LongLine

Very nice. Tom B. (LongLine)

Happy B' day. Tom B. (LongLine)

For anybody else, here's the answer: Tom B. (LongLine)

I'm sure they'd fit with Ray's spell checker... Tom B. (LongLine)

This should keep you busy for a couple minutes: Tom B. (LongLine)

Really neat Musky. Congrats. Tom B. (LongLine)

Happy B'day Scott, Tom B. (LongLine)

Answer: -> 4th post back. Offensive??? Defensive??? Please explain how you interpret that to be offensive or defensive. Tom B. (LongLine)

I'm guessing hooks are generally downward because there's more surface area in a fishes bottom part of the mouth than on the roof of it's mouth. (like most animals) Also, it'd change/fight the natural flutter of the spoon if installed away from the cup. Being attached with a ring will not allow hook to rotate the full 360 deg. If you really curious, try attaching it with a barrel/bearing snap & observe how the hook rides behind the spoon. Tom B. (LongLine)

Neo, I don't think I've ever seen a single barb "factory" spoon that didn't have the hook pointing towards the cupped surface. The great majority of fish I catch are hooked in lower jaw yet somehow every once in a while a little one with get "brain-hooked." I have a feeling those that were "brain-hooked' were becasue I was trolling a little fast. Tom B. (LongLine)

Been there, done that. That's why I've been buying my kids tools. "you put it together" Tom B. (LongLine)

My furnaces, stove & dryer run on Natural gas & I'd rather buy American, (helping to keep real jobs in our area) even if paying for extra safety precautions than be dependent on foreign oil. Tom B. (LongLine) BTW: Chemical scarres are "interesting". Arsenic is purposely added to livestock feed. Benzene is in the gasoline we pump every week & fumes we breathe when out fishing. Just to name the chemical is meaningless, the concentration is what is important, after all coco-cola contains phosphoric acid, Ketchup contain acetic acid, drinking water conatins chlorine (Chlorene + water = Hydrochloric acid)

Merry Christmas guys. Here in Fla w/wife visiting Daughter & Son in law & 1st grandchild. Boy - Gavin - 7Lb something, 3 1/2 wks old Too stormy to do any fishing (Hi winds/T-storms outa nowhere) but here's the Gump'r fleet: Still looking for a palm tree with Christmas lights..... Tom B. (LongLine)

New wildlife highlights on line with 3 interesting Lake Ontario blerbs: 1. New upward looking sonar for preyfish abundance 2. Adult Laker assesment 3. 2011 Boat survey http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/wildlife_pdf/oct11hlite.pdf Tom B. (LongLine)

Welcome to the site cheese. I'd like to introduce you to Ray K...oops I see you already met him. Tom B. (LongLine)

Foam in a boat is more for keeping the boat somewhat afloat in case you get swamped not if you flip. i.e. over the transom or you nose dive. On a quick flip, chances are that an air pocket will form between the hull/water line & you'll get hurt. Not a good idea to plan on swimming to shore in Lake Ontario. I would not advise that strategy. The object of the plastic is in case the foam does get wet, it won't sit against the hull as it dries. (If it ever dries) Also it would help if you make sure to pull your drain plug after every retrieval. (sp) Tom B. (LongLine)

Looks like a bingo. The white stuff was most probably aluminum oxide which is its predominant corrosion product. You're going to have to clean it well, dry it then protect it. Do a search on aluminum corrosion protection. (boats & aircraft) I'd get all the foam out then when reinstalling new foam make sure there is a good heavy continuous layer of plastic sheet between the foam and the hull. I don't know how your gas tank is set up but mine is a permanent one mounted in the bow. The rubber gas line had been run beneath the floorboard in the foam. I had to replace it when I smelled gas one day while uncovering the boat. What I did was run the new hose thru a cemented PVC pipeline, with 45 deg elbows on the ends, above the floorboard, tight to the bulkhead. (Prevention rather than cure.) If you have a portable tank i.e. 6 gal metal type, I'd make sure it sits on a piece of wood with painted underside and not directly on the bottom of the boat in case of overfill, leakage etc. Definitely look at all grounding but also look for any gas leaks/spills etc. Good luck with it. Tom B. (LongLine)

Was that foam ever wet? Any smell? Gasoline is non-conductive. 10% blends are conductive. If any sits in the bildge a galvanic cell will be created. When you get it fixed, keep the bildge dry. Very important to check all grounds. Get them back to the battery (hence the engine) & not to the hull. Tom B. (LongLine)

For the do-it-yourselfer, this guy covers just about everything: http://alantani.com/ Tom B. (LongLine)

Happy B'day Tom B. (LongLine)

In the "just plain stupid category", I caught my rigger cable with my prop. Luckily retrieved everything & no engine damage. Tom B. (LongLine)

How about the dike breaking that was holding the million pounds of cow manure that went into the east end of the lake last yr? (maybe the year before?) Talk about green...er brown...messing things up in that creek. I still want to know what chemicals. Some claim toxicity is the big problem but none will say what chemicals they're supposedly using. I mean come on, the gas they want to remove is highly toxic. Tom B. (LongLine)

Seems to me that a couple months ago we felt a minor earthquake that was way south of here & the geologists said we felt it because the bed rock was so hard. (????) BTW Lake Ontario is a "glacial basin" & receives the great majority of its water from surface runoff. Tom B. (LongLine)

Congratulations. Definitely a keeper. Hope mama is doing well. Tom B. (LongLine)

Back at ya Cornelis. It may have hit 40 here today but I doubt it. Warm spell coming tomorrow with less than 1 ft'rs. Tom B. (LongLine)