Garry2Rs

I also had a Quick. They were from Germany and had a much better design internally than their contemporaries. Worm gear vs planetary gears. The one probably was the spools warped.

If Darwin is working to raise the global IQ. Conspiracy theorist and anti vacciners will become endangered species.

On my last sailboat trip south, I had a bad fall on icy stairs and was laid up for a few days. At the same time, my daughter asked if I could take the boat out and come home to help her move into a new house on Lake StClair. Of course I did what she asked. In the Spring she told me my seafaring days were over and that she wanted me to stay someplace close by. I am now living a little north of Chatham, about twenty minutes from Mitchell’s Bay. This area is surrounded by big water, and is always a few degrees warmer than the rest of Ontario. This isn’t to say there’s no winter, but that extra couple of degrees means we get more rain than snow and any snow we do get, generally will melt in a couple of days. That said, I want to return to Arizona for the winter, post pandemic.

If your Canon has a version of the “scene” setting on many Nikons you will find it very helpful. This feature allows you to set the camera for a picture situation, like “sunset” and the camera will automatically balance the exposure for a bright background so you don’t get an over exposed, washed out sky. Likewise the “snow” setting will re calibrate the light meter for a white background, so you don’t get the dreaded “grey” snow... The owner’s manual will explain what the camera is doing, so you can understand what’s going on, and why, but using this one of these features will greatly shorten the learning curve.

Hi guys I will get the vaccine as soon as possible. Because of age and preexisting conditions, I am in the high risk group. By doing my due diligence, so far I have been lucky. Last week, I had a cough and went for a test that came back negative. It was a nervous three days waiting for the results. This disease has basically cost me a year of my life...at a time when I don’t have any to waste. The sooner that things get back to normal the better! Getting vaccinated is something I can do to help speed that up.

The colour in PowerPro is basically a wax. Other brands use dyes. The fiber used doesn't hold dye. Over time the colour washes out. Loss of colour has little effect on line strength.

I never really fished once I left Canadian waters. It was hard to know what state we were in as the rivers twisted back and forth. In the saltwater, we were told we could get a cheap license, but then as aliens, we might need an extra of some kind. Fish and seafood were quite cheap locally and we were sometimes given filets. Fresh fish had to be used quickly and one of the on going challenges was keeping fresh food. The boat had a large icebox, but in such a hot climate ice didn't last long. Blocks were best and I could keep things cool for a couple of days. But as any camper knows, a cooler really isn't good for much beyond bacon, cold cuts and beer. When I shopped, sale items were often half frozen in larger packages. I would ask the meat Manager if he still had any of these family size packs in the freezer? Frozen chicken is just as cold as a block of ice and did double duty in the icebox. Eventually, I bought a small fridge. However, thing only stayed frozen for about two days, without shore power. This year I have added a 3000 portable generator that will plug into my 30 amp shore power cord. We will see how long it needs to run to keep things frozen. If when anchored-out of an evening, I could cook, recharge and keep things frozen, all at the same time, life would be perfect.

Last time we spoke, we were ready to leave Mobile Alabama. It was early April, 2017. We crossed Mobile Bay and followed the Intercoastal Waterway along the Florida Panhandle for a few days to a town called Carrabelle. From there we had to cross the Gulf of Mexico. As a single hand sailer, I opted to make the 70 odd mile trip almost due east across the Gulf to Steinhatchee, rather than make the longer but more direct overnight passage of 160 miles to Tarpon Springs. We had seen dolphins before, but this was the first time we had seen the m in clear water. They ran beside the boat, however, for me the biggest thrill was seeing flying fish. What I expected to see was a small fish making a long jump, what I got was frantic flapping fins and, when they caught the breeze, long long swooping glides. Steinhatchee Florida is basically a fishing village, with lots of sport fishermen and guides as well as the usual commercial boats. We stayed for a few days waiting for a weather window. Since leaving Mobile I had needed to pump out the bilge every few days. I had inspected all the through hulls and all the engine hoses and found no real leaks... There was some water seeping from the impeller housing, so I rebuilt that unit by replacing the impeller blade and installing new gaskets. There was always some water under the transmission, at the back of the engine, so we readjusted the stuffing box, just in case we were getting too much lube water there. Frankly, even in total these sources didn't seem like they could be passing very much water and at the time the leak seemed to come and go. I rationalized that the ice box and the shower both drained into the bilge so perhaps there was some water getting trapped in the system, when we were at rest, that then was draining to the bilge when we got moving again...The mystery would soon solve itself. To get into the next section of the ICW we needed to reach Tarpon Springs. It was to be a two stage affair. First we would make a run to Crystal River then another hop to Tarpon Springs. However about half way into the first leg I realized my cabin floor was awash. The water in the cabin was quite warm, therefore it was coming from the raw water cooling loop of the engine. I followed the cooling water / exhaust hose from the engine toward the stern. About halfway along the exhaust hose runs in and out of a canister, this was in fact the muffler, and when I stared the engine water came spraying out of the welded seam at the top. I pumped and bailed for twenty minutes, until the boat turned and the seas became too rough, then we restarted the engine and resumed our travels. I was searching the map for a reef or an island where I could drop anchor and be protected while I got rid of the water. However the only spot on the map was completely underwater when I reached it. I was in no danger of sinking...As soon as the engine was shut off I could close a valve and the water stopped. However I couldn't just sit there... In the end I motored for awhile then pumped for awhile, on and off until dark. Each time I restarted, the water came back faster. As darkness closed in we entered a marked channel. We ran until we found a spot where we could get behind a marker and anchor Ed for the night. The next morning I got a tow partway into Crystal River from the Coast Guard then called a tow company, to get into a marina. The starter had been damaged by saltwater and had to be rebuilt. I had to extract the muffler and get the broken weld repaired. With the fair weather window now passed and with all our travel money gone, we were stuck in port for almost two weeks. To be continued...

Once we left the Great Lakes, I was never in what could be called international waters.

A couple of days after Christmas, last year, my daughter drove down to visit me in Mobile Alabama. She works for the school board and was able to spend a week or so with me. Okay...There are rules on both sides of the boarder. I can only be out of Canada for six months, and can only spend six months in the States. I was in a boat, so in March my daughter drove down again and brought me back to Canada, allowing me to comply with the regulations. When I returned south, to start my trip home, I figured out that by stopping in Alabama, I was still a 1000 miles north of Fort Myers, where I would start traveling east, across Florida, to reach the Atlantic, and begin my trip back north toward home. I sailed southeast across Mobile Bay, then east along the Florida panhandle. I was still in the ICW. The Gulf was on my right, behind a chain of sand bar islands until we reached Carrabelle. At this point this part of the ICW ended and we had to cross the Gulf of Mexico. There we're chioces, based on how long you were willing to be in open water. We chose to head almost due east to a fishing port called Stieinhatchee. We stayed a few days waiting for a favorable wind then set out for Crystal River, and had our first major problem. I will tell you about being rescued in the Gulf of Mexico tomorrow.

Hello It's been awhile. It September of '16 I sold my place in the Kawartha's and bought a sailboat. The dog and I left Bridenorth around the 10th. and travelled west on the Trent system to Georgian Bay. By October we had entered the USA and started sailing south on Lake Michigan. At Chicago we entered the Inter Coastal Waterway... The next two months were spent moving south on the ICW. This series of rivers connects the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico. We arrived at Mobile Alabama in time for Christmas. Dockage with power and water, showers and the use of a courtesy car was less than $300.00 a month, so we spent the winter there.

Although I stopped fishing for Musky several years ago, I have some observations and opinions. It is true that longer rods will give you a little more distance, at the expense of accuracy. If you are standing a foot above the water and holding the rod at waist level, where is the other 4 feet of rod? If you are fishing with spinner-baits, bucktails or diving type baits where the rod tip is generally up, an 8 foot or longer rod might be alright. However, unless you are 8 feet tall, or fishing from a cabin cruiser, they will be too long for jerk-baits and glide baits, which are fished with the rod tip down. USA made rod blanks like Loomis and St.Croix are rated lighter than Asian blanks, so a MH St.Croix would be at least a H Shimano. Asian blanks also tend to exaggerate the max-weight of their lure range. For example, an old Daiwa Heartland I had was rated for 2 - 6 oz. It was great for throwing a 3 or 3.5 oz Sledge and probably should have been rated 2 - 4 oz. My personal favourite Musky rods were the St.Croix 7'2" 1/2 - 2 1/2 oz for bucktails. For Grandma's, Suick's and Sledge's I used the 7' 1-3 oz St.Croix. Use some common scene when considering rods rated XH. At St.Croix these suckers are rated for 6 - 12 and 4 - 10 oz baits. Remember that if your bait is too light to flex these pool-cues, you are not getting the leverage of the rod to work for you. You might as well save some money and tape a couple of guides onto a broom stick! Therefore, read the lure weight suggested on the rod and perhaps rig it up with your reel and favourite bait before you buy. One last observation...The stiffer the rod, the more likely you are to lose a fish from the hooks tearing out.

Damaged tips are generally caused by the user reeling a metal swivel or leader into the ceramic/glass insert hard enough to crack it. This is not a defect, it is user error. If you buy a new tip of the proper tube diameter and eye size, you need only heat the old one with a Bic, slide it off, and replace and align the new tip...Years ago we expected to change our tip guides every few years, because even soft mono would grove the metal guide of the time in a couple of seasons. Today you might need the help of a rod builder to get a new tip-top, since tackle stores aren't very knowledgeable these days. The easiest way to damage any ceramic insert is to bang it against another ceramic insert...This often happens inside the rod locker while on a road trip. The rods slide back and forth under braking and accelerating forces and road bumps etc. The guides collide and break or fall out. If you must haul them in the boat, try using a rod sock. The most common cause of loose or lost inserts is someone stepping on the rod. This causes the guide frame to flex, popping the ceramic insert out. Again, user error. Control your clumsy children and your friends. I'm not opposed to guys getting new rods, but if you understand the cause, you might avoid a repeat in the future.

No...The Ranger got sold off when I blew-up it's 150. Someone showed up, who had cash and a motor, but no boat.. My next goal is to acquire a sailboat and go on a 5000 mile cruise from the Great lakes to the Caribbean and back on the ICW.

My area had a "high" chance of Violent Thunder Showers all weekend. Friends remade plans based on these warnings...So far no clouds, no rain, no thunder, just hot, muggy and dry.

I live in the Kawarthas, and winter in Arizona, so I get a lot of fishing in each year. Four years ago, I bought two new spinning reels, on sale and 14 or 15 pound test white Sufix 832 and brown Power Pro Super Slick, which were also on sale, at Sail. These braids are both 8 strand lines and are rounder than the old PP and other 4 strand lines. Fresh braid has a finish on it that gives it extra body. Once they have been used a bit, the 8 strand lines feel softer to me, than the old 4 strand lines but since the threads are finer, they might not wear as well. However, I'm still using both of these four year old lines. I also like the 8 strand Fireline Braid (Tracer) and have used the camo Spiderwire. I think these two lines are made by Sufix. I used 10 pound and didn't find them to be very long lasting, but by reversing them, they always lasted for more than one season. The old fused Firelines, original black and Crystal, are almost flat. Some people like that for spinning reels...In my opinion, they are okay, and last a long time, if you ignore the fact that they delaminate quickly. I don't use them anymore, but would buy the black if it was on sale...However, they are definitely old-school, so I prefer a true braid. When it came out, I bought white Nanofil in eight or ten pound. I recall it was quite curly, because of the small spools they wound it on. I put it on a 1000 size Stradic, which probably didn't help...Anyway, I used it for more than two years by reversing it a couple of times. It seemed to have a plastic finish on it. It did cast well, but I wouldn't pay extra for it since I didn't like it as well as the PP-8 or 832. Not all braids are as tight a weave as PP and 832. Spider brought out a loose weave called Invisi-Braid, which I didn't like at all. Western Filament, who makes Tuf-line, used to make several loose weave braids. Their XP was their tightest braid and I found it identical to the old PP-4. I haven't used it in a long time but I have used their hollow core line, which I like. All 10 pound braid is roughly the diameter of 3 or 4 pound mono, so if you want longer line life and more abrasion resistance, you might think about moving up to 14 or 15 pound test... In Canada I fish in very clear water, but I am mostly a bass guy, and I don't think bass are line-shy. Sometimes I use a fluorocarbon leader but mostly I don't. If I'm dead sticking or finesse fishing I might dye the white line black with a Sharpie. If you have trouble with fresh braid jumping off the spool, you have put it on backward. Drag it in the prop-wash behind a boat to take the twist out and it will be okay.

I have them too. I have seen dogs eat grass, but none of my dogs, or any visiting dogs, have ever shown any interest in these plants.

I have only used braid on my spinning reels for the last 15 years. The limpness of the braid can lead to problems with the line not sliding onto the pick-up roller and winding around the front of the spool. I close the bail manually and as I do this, I move the line onto the pick-up roller and draw any slack line off the spool. This eliminates most problems with loose coils on the reel. I have read that this also helps to limit line twist, however, I doubt that is true. Line twist is a built in problem with the design of spinning reels.

I have Bass Pro 20-pound on a bait caster. It works fine. Not a glamourous as the high-end Japanese stuff but KVD was using it for Pitching in a video, so I figured it was worth a try. On spinning reels, I tie on Fluorocarbon leaders in the spring, but when they break, I wind up tying directly to my 10-pound braid. That might not work for trout, but the bass don't seem to care.

There's not as much crime in Cottage Country...We are armed and dangerous!

You might want to try tying directly to the split ring, but going through the split ring twice. This makes a slightly bulkier knot that has more gripping area and is less likely to slip into the split ring, plus it adds to the knot's strength. I also do this with "R" bend spinnerbaits and find it doesn't slip with my braid.

Leatherworkers use lemon juice to remove mold.

The Strick King worm called Zero is made by Z-Man. They are easier to find.

The Strick King worm called Zero is made by Z-Man. They are easier to find.

I am in zone 15, but by driving 45 K north, and a little east, I can open my bass season this weekend, in zone 18. If that sounds a bit strange to you, welcome to the club...grin. Anyway, I will be swimming or flipping jig&pig until I break down and start throwing weightless Senko type worms.