Got kinda tired of posting in the November thread. Fishing activity has slowed down enough to general winter thread.
Anyone get any cool new toys for christmas? Catching anything?
Really just need a distraction to keep me from selling my boat immediately. Fixed the suspension, bunks failed, did the 100hr service, water in the lower unit and the woodruff key is literally welded to the drive shaft - I've hammered, it heated it, cut it in half with a dremmel and it still hasn't come free. I'm currently carving it out little at a time so the new one can fit in
Forums:
DISCLAIMER: Forum topics may not have been written or edited by The Key Play staff.
Comments
No toys for me. But my son got his first pole. He's 4, so nothing fancy. A little ugly stik kids pole. My dad is looking forward to getting him out some. My in-laws have some ponds with small bass. And we have tons of access to bluegills and red eye. So, we should have him hooked in no time.
that's how you do it! in a couple years, get him a short flyrod and tie on a yellow popper...let him see the fish hit. THAT will absolutely get him hooked
Update. I was convinced I was just dremmeling a new hole for the new woodruf key. Got it kinda close, decided to put my tools away and have a beer about it. As I was putting my hammer and punch away said might as well give it one last good whack.
This is all that was left of the key.
you are ahead of me on taking down the tree...I'm thinking Sun/Mon.
I am undecorating the trees tomorrow. Hubby will take them out to the curb for Monday's trash pickup.
Glad it came out. I used a dremel to get mine out. Ground it out, then pinched it with needle nose and pulled the rest out. Looked similar to yours.
Drum fishing has apparently been good at the Cape. "football fields of 15-25 pounders" being found in the ocean. I'm going down the 1st through the 3rd.
Fishing related presents were paid for by myself, $1400 in chicken hackle from Ewing arrived the other day. Luckily, it's a business write-off for Pretty Fly Designs.
Ordered a rain jacket from JandH on November 15. Still hasn't shown up. The guy at JandH says it will ship directly from Grudens. Not a peep. No confirmation number. I am looking at cancelling now a month later.
Cancel and buy a Helly Hanson. It's what I'm rocking these days and bought everyone in my family one for Christmas. Sportsman's Warehouse has several for sale on their website.
GF demanded we go to the beach so she could thaw out from her Michigan Christmas. I obliged. We rode all over the Cape for 50 plus miles on Monday. Saw one small school of blues. Lots of people fishing Shark Island for the slot drum. We tried with no luck. Didn't see one caught either. A buddy said Albies were 12 miles out. I declined to go that far despite it being slicked out. My bilge pump wasn't running correctly so I stayed within eye sight of land. We ran up and down the beach looking for bait and bull reds. Found the bait and about 100 dolphins, which played all around us for a solid 45 minutes. No drum or other predators. I ended up poling around a mud flat that I had a good report on, looking for schooled up reds. Zilch. Yesterday we got on the water for 2 hours and caught some small blues at the jetty. Back to RVA today. Not a bad kick off weather wise to the 2023 fishing season.
Hadn't gotten around to posting but here's my best trout from fall/winter season 27.75". Was just messing around casting to an area I've only caught puppy drum and the zman was dead sticked on the bottom for a few seconds and reeled into weight and big headshakes. Fish was pretty sluggish and the hook pulled right before I got the net under it. Pretty silly way to get a big one when I had been grinding the rest of the fall to get on a big one and had mediocre results.
Pretty work 3rd! Heard a mutual friend of ours has been finding a handful of upper 20 inchers on mirrolures in the Rapp. Sadly, I am a dummy when it comes to evil TROTs.
Thanks French! It was good to come with a big one after a less than stellar fall. He's a really good fisherman. It's a lot of figuring out staging areas and just being out there a ton til you find the spot and bite. It'd be a lot easier if I lived closer to spots
Wednesday morning I got in my truck, hooked up to the box trailer and drove from Richmond to Denver. Sitting in an Airbnb in Silverthorne right now. Local fly shop just asked me to come guide for them in Mexico in March. $3000 a week and gotta sleep in a hammock. I'm tempted. Planning on traveling around for a month or two and snowboarding, selling earrings and maybe fly fish a bit. Man I miss it out here.
That sounds like a pretty cool gig. What would you be guiding for in Mexico?
Perm, Bones, Tarpon and Snook. I've got an important conflict right during that week though. We shall see.
Going bonefishing in a couple months. Any tips for a creek and stream fly fisherman of questionable quality?
Jealous. Where are you going?
Take a casting lesson practicing with an 8 weight. Practice, practice, practice, on grass with appropriate leader and bonefish fly with the hook cut off. Cast at targets, in some wind and lead "the fish." You're going to want to put the fly a few feet in front of the bone. Distance isn't everything but accuracy is. If you can learn to double haul, that will help as well.
Once the fly lands, get the rod tip in the water. I'm not kidding, stick the top few inches in the water on the retrieve. Finally, you must strip set. Clear the line and let er rip. Then be careful while reeling in as those fish will quickly peel line off and you've got to let go of the reel handle.
Andros.
Awesome tips. I'm trying to get my head around the strip set and tip in the water! looking forward to it and cast practicing. Getting the rod set up this week so I have a month to practice with that set up.
What rod are you getting? And line? Line is key.
Pretty sure they eat big flies there.
Just a follow up on accuracy with a fly rod... much like shooting, aim small, miss small. You need to pick out a very specific target to cast to when leading the bonefish, or anything else for that matter. Say, a sea shell, or divot on the bottom. Anything small and specific, not a general area. Your goal is to put that fly on a dinner plate, 1-3 feet in front of the fish, maybe ever so slightly past him by a foot. How the fish react to your accurate presentation will determine if they are spooky or not and if you need to go lighter on the fly or lead them by a larger distance.
I teach my clients to turn and look at their back cast. This is crucial, and many people do not follow my advice. I've been fly casting / fishing for 28 years and I still often turn to watch my back cast. This does two things, one, it makes me rotate my body more for putting more torso into the cast and secondly, I can see exactly when the loop unrolls to make sure I don't have any tailing loops. With regards to seeing a specific target if I'm turning to face backwards, I will watch the line unroll and then look forward a split second before making my forward cast and aim at my small target. It takes some practice but it is very effective at placing the fly where you want, and thus, catching more fish.
I heard that tip. I also heard you should practice casting at the tip of something linear, not necessarily into a hoop, to train yourself to lead the fish, and hit a smaller target. Backcast is going to be big with the long casts...
I ordered a Redington 8wt with Rio bonefish line and leaders.
Yes, you should practice casting to lead the fish, whether you can visualize a hoop in the water or not.
The back cast is big with every single cast. Fly casting is as much casting backwards as it is forwards. Your forward cast and back cast have to match. You can't accurately throw 30-40 feet of line forward if you can't cast it backward as well.
Went well. Great tips.
https://imgur.com/a/RMApaWt
I mean I'll cover while you're out for like half of that for a week or two, total expert in all things.
definition of a fishing guide in the lower Laguna Madre: "anyone with a boat"
I will gladly let you take my place dealing with psycho baby mama at my kids birthday lol
Ah no I meant covering as in I'll guide for ya while you do that, nice try though!
Haha I know. I don't do any guide trips in the winter anyways. Much appreciate the offer!
Trolling motor question. So I bought a 55-lb motorguide last year. The 3-blade prop isn't a uniform shape so at higher speeds the motor really vibrates. It's been like this since I pulled it out of the box. I quickly determined the shaft wasn't bent and it's the prop that's the issue so I wasn't too worried about it. I'm finally getting around to making a warranty claim and motorguide says I have to take it to a service center that's an hour away. (FYI you get 30 days "out in the field" before you then have to bring all warranty claims to a service center/dealer.) Or I can ship it there. Either of which I'm confident will cost more in gas or shipping than me buying a new prop. So, should I stick with the 3-blade or go with 2? Mostly fish the flats/inshore around VA/NC. Not sure if anyone has an opinion on this but figured I'd ask.
I've loved the trolling motor so far. It runs all day and the GPS is a game changer. And it's refreshing to call a customer service number and talk to real humans. But I can't understand why they won't just send me a new prop when the one from the factory is defective. Anyway, hope someone is catching fish because I sure haven't been.
I bought one of those higher thrust aftermarket props for my Minn Kota 55. It might have a little more thrust, but it definitely has a little more vibration.
I don't understand why they won't at least send you a shipping label..." Hey this guy has a scam where he buys really expensive trolling motors from us and then he trades the props...HE TRADES THE PROPS!"
I'd at least confirm the shipping cost to see if it is in fact cost-ineffective to return.
Exactly!! I'm not trying to scam them for a new motor. It's not an expensive part. But it's also not expensive enough to keep fighting it. I'll just buy a new prop.
100 miles round trip (I'm sure twice because they likely wouldn't look at it while I waited there) or risk having it damaged while being shipped and then being without a motor for a while altogether isn't worth it.
Let me see what I can do.
Turns out i can do something email me your info and I'll get you a new prop maybr even 2 sent.
Heuple(dot)kevin(at)gmail(dot)com
Not sure what type of sorcery you're involved in but just sent you an email. Thanks!!
Should be hooked up now. Hopefully he gets it sent out this week. Their factory shipping can take some time though
Thanks!! No rush. I won't be doing any fishing until I finish fixing/installing/re-wiring some stuff.
Is it MK? If so, there's your answer as to why they wont send you a new one. Their customer service is absolute dog shit
Daveinop whats your email address? Going to down to Amelia Island second week of march
(contact made)
Anyone else going to the Fishing Expo this year in Doswell? I am not really in need of any gear (more trying to sell extra stuff), but I like listening to the sessions and running into folks I know.
Trying to get motivated to wet a line. Honestly, I have been a little blah since Ocean City when it comes to fishing prospects.
I'll probably run up there but don't know when. Lord knows I don't need any gear. I have been on the downlow myself this past year about fishing. The only trip I made was last August was to Canada. Maybe I'll post some pics sometime. I hope the G Man will be there. He gives the most interesting and hilarious talks.
Might swing by to see if there are any deals but last thing I need is more gear. Hard to pass by when its right down the road so we shall see. If they had a sale on trolling motors I'd be there
It was really crowded, and there wasn't much to get excited about deal-wise. We were in and out in 45 minutes. But, the promoters made bank. Big crowds and more vendors, much bigger than I have seen there before.
Ended up not going as my source of free tickets fell through and I looked up the vendor list and none of the people I was wanting to see were there so I bailed. Drove by and saw it was packed saturday so thats a good thing for those who showed up. Like seeing them finally using the venue to its fullest.
No it was not and i was there Saturday afternoon. No vendors outside but I did buy some artwork.
One week down in Colorado. First four days was in a nice warm condo with the gf. Last four have been sleeping in my box trailer. Temps at wake up have been 22, 20, -2 and this morning 10. That's INSIDE. I figured out the perfect blanket combo and am sleeping soundly and plenty warm. Have been on A Basin shredding three days. Tying earrings the rest. Would have fly fished the Blue but the weather has been below freezing last four days. Steamboat next week, then Aspen, then Jackson Hole, then Salt Lake / Park City, then back to Aspen. We'll see how long I can make this trip last.
I love it out here.
Been posting a few photos on my IG, @siessel4
Asking for a friend, anyone know any places who sell minnows/stock ponds? Gonna need a decent amount but not sure who locally in the central VA area sells deliveries. Does anyone know if southern states still sells?
Perry Minnow Farm in Suffolk might be an option. Contact info on the web.
Walleye Cheat Update
Surprised they still have all of their fingers...
Anyone on here ever wired an NMEA network on your boat? So your trolling motor and fish finder (or other devices) can communicate.
Do these devices use a network cable to communicate or simply hard wired harness?
A network cable. It needs an NMEA starter kit (cable with some connectors) connected to the lowrance to "make" the network. And then an additional cable specific to the trolling motor connects to the network allowing the 2 devices to communicate. At least that's how I understand it as someone who struggles with electrical stuff.
Anybody know if the Musky and Pike are biting on the New River yet?
Haven't been this winter, but the musky should be biting if you can get good water conditions. No pike in there that I'm aware of. Look for deeper holes with slack pockets of water. In the past I've had good luck with jakes, bulldogs, super ciscos/shad raps, etc. Just know you're fishing for a bite or two per outing and be ready to take advantage when you do. Be careful on the water and pay attention to the generation schedule.
I fish off my pontoon boat, so the generation schedule isn't as big a factor to me.
Pontoon boat in the New?? That's certainly something I haven't seen, that limits you to like right below the damn and maybe part of whitethorne?
Also above Claytor.
Oh yeah that makes sense, I clearly didn't spend much time up there lol.
No problem, I keep my boat at a friends on the lake. It takes about a half hour or so to run the 10 miles or so upstream to get more of the "River" than "Lake".
Have spent more hours after the walleye in Claytor and above than I'd care to admit. If you get a good day, go. Musky will bite all year, but not all day. Cover ground and hope for the best. I have caught several early season muskies in the deep hole upstream and adjacent to Doc Brown's place with jig and minnow when fishing for the walleye, and they should be there now, along with some catfish, including some jumbo sized flatheads. Walleye are moving upriver for their prespawn positioning and will be moving through the area there above Hiwasee as we speak. Cranks and suspending jerkbaits are the ticket in current, jig and minnow in holes. Troll around the railroad trestle there below Hiwasee if nothing else. Go slow and fish the middle of the water column. In a pontoon boat, though, I'd go up as far as you can and fish the jerkbaits close to the guard rail on Bud Foster's side of the lake on down to the trestle or do the minnow/jig at Doc Brown's. Walleye are all over the lake, and creek mouths and the bridge abutments are good places to try. These fish will bite all year if you are willing to stay after them until the dam discharges move the water. At least, unless the lake is muddy as hell with spring rains or iced up in a cold spell.
But, that's just me.
Great to see you back on here!!
HEY FISH!!!
Welcome back, we've missed you.
Thanks to all. I've been keeping up with the fishing thread, just lurking. Once in a while, a few beers gets me in the mood for sharing...if I have something worth sharing that I didn't beat to death years ago. This past summer here on the East River and the Mobjack Bay, I essentially parked my boat and went with my neighbor Paul and a friend from RVA, one of my most favorite of my old clients. My boat left my yard four times all year. First time, I got about a half mile out and the engine quit. Water in the gas was the culprit, but I got off light for only $175, so it was lesson learned that I shoulda learned decades ago. Fill the damn tank, stupid. Make sure the fuel is treated enough, stupid. Thank goodness for Tow US.
When I did get out, we usually found fish. The trout weren't as numerous as usual, but the size was bigger, and the reds, when you found them, were good sized as well. Folks were catching them up to 30" in the spots I usually fish. I didn't get there, but had decent numbers and size all along.
I didn't get to fish with my TKP friends much this summer, something I hope to correct going forward. We have had a ton going on in the Fish family, and to be honest, I have slowed down a bit in my 67th year of fishing. Not jaded, exactly, and not in the mind numbing (to me) position of not caring how many or how big the fish were, but most definitely feeling my 73 years. I don't want to try to revive my passion by doing what many of my old friends have done when it's a "been there, done that" situation. Fly fishing. For guppies, for redeyes, for freakin' marlin and sailfish, anything to rekindle the fire by making it harder. Nah, I'll leave that to the purists and fly guys of the world.
See ya 'round.
Still no fishing for me in the West. Every time I think about going, the high for the day is below 20. Just doesn't sound fun to have ice in the guides every cast and my waders leak too.
This spot looks amazing... Heeny CO, which is the middle of nowhere: https://www.instagram.com/p/CoKoi5rOhxl/
I missed the Edison and ATL fly fishing shows, but snowboarding is too damn fun. Dropping some lbs too, it is quite the workout. I have 13 days under my belt at A Basin, Steamboat, Aspen and Copper. Copper sucks, I love the rest.
Girlfriend flies into Denver tonight and then we're off to Jackson Hole for a week, then Utah for at least another two weeks. I did tie some snook flies last night for an order.
I'll be giving a presentation on fly fishing for Reds at Aspen Outfitting Company in early March. Y'all should attend.
All it takes is cash! Enjoy!
Send me a ticket and I'll be there!
That outfitter is located in a very high end place. The one and only time I was in Aspen was staying a block or so away in the Limelight Hotel.
How dodgy does that sound? Right next to the free clinic!
Yep, I'm drinking!
He has two locations, one in the St. Regis Hotel and the other is a traditional fly shop, 15 minutes down valley in Woody Creek, right next to where Hunter S. Thompson lived. The St. Regis location is more of a glorified gift shop and he gets the some pretty famous people strolling in there. I used to do casting lessons in that little courtyard in the middle of the hotel.
Yep, the Limelight is a good spot. I lived two blocks away when I was in Aspen.
Got an opportunity to run offshore for sea bass this weekend depending on seas, never been but heard the big ones can be tasty so we will give it a go. Probably a mix jigging and bottom fishing but if the weather will cooperate will be an opportunity to wet a line atleast.
Ended up fishing wrecks 30 miles offshore of ruddee inlet to get away from the obnoxious sharks. Gotta say the amount of sketchy boats we saw that far out on one motor made me wonder how more people don't get into real trouble that far out.
Ended up with half a limit for the 4 of us but some nice size in the bunch of black sea bass. The 6 pounder puts up a nice fight for a bottom fish and I gotta say the meat is some of the best I've ever had.
Spent the AM chumming when I realized my sea legs are gone in my older age and bruised the crap out of my hip when a wave kicked the boat when I was sliding over the cooler to the other side and landed dead on a rod rack. Sea calmed and was not bad but ride back was rough took 2 hours instead of 1 and with the wind shift got us wet and cold the whole way back. However the guide had bean bag chairs to ride in and damn if that wasn't the best nap I've had in ages.
A six pound BSB sounds insane. I've only caught them up to 12".
Also bean bags on a boat are amazing
Managed a double with a 6 pound and 4 pounder on at the same time talk about a workout cranking them up 100 feet at a time. Damn fine eating as well first time I've had it and it's ridiculously good fresh.
They put up a lot better fights than the weenie ones you catch as bycatch in the mobjack that are all of 6 inches and pick you're hooks clean every cast.
I'll never ride in a boat without bean bags, that was the best nap I've had in ages slept right through the 2 and a half hour run home.
Those naps in the beans bags after a long day offshore are amazing. Glad y'all had a good time.
Road trip update....
Drove from Laramie WY to Jackson Hole in one day. That's across most of the state in 7 hours. Laramie was cold as balls and home to University of WY. It's small but cool looking with a western style downtown. The stadium is open on both ends. I guess going to college there could be fun.
Wyoming is desolate and gorgeous and cold as hell. We got on one highway heading northwest and for four hours I didn't see a vehicle behind me. We passed 3 going the other direction in that time frame.
Drove through the Wind River Native American Reservation. Very pretty area. More horses than I've ever seen in my entire life, which the gf loved. Also, a great movie with Jeremy Renner before he crunched himself under his snowcat. Very pretty area, and yes, super windy. The Wind River is on my list to fish. We only stopped briefly in Dubois, so no fly fishing there for me, but we did drink a beer at the local saloon.
First day in Jackson we drove around in Teton Park. I fished the Snake above Lake Jackson for an hour and found a hole loaded with trout. 21 degrees and I told my GF I was fishing no matter what. She obliged and I ended up hooking five, landing three. Turns out they were Teton Bonefish, aka the Whitefish. A bit of a tease, but oh well. Success in below freezing temps.
We ended up skiing one day at Grand Targhee. That is a cool spot and you drive through Victor and Driggs ID on the way there. Talked to several other fly guides on the lift and they said the trout fishing there is epic. I'd love to come back.
We had 13 inches of buttery pow pow on Valentine's Day at Jackson. Epic day of shredding and I was treated to a bison steak dinner for my birthday celebration. Wednesday we drove to Salt Lake City, where I have been since then. It's a huge city and I feel like a fish out of water when I'm dirt bagging it in ski towns. I fished the lower and middle sections of Provo River the past two days for a few hours. Found a dead moose on the side of the highway at one put in and helped myself to some new fly tying material. The lower Provo was cool but the traffic noise is annoying at best. Two wild turkeys plucked midges off of the snow covered banks. Their beards had ice on them. A bald eagle looked on from a pine tree above. I convinced one foot long brown trout that my black thread on a size 22 hook was a midge and that was enough for me to call it quits with ice in the guides and frozen toes.
Yesterday fished the middle Provo section with my friend who lives out here. Both she and I hooked and landed foot long browns. Lots and lots of midges hatching. Lots of small browns rising. Even more, so many other anglers crowding the river. Frankly, I've been unimpressed with the Provo, SLC and the areas around here. The river was pretty but far too crowded and there just aren't any trees anywhere. I like CO and WY much better. SLC is too big my liking and there are a lot of weird people. Lots of ski resorts though...
We night skied Brighton resort last night which was fun.
I'll be here in SLC all this coming week. They are calling for 5 feet of snow. That's a lot of pow pow on the mow mow. Should be some good days on the slopes...
The brown trout: https://www.instagram.com/p/Co2yTjTJptR/
Wanna see wild horses go drive the trails at teddy Roosevelt park in ND canyons are beautiful but so many wild horses and elk if you keep your eyes peeled.
That's an epic trip and travelogue there
I'll be in Costa Rica with family in July and was wondering if anyone had any experience with fishing charters there. We'll be staying near Culebra Bay and it looks like there are a few charter boats in the area, though not sure on availability.
I've fished the Osa Peninsula (way south) offshore, near shore and inshore on three separate trips. You might be able to find a kayak trip for cheap. We jigged for a variety of fish but it was fairly slow.
Offshore CR is amazing. Lots of billfish. However, it is expensive and all trolling. Better engine the engine droning and smell of diesel. We did catch sailfish and raise a marlin.
The near shore trip in 22 foot CC was the best. Caught Yellowfin on poppers and trolled live baits for roosters, which we caught several, on two separate trips. If you can find a trip like that, I would recommend it. Viewing the coast from the back side of the waves was cool and much prettier than being way offshore. Better fishing too.
I also had success fishing myself from the beach. You can get a solid travel spin rod from Bass Pro shops. I fished rocky outcroppings at low tide. High was too high and dangerous. Had eats from all sorts of stuff on Zara Spooks, including a cubera snapper that crushed the hell out of it but didn't get hooked. I figure if the locals can catch roosters, snapper and more on hand lines with the oldest, roughest looking lures I've ever seen, I can get some fish on spin and fly. There's also a good snook fishery down there.
Oh yes there is. And there findable from the beach.
Warm weather = fishing/decision day for this boat. Any issues and it's gone lol
Immediately couldn't get throttle. Found the throttle cable bound. Pb blaster and brute force in making it out today
I snuck away for an hour on the Mattaponi looking for an early shad on Monday. Work called me back (being an adult has been miserable lately) and I didn't see a fish caught while I was there.
I have heard of shad caught at Roanoke Rapids and in Fredericksburg, so unless this cold shuts it down, it should be any day now.
Where on the Matti?
Tonight, 8 p.m. EST on the @aspenoutfittingco Instagram handle I will be giving my presentation with Jarrod of Aspen Outfitting Co.
Check in if you dare
Boat finally back on the up swing. Rebuilt half the trailer - the other half is barely holding on. Replaced my ignition switch, thermostat, poppet valve, water pump, oil, lower unit fluid, all my filters, on board charger, and it ran like a champ for the first time in a long time.
Can not wait to see what goes wrong with it this year!
wanna work on mine? it ran great; then like a POS (for the very first time) for maybe 15 minutes; then quit altogether; then fired up when I got home so I could at least flush it. bizarre. water in fuel? fuel line compromised?coil? no idea.
edit: unfortunately (because it would be easy to address) it is not the fuel itself. filter had no water in it...zero...and I've had it regularly maintained (filter looked new) and use good gas. did find a major breech in one of the power cables going to the outboard. but would that affect a running motor?
we were running at about 4500 rpm when it felt like we bumped something and the engine powered down to idle...then it just got worse and finally wouldn't run at all. but it cranked right up when I got home.
time to go to the doctor
If you're running a modern 4 stroke yes, they'll need constant consistent voltage to run. I would start there the other possibility is an air leak in the fuel system where you're getting air intake into fuel which would cause sputtering, decreased power, and shutdown inconsistently even with good fuel.
Also similar to what can happen if the motor puts itself in limp mode which could be triggered by a number of things and you'll need to have it hooked up to a computer to see what triggered it. Generally this mode resets when you restart so it'll fire up fine until whatever condition trips it again.
thanks!
it's a 2008 50 Yamaha 4 stroke; 300 hours
cable has to be replaced regardless and I'll have them string a new transducer (for the side scan I bought and haven't installed) at the same time
can/should replace the fuel hoses as well (no telling how old they are, they were on it when I bought it). pumping the bulb didn't seem to make a difference.
what surprised me was how abrupt it was...no warning or symptoms at all...it was like shearing a pin on an old Johnson 25...you are cruising along; and then you aren't; and it ran rough and then got worse.
I had a 2000 Tundra (4.7 8 cyl...jeez that was a great engine) long enough to go thru two rounds of coil replacements; and it was a lot like that.
Gotta be a fuel or fire issue. I'd start with new fuel lines and replace any suspect wiring. Are you running pure gas? If not sometimes ethanol can real havoc on interior of fuel lines, but if you haven't noticed anything in filter may not be the culprit. Plugs good? I'd start simple, cheap, and obvious and go from there.
ethanol free always
Same thing that happened to mine with my corroded engine harness.
My bet would be wiring / connection issue, somewhere
These two pics sum up my trip cut short with Daveinop. Managed to get solid weather window in. Cruised down the ICW and hit a few creeks caught some micro jacks, decent bluefish and this red. Then his aforementioned engine troubles above happened and we let the tide take us back to a ramp and safety. Enjoyable few hours with Dave explaining the area and fishing some new baits.
Also went out with Captain Matt Chipperfield for big trout earlier in the week. Great guide super knowledgeable but fish didn't cooperate my day but over the next two days his client got a two 6 pounders and a 9 pounder.
Headed to Everglades tomorrow for a few days for jigging juvenile goliath groupers, jacks, trout and anything else that wants to hit artificials.
Sounds fun but looks like motor cover being off it must have been eventful!
3rdGen is a great guy to fish with, welcome in my boat anytime. Conversely, I'm not nearly as much fun when my boat craps out. I felt awful for him...still feel awful.
Weather gave us a window; tides were gonna be right in another hour; should have been a solid afternoon... Hopefully south FL treats him much better.
Thanks Dave, it was a pleasure to get out with fellow light tackle enthusiast and very gracious to take me out. Boats are boats which is why I kayak, less stuff to go wrong and intimate experience with the environment. However it is nice to go out in others boats and learn from them.
Everglades was beautiful, saw lots of nature (loggerhead turtle, jumping manta ray, dolphins). Fishing was lack luster. One juvenile goliath grouper and handfull of sail cats. I found the bottom structure I wanted the second day so something small to build off if I go back in the future.
That blue tail is gorgeous
I thought I was the only one who liked to fish with the motor tilted up and cowling off
trend setter
I think I said the soft plastic was a mirrolure but I checked and it was a DOA I had glued gold eyes on
Looking for advice. I just bought a Penn Fathom II casting special reel and am looking to put braid on it for some OBX drum fishing for Spring Break. Does anyone have a recommendation for braid (brand, color, test). Also plan to add a shock leader. Any recos for that are appreciated as well.
As a fairly new user of braid for more than cobia fishing, I can only say that I researched the color aspect and was totally uninformed after doing so. Seems that different colors show differently depending on depth and water clarity. In our local fishing, I've just now gone to using braid for fishing docks for reds and trout, and my friend Paul uses a few different colors and seems to catch fish on any of them. I always went with green, thinking it might blend in better, but it doesn't seem to matter. When fishing around others, visibility is important, that I have found out in surf and pier fishing. Green doesn't fit that bill. The biggest thing on the leader is learning to tie that stupid Alberto knot, or whichever iteration you may want to learn. I cannot do it to save my soul. Good luck!
15 pound braid. Brand color of your choice. 20 pound flouro leader. Loop to loop or if you wanna get fancy, Crazy Alberto knot.
Interesting. Trying to do some Drum fishing and I was thinking about the 40lb power pro Spectra (either Moss Green or High Viz) with 50-80 lb shock leader (mono or flouro) to heave 4-8oz out past the breakers. And then setup a fishfinder rig off that. So...you think 15 pound braid? Most sites I read lean higher for Drum but I guess it depends on how much you want to rely on drag. Thanks for the thoughts. Hoping I catch something on it. I will also have lighter tackle before the first breakers.
15lb braid is for targeting puppy drum with lures in the wash. For your heaver, go 17-20lb mono, high vis for your main line. 50lb clear for your shock. ALWAYS use shock.
Here is the connection knot for mono to mono shock knot
First tie a spider hitch with your main line: https://www.101knots.com/spider-hitch.html
Then tie a no-name with your shock line to your main line: https://www.101knots.com/no-name-knot.html
And be prepared to throw more than 4-8oz. If you aren't ready to throw 8-10, you aren't going to be able to fish in the drummiest water.
I read a size II reel and in my world that is 2500 series, which is what I put 15 pound braid on, to chase Reds on grass flats.
My apologies.
If you are going to the Point to drum fish, don't use braid. If you blow up your reel (which happens a bunch) it is more expensive to replace than mono. Then, when you add in a bunch of folks in a tight area, you get tangled and braid is infinitely worse to get untangled.
I strongly recommend 20lb Berkley Pro Spec Chrome, in orange. And use a spider hitch to a no-name knot to connect your main line to around 20 feet of 50lb shock leader in clear mono. I just use plain old Big Game or Ande for the shock leader.
Practice cast plenty with the Casting Special before you go. I found that it is more sensative and tempermental than the regular Fathom II.
Have to agree with all of this. While braid is more sensitive to nibbles and casts a bit longer, you won't be disadvantaged with big drum fishing where bites are not in the least bit ambiguous or tentative. Also agree with the tangles and cost of professional over-runs with braid. Braid has been the reason for two broken rods and three serious cuts, two to the bone, in my times using it, which kept me on the fence with it for decades. Cannot deny its advantages in "regular" surf fishing, however, where sensitivity is more important to stick those smaller fish and it also keeps the terminal tackle in place better since braid isn't as easily caught by wind and current. Also, if you are going to use braid for long casting, be careful with your fingers. A small cut can really make for miserable casting.
As for fishing the point, be ready for an experience more akin to opening day of trout fishing back in the day in the mountains or fishing with the gang at the end of the pier than a peaceful day of surf fishing. You are way more likely to get tangled with a neighbor than with that jumbo spot tail. 3rd Gen is now a veteran of that melee and would be a good person to get particulars from. French also knows a lot about it by virtue of his friendship of several of those folks you are likely to get tangled up with. G'luck!!!!!
Ok this helps alot!!! Thanks so much for the feedback. These are exactly the pointers I was looking for.
I second everything French says. When you try to give it more mustard or your thumb slips you will blow up the reel quick.
Yep. Ended up selling my Casting Special because of it's termpermental nature. Rolling with my two regular Fathom II 15s and my 525 Mag as my backup now.
Spent 5 days living in the box trailer in a Safeway parking lot in Delta, Colorado after my '15 Silverado broke down there. Not the place to break down but could have been worse. Tow truck driver told me Delta has the highest fentanyl use and over doses in the state, along with car break-ins, and lots of stolen trailers, property, etc. Was happy to have my samurai sword if needed.
Evidently the chassis wiring harness corroded. 115,000 miles on the truck. Chevy has discontinued that part despite putting out a bulletin that is a common problem on 15-18 Silverados, Tahoes and Suburbans. Local mechanic was useless. Dealer told me I had to find a wrecked truck and steal the harness off of it since they don't make replacements. What horse shit. I convinced them to get their electrical guy to rewire it and hoping it will get me back to RVA this week. I am a Chevy guy through and through but if they won't make replacement parts for a known issue, I might trade it in for a Toyota. I can't believe I even typed that.
Old boss from Aspen picked me up and let me sleep on the fly shop floor for two days. The Redfish presentation was a lot of fun. We had a crowd of 30 or so folks attend. Truck finally got fixed Thursday and I fished the Gunnison for a half day. Lots of midge eaters on top and they also couldn't resist a size 18 olive RS2. Best fish was 18.5" brown on a size 20 Parachute Dry. Downside was seeing some dickhead spin fisherman throwing cigarette butts on the ground. One lit the grass on fire and he had to stomp it out. I hate people. Would have said something but he was about 6'5", as was his buddy, and I didn't feel like a mismatched fist fight 4 miles up a remote canyon.
Had a great day of skiing Aspen, then bolted across Vail pass before the snow storm and rode 12" of fresh pow at A Basin before doing an earring tying event in Boulder. I really like that town. Heading back east this afternoon, exactly two months to the day I left driving out here. Snowboarded 26 days, fished five. Would have been more for both if not for the breakdown. Buying the Ikon pass again on Thursday when it goes on sale so I can do it all again next year. Thoughts and prayers the truck wiring job holds...
The big brown: https://www.instagram.com/p/CpqLcZXuXV0/
I'm in the middle of trying to move on my 15 Colorado and get a full size pick up and in conclusion all modern trucks have issues and are not the investments they once were.
On my 15 Colorado I have had no mechanical issues to date and it's been great aside from the crap GM wiring harnesses that are cheap crap with chicken shit for insulation. Luckily I have a friend who used to be at a dealership who got me schematics for the airbags and seatbelt harness going to the seat controls and center console so I could remake it by sacrificing the original to figure out what I needed to rewire it all up. HUGE pain in the ass but sure bear buying a new harness for 438 bucks from the dealership.
Me, I buy the harness and get a mechanic to install it so you have someone to go back on if it all doesn't work out. Definitely less money than replacing the truck, and a hell of a lot less aggravation than a DIY. I have learned that my brain doesn't do mechanical, though, and while I admire those who can do that stuff, and come out with a favorable outcome, at my age I've given up trying to do what I'm no good at. And I'm lazy as the day is long, so there is that.
Good luck to you.
at my age I've given up trying to do what I'm no good at
I love it when I offer help for a task requiring some level of skill, especially my kids, and they look at me and just wave it off
And on the contrary nothing worse than offering help to be polite and they call the bluff and you have to figure it out.
They only do it once : )
I hear you on that though ill gladly pay or let anyone do stuff I don't get as time is limited and you'll waste a lot of time learning something you don't know. That said electrical stuff is my alley and I love a good challenge. Dealership wanted a lot of dough to fix the old harness and I'd rather my hands do that work.
Yea, it seems the harnesses suck.
My issue is Chevrolet doesn't make the replacement harness. And this is on their bread and butter vehicles. It is insanity. I would have paid for a new one for the piece of mind, but now I'm wondering when the repair, from the dealer, will break again.
Yeah it's a pain in the ass to remake or troubleshoot without legit schematics. Don't know what Chevy doesn't have a replacement for that though which is stunning really if it was one of the off brand vehicles but the Silverado shouldn't have issues like this. I really can't bring myself to go with the new Ford v8s and Toyotas are stupid expensive now so it's the 5.3 Silverado I'd like but everything used is still expensive. Miss the days of being able to drive a Subaru for years after trading some liquor for it and having no cares.
Tried to find the shad again. Very low water at low tide with a NW wind. No fish. I will try again between getting taxes done and family obligations.
Friend of mine caught a few in the pamunkey in Feb weirdly enough. Was out bass fishing and saw some in a deep hole and got a few on dart jigs they happened to have. This winter and spring has been odd to say the least.
Skunked again for an hour today. 8 other people practiced casting along with me.
Well, you don't know if you don't go, right? Or as my old redneck buddy Cecil used to say..."Boys, y'all ain't gonna catch'em sittin' around at home watchin' Bill Dance on the Tee-Vee."
With everything else being a couple of weeks early around here, I'd expect those shad to be early as well. Were you holdin' yer mouth right?
Though this kind of stuff is pretty entertaining (and I can relate to this - almost):
Unfortunately, I can definitely relate. More than once. But fish long enough and hard enough, you'll get hooked sooner or later. Good time before hand to learn about taking those hooks out. Sometimes a quick trip to the urgent care isn't so quick and you are in that unenviable situation. A buddy can help a lot...as can the ice in the cooler (and beer if you have it). It's the ones near a blood vessel or involving a ligament that get you worried the most. Musky hooks are the worst, and so far I've avoided them, but the crappie jig in my eyebrow back when there were no urgent care options and my family doctor ten minutes gone for the day. Soooo, ER or suck it up and pull it? Didn't lose my eye, but don't want to do that again. Several more over the years to me and friends and clients, but don't get me started.
In college my roommate failed to pick up some musky lures off the floor. Around 1am he took a 10/0 trebble through the heel to the bone.
For the most part they stayed picked up after that
Yikes!
Also a danger is dogs and hooks. Having a 15 year old beloved dog grab and swallow a fish bite baited hook in a moment of inattention by her damned daddy was an experience, and expense that I wish on nobody I'll name here.
Where are you fishing French?
Aylett on the Mattaponi. Fish have been caught at Occoquan and the Rapp.
Nest time give me a call I'm 2 miles from Aylett, walleye 0 at gmail
People are starting to fish the fall line in richmond yesterday. Next weeks weather is looking good now.
Well hey fellas! I am not dead, but I have certainly missed you glorious Hokie folk. Life has been a total BITCH lately for about 6 hands' worth of reasons.
But son of a pup, I finally wet a line today for the first time since OCTOBER 19th (give or take a few days). This is the longest "drought" I've had since I was 13 (I'm now 35). Nothing to show for it or brag about, but my fly line was wet! Although I swear the curls in my line -that I thought were stretched out- caused the fish to spook.
Redfish and trout are fking everywhere down here folks. Y'all should come SWFL and get some, and call a brother Hokie to join!
Miss you guys, hope everyone is well.
Damnit I would love to but I am skipping my spring Florida trip this year
Does anyone have any info on shad fishing on the Pamunkey and 360 bridge?
Haven't fished there, but I have seen cars parked in the median on the southbound side. No idea if it is any good.
There is usually someone parked there.
I fished around there years ago, most of them are catfisherman and crappie fishing but wouldn't surprise if shad were there
Welp, mechanic found no issues with my outboard; runs great; couldn't duplicate the problem in 3 tries out on the ICW.
The alarm was faulty and has been replaced.
My current theory is that some debris got in the cooling system and impaired the water flow through that system sufficient for it to heat up and cause it to go into limp mode. I think when I got home the hose pressure blew out whatever was in there. So I had him do a water pump kit and double check the thermostat. While it was in the shop, also had him run the new transducer cable for the side scan I bought over a year ago but hadn't got around to installing, so looking forward to trying that.
Am fortunate to live near a stretch of ICW south of St Aug with ramps both north and south...can idle or TM/drift to a take out point pretty easy (not the stretch where I broke down with 3rdGen). I'm going to pick the boat up today and go run around for an hour as soon as the wind stops blowing to make sure it is fine...and regain some confidence.
That's a decent theory, I've had debris stick my poppet valve and stick in the horribly designed 90 degree brass angle that comes out of the water jacket multiple times.
I'm glad it's working but that would be my anxiety hell. I want to find the exact problem and fix it for piece of mind.
My truck wiring is driving me nuts. It's been fixed by a dealer, but now alarms go off, all the time. I'm just waiting for it to break down again.
Hope it holds out for you.
Yeah, not having definitive resolution is a problem for me as well. I decided to address the potentially more devastating heating/cooling issue first. I'll give it a 25 mile test run at high rpms, hopefully this week. That should be more than enough to see if it is a fuel delivery issue.
I never made it work but this makes it look easy. Guess I'll try it again.
Alberto Knot
I have tried at least 20 times to tie that knot and have yet to make a fishable one. The video you linked to looked simpler than what I've been trying to do, so I'm going to give it another go.
Thanks.
It's a great knot but you definitely need to seat it correctly.
That's the knot I use and how I tie it, though sometimes with only 5 wraps.
The key to the knot, and they inexplicably note nothing about it (and possibly/probably why yours fails), is going out of the first loop the same way you came in. In this video, he enters and exits over the top of the mono loop. Freeze it at 56 seconds and you can see the entering and exiting yellow strands over the pink mono...that's the correct way to do it (or both underneath, either works) and the knot won't fail.
Well, first time I hit the link, I got the info, but when I was ready to learn the knot, Facebook doesn't like me and won't let me see it. I fired up the good ol' Googgle machine and googled alberto knot fishing. First You Tube video was with Justin Menendez and that was all I really ever needed. He films it from your viewpoint, takes his time, and is quite clear. I tied it along with the video the first time, referred to it the second time, then on my own the third time. I can now say that I can tie the Alberto quickly and confidently enough to do so on the water and it was a big breakthrough for me. The FG knot fails too easily when not tied perfectly, and the uni to uni knot is a bit cumbersome to tie and produces a thicker knot than the Alberto. My fumble fingers and failing eyesight don't do well with involved knot tying, even the easier ones, but I'm sold on Al now, no doubt.
Same shit- different day with the boat.
7 miles at 4800rpm and then quit
But, as planned, I was near a ramp.
Fuel pump?
Same symptoms as before? Are you loosing pressure in your ball?
exact same
it isn't obvious...and it fills the fuel cup easily
but I am going to change out the hose and bulb (and anti-siphon valve) anyway...should have before.
the one discussion I can find on line with this same symptom...runs for awhile (4-45 minutes in their case, 20 in mine); then quits and won't start; then runs again after resting overnight (or in my case, about 90 minutes)...was sucking air through a pinhole leak in the fuel separator. I don't have a fuel separator but air getting in instead of fuel would do it.
finally It is apparently normal for the fuel cup to be less than full...mine is half to 3/4 at idle
edit: low pressure pump tested fine
When my boat broke down on the eve of the WVU game last year and left me stranded overnight on an island, I swore it was fuel related. My mechanic swore it was fuel related. Everything pointed to it being fuel related. He finally figured out it was the engine wiring harness. Corrosion at the plug on the engine. Might as well check it to make sure that's not the issue, would only take a minute.
Wiring is not your friend, right?
Pretty much lol
good idea
I used to have a 9.9 Mariner on my little jonboat. It was running like crap and I couldn't seem to figure out why. Took it to a shop, they had it for 5 weeks and couldn't get it to run right. I stiffed them, they didn't protest much, and took it elsewhere. That guy, Sug, had it for another 5 weeks and I called him and made arrangements to get it back from him since he was as confounded as the first place was. The day I was to go and get it, he called me and said it was fixed! Turns out, he said it literally came to him in a dream, and sure enough, he nailed it. He'd been working on engines all his life and had only seen it once before on a large engine that never got run past trolling speed for several years and it was, wait for it... a clogged exhaust port.
He couldn't figure out why it clogged since I ran it all out pretty much all the time. Anyway, he didn't charge me for all the time in it and the outcome was good enough for me given the perplexity of such a simple problem. Just shows to go ya, I guess.
Damn, hate to hear it Dave. Hope the mystery gets solved.
me, too!
James apparently has been on fire for shad. So has the Mattaponi I'm told
I have been to the Mattaponi seven times this spring. I have not had a bump. Rotten season.
Meanwhile, my sister in law, who doesn't know how to fish, caught three keeper flounder and a bunch of throwbacks down at Murrell's Inlet today. I thought it would be a cold day in hell she would be on the board before me this year. Four months in, and I haven't had a bump.
Welcome to my world! but then I haven't fished! I gotta get back to it!
Sounds like you need to park over at Ancarrows and go make some casts off the bank around the spillway below the Southern States building.
Can confirm. My brother recently moved down here just south of the river and he called me one day asking why there were more boats and fishermen than he'd ever seen around the 95 bridge. Told him it was the shad run. We finally got out yesterday afternoon after work. We each caught at least 8 on gold spoons casting from the rocks. Got hit on almost every cast.
I actually went shad fishing today because my friend begged me to and then offered to pay me to do it. We dong walloped them in the James in the combat zone. I don't know how many landed on spin and fly, 40? I only watched and tied knots.
14 pound blue cat also ate a tiny spoon on an ultralite spin rod. That was a fun fight and biggest fish in the Hewes in awhile. Simone of Current Culture fly shop had a client get a 26" striper on fly.
Tons of folks catching shad off of the banks. This cold front might put a damper on it for a bit.
Somebody tell French. He's been striking out this year.
Hey French, you shoulda been out there today!
I have fished the James about 5000 times. I have never heard of an area named the combat zone. Fall line?
I simply call it that, because its 20-30 boats lined up within 20 feet of each other all casting at the south bank just below the Southern States building, chucking flies and lures for shad. I loathe that type of fishing and will only do it if I'm getting paid to do it.
You can see the row of boats while driving over 95.
Gotcha!
Little overdue, but went on a trip at the beginning of March to Patagonia for some trout fly fishing. Spent 5-1/2 days down in the Las Lagos region South of Chaiten fishing the lakes and rivers for Rainbows and Browns. Had a not so great day to start the trip but after that was good and great days of fishing.
First day we floated the Yelcho river and at one point it was so windy that even with the raft moving with the current and the guide paddling we were still moving upstream. After that we moved about 2 hours South and spent a couple of nights around Lago Negro and fished it and Lago Risopatron. Moved back up and fished Lago Yelcho and the river again to cap the trip off. Weather was mostly overcast, but we had one day when we fished Risopatron that was textbook beautiful. The lakes were so clear you could see 20 feet straight down. Multiple days with a handful of 18-22" fish each on 5wt rods.
All in all it was a great trip. John with Tres Rios Lodge was a great host and his two guides, Edgar & Christian, were great for our foursome. If you're looking for an unforgettable trip I wholeheartedly recommend going down to Chile for the trout fishing.
Pics from Trip
Amazing, so glad you got to do that trip of a lifetime. Chile has the best trout fishing in the world in my opinion. Reminding me of my trip in 2012. I'd love to go back.
Haven't been fishing much but just bought a new house, have a boat ramp in the neighborhood and might have been a little blinded by that to think about how I'm gonna get my boat in and out of the narrow driveway and super narrow streets.
Might have to downsize to something on a single axle to be able to make the swing we'll see how long until the POA or my neighbors yell at me for running through the grass.
My other options are a trailer valet of some sort or I might have a better shot with a front mount hitch on my pickup just to shorten the pivot point enough for me to swing it into the driveway.
I don't think you had much of a choice. I'm always told its the wife who decides everything in the relationship.
Hows the wife feel about a nice big forklift?
She's for anything that gets the boat out on the water more. Went with a front mount hitch as its the cheapest of the options should work well.
I'm feeling your pain a bit. My wife has decided that she wants the boat out of the yard. She's ok with the expense of a marina, but unfortunately, the best option is in a spot that is only 4.5 miles away by road, but over 10 miles by water from where I spend most of my time fishing in the Mobjack.
Problems? Welllll, let me count 'em. If the slip isn't covered, I'll have to put in a new automatic bilge pump and I'll worry every time there's a big rain. Also, if it sits in the water all year, scraping and painting the hull will need to occur. I will be forced to buy my fuel at the marina at way more than the going rate at one of the local places that sell non-ethanol gas. Also, I have a battery leak somewhere, I suspect it is in the onboard dash clock, and it will run down the battery screwing the bilge pumping and necessitating frequent recharging. Now, at home I just disconnect the leads and all is fine, but can't do that with an auto bilge pump aboard and the boat in the water 24/7. I'd need to get that straightened out with a bypass or something.
While all of this is fixable, her desire is that the boat will be ready without trailering, launching and recovering which I'll admit is getting harder as my age advances, but I fear it'll just be more trouble than it is now and I'll have more to worry about than a tree limb falling on it here in the yard. She says she'd like to go out more, and I'm certain she thinks she will, but I actually doubt she'll go out any more than she does now, and it's not going to be making my life any easier.
50 year anniversary is two months away, not sure we'll make it!!!, but as we all know...If momma isn't happy...
Yeah most of what you mentioned is why I went with a neighborhood with a private ramp vs a stack. I work on my boat too much for it not to be in my driveway
Guessing it is the marina on the East side of NPC? Yep, that is a long run. You could almost get to York Spit or NPC with that ride. Are there any up at Gwynnes?
NPC?
I was looking at Horn Harbor marina due to its proximity to home and the Mobjack rivers. As you recall, you and 3rdgen and I launched there on a brutally windy day a couple of years ago. Close enough, but not as close as the local Town Landing we usually use. They want $250 a month for covered floating dock space. That's absurd in my mind. Yes, there is a great marina at Gwynn's there next to the Coast Guard station and the Milford Haven bridge. I just checked and they charge the same amount for a slot in their "boatel" where the berth is dry and they forklift it to and from the water upon demand, with a 6 month minimum. I have a bunch of fishing over that way, no doubt, but right now, the bridge is under construction and they won't let even small boats like mine to motor under it.
I know, I know...first world problems, huh?
Just to note that I was wrong about small boats getting by the bridge, only the section under maintenance is off limits.
Wanted to report that there are holdover stripers on deeper docks around the area. Also, a red tagged by my buddy Paul's buddy Al was caught and killed just a few days ago. It was tagged 5 months ago and had grown 2". Pretty good growth for a winter red in these waters, I think.
Dry docks that forklift are the way to go vs leaving it in a slip. Also on the battery a master switch to shut the battery off when not in use would solve your battery issue easiest. On all our old farm equipment we have to use these or batteries would die constantly. All equipment over time corrodes and has issues electrically so master switches used to be common in older stuff.
Yeah, I'm about resigned to that. Dry but outside on a rack is the most affordable, and sensible way to go for me. No hauling and scraping and painting, no issues of bilge pump working or not, etc.
As for the kill switch, I'm hip to that. As I said, if I left it uncovered in the water, I'd have to have power for the auto bilge pump. Again, solvable with some wiring and switching, but it's also pretty easy for me to do what I do now, which is to disconnect the power altogether every time I come off the water. Takes a few seconds and I keep a pair of pliers handy, voila.
As always, thanks for the input. Hope to get on the water with you this year. Keep in touch.
I'm still trying to figure out the benefits of getting married, LOL.
Depends on what you want out of marriage, I guess. Compromise is the biggest key, as is the desire to work things out rather than split and gripe at every rough patch. It hasn't been all sweetness and light, but I cannot imagine being alone emotionally at this stage of my life. I heartily endorse marriage, but know well that it isn't for everybody. If you give more than get, or get more than give, it's likely to be tough to enjoy the benefits of marriage. Compatability is also really huge, as some folks just don't mix well, but that's something you work out before tying the knot, ideally. Hindsight is 20/20, but if I could go back 50 years, I'd still make the choice I made, I'd just hope to do a little better myself in the early years. And like any important endeavor, it takes work and comittment to be successful and to enjoy the result.
But, that's just my take.
All about finding the right ones who drag your tired ass out of bed to go out fish you on the weekends.
In my case, my wife doesn't care to fish. Leaves me pretty free to choose my companions and gives us both some of the space one needs to stay mentally healthy. I am too damned serious about fishing to put up with tepid interest or total incompetence out there. So she plays pickleball and goes to tai chi...me, I go jerk lip.
First Spanish of the season (here at Topsail) was caught late last week. That means warm water must be coming in.
Fly Guy
Steal Some Ideas
That's a sweet looking paint job on that boat. Which ideas do you want me to steal??
The flies that are pictured.
Ah I'm still waiting on approval. I've got some excellent muskie flies for the New!
FB says the black drum are on the eastern shore. I commented then got put in jail! /s