Woodland Artisan

In order to move things along faster with my pontoon boat resurrection, I'm going to lay down some cheap outdoor carpet onto the aluminum deck. That way I can research and decide what I really want, long-term, during the summer. What would you recommend for an adhesive? Since this will be temporary (probably replacing it after summer?), would you recommend just applying at the edges/seams in order to make taking it up easier later or going ahead and doing the whole surface?

Says you.

The reason I like my fly fishing kits to be as balanced as possible/reasonable is simply because it's easier on my wrists and forearms. I don't want to fight the kit; I want to fight the fish ... and the weather ... and the sun ... and the water temperature ... and the bugs ..........

I moved my finger forward 3/4" (just past the end of the cork) like I'd cast with and the balance is now at .40-.42oz The balance point of the rod (no weight) is 2" past the end of the cork.

The first one. 1/2oz. Dropped a 3x line down from the middle of where the reel should seat and held my finger at the end of the cork.

.5 oz How do you like that redington zero? Does it have a good, fine drag? The weight of it seems to be right in line with most of the ultralight reels out there.

Just recently picked up an ultra lite rod, the TFO finesse 1/2 wt Trout, and am looking for a reel to match. Any experience with some really small, light reels from anybody? None of the reels I have come close to being light enough to put on this rod. I've always wanted to get a small fly rod (sub 4wt) to complement the bigger ones because I've always been attracted to the small creeks and heavy cover only accessible by some serious wading so when this became available, I snatched it up.

Thanks, TRRanger. Someone else mentioned Grainger in Springfield. Went with them because they are 1/3rd the price. But, I did find some metal stamp material on the Rose Metal website that I'm interested in for something else.

I'm doing some remodeling of a pontoon boat and am trying to find a local source, if possible, of 1.25" OD aluminum railing. Needing less than 10'. Southwest Missouri region.

Sure did! It was yesterday, the 13th, though. Inside, of course, for a micro-green garden to get us ready for the big stuff later. Couldn't even attempt to sow a row outside today. Maybe in 10-14 days when it softens up.

It IS that cold. Like you, I've been out chopping water tanks for the cattle the last few days and plan to for at least a few more. And, they aren't my cattle anymore! We've had a couple of cold snaps over the past 15 years but none that I remember for (what they're calling for) this long. I don't remember when it was ... maybe 12 years ago (?) that I had to take someone over to Joplin and took along the fly fishing gear and did a little casting into Shoal Creek south of it. About every 5-6 casts I had to clear the ice from the line guides. That was, I think, -3F and the first time I remember it going below zero in SW MO except for maybe a brief time at night. I think there was another time just a few years ago that it dipped below zero around here but that was very short. Otherwise, I can't remember a time that it got much below 10F for much time. And I've worked outside, farm and otherwise, nearly every day in every weather for 50+ years. What I have noticed is that, yes, people new to the area, either by birth or moving, have seen a much different climate than what I and the family are used to in the MO/AR Ozarks. It used to be far more snow and stayed cold rather than the recent (~20 years) 2-4 inches of snow (if that) that stays around for a day or two. Northern Arkansas used to get the ice storms sort of regular. Now, Southern MO does and AR gets mainly rain. Of course, not every year is the same but the trends have been obvious for a lot of years now. The last 15 years of (certainly) mild winters, in general, here have been the exception compared to the previous 40 in our families' experience. Used to, I enjoyed flipping through the family "watch book". It was a daily/weekly record of the weather (and very early on, the animals, too) that got started quite a long time ago for some reason. And various family members would just add to it. But, that was destroyed about 40 yrs ago in a church fire. It stretched back to the early 1800's, I believe.

And you can bring that down a bit closer to me to pick up in the process. 😉

Looks like a person could spend a lifetime on the trails (paddling and otherwise) up in that area. Too bad about the blow-downs and fires over the years, though. But, sounds like they've cleaned up some of those trails pretty well now. I like path-making but it's hard on the land so a good trail is what I try to stick to. Thanks, rps.

That would be outstanding. All except for the rapids. I'm not one for any serious rapids. Remote / Waves / Open water I love. Any more rapids than the Ozarks can dish out isn't for me. With all of those rivers and small lakes up there, a nice long trip in the (true) wilderness would be possible and I'd love going from river to lake to river, etc. Another trip I've been recommended is along Thunder Bay on Lake Superior. Probably my first extended "open water" kayak trip would be along the coast of British Columbia, though. Early last year, I did some proper sea kayaking off of Vancouver Island and that got me back into thinking more seriously about longer paddling trips.

👍 As long as it gets me from point A to point B when I need it to.

Where you able to make the trip? I'm not planning to start quite so far as Beaver Dam but at Beaver, a couple of miles North of there. Then going past Table Rock Dam a bit to the Ark 311 bridge. I'm figuring about 75+/- miles. Stockton was ~40 so this should be a good test to see if I want to tackle Stage 3 (circumnavigate Stockton) next. I'm wanting to do this end-to-end of Table Rock in early May and well before Memorial Day; before it gets too crazy on the lake. Campgrounds just aren't for me. Too loud and too much of a hassle just to find a spot to pull up the kayak, string the hammock, eat a bit and then leave in 4 or 5 hours. Loved saying on the island! When planning for the Stockton end-to-end, I expected to do 10 miles a day (about 4 days) with no fishing. After the 2nd day, I borrowed rod/tackle and still did 10 miles. But, I had good weather and favorable winds for each leg. Won't expect that on Table Rock in May, though.

An anchor light isn't a problem. I'd have to find the blasted thing if I arrived after dark, anyway. ha! Thanks.

Other than the obvious problem of leaving anything unattended in a public space, are there rules for leaving a boat anchored, out of the way in a secluded cove, overnight or even a few hours unattended? I'm planning the 2nd stage of my kayaking expedition series (6 years late!) of paddling end-to-end on Table Rock for this coming spring/summer and would like to have my newly acquired small pontoon boat (assuming I can get it back in time to complete rigging it ... Wrench, ahem? ...) staged at certain places for me to spend some of the nights. Sometimes, someone will be with it all the time (moving it ahead of me, of course) and other times probably not. Any laws against that? My 1st stage was on Stockton and only took 4 days; staying at campgrounds and one night on an island. I'd really like to just stay on the pontoon boat for the nights this time.

Was digging around a shed the other day and found my (very) late grandfathers' green metal tacklebox. Probably hasn't been opened for a few decades. And this is some of what I found inside. I can't imagine anything in there being much of anything but I just found it interesting. I know he fished the White River system before the dams and the James along with several others in Arkansas along with his father and grandfather. None of those in the picture are that old but I'm wondering just what else I might find having been passed down and forgotten.

Is going the max hp rating for an older boat likely to be a problem? Honestly asking. I have no idea if it's something I should be concerned about especially since I'm not going to be zipping around the lake anyway. I've attached some pictures of what it has on there right now. Took the hood off and this is what I found. Pretty sure there are some bits and pieces missing in there somewhere. <grin>

Just bought an old '95 Suntracker 21' Fishing Barge pontoon boat knowing that the motor with it was likely bad. It's a Mercury Tracker 40hp Pro Series and I'm assuming it is the original motor. It turns over and the tilt/trim works but the seller said that the pistons are scarred and I see that some things are missing in there from where someone was trying to fix it. Will get it looked at by professional in the next few weeks to see if it's even worth saving. I know nothing about motors. With that said, I'm asking for recommendations for repowering this boat. It's use is just going to be puttering around fishing and (slowly) cruising with just a couple of people at most once in awhile. No towing, no watersports, no blazing around the lakes, obviously. The max hp on the boat (when new) was 90 hp but I'm looking anywhere from 40 to 70, I believe? The boat is in good condition and was made even more of a fishing boat with a small center console and all but a couple of fishing chairs removed. If I can figure out if this can be repowered (or motor repaired) reasonably, then I'll start on a wholesale refurbishment. But, still maintaining that minimal fishing boat or kayak/exploration mothership usage.

17" bass (fat) was the only thing worth mentioning and that was my partners' catch today.

Look into the Double Nest ENO, Rick. Even for smaller folks, the bigger hammocks are more comfortable and gives you more ability to sleep 'sideways' and, thus, flatter. The Single Nest ENO is best for kids or petite women from what I've been told.

All of the time. I've used a Hennessy for the last few years and ordered a Warbonnet Blackbird a couple of weeks ago. Not used the ENO but I took a look at them. Not bad at all if you want to get bits and pieces as you go along. But, you end up spending about the same amount as some of the better hammocks if you go all-out. I like the ability, with some hammocks, to hang them mostly but, when I have no choice, I can use them on the ground, too. Space savings is a must on a kayak and, yes, a hammock works well there as along as you're not a cold sleeper and doing it in cold weather (ie: needing all kinds of comforters, quilts, etc.). A good bivy sack or single person tent takes up about the same room/weight as a hammock, too. But, I love my hammocks.

I and a few others kayak Stockton quite a bit. Rarely on the weekends, though. Hope to see you there sometime. I kayak at night on main lakes but, like you said, stay close to the shore and when I have to cross big water I do it quickly and watch very carefully. At dawn, dusk and at night, I run with a 3' orange flag (mainly for days on high traffic lakes ... which is rare for me to attempt these days) with reflective tape and a marine light (2 AA batteries) atop that. I almost always have a headlamp on or ready to turn on if I see a boat coming anywhere near me, as well. My euro paddle blades have some reflective tape on them and I can wave those in the air to get well seen when I want to. Last resort is a handy, small airhorn that'll split an eardrum. I caused a guy to spill his beer all over his glittery nitro one time when he got too close going too fast near me with that airhorn. You'da thought he had hit a submerged mine. The closest I've ever been to being run over was last year on James river by a jet boat at 11 am.