BilletHead

Wasn't this thread called fishing kayak? Maybe I was mistaken? @Cwallis glad you found a ride, enjoy it man, BilletHead

Warning, butthurt alert! 😮 Hey man besides your thoughts on why they were popular you also said YOU thought they were cumbersome and heavy. And both Ronnie and I agreed canoes have their place when transporting loads. And I am still open for you to try since you have never been in one. Nobody is trying to change your mind friend. At least I wasn't. BilletHead

When you slow down from going 90 to 100 MPH all the time you can learn hahahhahah. BilletHead

I wash the hide out of the alum/salt real well. I have hides I have done years ago and have no "rot". I am not going to get into the harsh chemical tanning and know brain tanners. Not going to go through that either its a mess .I have a couple brain tanned and smoked hides. They are amazing pieces of work. I use borax when doing my buck tails. I thought about the sanding the hides. When I strip out these I may. Right now I am just admiring the work I have put in these before I cut them up. Once I make that first slice there is no going back, BilletHead

I bet I could get some specimen jars, put some of the liquid in them. Catch some invertebrates, terrestrials and worms for study from the river and along the banks. Bad thing is I may be around @Flysmallie and @fishinwrench they might take my finds, drink my preservative and eat my bugs. Dang, BilletHead

Well here is what we have to work with. These hides are extremely thick and I am not sure how to thin them like the pine squirrel. I am just using alum/salt to tan. Not sure what chemical the commercial operations are using or how the skin part of my hides are going to work? I have been tinkering some with pieces though. Getting wet in water. They do act like a chamois leather getting wet and very supple, lots of motion. So when I take the piece out to dry it dries hard but I can work it out back to soft or just get wet again to soften. So I am not really sure if we and incorporate the hide itself. Might be just a hide to shave off hair for dubbing? Time and trial might get a result. As far as field testers . I will do some more hides next fall and winter. Only four days of squirrel season left and the last two I shot had real rubbed crappy coats. I will get some out for some of you guys to try out when I do more. BilletHead

Lowlifes and worthless, BilletHead

Speaking of moonshine lookie here, My buddy Brad brought this down when we goose hunted. He has pear trees out the wazoo and a bumper out of this world harvest. So he took a bunch to his friend who converted the fruit to this. Now what in the heck am I going to do with it ? BilletHead

Yep fun and I did not have to resort to spinning gear. . Even caught a chub, sculpin and a couple of those other little dinky fishes that I had to have a scientist tell me what they were. 🤣. BilletHead

That really sucks buddy. You will be missed and your cooking too, BilletHead

So I did a nice large #4 4X long bugger using a dubbing loop with fox squirrel in place of the hackle. I thought it turned out pretty good. Under the open spiraled squirrel I dubbed the body with craw dub. I like dubbed bodies instead of chenille. If it lasts very long and I don't loose or hang it up the rattier it becomes the better it looks IMO. A but of flash along the sides. Here it is in the water. The squirrel moves better than hackle. I think a bass at mistake it for a crawdad and a trout might think it is a crawdad or sculpin. Has a bit of the mottled look, BilletHead

Thanks, Just shot with the cell phone! BilletHead

To get clear of the bait slingers you bet. Do you realize Pat and I did not do Bennett at all last year. Only time I was there fishing was C&R with you and the hamster! BilletHead

There is a half dozen of those at Bennett springs too. From bait to fly zone. In the upper zones the flashing of the blades from rooster tails in the wind is mesmerizing BilletHead

Even worse it entangles birds, turtles and other critters killing with impunity. The amount out there is horrifying. Way back when I used to fish below Truman Dam. One day I watched a couple guys with a stout pole about eight foot long. It had a big hook on one end. They would reach out as far as they could and work the hook around then spin the pole dragging back huge wads of line. They would cut off hooks, weights, jigs and lures. They would put the line and their treasures in separate buckets. A win. win situation. They were cleaning up and getting tackle for themselves. A couple times they had got so much entangled it took them both to drag it back. BilletHead

Me too and glad to know you pick up your bait containers. I witnessed that once in Arkansas so I put you in another category than some I have posted about on the forum, BilletHead

You just opened up a container of worms . Lets see, Folly=Worms on the stream. BilletHead

Here is something some of you know about. If not you should check it out. If you are thinking of buying or pimping your ride canoe or kayak. I found this place one stop shopping. Prices are reasonable , shipping is fast sales and staff are great too. Sign up and they only send you something once a month. That includes a 10 to 20 percent coupon. One for your birthday also. https://www.austinkayak.com/?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=ACK.com - Branded Coupon&utm_content=Austin Kayak&msclkid=9382ffa84bee16061eeaa3c9fa6ef7d3 BilletHead

Testing the clamp, Took another squirrel hide I just did a stretch on a few years ago. Not tanned so basically it is rawhide with hair on. Flipped it over and cut some strips. Best way with a good straight edge and one sided razor blade. Just score the skin and then cutting through holding up off cutting board with the grain of the hair. The cut will follow the score and will not cut hair just parting it as you cut. Cut a section and put in clamp. Cut to length. The foam between the pop sickle sticks held great. Took it to the vice, chucked up a wire. Started thread, did a loop and slid hair into loop. Collapsed loop and spun it up. Wrapped the spun up loop on wire and whip finished. Test over and worked great. On a small loop with just a few strands as Gavin said just put in with fingers. One clamp half this size would be great too. I know crappy pictures but this is just a follow up to the clamp. I need to make a bugger and do some open wraps over the body instead of hackle. BilletHead

Yes have Plexiglas also. I think the trick would be matching with a clamp just right. Kind of got lucky with my first try. Instead of a small point of contact I have grip on the full width of the pop sickle stick. Give with foam helps. Plus give with foam would let me hold hollow hair like deer to put in a loop. Nothing wrong with gizmos. The vehicles we drive around every day were once considered a gizmo I am betting. BilletHead

All righty then, Had a pretty powerful clamp and it has a magnet on it. For clamping and holding papers I suppose. Used the popsicle stick idea. Stuck them on the craft foam that has one stick side, Lined them up in the clamp foam side together and used 2 ton epoxy to glue on clamp, To further straighten my clamping edge I used 100 and 220 grit sandpaper and worked to a knife edge, So with the foam I have some cushion and grip for material. I will mess with this for awhile and see how it goes. One thing about the petitjean clear clamp would be seeing the depth of material easy while clamping, BilletHead

Oh man I almost forgot! Thanks for the reminder, BilletHead

Got that and why I asked is my friend Mrs. BilletHead said you can fish from hers sometime. You may have to check your man card somewhere because it has a couple flower stickers on it . If you are not in touch with your feminine side you can fish from the manly mans one mine and I will fish from the flower child. BilletHead

@Eaton Braunbass said that 2 to 4 pounders are the best. Any bigger than that and they taste kind of fishy. Glad you got out Ronnie! BilletHead

Maybe .