Tips - Everything & Everything

[Lerie]

There's a great wealth of knowledge in these forums. We often learn by reading, some by doing, others from watching, by experimenting, and then there are the times that we learn from the mistakes that we make. So I'm appealing to all our readers to post to this thread some tidbit of knowledge that may not be common knowledge. I will take the lead in the next posting.

[Lerie]

This may qualify as a mistake that I have learned from. I have had the same big Cummings net since 1985 or 29 years. Let me qualify also that it was not used all of those years. While under way I always had it secured in an upright rod holder in the boat - the single tube pvc plastic that is secured with 2 screws to the boat. Don't really remember exactly when I noticed it, but I started seeing a wear mark on the net pole and presumed it was from the net turning in the rod holder due to wind and wave action. First mistake was not to look at this wear mark closely.

The last time I was out fishing I had a 11 mile run back to Dunkirk. The rod holder that I use to hold the net is in front of my side console. About halfway thru my ride back, the fishing net starts tilting toward me and out of the boat and I grabbed it. While trying to lift it out of rod holder, the net handle broke off at that wear mark.

After examining the break off area closely, it was then that I realized that the wear mark was caused by that top screw that was used to secure the rod holder to the boat. That wear mark removed enough metal and fatigued that handle in that area enough to cause it to break.

I was able to fix the net by installing a 1 1/8 inch dowel on the inside. I also wrapped a couple of passes of duck tape on the handle where the contact point was. When I climb back in the boat will add a piece of duck tape to cover that scew

[Harsh Reality]

Dont let your wife drive the boat, always carry a spare marine battery, its not enough to carry a fire extinguisher... you have to have it mounted and accessible. All lessons learned the hard way!

[fishkiller16]

Don't but cheap equipment!!!! Rods, reels, lures, nets, planer board line, mono line, etc, etc, etc. Also keep all your stuff out of the sun as much as possible.

[JTRCNC]

If you like to bleed your fish, use a pair of short rounded nose scissors to snip the gills instead of a pointed sharp open knife to cut the gills.

[GreenHead]

Prep&check your vessel before going offshore!
-Boat
-Motor
-And Systems (b-pump, radio, ext)
-Safety equipment
Complacency will get you out there!

-Have a compass to back up those electronics.

-Make a man over board plan, not every boat has a stern ladder. You only have a few minutes in cold water.

-Stay within your experience and the worthiness of your boat.

For the most part, you are on your own out there.

Be Safe!!!