Kirtley Howe

I don't throw double rigs often, but when I do, I use a weighted worm hook on the bottom on. 1/16 or 1/8th oz is plenty. This helps stop the whirleygig effect when casting and improves accuracy. It does change the way the baits fall though. I suggest you try it and see what you think. You can also experiment with using splitshots on the line, but I have never done that.

My boat motors have always had ethanol free gas, as it unfortunately can sit unused for several weeks at a time during the summer, and all winter. My lawnmowers, weedeaters, and motorcycle get 87 unleaded with 10% ethanol.....until late in the fall. Then I run ethanol free in all of them for the last few times I use them. They then all get treated with a gas stabilizer and filled up completely with ethanol free gas for the winter. I do this because ethanol free gas is MUCH more expensive than regular gas around here....and I am cheap. So I only use the ethanol free gas in machines that are going to sit unused for any length of time or are being stored for winter.

Ben isn't fishing tomorrow. He finished in 22nd place. At the moment he is still 9th in overall points, but that could change after tomorrow.

Well, he would be "sorta' right" if it was a fuel injected motor. <G> I also agree with the idea that there is a lot more to a carb than just the float and needle. But since OP said that the motor would start fine first thing, and run fine until shut off, I think that the venturi and orifices are clean and working as they should. Since the carb only floods after initial use, I strongly suspect either the needle or float....especially as the "mechanic" stated that the needle was still sticking (sometimes?) after the rebuild. I don't think I would use that mechanic again. It would be one thing if he just missed that the needle was sticking and was willing to fix it (again) for free, but it is something else indeed that he KNEW it was a problem and didn't fix it before giving the motor back to the owner. What ever happened to pride in workmanship?

I am not sure how mechanical you are, so I will word this like you know very little. If you are mechanically inclined/knowledgeable please don't be offended. Bad float. Or bad needle jet. Or float is sticking, or needle jet is sticking. The carbs on 2 strokes are pretty simple. Open it up and check for a sticking float (does the float move easily through its' entire range, both up and down?). If not, look for bent or damaged parts. Your float could be leaking, as you mentioned. Take the float off and shake it....do you hear or feel any sloshing? If yes, you need a new float...it is possible to fix a leaking float but is usually not worth it. Just get a new one. Even if you don't hear sloshing, your float could still be leaking. Take the float and submerge it into water and watch for very small bubbles. If you see any, your float is bad. Your float needle could be worn...it is located under the float, and all it really is, is a stopper, kind of like a sink stopper. As the float moves up and down, the needle can move to allow more or less fuel to the carb. If it is sticking or worn, it will "leak" allowing the carb to flood. Could work fine on initial start up. Motor runs fine. Then you stop and shut off motor, but the needle jet does not seat into the closed position which allow the carb to flood. Replace the needle jet. What knowledge I have comes from working on 2 stroke motorcycles, but the same things should apply to a 2 stroke boat motor.

Sorry. I didn't realize they would not fit.

But it takes a large number of Baboons to make a congress. Which explains a lot.....<G>

One of my pet peeves is an ad that says "XX percent off everything in the store"....and then there is that little teeny asterix that leads you to very fine print at the bottom of the page that says "Some Exclusions Apply". Well, then, it ISN'T "everything in the store", is it....How about the ad just saying "Sale Items XX % off", or "Most Items XX % off"? Please don't lie to me. That makes me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry. (Apologies to Bruce Banner/Marvel Comics)

Assuming the batteries are in decent shape, not enough to even worry about.

Yeah...and Lake Erie, Lake Onterio and the St. Lawrence River all within a reasonable drive.

Unfortunately, being retired does not necessarily mean you have more time to fish. It just means that your obligations have changed. In my case, I fish LESS now that I am retired. My last career had me on the road a lot. My workday could start at 5am and run until 2pm, or start at 8am and run until 11am...or it could be totally overnight.....you get the idea. Anyway, being on the road and not wanting to sit in a hotel room or go to a bar, I went fishing a LOT before or after work. Now that I am retired, my days are very much occupied by home projects, taking care of my wife, and going to doctor appointments and such. I am lucky if I get to fish for a couple of hours, a couple of times a week.

1. The weatherman always lies. 2. Whatever day you go fishing....you should have been here yesterday. 3. Whatever rods and reels you bring will be the wrong ones. 4. Whatever lures you bring will be too big, too small, or the wrong color. 5. Your best reel will always backlash just as the fish start busting on the surface. 6. You will catch the bush behind you while making that critical cast to a lunker. 7. If the fish are biting, so are the bugs. 8. If you wear waders, they will leak. 9. No matter how carefully you plan your fishing trip, something will come up to interfere with it. 10. If fishing from a boat, either the main motor or the trolling motor will act up. 10a. The batteries in your boat will always fail in the middle of the fishing trip. 11. Your most expensive lures are the ones that will get irretrievable snagged. 12. You will forget to retie just before you hook your personal best fish. Add your own Murphys' Law.....and GO......

I used to go to Pulaski NY to fish for King Salmon when they ran up the river. The last couple of years I did that, braided line was becoming a "thing". Several times when wading I got tangled up in long lengths of heavy braid. I managed to cut loose from the line, but it got me thinking as to what could happen if I had been wading in slightly deeper faster flowing water. I could easily have drowned because there was no way I was going to be able to break that line, and I would not be able to reach it to cut free. Scary. It is very irresponsible, and downright dangerous to leave long lengths of line of any kind in the water, and especially so for braid.

In reality, this was a more or less rhetorical question, as I only use braid for topwater lures. I was really just wondering how you all handled this situation. Thank you for all the responses.

First off, I should say that I fish from the bank 99% of the time. So my question is what do you do if you snag when using 30lb or heavier braid? I have a hard time breaking it off down near the lure. I don't like leaving lengths of cut off braid in the water, as it is a hazard to wildlife, and can get wrapped around the props of boats. And braid does not break down quickly. That is one of the main reasons I am hesitant to use straight braid. I could use a mono or floro leader, but that adds another knot to the line, which is another potential failure point, so I don't like to do that either. Suggestion, please.

In one episode he targeted them in the cooling pond near Chernobal. He also fished for giant catfish in the Ganges River in India...they were called "gounch" or something like that.

Yea that is the correct title, I just could not remember it..... Go, Glenn! Reminds me of the song "Their gonna' put me in the movies". (No offense meant) If not familiar with it, look it up. It is great for a laugh.

Go, Glenn! Reminds me of the song "Their gonna' put me in the movies". (No offense meant) If not familiar with it, look it up. It is great for a laugh.

Rode my motorcycle (Trike) thru there about 4 years ago. It was one of the most harrowing experiences I have ever had. Followed closely by being on the Beltway around DC during rush hour.

I posted this somewhere on the forums before, but....yeah, they are a ton of fun. I used to take a 14' motorboat (basically a rowboat with a motor on it) out into the channel near the causeway between St. Pete and Tampa when the Tarpon were coming thru. I used "heavy" bass tackle. Most fish were in the 60-90 lb range. Lots of hook ups, very few landed. They would tow the boat around, and pretty much did whatever they wanted. The jumps and tailwalks were things of beauty. Good times. Sounds like you had a ball......memories for a lifetime for sure.

In almost all places, SMB are NOT considered to be an INVASIVE species. They are considered to be an EXOTIC species. An invasive species is bad because they out-compete native species for resources (food, spawning areas, etc), and/or destroy the habitat. An Exotic species is one that is not native to an area, but its' introduction to the area is not detrimental, as they don't directly compete for the same resources in a manner that will hurt local species, and they do not destroy the habitat.

No one I currently know would use WD40 as a line conditioner. Many "old timers" did. I personally would never use it for that purpose, but I was curious if anyone on the forum had ever done so, and what the general consensus is as to that use.

I have an acquaintance who scuba dives. He has done some exploring in the Susquehanna River from the Binghamton NY area to the Owego NY area. He stated that there are catfish in these areas that would easily go 50 lbs. The largest I have ever seen in this area was 20+ lbs....I guess that they got to the 50lb size by NOT getting caught.

I don't know about that. I have never caught a fish dragging a swimbait on top of the ice.

Way to go. You make me proud just by association with you. Fantastic catch.