Kirtley Howe

Also Harbor Freight if you have one of those near you. They usually have them in black or white if color matters to you.

The dielectric grease should prevent rust but will do nothing to prevent the bulbs exploding. I always unplug the trailer lights while I am prepping the boat for launch. That way the bulbs can cool down before being dunked in the water which should prevent them from exploding or burning out due to thermal shock. The only exception to this is when I am launching or loading in the dark. Then I just take my chances. I aways carry extra bulbs just in case.

You are 100% correct about the wheel bearings and seals. A bit of time at the start of the season and a quick inspection before each trip will prevent most problems. If you use your trailer a lot, doing bearing/seal service and replacement should be done more often, of course. I had a friend who used to fish tournaments regularly, so his trailer got a lot of miles on it. He fully serviced the bearings and seals after each tournament...so 30 or more times a year. Overkill? Maybe, but he never had a bearing failure. As to rusted in bulbs....just coat the metal part of the bulb with dielectric grease and never worry about it again unless you launch in saltwater. If you do launch in saltwater, it pays to recoat the bulb base after every few trips.

I like to use a Money MInnow (3.5 in up to 6 in.) and reel it fast enough to have it swim on the surface or just under the surface. I rig the 3.5 with a 5/0 ewg hook texposed in the body. The larger ones I use the line thru the body to a treble hook most of the time. The 3.5 can be cast right on top of weeds and lily pads and dragged off. When fish want a fast moving top water this can be deadly. But it seems to be feast of famine. The money minnow is the only bait I have had success with doing this. Every other similar bait I have tried tends to roll over when retrieved.

Indeed it is. But my hope is to change the beast so that is no longer its' nature.

I had an old cheap boat and the carpet was shot. I tore it out and put down roll vinyl floor covering. I sealed the edges of the vinyl with a good all purpose adhesive caulk. It lasted for years. The only problem was it could be slippery when wet. If I were to do it again, I would use on of the newer vinyl materials that are more traction friendly.

I love frog fishing. But I hate the fact that I have to squeeze the water out of the frog every few....and sometimes every.....cast. Because of the way they are designed, all hollow body frogs take on water, and in some cases they take on water fast enough so you cannot let them sit for any length of time before they start sinking. Also, frogs tend to get torn up by bass, and if you happen to have a toothy critter like a pike grab it, the lure is pretty much toast right then. I have been thinking that a different design would be helpful. What I envision is the hole where the line tie, and the holes where the hooks extend out of the body should be sealed up. Then a slit or small hole could be cut into the top of the frog, to allow the air to escape when a fish hits the frog so you could still get a good hook up, but the frog would not take on water. In my ideal design, the frog would be made out of a plastic similar to what the Z-man baits are made from because it is more durable than most plastics, and it floats very well. What do you think? Good idea? Bad idea? Or does someone already make a frog like this? I know there are soft foam type frogs out there, as well as solid body frogs, but I really prefer a hollow body, and don't want to use those. I am planning to do some experiments with the frogs I have...I know I can at least temporarily seal them up and put a hole or slit in the top to see if that works. I will report back after I play with them.

People eat chain pizza for a number of reasons. Some people actually like the way it is made. Some people do it for the same reason they eat at MacDonalds....it may not be much, but it is usually consistent. And some people just don't care....they just want a pizza and don't want to make it themselves.

A friend gave me a boat. It is currently unnamed. I am thinking of naming it Howe'sBoat. What do you think?

In some places and at certain times of the year, that could be illegal. For instance it is illegal to do anything to deliberately move, agitate or frighten fish by creating an "unnecessary disturbance" in an effort to get them to become active, on the Salmon River in New York State. "Unnecessary Disturbance" is defined to include things like throwing rocks into the water, or "gunning" a boat in the river. It is fine to cruise through an area, but it is NOT ok to throttle stutter to create a large disturbance. This probably does not apply in most lakes or on large rivers but be sure to check your local regulations.

True. But I would also say that a fish does not know if it is caught on a $20.00 combo, or $200 combo. Buy what you want, and enjoy.

I would have no problem buying a quality used reel....IF I can touch it, feel it, and try it out before I buy, as a lot of sellers are, shall I say, creative in their descriptions of condition. Perhaps I am more cynical than most.

I have one no-name reel that I paid around $18.00 for. I bought it for use on one technique. I don't use it often but it serves its' purpose. It works fine. Will it hold up in the long run? I doubt it, but being used the way I use it it works fine, and should last a few years. It is a very cheap way to learn a new technique. When the reel eventually dies, I will most likely replace it with a better quality one, but for now I am happy with it.

So, buy 3 for $60.00 (plus tax of course) with free shipping. Sell 2 on ebay for $30 each plus tax and shipping, and get your rod for free......

Well you could really be screwed couldn't you? Just kidding of course......

looks good. let us know how it works

Fell free to ship it to me <G> That should be feel free....

You are no doubt correct, but sometimes someone needs to speak up. I am willing to risk being that person.

I don't have an accountant, but if I did I am pretty sure he/she would have a heart attack when they saw the total. I know my wife would......

I doubt that most people realize the time, effort, and money that it costs to maintain a forum like this. Glenn and all the others involved do, indeed, deserve a lot of credit, and that can not be stressed enough. But the members of the forum should also get a bit of credit for contributing their knowledge, experience, and time. Almost all members are respectful and inciteful and follow the rules which makes the forum fun and educational. And most have a great sense of humor, which adds a lot to the experience.

I've seen it and spoken to the person(s) doing it. 99% of the time, their response is "Who cares. I only going to be a minute". And I had one person say that it was completely unfair that someone gets the best parking space "just because they are handicapped". I almost punched them right in the face right then. I have called law enforcement a few times, but often the offender is gone before they get there.

Don't be too quick to judge....for instance, I don't LOOK handicapped but I am a cancer survivor with copd, and I also have a really messed up foot and left knee. On good days, I don't need to use the handicap parking and I do not use it, but on my bad days I really do need it and do use it. I do make sure to always display my handicap placard. I have sometimes been told that I should not park in the handicap spot because people can't see my handicap. But that being said, I do get upset by people who use the handicap parking when they don't need it. That is the height of selfishness and lack of consideration for others.

Yes Godfathers is still around. For a while they had a deal with Hess so a lot of them were located in Hess gas stations. That deal ended about 12 years ago. Hess has since sold all there gas stations to the Speedway corporation. Godfathers has closed a number of stores in recent years, and plans to close some more "under preforming" stores. But they still have a bunch of stores out there.

I taught my daughter to drive in a 65 chevy impala with a 4 speed on the floor. And in a 15 passenger dodge van. She had no problem driving a standard. It did take a while for her to get the hang of parallel parking the van, but she got so she could park it in a normal parking space without much problem. Then I hooked up the boat to the van and make her back the trailer up through a parking lot...by having to slalom through the light poles. She absolutely HATED me for making her do that. Until she was about 20 years old and started dating a guy with a boat. She impressed him by being able to back the boat in without any problem . She came home from that and told me how glad she was that I made her do all those things. She still can back a trailer up with the best of them, and parallel parks no problem. And she was really upset that the SUV she recently bought was not available with a standard transmission.

About that longer burn time....a friend of mine has a Harley motorcycle. It has been extensively modified and is running a much higher than stock compression ratio. He runs only the highest octane ethanol free gas he can get. He loves it, or did, until he rode the Blue Ridge Parkway one year. He found out that high octane gas, high compression engines, and high altitude don't mix. At the highest elevations on the Blue Ridge, his bike would only start by coasting it downhill and dropping the clutch and it would barely run until he got back down to a lower altitude.