Old Ironmaker

Be careful if you sand the deck Jon. The chemical that treats the wood only goes into the lumber slightly, some brands deeper than others, Workwear may agree. Sanding will remove some of the treatment. Also all of the fasteners must be driven deeper if they are flush or protrude at all. It will tear up the sander if you touch a nail or screw. We have done it and the deck can look new, but be careful.

It takes a lot of balls to do what you have done and what you are doing. I am going to forward your post to a dear friend that doesn't think she has hit rock bottom. Rock bottom is the starting point for most addicts. Hopefully if your story changes just one life it's the same as entering a burning building to save a life. But you don't get a medal from some mayor or Governor General. The best part for those such as yourself that want to help another human being is they don't need a metal or want one. But you do deserve one.

Any 3 foot tape worms in it?

I misread 500 sqft as 50 sqft. That's a nice deck you have. A gallon of the mix should do it. By the way that deck is as clean as a whistle except for the one small spot of green. For certain NO POWERWASHER required. The only problem you have there is where whomever built it butted the deck boards together and didn't stagger them, that is a problem. The ends of those boards will rot early. I would remove them and stagger them as they should be. If you do need to put in a few new boards they will eventually fade and match the old ones in a few years. If you do need to install a few new boards in the main field of the deck where the but joints aren't staggered remove a few from the outside course and set the new lumber where it would be less conspicuous, like along the brick kneewall. Or just PM me and I'll bring my tools with me. Lunch required.

Oh yummy, 3 foot tapeworm. I may never eat another Walleye again, who am I kidding? If I find parasites in any fish I clean, and I'm sure if you look close enough there will be some in most any fish, I just freeze them and give them to my favorite brother in law!!!!!!!!! 3 foot long tapeworm, my lord almighty.

Now here's something I really know about besides making iron. Mix 1 gallon of water, 1 cup of laundry bleach and 1/3 cup of dish soap. That is your deck wash. For 500 square feet you could cut that in half. That's a small deck and doesn't require a pressure washer. And the folks here are 100% correct, a power washer in the wrong hands can destroy a deck, for certain. Wet it with hour garden hose and apply your deck wash about a 4x4 section at a time, and scrub with a stiff bristled broom or deck brush. Rinse with water, plenty of water. I do not recommend a deck sealer of any kind. A penetrating stain is fine, do a test spot to check on a section of the facia to test for final results. Sealers have a tendency to crack, peel and spall. The greying is natural, you will never get that new look of pressure treated or cedar lumber. Once clean the deck boards need to be dry before applying anything to the deck. Tape a 5" square piece of 6mil poly with duct tape to a deck board. In the morning check to see if any moisture is beading on the underside of the poly, when there is no beading the deck is dry enough to apply whatever you decide to. I have a nearly 35 year old deck and fence at Mom and Dads I built and clean every other year and applied a penetrating stain only once 20 years ago.. It looks like new. Stay away from any Thompson products in my opinion.

Randy's right. They proved the theory on Myth Busters, dropping the tailgate or using a mesh across the rear improved mileage by zip. It's all marketing to get you to buy aftermarket. Nice rig for a non GM truck. That sticker mileage they claim is done in a lab on wheel rollers, makes me laugh. My new Silverado uses about 4 more Lt/100 km than it's claim.

You'll enjoy that rig. Now don't scratch it.

You spent your honeymoon on Lake Okeechobee You tie 50 pound test to the collar of your Pit Bull and play fetch.

With money to burn . Save $50.00 and buy a perfectly good pair of polarized glasses and enough saved for a few great lures. Or just go to the lost and found at the golf course and pick out a pair for free after they have been there for a few months. I have diabetes and have eyes very sensitive to bright sunlight. My op doc says $50.00 is plenty to spend, the other $250.00 is the cool factor x 250.

Rich, Did he have a brother named Win Sims from Hamilton? We did enter a few Pro Am Bass tourneys that were held there, I think 1st prize for the pros was something like $2000.00. Bob Izumi was a skinny kid. I bagged my personal best LM north of North Carolina there. No one had fish specific billboard shirts back then, a lumberjack shirt and a BlueJays hat was fancy shmansy. Sorry about hijacking your thread.

Anybody that lets their dog run loose when people are fishing have the chance of getting the dog hooked. That person is a nimnob and daft, and it's not fair to the dog. My fish doesn't have to be on a leash but the dog does. And I let the dog owner know it must be leashed. That's what I really want, dog spit and drool all over my tackle box. I have heard and seen a dog sniff away at lurse in a box and got a hook in it's face, not a pretty scene.

Looks like my wife has repaired my custom canvas boat cover for the last time. She's 17 years old (the cover not the wife) and owes me nothing. What should I be looking for ? I'm sure based on prices they are not all created equal. What construction material is preferred? I Scotchgaurd the canvas every year and that's not cheap. Are there different thickness' etc? I know I will not find something that will fit my Motorguide, or can I? It really only takes a minute to disconnect the trolling motor. It will be kept outdoors. I see plenty of boats not shrink wrapped that are stored outdoors during the winter. I do shrink wrap mine but am willing to pay good money for a quality cover considering the cost to shrink wrap is $10.00 a foot last year and I'm sure the price will be going up not down. It's a 19.5 foot Starcraft Superfisherman 190. Thanks all.

We used to fish for large mouth there back in the mid 80's. That's about all I have ever seen come out of there. I was told there is a perch population in the Jordan. If I was looking for place to fish today in Niagara it wouldn't be Jordan Harbor. Pt. Dalhousie for Rainbows off the pier is popular, I don't know what's going on there this time of year.

Yes you are absolutely right. That's when you take a pic of their boats registration number and report them.

Be "cautious" about sharing information... Nothing worse then hitting your favorite spot and seeing you "friend" has spent all morning filling their live well on the spot you worked hard learning...especially when your in a tournament or something... I only show buddies "community" spots anymore... The spots that already get beat up... Keep my more "secret" spots for family fishing or when I need fish on a tough day... I disagree, share and share alike. That's what we do here isn't it? That I really disagree with. If someone offers you nada for gas after burning 80 bucks worth when they asked you if they can join you, never take them out again, ever. If you invite someone along don't accept a dime if they offer, It's like inviting someone for dinner and telling them when they are leaving they owe you 10 bucks for the steak and 20 for the booze. I have a neighbour I invited out a few times and he actually invited his friend onto my boat the last time, no problem, then offered me squat for fuel, I paid for the ramp and gave them a sandwich each, again no problem that's how I was raised. But the last time we were out he tells me he knows a good hole nearby but can't tell me where it is. I thought he was joking, he was dead serious, it was a secret!!!!!! . I should have made him swim back. Then he asks me today when were' re going out again? When Hell freezes over, that's when neighbour.

Ouch x 2. At least you didn't have to go to the vets to get it out. I'm saving that story.

I'd be pissed too. Out here it happens all the time. Water from Detroit to Niagara and someone sees someone else anchored and they figure you are on jumbo perch. Next thing you know a guy pulls up so close you can read the time on his watch. I used to fish with an oldtimer that would troll between anchored boats, it was just plain embarrassing. As far as ,putting a bass in the livewell I have no idea what was going on there. I have been told a bass will secrete some type of enzyme when distressed that will spook other fish, your supposed to put them in a livewell until they calm down, so maybe they were doing the right thing. Come to think of it Dave Mercer said to do that on one of his shows.

Sorry to hear about you mom, it can be tough being far from someone that you need to be with. I can tell you He made those folks from the 20's as tough as iron. I got a call 2 weeks ago from a very close dear friend telling me his 92 year old dad was in intensive care in Hamilton. The priest had been in to see him and Dominic and the family was staying at his bedside around the clock. Tonight I sat with that tough old nut at a stag party for his future grandson and had a glass of wine with him!!!!!!!!!! 2 weeks ago he was on his death bed. He told me that he saw St. Peter and was told to get his ass back home because his grand daughter was getting married in a few months and momma needed a date. Chin up bro, she's going to be fine.

Can you hear something from where you are? That's the sound of me shaking my head.............................................again. Way to go sir. I used to call you kid, you are no kid, maybe an alien but no kid.

Man what did we do 30 years ago for information. To get all that info would have taken a month of phone calls. Yes there wasn't any satellite photos public, you had to be James Bond or something of the like, but you know what I mean. Today youngsters must shake their heads thinking about long distance land lines and party lines. One of the kids thought a party line was one of those 1-800 chat lines someone pays 10 bucks a minute for you know what.

What a great report sir. Very well done. I like the video done solo. It has been years since getting a few of those beauties. You have bagged more last night than I have in a lifetime. I agree whole heartedly that sharing a good outing is greater than when done alone. Kind of like sex, it's just not the same alone.

Sight fishing for Bonefish has to be one of the best experiences ever. Did it several times in south Florida. Just be careful not to step on a Ray. Can be the last thing you ever do. Need to learn to walk and kick, walk and kick. I suggest a guide until you can safely do it alone. Just ask the Crocodile guys widow from Australia.

Do you have a back up plan? Don't get too upset if they don't share your vision or passion for camping. I never liked it, my idea of roughing it is a Holiday Inn Express. The last few times I tried, and I've tried more than a few times, I stayed at a motel and went back to the campsite every morning after a soak in the spa and a breakfast served to me on real plates with silverware. When I have to hang my food from a tree so the bears don't get to it I'm outta there. I asked my girlfriend at the time, how in the hell did the bear get out of the zoo?

I'm not going, grrrrrr, but my boat is. One of my unusual suspects is borrowing my boat. He found out yesterday his 90 Johnson has gone bye, bye. I felt so sorry for him I told him to take mine. I'm going up the next week to NY just across from Kingston.