MrGiggles

I've been seeing guys catching them on Facebook in the river. Still a little early I think. I was up at the dam on the 2nd and caught two male walleye up shallow, both oozing milt.

I'm sure. Nothing lasts forever, there isn't much that hasn't been touched on my Chevy. The rear diff and transmission have been rebuilt in the past, the transfer case needs it. I've been into the engine to replace the seal on the oil pickup (if you ever get lifters ticking on an LS, it's probably that O-ring, not the lifters themselves), and changed the rear main. It still runs fine but burns quite a bit of oil. From what I have read many problems with the Ecoboost were limited to the early models, and remedied later for the most part. Timing chains are an issue but that's a problem for everyone, even Toyota. We've been using timing chains in some form since the 80s but evidently they still can't figure out how to make them work in a vehicle.

Right, those 99-06 GM pickups were made to last, but they lost me once they started the cylinder deactivation business. They're not nearly as bad as they used to be, but I'll still pass. Biggest thing I can say, you would think the V8 would have the lugging power, and the V6 would need to spin up a little to get anything, that's not the case at all. Those turbos are tiny and spool up instantly. The 5.3 needs to rev.

Been thinking more and more lately how it doesn't make much sense to have two vehicles with how I drive. I've got an 06 Silverado 5.3, and an 08 Mazdaspeed 3. Both gas hogs in their own right, the Mazda gets mid-high 20s but requires premium so knock 20-25% off of that for the added cost of fuel, might as well just drive a truck, I've been spending around $100 a week between the two on gas alone, and the Chevy has 345,000 miles so you have to wonder just how long it's going to want to keep going. Ford seems to have gotten it together after their engine fiascos in the past, the Ecoboost appears to have proved itself and gets pretty impressive fuel economy. So I bought one, 2015 F150 4x4, with the 2.7. I had been shopping for a couple weeks and missed out on two or three trucks in that time, they do not seem to last long at all in my price range. XLT package so not too fancy. Column mounted shifter, and knobs/switches for the HVAC. I cannot stand automatic climate control. Plain peanut butter cloth seats. I did not want a crew cab because they come with the 5.5ft box, but it's growing on me. Fold the back seats up and there's an impressive amount of room back there, that's out of the weather and secure. In my search, I only found a couple extended cab models. The size difference is pretty amazing, park it next to my Silverado, which has been leveled but is otherwise stock, the F150 is 2-3 inches taller and a good bit wider. New trucks are just big. The trip computer said 19.3 mpg average before I reset it, so we'll see how it does. Fuel savings alone should offset the cost some. Might see how it pulls the boat later.

I caught everything except the smallie on a slab rap.

I just got in from running out there, found a few crappie in a deep school, nothing too exciting. Fished by the dam until 6:30 looking for walleyes and only caught one smallie. With how the forecast is looking I don't think it will be very long.

I would like to know this as well. I hate how everything is going to a stupid mobile app that never wants to work right, or needs an update every time you use it.

We had a few when I was little. Not that any of them are known for being intelligent, but the silkies were especially creative at finding ways to kill themselves. Found one dead under a feed dish one time. The meanest rooster has nothing on a territorial goose.

Don't throw away your old transducer. Those cables can be repaired, it's a pain but people have done it.

I was out on Sunday. While fishing in some of those thick schools and not getting bit, I managed to snag the pictured carp and a large shad. They were bunched up super tight. The crappie were pretty scattered, but I did catch 3 keepers and two keeper walleye, so not a bad trip. No whites this time which I thought was odd, I had been catching them just about 3-1 for every other species.

I've heard that term used interchangeably but they aren't the same. Blacknose are native to the white river system, magnolias are some kind of hybrid that were bred to stock in ponds, they're sterile. I catch blacknose on Pomme quite a bit, every once in a great while on Stockton.

Definitely open the lid. Don't be like me and heat a squeeze bottle upside down with the lid closed. You'll get a honey geyser when you open it.

You must not be far from me then, it's almost in my backyard. We used to run cows on that ground, the boss sold it to Flora. The railroad used to run through the west end of it near the highway, the mound and bridges were still there. I have never been in that operation, one of my tenants is a clipper there and seems to like it. They pay better than anything else in the immediate area.

Not a thing last night. Very little on Sunday night, a dusting at best.

Any piece of mail that is presorted standard or nonprofit just goes into our UBBM (fancy name for a trashcan), and gets shredded at the main plant. It doesn't actually go back to the sender. There is a number you can call to remove your name from credit companies and stop the credit card offers. Otherwise once your name is on a list somewhere it's hard to stop it from being circulated. If it has your name and address on it, you're getting it. We are contractually obligated to deliver everything we get, we aren't allowed to sort and pick aside from certain circumstances. It's a pain but without all that junk mail a stamp would be double or triple what they are now, so there is an upside. Those businesses are subsidizing that cost in a way.

Yep, servo motor. Allows the PCM to modulate the throttle for traction control, and whenever the transmission upshifts to reduce wear. Some of these new cars chop the throttle so hard during a shift it feels like there's something wrong with them. It also saves a lot of linkage and external components for cruise control, and eliminates the need for an IAC, which is why it's so important for them to stay clean. Given the symptoms it seems to me that it's related to that servo motor, whenever the PCM gets the gets the signal that the transmission has been put in gear, it knows to step the idle up slightly for the added load, maybe it's overshooting by a lot. Too bad it didn't set a code, that would likely tell the story. The throttle actuator has it's own sensor (essentially a TPS), that ensures the throttle is in agreement with whatever it's being told to do.

04 is all computer controlled. No cables anywhere as you know. Cruise should disengage when the brakes are applied, and it also has a minimum speed requirement. I'd suspect a throttle body that is sticking or acting funny, perhaps a wire in that harness. It should set a code in the event that the APP and throttle actuator are ever out of sync but you never know, and it may only show up as a pending code if it's a once in a blue moon thing. I'd try cleaning the throttle body, look over that harness pretty well. One other thing that's kind of a longshot, those trucks are known to do some really odd things once the intake gaskets start to leak. Usually when they start to go they will get to running like crap for a few minutes until they warm up, revving up and down, sputtering, etc. The sniff test with a can of carb cleaner works just fine as a diagnostic there.

An inch or two that will likely be gone by lunchtime. Whole lot of nothing.

Yes, thresher sounds right. They told me that catching them essentially consists of trolling what amounts to a large Rapala stickbait on the surface, the sharks get hooked in the tail when they attempt to stun it.

I hear you. The swordfish was from a restaurant in Boston. I liked it. I got the shark from some guys that come visit every fall from California. I forget the species, it was the kind with the long whippy tail. I thought it was really good, and I'm not much of a chef.

Spool them up with 10, 20, and 50lb braid and be done with it.

And chickens will happily pick through their own "litter" but you don't hear many complaints when folks are wolfing down buffalo wings.

I'd put salmon at the top like Wrench, smoked or prepared otherwise. Shark and swordfish are up there too. Crappie/walleye after that, but honestly I don't think there's a whole lot of difference between them and say a smaller LMB, white bass, bluegill etc. All white flaky meat, if you cut them into identical sized pieces and prepared them the same way, I doubt I could reliably tell the difference. I found those frozen Swai/Talapia fillets to be really good, seasoned and baked. So I'd put them in the middle. Tuna of any kind, kipper snacks/sardines, spoonbill, and channel cat are at the bottom.

Maybe I'm the odd one out again but I don't think bacon belongs on a good burger. I like bacon but I don't think it adds anything, better enjoyed by itself. Or maybe I'm just cheap and don't like spending an extra dollar for paper thin wannabe bacon. I never did get to try their pickle fries, every time I tried to order they were out of them.

I did have a couple big boys show up on camera. Dad shot at one with a muzzleloader and missed, I didn't have a tag, and seldom find the time for late archery hunting. I'd attach the full size images but they want a nickle to download them. Everything's a money grab now. I know there was a lot more activity in that plot than I got pictures of, there's no cell reception in the spot that it should be. MDC is rolling out their corn piles and stuff for their CWD culling stuff, I guess I could get one that way if I wanted. I am going to be a little more picky next year, late season hunting over a good food source is just stupid good.