hoglaw

Don't need your boat, but I may be in the market for whatever motor you pulled off of it. You aren't selling it are you?

Did it leave as much blank exposed as there is reel seat to cover it? Or is there more reel seat than there is blank? If you have just as much exposed blank as reel seat, or within a fraction of an inch, I'd build three arbors out of masking tape on the blank...it will look something like this: --||-||-||-- You keep wrapping the tape until the reel seat slides over all three of them easily, but somewhat snugly. Start with the one closest to the top of the rod first so you can check the fit on it, then repeat the process for the other two. Once you have your arbors built up to where the reel seat won't wobble when it's on them but still slides on and off easily, mix standard two part epoxy like rod bond and slather a BUNCH of it on the arbors and in those gaps that you've created, filling them in as much as possible. When it's done, all the tape should be completely covered in epoxy and the gaps should be filled pretty close to the top of the tape. You want to use a lot of epoxy here. More is better. Once that's done, just slide your reel seat up to where it belongs. It should feel a lot more snug now with all that epoxy - it should be a fairly tight fit. Clean up your excess epoxy right away with denatured alcohol, check your allighment between the reel seat and guides, and you're ready to dry. Brace it so that the rod lays horizontally and rotate it half a turn every few minutes for an hour or so, then every ten minutes for the next hour, and so on. That's how you install a standard reel seat - I don't see why a fly reel seat would work differently. The tape forms a good solid bond that is made permanent under the epoxy. I know they make nice arbors out of graphite and other materials, but I've used tape as that's how I was taught and I've never had a seat failure. If you have less exposed blank than you have reel seat, then I agree you will need to extend the blank as others have indicated, but I don't see why you'd have less blank than seat.

I've used the guy across from Rush before. So you're saying that going across to Riley's isn't a problem even if they're jamming 6-8 units? You were right Griz, the buffalo hardly got a bump at all from this rain. I probably had two to three inches in my yard. Seems like it just posted up on top of me and never moved. Sure would like it to come up a hair before I go, but then again it would be pretty cool if it wasn't high enough for river boats to have free reign over the place while we're there. Not that I have anything against river boats since I'm about to buy one for the buffalo and all, but I sure like it down there when I feel like I have it to myself.

The White has been running big fairly consistently. I've never tried paddling up to Riley's but have always opted for the downstream take-out instead. If the lakes weren't so high I'd consider it, but they've been hammering water and it's my understanding that they will continue to do so for another month or so.

Figured I'd give this old thread a bump. I'm about to close the deal on a 21' 41" Shawnee built by Gay. In the process, I emailed the current owner of Shawnee about new boats. He was very friendly and quick to respond with good information, but I found it interesting that he indicated he now owns and is building under the Shawnee AND Supreme name. I guess after Supreme's note got called, there was some value to the name. Anyway, I'm pretty excited about the deal and am now in the market for a short shaft electric start two stroke Mercury. This will be my first power boat to own and I'm looking forward to it immensely.

It's been two years since I've floated from Rush down. A couple of my co-workers (including the managing partner of my firm) and I are trying to put together a two nighter somewhere. Last year we had good high water on crooked, so we went from Payatt to the slab in two days. The lower wilderness would be an awesome place for me to take these guys who aren't huge fishermen or floaters, but I can't take them on a 28 mile trip where we'd have to paddle our butts off. Ideal situation would be to camp out somewhere near the big bend - I believe it's called horseshoe bend - on the first night, and around elephant rock on night 2. I just can't remember what the water level needs to be to make this a good float. We will be going October 14. I know this rain event ought to give the river a decent bump, but I don't know what else we'll get between now and then. The last two times I've done this stretch, the guage farthest down (can't remember which one) was around 6', and that water was awesome for cruising. I could have done the float in a single day both times if I really wanted to. So, for you guys who spend more time down there than I do, what is the bare minimum level (and which guage) that you would consider do-able for running from Rush to Shipp's in two and a half days of floating? We would float full days on day 1 and 2, and would like to be off the river by early afternoon on day 3. It can get pretty breezy down there, and if these guys are having to paddle their butts off and walk over every shoal, I'm not going to be a popular guy.

I'm now in the market for a good Johnson/Evinrude 9.9, or a Mercury 15. Wanting a good solid late model. Not looking for a beater or a project, and willing to pay a fair price. Electric start, 2 stroke. Can't figure out how to navigate Jaxed very well. If anyone knows of anything, feel free to post or PM.

I'm with you Al. Nothing beats canoeing that lower stretch for me. If they said no motors I would probably canoe it more often. It's just so hard to do it right out of a canoe. I'd like to have the ability to spend an entire day in one particular pool of the river that's a long way from the White. To do that by canoe, you're talking about an extra night of camping which is fine if you have a week off. I also like the though of being able to set up a turkey camp down there in the Spring and that's just not as practical out of canoes.

I don't own an automatic reel, but we used them fishing small streams in Creede Colorado. They were great for picking up line quickly and moving along. We never fought a fish on the reel up there anyway, at least not in the little bitty streams where being able to manage slack and move along was a nice asset. I wouldn't want one for my primary reel, but they have their place.

Can an admin move these posts to the boat forum by any chance so others might weigh in? Muddy, what's the advantage of the wider bottom? I assume it's more stable and rides a little higher in the water? I'm looking at a 99 Shawnee, 21' long, 41" that the owner wants about $2500 for....no motor. I have some friends who are motor hounds, and I'll have them either find me a 9.9 and tune it to a 15, or a 15 and replace the decals so I can hit the buffalo How stable is the 41" bottom? Can two grown and uncoordinated men stand up in it and fish at the same time? Are these boats pretty tough, or are they easy to knock a hole in? I'd use it on the white some, but I warm water fish about 20-1 over trout fish. It would be for running up the Buffalo, Illinois, and Elk (in Oklahoma). I'm sure I'd put it in at twin bridges a good deal too and run down to Walker's Bluff and up to Wyman.

The pushback seems much ado about nothing to me. It's a proven fact that didymo can hitchhike on felt soled boots. A very simple alternative is available. Seems most should be thanking the MDC for having the foresight to head off a problem before it gets to be an epidemic. To think that any goverment agent has a vested interest in promoting the rubber soled boot industry borders on rediculous. The sales tax revenue generated by the sale of a pair of rubber soled boots is MAYBE five bucks for a pair, most of which is earmarked and not all of which is collected at the state level as opposed to locally. It's not like this is going to cause a boom in the sale of rubber soled boots. In the past when I've needed shoes for stocking foot waders, I've gone to goodwill and picked up some basketball shoes that are too big for me. I have an awesome pair of Lebrons that set me back about five bucks. I can't wear metal spiked golf shoes because they transfer diseases from course to course, and because folks who don't know how to walk in them tear up greens. Now I can't name a single course that allows them. It's an identical issue. We're smart enough to figure out that a certain type of shoe causes a problem. Is it the only cause? Probably not. Is it the easiest one to fix? You bet. Whether "big brother" is too big or sticks its nose in too many issues is beside the point. Your tax dollars support a regulatory body that does its best to protect your resources. You don't pay enough tax dollars to have the best minds in the world doing the work, so you get blue collar folks who have the same interests as you for the most part. What's the big deal?

Hey Muddy, what is your river boat setup? I'm looking to get into the ideal boat for running the Buffalo (and fishing below BS dam). I know absolutely nothing about boats other than the kind you paddle. I don't want to spend $10k on a supreme and a motor, but I'm realistic about what I'm willing to spend for a good setup that I can either take up the river or down from rush. The Buffalo is limited to 9.9's, right? No sense looking into jets with that kind of loss of HP from an already small motor. Fiberglass or aluminum? I guess the ideal would be a 20' fiberglass john, right? How easy are they to knock a giant hole in on a submerged log or a rock? I can't imagine anything cooler than being able to run up and down the river and fish from a front seat with a foot controlled trolling motor, or take a couple of friends up to horseshoe bend for a long weekend of camping in the middle of nowhere. I know this should go in the boats forum, but figured I'd get your input here.

I always banked on April and May too. This year the fish were ON beds in mid June on a lot of the creeks I fish, crooked included.

You could always go to rodbuilding.org and ask your question there. Very knowledgable folks on that forum.

I'm not sure how bubbles would appear in the finish on a rod all of a sudden. You can certainly get bubbles in the finish if you don't properly mix and heat the epoxy when you're doing the wraps. I'm fairly certain you can't thin cured epoxy with anything, at least not without damaging the wraps. I'm with Gavin. I don't think you can fix it without re-wrapping. If the integrity of the wraps isn't in question, I wouldn't mess with it.

I almost never fish live bait, except for catfish. I've been struggling with night fishing (bass) on a usually productive lake recently. TrophyFishR helped me install electronics on the little boat I use for this particular electric motor only lake, and it was an eye opening experience. This lake is absolutely loaded with fish. Massive bass (smallmouth, largemouth, and spots), big blue cats, hybrids, and white bass are the primary suspects. Last Friday we went out and only managed one dink. The last two Friday nights were also slow, but we managed to catch a trophy bass each time. I've tried dragging a football jig on deep points, working magnum worms, top water, swimbaits, and heavy black colorado blade spinnerbaits with pork. On the first trip with electronics, I saw massive schools of bait that would black out the screen from the surface to 20 feet down. I would see streaking fish underneath them indicating that they were hanging out at the bottom of the school and feeding actively. I was not marking many fish on the bottom. I know I could flutter a spoon, use a drop shot, or swim a grub under these schools but that's never been a method of fishing I've enjoyed very much. My idea for tonight is to try suspending some minnows underneath these schools to see what's feeding on them. I'm pretty good with a casting net, so I'm going to try to catch some bait. I figure these are mostly shad, but they could be the fresh spawns and might not be big enough to use. As an insurance policy I'm thinking about trucking some minnows over there, but it's a long haul in the hot weather and the prospects of keeping bait alive on this trip don't seem very good to me. Anyway, what's the best way to rig big minnows or shad for this type of fishing? I'm thinking a lighter guage octopus or circle hook through behind the dorsal fin is the best way to hook them, and fish them under a 1/4oz pegged sinker with a two or three foot leader to let them get frisky, and use a slip bobber with a stopper at the appropriate depth to get the just under the school. I know the striper guys use balloons and I'm not quite sure how that works, or how you get the line to slide through the knot while stopping at the stopper. I would welcome any suggestions. I just want to figure out what's down there feeding on these fish, and possibly hook up with a blue cat or two for grins. As much as I love dragging plastics and jigs, and slow rolling spinnerbaits at night, I'm really struggling with those techniques this summer for some reason.

I apologize if this has already been posted somewhere, but I just came across it today. http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article.aspx?aID=127778.54928.139923

Yeah, it makes perfect sense. A shorter and slower rod is where it's at for topwater. One of my favorite top water rods is a pistol grip that I built on an old cheap blank with a spiral wrap. Even with the Lew's pistol grip, it's under six feet.

man, that wilderness recliner might be the hot ticket. One of my canoes has everything in it stripped out. It's basically a shell with no cross pieces. It doesn't track worth a darn anymore, but I did that when I was fishing some very very shallow water on a regular basis, and when I was hooking up a trolling motor to hit some of our local electric only lakes. I have a small john I use for that now, but I still use the seatless wonder as a solo canoe. I have a couple of different chairs that I'll use, but that one looks awesome.

I haven't. I've been told that two folks in a hammock doesn't work very well - that it brings new meaning to "attached at the hip." I could always try one out I guess. I love sleeping in a hammock when it's just me. You're dead on about it being lighter weight and taking up a lot less room, though I still carry a very thin sleeping pad to put in my hammock anyway. It seems to make it a little flatter.

Helpful advice as always. My girlfriend is 23, gorgeous, a former NCAA athlete, and loves to float, fish, and camp. She can paddle a canoe and can throw a baitcast reel with fewer brakes than most. I'd rather make a great thing a better thing. And I don't need any help in the latter department though about five less years under my belt would be nice. I'm not sure how to take this. I imagine her side of the story would be something to the effect that her boyfriend saved the trip by jerry-rigging the air mattress on the fly with string, brute force, and a make-shift patch. It was 100 percent air tight for the rest of the night and the patch fell off while I was rolling it up the next morning. It's now in the landfill. For those of you who had useful things to say, I really appreciate your input. I guess it's been a while since I looked into sleeping pads. When I used them in my younger backpacking days, it was pretty much a thermarest or nothing and they weren't all that great. I don't have any problem spending a few hundred bucks on two good sleeping pads if it's going to get the job done. I suppose the phrase "sleep together" could be taken in a different context, but I meant something other than two separate hammocks on two separate sets of trees. In remote places with animals and rednecks running around, she'd rather be next to me (which is just fine by me). If you haven't done the hammock thing though, I'd really reccommend it. The one I have that chumbug made light of was about sixty bucks and it has a very fine mosquito net that keeps everything out. It doesn't have a rain fly incorporated, but it's not hard to fabricate one. I think they're super comfortable, and you can throw in a cheap sleeping pad to give it a little more structure. It can be tough to find the right trees, and you're right about camping well off the water. Sometimes you have to get up in the woods a little. It makes campsite selection different. Not harder, just different. You can camp in spots that no one else does for sure. I agree that beer and tequila can make the best of a bad situation (though it's scotch for me), but I have always been of the mindset that with the right gear, there's no reason to have a bad situation in the first place. I don't like to sacrifice if I don't have to.

Gavin: Those look pretty cool. Those camp pads have come a long way since my twenty year old thermarests. Can you set them up on gravel pretty effectively? I understand you can't put them on fist sized rocks, but at least something bigger than pea gravel? Jim, I'm glad you've had good luck with air mattresses. I haven't. One failure in twenty uses is unacceptable for me at this point in my life. The one that went bad was bought last year I think. With both of us on there, we're talking about a combined 350lbs, at least 230 of which is me. Plus an air mattress means bringing a pump, batteries, and a patch kit. I'm trying to downsize my requirements for an overnight or multi-night float trip, even if it means more expensive gear.

One of my favorite things in the world is a multi-night float trip. When I'm alone or with friends, I always sleep in a Grand Turk Skeeter Beeter hammock with a thermarest in it. I use a tarp or some other kind of light weight homemade rain fly if there's a chance of bad weather, so I never have to carry a tent. My girlfriend loves to camp and is really hooked on smallmouth fishing now. I'm trying to figure out the best way for us to sleep together. On my last trip, I took a coleman air mattress (not new) that I tested before I went. Of course it spring a leak during the night. I woke up on pointy rocks and was about 99% sure we were about to have a really long night. I managed to stop it with a bunch of twine and a patch kit that actually held together that night, but it was really sketchy. I'm never going to trust a cheap air mattress again. I want to be 100% sure that it's not going to fail. So now I'm thinking my options (other than sleeping in two hammocks) are: thermarests, or something similar. Cons: I've never thought they were comfortable and they have to be on soft ground (sand or dirt) as opposed to rocks, right? Still need tent on some trips. Cots. Cons: heavy, bulky, and still need a tent on some trips. Those tent cot things seem cool, but the one for two weighs a ton and is awfully big. Air mattresses. Cons: I really like the idea and they're comfortable, but I have a hard time relying on them. A night of sitting in a chair or sleeping on rocks is a bad night. Any suggestions for the best way to camp for 2? I'm thinking it has to be a thermarest, I just don't like the idea of cutting down on my campsite options, as some of my favorite camp sites on the overnights I do often don't have sand on them.

You aren't kidding about the bugs. I've taken out at shadow lake a number of times after midnight and that is one of the buggiest floats north of the Arkansas River. The bats are thick down there too. I actually caught one on a popper last year about this time. I fished until 1 or so last night on a favorite spot of mine over in Oklahoma. The moon never came up, so I'm not sure what its schedule will be tonight. It's a week off of full, but I never understood the moonrise stuff - sometimes it comes up and sometimes it doesn't.

RPS, is your old rod a little slower than the Cara? The only Cara I ever held was TrophyFishR's, and it had a really fast action. I didn't realize they made them application specific, but I would think that a rod they tout as a jerkbait would have a little slower action that would be money for topwater baits.