Fishing Rhino

That's interesting. I have experienced the same thing with a Shumacher charger 2/10 amp automatic. And, my battery did not last very long, about four or five hours before it started to slow down. This occurred on ponds where the motor is used only sporadically to move from one spot to another. I suspected a problematic cell. Did a hydrometer test, and all the cells were identical, showing a reading of 1150, which, according to the chart is about 25% charged. Two voltmeters showed the battery to have a voltage of 13.20 plus or minus a couple of hundredths. Batteries are branded Bass Pro Shop. Took the battery, the charger, and my voltmeter to the local Interstate store to have it checked. The battery is made by Exide. Was manufactured last July. They got the same results from all six cells on their hydrometer. Did a load test, which indicated the battery is fine, but were still puzzled by the voltage reading and the specific gravity readings of the electrolyte in the cells. The tech asked how I connected the battery to the charger. Since the plastic caps were still on the large posts, I had been connecting the charger to the nuts on the steel studs which are used to secure the trolling motor terminals. He felt this might be the problem since they do not conduct current as well as the lead posts, and thus giving the charger an inaccurate reading of the battery's condition. I have tried charging it using the lead posts, but still end up with the same 13.2 volts when the battery charger is disconnected after the green indicator light shows it to be fully charged. When near fully charged, and the charger connected and still charging, it will read as high as 14.5 volts or a bit higher. Haven't used the battery since Interstate tested it, but the charged reading is the same as when I connected the charger clips to the metal nuts. Still scratching my head. Specific gravity readings still indicate it is not fully charged, but the charged percent does read a bit higher. According to the Interstate fellow, my charger is functioning normally. If he is correct, that leaves the trolling motor as the sole remaining factor in the equation. Yet, I had just had a speed controller changed, and the motor was drawing the normal amount of amps on a test stand. Of course, a test stand is not quite the same as being used in the water. Any thoughts?

Many years ago, my best friend's dad sold boats. We went to an exhibit of new boats and motors at Lake Cochichuate in Natick, or Framingham, MA. A dealer in a suit got into a small hydroplane like boat which had a curved plywood bottom. Water slopped over one side, and he, followed by the water moved to the other side. In desperation, the dealer, who was dressed in a suit tried to cling to a heavily creosoted piling. As the boat sunk from beneath him, he slid down the piling, smearing himself and his suit with the greasy mess that coated the piling.

Not the same material, but would probably work as well. The stick jackets are braided.

It's an Old Town/Johnson 15.5 footer. I say both, because both names are on the canoe. Might be a quest, but not sure. It has a beam of 40 plus inches and is very stable, with a semi/vee type of bottom. Square stern, and I got it at Dick's on sale for 500 dollars. Quite likely the same canoe. Glad I have a trolling motor for it. Compared to my other Old Town it paddles like a barge. But, the other canoe is nowhere near as stable. Did capsize it once due to my own stupidity of reaching too far over the side. Didn't lose anything but some of my pride. In about four feet of water, so I could walk it to shore and bail it out, then go back to fishing. Warm water, hot day. Thank goodness.

Too much info, not good. I had hand surgery a few years ago. The thought of surgery didn't bother me at all. What did bother me, that I did not need to know was what the anesthetist told me. To get a complete "block" for the surgery, he was going to wrap my forearm tightly, beginning at the fingers to literally squeeze the blood from my arm. Then, he would apply a tournaquet to keep the blood out, and fill the arm with novacaine, lydocaine or one of the other "caines". When the surgery was over, he'd remove the tournaquet, allowing blood to flow to my forearm once again. Same thing with a spinal. Several years ago I broke my leg and had a spinal so they could set the leg. Thought it was only one needle. It wasn't until I needed further surgery to have a plate and screws to make sure the leg set properly that I was told it's actually three needles. They bend you over, which I knew to open the spaces between the vertabrae. Then they use a local to numb the area. A hollow needle is then inserted into the space between two vertabrae as a guide for the third needle which is inserted into the spinal cord to inject the anesthesia to block all those nerves. That bothered me more than the thought of the surgery itself.

While in GA last week, the speed controller on my tm went on the fritz. Found an authorized Minnkota service center about an hour away that could repair it. While there, I saw these on display, and got a half dozen of them. They work slick. Easy to slide on, and prevent the tangles which occur when rods are side by each. Most places sell these for ten bucks. Nutter has them for seven (6.99) on line. John (I think) took the tm and started to work on it the instant we walked in the door. Glad to give him a plug for that alone. That the price is the best I've seen online is another. A grommet at the end allows the rod to be hung from a hook or other type of hanger. http://www.nutterrodandreel.com/store/store_product_detail.cfm?Product_ID=55&Category_ID=2&Sub_Category_ID=3

In case you're wondering what is the "sprinkler head" retrieve. I've tried to think of a way to describe the retrieve I use for "swimming" a drop shot. It has been very effective for me. Give it a try, you might like it as well. I think most, if not all of us have seen this type of irrigation head. The retrieve I sometimes use works much like the head in the photo above. I use a sidearm type of retrieve, imparting a bit of force to the rod, then letting it move on its own. I start with a bit of slack in the line, and flick the rod to take up that slack. By the time the slack is out of the line, my hand is just following the rod, supporting it so it doesn't drop. When the slack is taken up, the tip flexes a bit, and the mono stretches, imparting very little action to the bait. My hand/arm is like the flapper in the sprinkler head. The jet of water starts it moving then the momentum moves the flapper against a spring which incrementally rotates the sprinkler head a few degrees. The spring flips the flapper back to the jet of water, and the cycle begins again. It's like that with the retrieve. The stretch of the line and the flex of the rod, spring it back to the starting position. A quick flick applied to the handle of the rod, and the cycle begins anew. It usually takes several flicks before I have to retrieve a couple of feet onto the reel. It works very well in grassy bottom, particularly in a slow drift. The sinker will fetch up in the vegetation, and eventually pull free. Before that happens, the bait stays put, vibrating in place, often triggering strikes. Try it, I think you'll like it.

This was caught at Rocky Mountain State Park, Antioch East Lake. It's an hour closer to you than Stone Mountain, and definitely worth putting on your list along with Stone Mountain. It's on the west side of I-75 in northern GA, not much more than two hours, if that, from Chatanooga. Take 140 west to the end. Turn right on 27. About three miles north, at a bend in the road you'll take a left. There is a sign for the park. A half mile or so you'll take another left. Follow that road three or four miles to the entrance to the park. There is also a "trophy lake" in the park. It is only open for fishing the first ten days of each month. If you do this park, schedule your trip to coincide with the time the trophy lake will be open. If you are going to stop at this lake, send me a pm. I'll give you the particulars on where this fish was caught, and where to find two or three more patches of productive bottom.

Spent the last week in GA. On Friday, using a drop shot rig produced this baby. Spinning rod (Carbonlite), six pound InvisX fluoro, an Owner 1/0 Octopus hook baited with a watermelon black/red flake Flappin Hog and a quarter ounce cylindrical drop shot sinker was the hardware/software. The fish was hooked deep in the roof of its mouth, leaving the line to scrub along its file-like "gums". A lightly set drag saved the day.

http://www.roboworm.com/products.htm Here's another good worm company. 100 of these spring worms for $13.20. A lot of interesting colors as well as the old standbys. http://www.productolure.com/springworm.php And one more. They also sell a 3 3/4" Zipper Worm, which Roboworm discontinued. http://www.zipperwormcompany.com/index.php Can't go wrong with any of them. Stores that carry any of them are not likely to carry them in all the available colors.

Depending on the ramp, hip boots or waders make the job a cinch. I saw a fellow beach his boat, don hip boots, wade to shore, back his trailer into the water, then wade over to his boat, push it back until he could get the bow on the trailer, pulled it up as far as he could, then attached the winch cable and finished the job. Hauled out the boat, snugged everything down, put his waders back into the boat, donned his sneakers, and drove off. This was on a sandy ramp, not concrete. Slimy paved ramps might be another story. Worked pretty slick for this access "ramp". He did have a length of rope clipped to the bow ring.

Is it possible that mice nested in the boat while it was laid up for the winter? Nasty little critters love to gnaw on things. Wiring can be like candy to them. Double check all the grounds. Faulty grounds can cause all manner of funky things to happen when it comes to electrical stuff.

If you are going to net, use it every time. There is a degree of experience and skill to use a net properly. I have seen "excited" anglers lose a nice fish because they knocked the hook from the fish's mouth with the net. I've also seen others try to "catch" the fish with the net, attempting to sweep the net over the fish from the rear. Fish do not have a good reverse gear, so it is best to lead them into the net, or to bring the net up from beneath with the net favoring the front end of the fish. Practice on the "meaningless" smaller fish to gain confidence, rather than using it only on the larger fish hoping you do it correctly. Fishing from a canoe, I'm eyeball to eyeball with a fish when it is brought to the boat. My only anxious moments are when a fish is hooked on a bait with multiple trebles. Lipping them then is a risky business at best.

It appears that I will have a free bed in the room I have reserved. Also, for anyone who may be interested. I will be driving to Pickwick, leaving on Friday or Saturday with boat in tow, and perhaps canoe on roof as well. If anyone is still considering it, and willing to share the gas and room expenses for the ride down, my route will be I-95 to the NJ Turnpike, getting onto I-78 at Newark, to I-81 south to I-40 west and from there on to Pickwick Landing. Room for more if there are any last minute takers.

I'm heading south tomorrow. So if you don't see me for the next 7 - 9 days, not to worry. Enjoy the respite. Pick up the boat on the 30th. Everything is done. Boat and trailer insured and registered. Hitch and wiring good to go. Can handle the seven contact plug, and with the adapter, the four wire trailer plugs. Got a cover. The keel guard is being installed. It's good to go, and I'm ready to go canoe fishing in Georgia for a week.

You must like a cold shoulder.

Hey "Big O", the USPS just delivered 8 packs of Smokin' Roosters. Just in time for my trip to GA. Any chance you are considering producing a smaller version, like you did with the craw? These should work just fine, but there are times when they like a scaled down bait. I bet there are times it would be killer in a 2/3 or 3/4 size version.

Very well could be one and the same.

The difference in what you describe. One is "meat fishing", the other is sport fishing.

Those would be hilarious............if they weren't the truth.

The score indicated they were evenly matched...........until the opening jump ball.

Here's an example of beaurocratic stupidity. When we were at the Daytona races, the Census Bureau had an "informational trailer" on the midway. On it was this question. Why is it important to list the number of children attending school. Answer: because it ensures you get your fair share of government funding. Do any of you really believe that each and every public school does not have a head count of the number of students in their school? Give me a break! We have representatives who represent districts and states. If they are not aware of the particular needs of their bailiwicks, they need to be replaced. All the extraneous stuff is just garbage. The Constitution requires the "enumeration" of the people to determine the apportionment of the house. Nothing more. Nothing less. Government is like a cancer. It is a living, breathing, growing organism, taking an ever larger chunk of the available resources to feed itself. In many cases, like a cancer, it serves no purpose other than to ensure its own survival at the expense of necessary cells that actually perform functions necessary to life in the human body.

that he married a pregnant woman.

Their fees are "outrageous" for a reason. If you get a "recruit" to help you, will you hold him/her responsible if the thing falls off? It seems like a simple job, and for the experienced, no doubt it is. Just like it is simple for a mason to lay bricks or blocks, or a surgeon to perform many types of surgeries. Go to the BPS site and look up keel guards, then look at the reviews. None are very good, and most were do it yourself projects. First time out, when they got back to the ramp the keel guard was gone. Was it the fault of the 3M product? Or, was it the fault of the installer? I'd wager in most cases it's the latter. That outrageous fee could end up being cheap money. Especially if your keel guard ends up at the bottom of the drink.

Manufacturers are prone to recommend products with their name on it. So, you know it should work. But it will usually cost more than other brand name oils. I believe that just like autos, your outboard's operating manual will tell you to run an oil that meets certain SAE specs. If the AMS oil is labelled to meet or exceed those specs, you should not have a problem. No outboard motor manufacturer produces petroleum products. For all we know, the AMS may be the same exact product. Meeting the specs for oil products is the important factor. Doesn't matter if it's Shell, Exxon, or AMS.