fishinwrench

Pretty cool endeavor, and it has given me an idea... I'd like to round up, photograph, and positively identify every critter than swims/crawls/or slithers here in my home creek. There are some minnows, bugs, and amphibians in there that I'm not 100% sure exactly what they are.

I admit that I've suffered through some lonely nights, but I promise I've never mounted a bullfrog. That top-fuel tomcat rode in the back of my truck during an ice storm. Froze him solid. I'd really like to unload him before he thaws out and starts stinkin'.

Is the plan to just chalk up incidental catches, or will there be a specific general goal at the beginning of each day out? For instance: Will you wake up one day and think...Today I'm going to target the various chubs and shiners?

If you were to rip a jerkbait all day you'd have a fair chance at catching an oversized bow (and probably the days biggest brown). But if you really want to lock down that Big Bow prize I think your odds are better trying to sight fish to one.

I'm not a White river regular but about the only way I know to target bigger rainbows is to sight fish to the big bows that have chosen a place to sit tight for a bit. After doing this (successfully) for awhile you'll learn the kind/type of areas that bigger fish like, and that will bump the odds slightly in your favor during times when the water is too deep, or too off colored to spot them. A fly like the Y2K is an excellent sight fishing fly. Just keep it up in the water column just enough so that you can barely keep an eye on it....when it disappears set the hook.

Right on then. I misunderstood and thought you said that someone had disassembled the lower unit at one point. The only thing I was attempting to emphasize on was that gearlube alone (regardless of what kind it is) is not the root cause of the problem. There is something else going on there. Have you drained the gearcase and inspected the lube? Any metal particles in it?

LOL Well certainly. Even if you had to fly the watery eyed pooch halfway around the world. Only a total jackass like me thinks of money at a time like that. In PC terms only the very well to do should harbor pets because they are the only ones capable of caring for them properly and keeping them out of trouble.

My daughters BFF is a 3rd. generation vet (in training), and just so happens to be holding down a kitchen chair here now. I asked if an eye infection could cause permanent damage and she says its unlikely unless considerable inflammation starts to put pressure on the eye and nerves. She says that if it is BOTH eyes that it is likely not an actual infected eye issue, but rather an allergy of sorts, and the eye irritation is a symptom of THAT.

Not a very fair pig fight if one of them has a gun.

I know of two cases similar to that, and strangely they happened at the same time so we assumed it was contagious. My inlaws lab gave it to mine (or vice-versa). They spent 400.00 +/- at the vet, and I just let my dog get over it on his own and we kept the two separated. Both dogs healed up about the same time, no noticeable permanent damage to either one. The inlaws vet didn't specifically call it a "retina infection" though, just an eye infection. How do you narrow something like that down to a specific part of the eye without some intensive testing? Sounds like your vet is just trying to stay in your pocket as long as he/she can. I say....Stew the ol'pup up some buttered carrots (just cuz you love him and buttered cooked carrots are delicious) and let his immune system do its thing.

Consider yourself sponsored. Just let me know when you're trying for the Musky and I'll fed-ex you a beer.

Well....THIS is what I'm hung up on.....

Hey no apology necessary! I'm not pimping myself. Matter of fact there's no heat on in my shop so I would rather not have to go out there I don't know Wayne at Hydro-tec personally but from what I've heard he is an ace 4-stroke tech....if there could be such a thing. I am NOT, and I have no problem at all broadcasting that. In this situation however, a gearcase is a gearcase

Whaa? :?

I've had some excellent days around the mouths of smaller tribs immediately after a winter high spell. An example would be where the Osage fork meets the Gasconade, But really any deep hole with lots of shallow water in both directions is going to have smallies ganged up in it. High water or not.

Yeah, and lots of lead !

I keep meaning to try a BUBfly on the NFOW bows everytime I get down there (just because it's even easier and faster to tie than a Pat's) but I always forget to try it. Have you ever?

Thanks, it's no problem I enjoy doing it. Discussing the various issues folks have with their outboards helps keep me sharp. TVT, I can fix it during the next warm spell if you can't find someone closer. One tip I can give you is: Don't mention to the DEALERSHIP that you take it to that you are considering buying a new motor....that kinda makes repairing your '04 motor alot more difficult for them IYKWIM.

People get sold on the PVC sculptures because they get excited about being able to drag a jig through it without getting hung up. If you ask non-fishing people what it is about fishing that they don't care for, ten percent will say "it's boring" and the other 90 will say it's because they get hung up all the time.

I think where you put it matters more than what kind of object it is. A single old car tire in the right place can yield a boatload of keeper bass over the course of a year. I'm pretty sure it borders on "littering" but one of the best bass holding things you can 'lose' off a dock is an old lawn chair (or three)....they LOVE those things!

Nice mess! 60+ foot of water? Surprised they didn't explode on the way back up.

If HE did it....Yeah. But didn't he mention that he had someone else tear into it? Whatever IDGAF ! I hate 4-strokes anyway . I was just throwing in my typical line of BS so take it for what it's worth. Change the lube and let us know how it goes. LOL

Actually yeah it will....Here's the scenario: Guy removes lower unit, replaces water pump or whatever... and reinstalls the lower unit, Shifting is off so he compensates by adjusting the shift cable barrels, gets it to shift (static) and calls it "a job well done". I see it all the time. There are other LIKELY possibilitys such as the bearing carrier either has been removed and not re-seated properly (allowing the propshaft to have too much end play), or the carrier retainer is broken and the carrier (and p. shaft) has slid back. OR there could be a broken cam in the control box assembly. OR it could be that the owner has crappy shifting practices and after several years of it he has damaged both fwd. AND rev. gear cogs simultaneously. Or something has broken inside the gearcase and a chunk of it is floating around in there. Thick cold lube can exaggerate a problem, but it's not gonna create one that doesn't already exist. Make sense?

Sounds like someone pulled the gearcase off (maybe to install a fresh impeller????) and didn't get the shift rod splines aligned right. Pretty common DIY error on Mercs and Yamaha's, and fairly easy to rectify if you know what you're doing. 90w gear lube gets pretty thick when it's cold, so when it's warm the gear lugs are probably catching just enough cog to spin the gear. Get it fixed ASAP or you'll round off the clutch dog and gearset cogs.

Doggonit....That's a nasty skid mark it's got on it. Love to look at those old rods..... Zero desire to fish with one though. We've come a long way haven't we?