Fishing Rhino

The 99 dollar portable Eagle Cuda sounder. It has found me more productive bottom in my favorite pond than I knew existed. Bottom I would only have found by dumb luck. Not only did it show me this bottom, but it enabled me to find the perimeters of these patches of bottom. I'm looking forward to a larger boat with side imaging and maps which show the virtual contours of the bottom rather than just depth lines. But for me, electronics are the number one priority. Money spent on them is never wasted, unless you buy them and do not learn how to use them to the max.

Sure you have. We all have. If you check, you'll find that most boating accidents, sinkings, injuries and deaths, are caused primarily by one factor, human/operator error. All the regulations in the world cannot eliminate human error.

Modifications can make a boat dangerously unstable, and unsafe, particularly if you raise its center of gravity, and it has a narrow beam. Just a cautionary note about wholesale modifications to any vessel.

I know, I know, conversions are very popular for the handymen/women among us. For a while, I entertained the idea of building a fiberglass jon boat from scratch that would have fishing decks, storage, etc. all designed to suit my needs. The more I thought about it, the less I thought of the idea. There can be very good reasons why boats like these are not on the market. A lack of demand, or, they cannot comply with industry standards for safety and stability. Industry standards require flotation that will make it impossible to sink. USCG standards for loads etc. must be complied with. I have serious doubts that boats based on conversions of small boats to mini bass boats would meet load and safety standards. The Coast Guard has implemented a no cost program to test recreational boats, voluntarily provided by a manufacturer, for compliance with the following Federal safety standards: Safe Loading, Safe Powering, and Flotation. Under this program, manufacturers may request compliance testing early in a production run. Early testing can minimize the financial risk associated with Coast Guard imposed recalls and reduce the number of non-complying boats reaching the public. Points to consider for this voluntary program are: 1.Testing is free. 2.Boats provided are to be less than twenty feet in length. 3.Boats that fail testing will be retested after the manufacturer's corrections are made. 4.If the boat fails testing and the number of boats in the production run is small a formal recall will not be implemented; however, all boats in the production run are expected to be corrected. 5.If the boat fails testing and the number of boats in the production run is significant, a formal recall may be implemented. Therefore, test early in a production run to minimize the risk of a recall. 6.The manufacturer may bring in boats for testing, or the Coast Guard will pick up and return boats, at no charge, that are voluntarily provided. 7.Manufacturers may witness testing and ask questions about testing methods, techniques, and procedures. 8.Boats voluntarily provided may have 1/4 inch holes drilled at selected location on the top sides and sole to let air escape during testing. 9.Boats provided will be submerged for 18 hours before testing. Flotation foam in the boat may absorb water during this process and may retain this water after testing. We encourage you to consider voluntary compliance testing as part of your business strategy. It is free, it helps ensure that your product meets minimum safety standards, and it reduces the risk of a costly recall campaign in the future. If you would like more information about voluntary boat testing or Federal safety standards, please contact the Office of Boating Safety at 202-372-1073. I realize some may scoff at my concerns regarding safety. But if you do, consider this. I've spent over 25 years of my life making a living catching lobsters off the coast of Massachusetts. I've read about, and in a couple of instances seen the consequences of either ignoring, or playing down legitimate safety concerns. Looking back, I've done some dumb things, such as fishing for striped bass in Cape Cod bay, in a 12 foot Sears jon boat. It was fine and dandy on a calm sea. But the day I was a few miles from safe haven when the wind blew up was the last day I used that boat on salt water. It was relegated to the small ponds on the area of the Cape where we lived. I survived my stupidity with only frayed nerves as a result. This was years before my lobstering days.

Try these in Google or any other search engine. inflatable pontoon fishing boat inflatable fishing boat You'll should get plenty of results, including this one, which is a start. http://www.bigskyfishing.com/inflatable-boats/inflatable-boats.shtm

That's what I get for reading something into it that wasn't there. I seem to recall reading about extreme restaurants that were "known" to be haunted. Those in the article did a thriving business.

Will tearing down the old, drive 'em off, or tick 'em off? Do ghosts dwell on certain pieces of property, or in the buildings on them. Early on in the thread was a house that may have been built on a cemetary. "He is a friendly ghost and does not really bother us and we expect and no longer get upset with his shenanigans but I sure wish he would cut it out. And by the way, there were three cemeteries on the plantation where our house is built. Two were located but the archaeologists could not find the third one. I bet I know where it is." This topic is very interesting.

Yes, I can finally talk about it publicly. My wife's retirement will be officially announced in the three hospitals, of which, she is the Chief Nursing Officer. Her last day on the job is June 30. Her nursing career began in 1962 (she'd kill me if she saw this), when she entered nursing school. When we got married, and moved to Holliston, she worked at the Framingham Union Hospital in the Framingham Heart Study department. In addition to putting up with me for nearly 45 years, she gave birth to our two daughters, took evening classes to get her bachelor's degree at Stonehill University, and her MBA from Suffolk University in Boston. She worked her way from a staff nurse, to a supervisory position, then into administration as a vp of patient services and finally to the position which she currently holds. Not too bad for a "farmer's daughter", who grew up on a small dairy farm in Westport, MA. She never had a bicycle as a child, and never had a driver's license until I taught her to drive at age 21, when she was about to graduate from nursing school. It's a good thing she was cute, because when she took her driving test she had to execute a three point turn on a quiet city street. She knocked over a couple of trash cans that were awaiting pickup on the edge of the sidewalk when she backed up. I figured for sure she'd have to take it again. But the inspector passed her in spite of her gaffe. She has come a long way from the 4H days of her youth. I am truly blessed.

Are they real? I don't know. My wife and I have lived in three homes, and we've been the first people to occupy them, so I wouldn't expect to see ghosts. The reference to Tangina, was in response to "possibly knowing where the third cemetary was located" in an earlier post. That was the reason the house in the movie had poltergeists, and the furniture in that house moved around. Built on a cemetary.

A nice, warm fall day, with temps in the 60s and 70s. Light breeze, bands of showers with intermittent sunshine. Water clarity doesn't matter. Some ponds I fish are crystal clear, others have visibility of a couple of feet, to the human eye. One more thing about clarity. These are not bodies of water that get muddy when there is heavy rains. In fact some of them which have algae blooms have better visibility following rain storms. None are fed by muddy streams or rivers.

All fishing tales are generally full of ----, figuratively. In your case, it happened to be literally.

I don't see any senkos, or banjo minnows. No fishing sanctuary is complete without them.

Here's something for you to try in the lily pad beds. Start fishing them before the pads reach the surface, or when the first few begin to show. Take some markers, and set them around the edges of the beds. Use whatever baits you prefer, but last spring, I really got into some nice bass using the Rage Tail Space Monkey or Craw. Rigged 'em weedless. In five feet of water, where most of the pads are found in my favorite pond, I'd make a cast, then allow about ten seconds before starting the retrieve. More than half the bass I caught in the beds at this stage were on when I started the retrieve. I recommend braid because it will saw through the stems if a really good fish runs around in them.

Two options. Tangina or the Ghostbusters.

Most trips are shorter, timewise, than that found on the directions. It's an average driving time, figuring in frequent stops for gasoline, to eat, rest areas where you can get out and stretch your legs. They probably factor in stopping every couple of hours. When I go on a trip, I'm on a mission. Stop when I'm low on fuel. Do drive throughs for most meals, especially breakfast. Couple of sausage McMuffins with egg and a medium OJ, and I'm back on the road. I've driven the entire stretch of I-81, from PA to Tennessee w/o a stop. Not many people like those banzai runs. I set the cruise at just less that five mph over the limit. Where the speed limit is 70, the cruise is set at about 74. If the traffic is buzzing by me, I'll go with the flow. In light traffic, with no other vehicles to run interference, I don't get greedy. Been by plenty of state cops, highway patrol, etc, with their radars working. Never been stopped. I've heard they won't stop you unless you're exceeding the speed limit by at least 10 mph. Four to five over is fast enough for me.

For storage, I keep them in plastic boxes by brand. For fishing, I keep them in Plano boxes by type, worms, flukes, craws, creatures, finesse, etc.

i'll sell u mine for 99 cents Shipping included? ;D

When the conditions are scenic, be it the colors of fall, or a mist shrouding a mirror surface, anticipation is high. If that scenic cast results in a strike, it's the cherry on top of the sundae. Just being in such an environment and having an appreciation for it is sufficient reward.

That won't happen with calls like opting for two tires on the last pit stop at Vegas. That was just plain dumb. At a track like Vegas, your a sitting duck as the leader. If Gordon/Letart take 4 those behind him take 2. If JJ holds him off with 2 tires, Gordon's crew looks like they made a bad call. I'm not saying 2 was better or 4 was better, but they had to make a choice and fully expect those behind them to do the direct opposite. I"m no Gordon fan either.. While Gordon was the leader, Johnson was in his pit box first. They made the decision to change four before they knew what Letarte was going to do. Gordon ended up third. With the leaders starting double file, Gordon would have had no trouble finishing in at least third. Johnson was the only one who could stay with Jeff throughout a run. And, who knows if Jimmy was showing his hand, or had something left in reserve? He seemed to be able to run Jeff down, then settled back, leaving a half second gap, lap after lap. My thought is that Jimmy had an ace in the hole. Even if he could have taken the lead earlier, why show it? That would have caused the 24 team to make some incremental adjustments. If it had been five or ten laps to go, I'd agree with the two tire stop. But it was twenty something. Not a call I would have made. I told my wife at the time that move would cost Jeff the race. She liked that 'cause she's a Johnson fan.

That same argument was used about Jeff Gordon when he started winning. He didn't pay his dues. He had everything handed to him. His equipment was better than others. Yadda, yadda, yadda. He was the start of a new era. None of the younger crop of drivers went through what the prior generations of drivers did to get to the upper levels. The Busch brothers, Newman, Harvick, Edwards, Biffle, Logano (who's still only 19), etc., basically showed up at the track with their helmet, firesuit and gloves, and hopped behind the wheel. Junior never distinguished himself at the local tracks. I saw him finish laps down at the Myrtle Beach Speedway back in '94 or '95, and from talking with the locals, that was typical. Daddy put him in a Busch car and he won two championships. The older guys rarely made it to Cup level racing before they were thirty years old. Seems to me that some resent Danica because she's a woman who has parlayed her ability, looks and whatever into a fortune. Ultimately, we will find out if she belongs at this level in stock car racing or not. This I do know. Her souvenir trailer at Daytona was doing more business than any of the others including those of Junior and Gordon. That's as important to sponsors as on track performance. If you look at the current state of NASCAR, it's easy to understand why they are flogging Danica at every opportunity. Guaranteed she put a lot of fannies in the seats for Saturday's Nationwide race at Daytona. And, the bottom line is NASCAR's first and foremost concern. Warm bodies in the stands, and good tv ratings. Is it a case of hype or hope, maybe both. We'll find out, eventually.

The strike, because the possibility exists that it's a monster. So, it's about anticipation, and imagination. The fight gives a good indication of the reality of the size, and sometimes the fight isn't much. Landing a true monster doesn't happen all that often. At least not around here. Landing an average fish, while fun, is nothing to get very excited about, simply because it's, well, average. It's all in the mind.

I messed up the directions. Open "My Computer" (do not right click on it), then right click on the "C" drive, then click on properties. Click on "Tools", and follow my first directions from there.

Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina. A buddy and I are heading to Georgia March 20. Will be fishing the small pond behind my daughter's home and relaxing on Sunday. Monday, off to Varner with a guide. One day on a private pond with a managed population of biggies (supposedly). Maybe another guided trip at the end of the week. Plenty of small ponds and lakes that are perfect for small boats and canoes. Most don't allow gas engines or boats over 16 feet. The snow is gone around here, and the temps did hit 50 today. The next sunny calm day, I'm going to hit my favorite pond with jigs and shakey heads. Only if it warms up a lot in the next couple days. They're talking about snow for tomorrow afternoon/evening. If I wanted to deal with the white crap that falls form the sky I would've stayed in NH. > Dang! On the bright side, the 21st doesn't get here in the next couple of days. Seriously, March was the best month for me to take off. Wife is having toe joint replacement surgery in early April, so I have to play nurse for a week or ten days. Knowing March can still be iffy in GA, I scheduled the trip as late as possible in March. Average highs for late March in the Atlanta area showed mid 60s to near 70.

That won't happen with calls like opting for two tires on the last pit stop at Vegas. That was just plain dumb.