Bernie

Hmmmmm my plans or my wife's plans. Dang it!

I showed this to a guy at work here and he jokingly said "why is he pulling the trailer if he loaded the boat on the truck?"

Well said Dan! Completely agree.

Attaboy GlenDawg!!! Hey it won't be long and we will be posting pickerel pics too. Hey, ya, whats with the frost? wasn't any here this morning.

Very nice pictures Lew. Well almost all anyway. If I think of it I will take a picture of all the junk that washes up on my shore from the season of ice fishing. YUUUKK! Some of it is wood blocks for jacking up the shacks. That isn't so bad as I get to burn it in the wood stove. And I realize the blocks are virtually impossible to remove sometimes. It also makes it necessary to keep an eye out for them on the first boat ride or two. The worst is plastic bags, bottles and general trash drift in. Boy would I ever like to kick some ........ Some have no respect for anything! It would be interesting to see Lord Conrad Black out picking trash off the street.

The boat probably worked well in rough water.

Ha ha ha ha ha...You just have to stir the pot dont ya!

This must have been scary!

Ummm Cliff. What time is breakfast? Seriously You should be able to get a fair dollar for a place like that. Close to urban areas and right on the water. Choose renters carefully! Once you develop trusted renters over a couple years it gets easier.

YES!!!! and I see more blue water. Boat ride time!

The optima line is probably the best battery out there------ If you are running a car in a demolition derby. Tough and durable but not cost effective. In my opinion not required for most folks. But I sure would be happy to sell you one............LOL

Frank and I had a good conversation Saturday. He's fine, or so he says. Just too much for him Wayne. He said he hasn't time for himself and Claire. Heard this same story from many lodge owners over the years. We get to know most local lodge owners in our line of business. I invited him to go fishing with me next time he's here. Said he will try to take me up on that invitation.

Go by it so often that I dont notice the changes. So I took this on my way out to check the bay for open water.

Pink Paintballs! Full Auto!

I think part of what makes this board successful IS the fast activity. Because new posts and replys come fast you always (well almost always) have new stuff to read. Other boards have topics split up so bad it becomes boring so you just have a quick look and your gone. I love the way its set up here. There would be some minor changes I would do but is really quite good in my opinion. Even the Idiots make it fun to read.......Not talking about you Gerritt

Yes Dan thats true about the anti reverse. But when I get to a fishing spot I like to cast. It's surprising how tight the pickerel can be in a certain area. So I start casting in a circumference to locate them and either shift the boat over them or if by myself continue to cast to the same spot. The quickfire allows me to find them easier and faster. Backlash isn't an issue to me casting as I am usually are winding in most of the time anyway. I have a high quality anti Quantum spinning reel (can't remember the name of it) that sits in it's box as I couldn't get used to it. Thats why they make so many different types of fishing stuff I guess. To each their own.

Thats strange Tom. Checked it earlier today and it came up. Must be a temporary glitch. I hope it is anyway.

Tried many different types of reels over the years. Shimano has the best reel-hands down for me. Smooth drags and quality built. Only have had one problem with one but fixed it with a hook and a pair of sidecutters I had in the boat. The biggest reason is I like the quickfire trigger for casting. No reaching over to open the bail. The front drag reel works the best I have found. Kinbud....I tried baitcasters too but can't get used to them. I have one but it never gets used.

Well the first product I rely on is having Cottonelle in the morning. Sorry Cliff, just popped into my mind. Not sure which product you were referring to. Di-electric-grease. Cant remember the name of it. But it in a 500 ml tub anyway. Dont use it a lot as most ignition wire sets come with it. Shrink butt connectors are available at most auto supply stores. They are not cheap but they do the best job.(Dont get the ones with the solder in them) Neoprene I buy is a tire bead sealer, stays flexible and coats connections. OMC used it for decades. I can sell just about any brand of battery but my favorite is the Interstate or AC Delco. Both have been great and very low warranty issues.(I hate paperwork)

In my opinion you will be overworking the Jimmy. It may do the job but it will be taxing the drivetrain. Most engine compartments are tight these days but the Jimmy/Blazers, water would have a hard time flowing down through . All the heat developed in the engine/transmission and front axle just builds up in there. Full size long bed or extend cab pickups work the best for towing (o ya suburbans and avalanche too). If you are determined to use it get a very good trans cooler installed. Make sure you keep your A/C condensor and radiator clean to allow good airflow to keep things cool as possible. Get some top line brake pads installed. The Wagner Thermoquiet pad has very good stopping power and is resistant to brake fade. There are other pads on the market that work well too but these have been the best for me in customer satisfaction. Just dont cheap out on friction materials there is a tremendous difference in performance and longevity. Trailer brakes need to be maintained as well. The brake shoes on trailers seem to come apart yearly. Not sure if it's because they sit for long periods or if they are just crap to begin with. If they are a hydraulic surge brake make sure the master cylinder is full of brake fluid and not water. Seems every other one I check is half water. If electric brakes check the wiring to them. More often than not there is a broken wire or two. Ice chunks seem to pull the wires off if used in winter. When you have the drums off apply the trailer brakes and make sure each magnet is working. They can go open circuit internally.

I think the vaseline would be fine Cliff. Just be careful with dielectrics on connections. The stuff is what it says it is. I never use it on low voltage applications, only on distributor caps and ignition wires. The problem can be that if a dielectric gets between two terminals it can insulate the connection creating high resistance. If I need to join/repair wires I use shrink butt connectors or if it needs to be a male/female connection a coat or two of neoprene over the terminals can create a good protection. What you need to be careful of is if it's a poor seal it can create a worse condition by sealing water in as well so it never dries. Most good batteries these days are well sealed at the terminals. Those ones that are turning green are usually seeping electrolyte out and causing the corrosion.

No time to go fishing. It isn't easy to run a place like that. Especially for a guy like Frank who doesn't know when to quit.

One of my concerns in owning a boat is having a dead starting battery when I'm out on the lake. Don't run an electric troller so only one battery on board. I want a good reliable battery. Interstate is my choice but there are other well known quality batteries too. Off brand personally I would not take the chance on. My battery in my boat is max 3 years old. After that it goes into my pickup or my wifes vehicle. Easier to get a boost in my pickup than my boat. Often I'm the only guy on the lake. So after a fishing for a couple hours or more with the sounder, gps and the stereo going it has to start.

Good point on the poor connections. Some engines will blow modules with bad connections. A little anti corrosive on the terminals with self locking stainless steel nuts is a good idea. O yes, watch out for cheap battery switches.

Sorry to say I'm not kidding. It's done and sold. When I went to see him on Saturday morning he was loading the moving truck.