with the hay, he'd have to enter the machine along with the grass, not at the tail end, where it is discharged. Very clever and funny, but don't try this at home,...........and expect to survive.

Never leave biting fish. You can only eat a fish once. Put it back, and it can be caught again.

Be sure to watch the second video available for close ups of the Firebird pieces. http://www.wdtn.com/dpp/news/video:-i-675-crash-caught-on-tape The comment near the end of the news broadcast said an investigation to find out what if any role speed played in the accident. You cannot make this stuff up.

I'm partial to the original ShakE2 jig head. I know most prefer the coil lock to the barb holder, but I don't. Here's why. My most productive bait has been the Strike King 4" finesse worm in coppertreuse color. The problem that what makes them darn near indestructible also makes them impossible to put on the barb. I doubt they'd go on the coil holder either since they cannot be put onto the Owner twistlock hooks with the centering pin. I melt a hole into the end of the SK finesse worms with a heated safety pin. It can then be installed on the barb, but it has the maddening tendency to slip off on the cast from time to time. When I finally wised up and put a drop of super glue on the barb, that cured the problem, permanently. The worm stays on there until I lose the rig. Have caught over thirty bass and a few pickerel on the same worm before losing it to a rocky bottom. No matter that the worm is totally scuffed due to the raspy mouths of bass and the toothy mouths of pickerel. The old, dull worm produces the same as it did when new. I'm glad the original is still available.