fishinwrench

The fill hose is reasonably safe since fuel only passes over it momentarily, same with the vent hose. The fuel supply hose (to the engine) can obviously be inspected from where it connects to the engine fuel pump and forward as far as it can be reached. Most boats have a removable floor plate that allows access to the fuel level sensor (sender) ....inspect that rubber gasket ! Keep your bilge area clean and tidy. Neatly tack up all loose wires and any butt connector splices laying in the bilge area (wires that go to the bilge pump, blower, ect.) and inspect the bilge often for signs of any obvious leaks or accumulating residue from slow seeping leaks. Keep batterys in battery boxes and keep battery connections clean and tight, and the battery boxes strapped down good and solid. Can't begin to tell you how many boats I see with batterys sliding around in the bilge area...or setting unstrapped in those cheesy little plastic battery trays with loose and corroded terminals. Common sense should tell you not to install batterys like that.... not in your truck, not in your lawn tractor, and certainly not in your boat. Secure battery(s) so that even if the boat flips upside down the batterys will stay put and stay connected. Marine designed starters, solenoids, relays, alternators, pumps, ect. are all sealed from emitting sparks, so if you keep all other electrical connections clean, tight, protected and out of harms way..... there should be nothing to ignite any potential vapors. Boat fires are 99.9% the result of improper maintenance, or shoddy mechanical work. This is one of the many areas where marine mechanics, and aviation mechanics are trained differently than auto mechanics....Attention to detail.

Oh, ok I'm with ya. I guess I just saw the Zoom bag and crappie jig and assumed you had spin tackle in the boat. You should check out Greg Coffey's "Coffey Grinder", it's a weedless foam cylinder version of the Torpedo...pretty awesome. The smaller ones pick up and cast pretty good on a 6wt. and REAL good on a 7wt. Plus, if you get one tuned just right you can walk the dog with it.

That Sunny on the paddle is a honker. Nice one ! Why the Teeny T on a 5wt. when a UL spinning rod is handy ? (I mean, if you don't mind me asking)

Like I stated earlier, media brainwash takes some conscience to avoid. The key word in this discussion is "ethanol". Stating that a fuel source is free of ethanol does not mean that it is also free of methanol, or Alcohol (as an additive to raise octane,.... as an additive to meet regulation,.....or as a detergent ingredient). I'd be willing to bet heavily that ethanol, methanol, and/or alcohol free fuel is very very rare now. Alcoh'ol (emphasis on the suffix 'ol) ...in any of its many forms is the corrosive agent most are concerned about. So I don't think it pays to run around wasting your time and money looking for ______'ol-free fuel.

I wanted to make it down for Charlie's shindig....and to do a little fishing, but I can't get away until Mon. or Tues. I really am anxious to experiment with the "snipping" for trout... But these warm (wet-wading) days are giving me Smallmouth fever...BAD ! It seems that I've had a good dose of Blues, a heapin' helping of Whites...but I'm lacking in Bronze so far this Spring

Yeah Thanks Laker, sounds like a great way to cover a steady run, or even a backwater eddy when the fish are hugging the bottom. Is there any reason not to use a bigger shot (like a 1 or a BB) to really anchor it ? I'll have to get down there before it falls out....and try some snipping, it will be a nice change of pace from my usual high water thing... of deep leech swingin' or slingshottin' the bank pockets. Ever try "snipping" an unweighted leech ? Hmmm.... you've stirred the brain juice, now, to the vise...

FYI....The foam inserts that Cabela's has are short lived and tear easily

Cricket, A sowbug is a little crustacean that lives amongst the rocks and weeds in the streambed, looks like a miniature Rolly-polly (or what some call wood lice). You've probably seen them in the laces of your wading boots at the end of the day... Google it and you'll find pics of them. A sowbug pattern fly is usually dark grey or brown, weighted and flattened with a shellback, fuzzy bottom to suggest legs, and exaggerated antennaes. Trout love'em, and they supposably promote fast growth of fish if they can find plenty of them to eat. Here ya go: http://www.westfly.com/feature-article/0406/feature_783.php

No Sir I'm not. Furthermore, I'm not convinced that getting fuel ANYWHERE guarantees no blending. I find it really odd that nobody speaks, or seems concerned about the price of crude (per/bbl) anymore (like they were this time last year)....Why do you think that is ?

Guess you could squeeze some salt out of the plastic bait you caught him on. Or make a stew with wild onions or acorns...Oh wait, you don't have a pot to make stew in, hmmmm. Unseasoned fish cooked on a stick or hot rock is a survival meal....and probably not going to be all that tasty. Might as well go for high protien value and chase a handfull of earthworms down fast with some river water. Depending on the river you might be able to find a beer can to boil it in.

In all fairness, there IS considerable media brainwash concerning ethanol. I work in the marine repair field and I can't say at this time that I have seen an increase in fuel leaks. The "lack of maintanance monster" is still the leading cause of fuel leaks IMO

Yeah I've caught some big Redears there. I don't see very many, but when I do catch one....he's always big. The water snake population is crazy there. I don't get freaked out about snakes, but the adults are so thick this Spring (on the warm days) that it's rediculis. I can only imagine what the numbers will be like after this years hatch.

LOL no problem bro. Good luck with the Gills....gonna be a tough bite today. Spring cold fronts are a real kick in the nutts for stillwater.

I can understand that, can't say that I blame her. No, the river guage doesn't suit me and the park will be a zoo. So I'm gonna do something closer to home I guess. If you wanna cruise up we can go chase the Whites or Gills if you want. I'm free until 8 pm

I have been catching them in the LO tribs for going on 3 weeks. At first they were all males and mostly Whites, then some slightly bigger Hybrids and female Whites entered the mix. Two days ago we went and the area I had been fishing was void of them (nothing but Gar to be found), so I decided to hike upstream to see if I could catch a few Smallmouth or something. Three riffles upstream from where I had been catching them for the last 3 weeks...there the Whites and Hybrids were, thick as ants at a picnic. Sight fishing to them in clear shallow water is a BLAST ! Most that I'm catching are 12-14 inches but I'm starting to see a few in the 4 lb.+ range. Just wondering how much longer before they leave the creek. The run has never lasted this long in this particular creek before, usually it is a 10-14 day affair at best. This fly here has accounted for hundreds of whites and hybrids this spring, I've pretty much kept it under my hat until now but myself and a few close friends have done so well with it that I really want to share....plus I'd like to know if it works as good elsewhere. Seems to draw strikes in dirty AND clear water, even during the mid-day period.

Come early enough to man the hush puppy fryer and it's on the house

Excellent my Man ! And thanks for the kind words I wish you'd hurry up and get a 6wt. line for that rod though...it'll really come to life in your hands, promise. For what you are doing now, a Cortland 333 WF-6-F will do great (about 33.00+tax)

None as close as Pomme, or Truman ? I'll check the atlas and get back to ya on that. How's the far-upper Niangua lookin' ?

Nice one Cricket ! So...this "friends Grandma's pond"...how big is it, and does Grandma adhere to the barter system ? LOL zhoyt, Love to catch'em on top, but in my best bluegill hole (see accompanying pic) the water has been really dirty and topwater bugs haven't started drawing very many strikes yet. Even though the fish are usually in less than 3 foot of water I can't get any big ones to eat off the surface. A simple #10 black or tan sponge spider is usually the ticket when they do....and it's just like you said: cast it, twitch it, and let it sit.

The headwaters of all our rivers fall out quickly after a big rain, those areas are fishing better now than they will the rest of the year. Ponds and smaller lakes have fish in them, too. Just pointing out a few obvious options

I believe the difference in catching big ones verses little ones is simply "timing" the pond(s) you are fishing, because bluegill populations tend to "cycle". If all you are catching is 6-7 inchers you should find a different pond for now....but try that one again in 2 years. Secondly, look for ponds/lakes that always are stained or even muddy and that never really get clear. Big Gills in clear-water are rare unless there is dense vegetation nearby. Also, any body of water that has very many Green Sunfish in it will not likely have bigger sized Bluegill....not sure why, just a personal observation. Lastly, the best presentation I've found for big gills is either motionless (if on the surface) or vertically falling. Gills love to hit a fly that either appears helpless in the surface film or is slowly sinking (like a drowning or emerging insect). They aren't likely to chase down a fly when you are stripping it in. That's what makes rubber legged flys so productive, it's not the "action" of the rubberlegs as much as the fact that the legs really slow the sink rate. Hope this helps, and be sure to let us know when you get into them

Believe it or not, when tying flys to flourocarbon tippet a figure 8 knot (aka Davy knot) is smaller, stronger, and faster to tie than any other knot I know of....and I pretty much know them all. It also shines in that it uses (wastes) only 1/4 in. or less of tippet. The only drawback to it is that if you get snagged your tippet to leader connection will break first, unless there is some abrasion ahead of the fly. Here's your tutorial: http://www.itinerantangler.com/podcasts/20..._tie_the_d.html

add a dental rubberband and you have a free "Thingamabutter"

Of all the bits of debris that floats..... leaf, stick, fish guts, busted orange strike indicators, ect. It's those butts that upset us the worst. Classic example of media mass brain programming. Not that it doesn't bother ME, just interesting when you think about it.

In this new age of radical regulation it won't be long until you'll risk felony charges for participating in tournaments for cash, PERIOD. Fishing, Golf, Billiards, or otherwise.