Fishing Rhino

Never mind how they look. How do they smell?

His doctor is the place to start. During routine visits doctors are now asking questions designed to detect depression in their patients.

You'll get the same "inconclusive" responses that all the other "What's your favorite rod and reel" threads. You're going to have the Shimano, Daiwa, Loomis, Garcia............etc., touting their favorite equipment. Chances are it will leave a reader more confused.

We had Charter for years. Then we got a high def television only to find out that Charter had no HD programming, nor was it on their radar screen for out town. Plus, they refused to add FX to their lineup. FX carried the Winston Cup races. So, we went to DISH. The only problem that remained was that the only broadband internet service in the town was provided by Charter. Our internet connection rate nearly doubled when we dropped their television service. It has been that way for years. Now, Verizon is putting fiber optical in town and we'll be able to get FIOS. It may save us money when it's bundled with our Verizon landline and wireless service.

Actually, I have been to Indiana. But that was in 1960. I was on a trip with some friends to Texas. I got stopped by a policeman for a moving violation. I was stopped at a busy intersection on a highway. There were no traffic lights and I was stopped, waiting for a break in the traffic, for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, I had an opening and made it onto the highway, only to be pulled over by a cop. It seemed that he observed an oncoming car move into another lane to let me in. I was charged with upsetting the flow of traffic, or some such thing. I followed him down the road to a judge who was holding court in a building alongside the highway. It was full of people waiting to have their "case" heard. Finally, I was called in front of the judge. He asked me how much money I had, then fined me half of it. After paying, we were allowed to go on our way. Thanks for reminding me. The judge may have been Monte Hall. The court was not unlike "Let's Make a Deal". Maybe dying would be a better option in Indiana. Although I still have the impression that the intersection was a trap for out of state motorists, not the locals. For all I know, maybe the cop wasn't a cop at all, and the judge was not a judge. There was no paperwork involved other than handing over some paper money.

Well, .....................because living there beats the heck out of dying there.

If it's a stress crack in the gel coat, it can be a difficult repair. It's not just a matter of filling the crack with a matching gel coat. To get a good bond to the old gel coat, the crack would have to be thoroughly cleaned. No small task in a hairline crack. The next possibility is to use a Dremel with a small engraving bit to enlarge the crack. That will get rid of the contaminated surfaces. I'd suggest several coats of a carnauba wax before opening the crack. That will prevent any excess gel from sticking anywhere but in the crack. Apply the repairing gel with the tip of a toothpick, or something similar until you have a small bead above the surface of the surrounding area. You may find that the gel coat "jumps" from the toothpick or any other instrument to an area several inches from the crack. Fiberglass and its assorted resins are very prone to electrostatic charges, particularly on cold dry days. I've seen an arc jump three feet when pulling parts from molds. Take a piece of wax paper and lay it over the gel coat and smooth out with a bondo spreader, then leave it alone until the material cures. Depending on the properties of the repair material it can take anywhere from an hour to a day or more. It may spread some onto the surrounding area, but the wax will prevent it from sticking. When you remove the wax paper, any resin that has spread onto the surrounding area should peel right off, and break off at the crack. Then wet sand the excess above the surrounding are with a very fine wet sandpaper. Keep it wet, and sand as small an area as possible. Use a sanding block to keep the area smooth. Then buff the repair until it matches the surrounding area. Now, here's where the monkey wrench gets thrown into the works. If the crack was a stress crack, and the chances are more likely than not that it is, all that work will be for naught as it is likely to return. Gel coat is generally brittle, and the thicker it is the less it will flex, and the more susceptible it will be to stress cracks. Stress cracks are not usually a structural problem, though in some cases they may indicate that one exists. It's impossible to tell without actually looking at the boat.

Hey guys, have a great time. I've been to the last five road trips and they were a blast. Unfortunately, this one is too far for me, 3500 miles round trip.

How far are you from the Merrimack River? The ramp in Lawrence is handy for launching. Smallmouth, largemouth, and an occasional Northern Pike inhabit the river. The ramp is in a pretty rough area, but I've never had a problem, and I've been there before daylight. It's a nice cruise on the river and you can always find some calm places to fish, even on windy days.

Define "close". Ten miles? Twenty miles, or further?

Hey Raider, It's all in what YOU want from a tire. I'd tell you to look at Goodyear Eagles. I've gotten over a hundred thousand miles on the original equipment Eagles that came with my '07 GMC. Does that mean that you'll get that kind of wear? Not necessarily. It depends on how you drive, and how well you maintain your tires, rotation and tire pressures. I've been in trucks with big knobby tires that the owner thought were the cat's meow, but you couldn't hear yourself think at any speed. Coupled with an exhaust that would rattle your teeth, I thought the whole setup was junk. It's a case of one man's trash is another man's treasure. I prefer all weather tires over all terrain tires for the quieter, smoother ride. And, the all weather tires will generally last longer. But, that's probably due to the way the different trucks are likely to be driven. So, how will you use your truck. A lot of off roading, or primarily transportation? All terrain tires will provide more traction in mud, snow and off road conditions, but less grip on dry pavement. Too many variables for any of us to tell you what tires are best for you.

Ramps can be a zoo. My favorite ramps are the ones where you make a "U-turn" into a dead end then back down the ramp. Pretty hard for someone to cut ahead when you have to pull into the staging area to back down the ramp.

That's only a small portion of what I have to plow. In all, it takes me about an hour and a half to do the whole job. It took me longer than that with a pickup with an eight foot plow. Much neater too. No big snowbanks like we used to have with a plow whenever we got a significant snowfall. I didn't believe it when the John Deere dealer told me it would throw snow thirty feet, but it does.

Here's my snow shovel.

I used to be that way every time I went fishing or on a trip. Here's some hints that you may find helpful. Keep a notepad handy when you go to bed. When your mind is buzzing with things to remember, take the time to write it on your "to do" list. That may keep the "do not forget" list from keeping you awake. If possible, get everything organized a day early. Waiting 'til the last minute, and getting everything organized just before you go to bed can keep you tossing and turning, and checking the clock every few minutes. Make your "game plan" well in advance and make write it down as you think of things. The less you have to think about on the eve of your tournament, or any other fishing trip, the better. Even something as simple as laying out the clothes you are going to wear can help.

Regardless of the law, it's always good policy to wear a pfd, and to carry other safety related items whenever you are on the water, no matter how small the pond may be. They not only may save your life, but in the unlikely circumstance that something catastrophic happens, a pfd will keep your body afloat. There are few things more traumatic for family and friends, than to have a loved one disappear below the surface of the water and for rescue/recovery teams have to drag the bottom searching for the body.

The best one liner I've heard came from Tony Beets on the Gold Rush series. Upon finally getting his gold dredge operating, and seeing gold in the pan said, "This is the most fun I've had with my clothes on."

Number ??. I've got to save space for a ladle tattoo.

Mick Dodge could teach him a thing or two.

Looks like you about wore it out. Was it from shoveling those "drifts" to the side, and behind it?

I see the sidewalk is clear in front of the boozeatorium, but unless your "neighbors" clear theirs, it's a futile effort. Meanwhile, we are getting another six inches of heavy, wet snow today. I don't think we'll see grass until late April, if then.

Here's a simple, but effective thing to do. If you have a cordless phone, take it to the bathroom. Hold it at seat level, and flush. Then hang up.

Three rescues, pulling a total of five people out of the water. The first was in a pond where a guy and his girlfriend were trying to swim to the opposite shore. I came from behind an island and saw them thrashing in the middle of the pond. Motored over to them, pulled them aboard, and brought them to the shore where they had entered the water. The second was on the ocean. We came upon a burning dragger, thirty miles from shore. Called the Coast Guard, gave them the coordinates then headed directly into the breeze since the boat would have drifted faster than a person in the water. Forty five minutes later, we saw something in the water directly ahead of us. It was a man in a cork life raft with a net bottom. Got him aboard, went back to the burning boat he had to abandon, and handed him over to the Coast Guard when they arrived. The third was when a guy and girl tipped over their boat in the middle of a small pond. I was taking my canoe out of the water when I heard a commotion on the pond, that attracted my attention. It was a guy and girl in the water, clinging to their overturned boat. There was a twelve foot round bottom boat near the shore so I grabbed that rather than using my canoe. Paddled it out to them, and backed it up to the guy who was panicking. Held his arms over the stern, while his girl friend managed to climb in at the bow. She paddled the boat to shore while I held onto the guy at the stern.

Trust me. Han Solo. Star Wars. Gossip is like a pile of manure. The more you stir it, the worse it stinks. My dad. Don't know where he got it. Why is it that you always find something in the last place you look? Unknown (to me)

These guys must have had their daily nose of dope.