OK Folks, I've been overwhelmed with computer issues and going through the mail that piled up while I was gone.
A short recap of my 9 day Trout Bum trip....
Travelled a whole bunch of miles and 4 trips to the gas station...
Fished 5 rivers, the Upper Connecticut, East Branch of the Westfield, Millers, Deerfield, and Cold Rivers...
Soaked my cellphone a couple times...
No Cell Service in half the places I went...
Hooked 6 fish and broke off 5 of them...
Broke 2 fly rods...
And got bit by a Deer Tick possibly carrying Lyme Disease.
So with that, I'll be posting more on the trip later this week...
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Thursday, May 14, 2009
How to recharge a camper battery if.......
OK I know this definately sounds like a redneck joke.
How to Recharge Your Camper Batteries without spending lots of money on rewiring your truck.
When I bought my GMC, it came through with no tow package, and the nice little pigtail of light duty wires to hook up your standard turn and brake lights through a 4 way connection to the trailer.
What I needed was the hevy duty wiring package which includes brake controls and 12v charging line.
For a large sum of money I could have this, compliments of GM, as they make a replacement harness that plugs into the plug behind the cab over the gas tank. It will give me a 7 way connector for a 5th wheel or camper, and a 7 way for the rear of the truck to tow with.
So being the thrifty person I am (ok, so I'm too cheap to get the harness)
I went to Walmart, home of everything you wouldn't need, but realize you can't live without it.
I found a set of jumper cables 20 feet long. The idea, jump the batteries in the bed of the truck from the alternator to charge the batteries.
So this is what I have to charge when I need electricity in the camper....
12 Volts when the truck is running, charging 2 deep cycle batteries. Only downfall is it only works when stationary, but then again I only draw a few amps a day for lights and the fridge, so I may only need to do this once or twice a trip.
Now I'm off on vacation.... see you streamside.
How to Recharge Your Camper Batteries without spending lots of money on rewiring your truck.
When I bought my GMC, it came through with no tow package, and the nice little pigtail of light duty wires to hook up your standard turn and brake lights through a 4 way connection to the trailer.
What I needed was the hevy duty wiring package which includes brake controls and 12v charging line.
For a large sum of money I could have this, compliments of GM, as they make a replacement harness that plugs into the plug behind the cab over the gas tank. It will give me a 7 way connector for a 5th wheel or camper, and a 7 way for the rear of the truck to tow with.
So being the thrifty person I am (ok, so I'm too cheap to get the harness)
I went to Walmart, home of everything you wouldn't need, but realize you can't live without it.
I found a set of jumper cables 20 feet long. The idea, jump the batteries in the bed of the truck from the alternator to charge the batteries.
So this is what I have to charge when I need electricity in the camper....
12 Volts when the truck is running, charging 2 deep cycle batteries. Only downfall is it only works when stationary, but then again I only draw a few amps a day for lights and the fridge, so I may only need to do this once or twice a trip.
Now I'm off on vacation.... see you streamside.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Fishing the Millers River
I think it went well yesterday, I got my father to head out with me to fish the Millers River for the ever present "stocked" trout.
It was a good day, except for the breeze which was more of a constant 10 to 40 mph wind, and the large grey clouds which turned the temperature down dramatically when they shaded the landscape from the sun.
On the plus side, we caught over 22 fish, all in the 10" to 14" range.
On the down side, I thought my refrigerator was broken, I went to load it in the morning only to find the flame detection meter in the white instead of the green. After spending 5 minutes trying to relight it, I decided to open the cover and see if it was working. It was. Later on I pulled the refrigerator out and there was voltage at the meter, but the meter wasn't moving. So for now I have to open the cover and check the flame manually, not a problem, but makes more work for me.
It was a good day, except for the breeze which was more of a constant 10 to 40 mph wind, and the large grey clouds which turned the temperature down dramatically when they shaded the landscape from the sun.
On the plus side, we caught over 22 fish, all in the 10" to 14" range.
On the down side, I thought my refrigerator was broken, I went to load it in the morning only to find the flame detection meter in the white instead of the green. After spending 5 minutes trying to relight it, I decided to open the cover and see if it was working. It was. Later on I pulled the refrigerator out and there was voltage at the meter, but the meter wasn't moving. So for now I have to open the cover and check the flame manually, not a problem, but makes more work for me.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Trout Stocking on the Millers River
It's Official. Mass Division of Fish and Wildlife will be working with the Miller's River Chapter of Trout Unlimited to stock the Upper Catch and Release section of the Millers' River today at 2PM.
They will be working with Harrison Anglers to float stock a good portion of the river with Brown Trout.
Then on Saturday May 9th, the Upper Millers will get a special Kid's Stocking of Rainbow Trout compliments of the Millers River Fishermens Association.
Looks like I'll be spending time up in the Upper Millers this weekend.
See you streamside.
They will be working with Harrison Anglers to float stock a good portion of the river with Brown Trout.
Then on Saturday May 9th, the Upper Millers will get a special Kid's Stocking of Rainbow Trout compliments of the Millers River Fishermens Association.
Looks like I'll be spending time up in the Upper Millers this weekend.
See you streamside.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Indian Hollow Here I come!!
May 15th to the 18th I'll be at one of the states most overlooked almost gin clear waters. If you click on the link below, You'll end up on the MA-RI TU Council Webpage for Indian Hollow:
http://www.ma-ri-tu-council.org/Indian-Hollow.html
This is a once a year event for me, where I see old friends, catch some nice trout and salmon, and just relax. The key to starting a nice vacation.
From the site:
About Annual Indian Hollow Campground Weekend, May 15 - 18, 2009 Annual Council Meeting at 10 AM Saturday, May 16.
Fly fisher men and woman from all over Massachusetts and Rhode island make the yearly Indian Hollow Weekend a must. They all envy our Taconic Chapter being located in the beautiful Berkshires and surrounded by the many fine Trout Streams there. Members of our Chapter will be camping out at Indian Hollow Campground from Friday noon to Monday noon. Camping is free. Come and enjoy it with your friends. A large rental tent is erected in the center of the campground and the Council caters a free Saturday lunch. Marc Hoechstetter, one of our very active members provides the material and builds a huge and I do mean huge bonfire for the Saturday night entertainment.
John Salemi reported 6 fish in 7 casts - although your catch may vary.
The nights are usually cool so bring a jacket for the evening campfire. The river is heavily stocked with good size trout for this event.
Mike Shepard once took a nice Rainbow trout pushing 5 lbs. The following year Dwayne Anderson did the same thing.This is a catch and release river. Other nearby streams are not.
At a large upstream pool you’ll often see beaver in the early evening. Gene Chague watched a moose cross the river one year. Paul Ouellette saw a huge salmon leap in the air below the Rainbow Pool. Bring a few pieces of fire wood if you can. Free fire wood is scarce. The campground has hot showers at the men and women’s toilet facilities.
This is a fine chance to commune with nature and your fellow TU members.
For those of you who like Google Maps, Click here for more info.
Read more about Indian Hollow at the Taconic May 2006 Newsletter
Basic Directions:
In the center of Chesterfield on Route 143 is the Town Hall, a large white columned building. Next to it is South Street.Turn (south) on South Street and follow it to the TU signs for 2.3 miles to Indian Hollow Road. This is a dirt road which leads down to the campground, a fly fisher’s Shangri-la there on the Westfield River.
This is the beginning of my annual fly fishing vacation, where it ends, no one really knows.
http://www.ma-ri-tu-council.org/Indian-Hollow.html
This is a once a year event for me, where I see old friends, catch some nice trout and salmon, and just relax. The key to starting a nice vacation.
From the site:
About Annual Indian Hollow Campground Weekend, May 15 - 18, 2009 Annual Council Meeting at 10 AM Saturday, May 16.
Fly fisher men and woman from all over Massachusetts and Rhode island make the yearly Indian Hollow Weekend a must. They all envy our Taconic Chapter being located in the beautiful Berkshires and surrounded by the many fine Trout Streams there. Members of our Chapter will be camping out at Indian Hollow Campground from Friday noon to Monday noon. Camping is free. Come and enjoy it with your friends. A large rental tent is erected in the center of the campground and the Council caters a free Saturday lunch. Marc Hoechstetter, one of our very active members provides the material and builds a huge and I do mean huge bonfire for the Saturday night entertainment.
John Salemi reported 6 fish in 7 casts - although your catch may vary.
The nights are usually cool so bring a jacket for the evening campfire. The river is heavily stocked with good size trout for this event.
Mike Shepard once took a nice Rainbow trout pushing 5 lbs. The following year Dwayne Anderson did the same thing.This is a catch and release river. Other nearby streams are not.
At a large upstream pool you’ll often see beaver in the early evening. Gene Chague watched a moose cross the river one year. Paul Ouellette saw a huge salmon leap in the air below the Rainbow Pool. Bring a few pieces of fire wood if you can. Free fire wood is scarce. The campground has hot showers at the men and women’s toilet facilities.
This is a fine chance to commune with nature and your fellow TU members.
For those of you who like Google Maps, Click here for more info.
Read more about Indian Hollow at the Taconic May 2006 Newsletter
Basic Directions:
In the center of Chesterfield on Route 143 is the Town Hall, a large white columned building. Next to it is South Street.Turn (south) on South Street and follow it to the TU signs for 2.3 miles to Indian Hollow Road. This is a dirt road which leads down to the campground, a fly fisher’s Shangri-la there on the Westfield River.
This is the beginning of my annual fly fishing vacation, where it ends, no one really knows.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Loop rod techniques gone Tenkara?
I was reading the Field and Stream Fly Talk Blog the other day when I came across a posting about Tenkara.
What the heck is Tenkara?
Well if you click on the link:
You'll come to their webpage, describing an old Japanese fishing technique, which turns out is similar to what I've been doing with the loop rod, and the old timers have been doing with the old cane poles down south. (Only thing is that the boys down south use bait on a hook, not flies)
Tenkara uses a 11 to 13 foot telescopic rod and only 12 to 14 feet of line. Not anything long distance, unlike the Compleate Angler which "caste a lyne of 15 to 18 yards" makes long range work sort of a thing of the past. Of course my daughters were fishing the Kids Fishing Derby and casting only 10 to 15 feet from shore using spinning rods, bobbers and 3 to 4 feet of line under the bobber to a nightcrawler on a hook. They know that the trout run close to shore, so why cast out so far?
If you read The Fly Fisher's Craft, then you are familiar with the loop rod and long braided horse hair lines, furled leaders, and many different flies.
The nice part is they simplify the casting in pictures:
Photo Courtesy of Tenkara USA
And Simplify how to land the fish:
Photo Courtesy of Tenkara USA
Another technique, maybe it will catch on. I'll keep you posted and let you know how Tenkara works for me.
Orange Gun Club Kid's Fishing Derby
On the First Sunday in May the Orange Gun Club in Orange MA, hosts the Kids Fishing Derby. This is open to all kids from age 0 to age 14.
Of course Holly had the first fish recorded and the largest for her age group for the first 90 minutes of the derby. The nice part was that her first fish was a tagged 11 7/8" Rainbow, so she got a special prize for the tag.
My daughters have attended this 6 years strait. Cassandra took the trophy this year, knocking her sister out of contention for it with 30 minutes to go in the derby.
Of course Holly had the first fish recorded and the largest for her age group for the first 90 minutes of the derby. The nice part was that her first fish was a tagged 11 7/8" Rainbow, so she got a special prize for the tag.
And here's Holly holding up her 11 7/8" rainbow and her sister's trophy fish, a 12 7/8" rainbow.
Way to go girls!
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Field and Stream losing the Huntress!
I checked into the Field and Stream Huntress Blog only to find out that "due to budget constraints, Field and Stream is no longer going to run the FSHuntress blog after April 30th"
This is very heartbreaking.
Kim Hiss started the blog back in 2007, and has had a rather large following. She is very talented with her writing in the blog and her articles.
But unfortunately the big wigs at Field and Stream decided to axe the blog.
It is an extremely sad day in the world of hunting
Good Luck with your future endeavors Kim.
This is very heartbreaking.
Kim Hiss started the blog back in 2007, and has had a rather large following. She is very talented with her writing in the blog and her articles.
But unfortunately the big wigs at Field and Stream decided to axe the blog.
It is an extremely sad day in the world of hunting
Good Luck with your future endeavors Kim.
Friday, May 1, 2009
April was a tough month.....
Howdy all, I'm back after a really rough month. April was the roughest month of all months.
First I got my new bow, a Ragim Wildcat 24# 68" takedown recurve. Shoots well, I just need lots of practice.
My Radio from Yaesu was finally repaired a second time. The first time it was "supposedly" repaired, yet on the return trip they found more problems with the repair from the first time around.
On April 14th, I crushed the last 2 fingers on my left hand while repairing a garage door at work. I spent more time doing paperwork and safety training than I spent at the emergency room that night.
And I caught a flu bug, no not the H1N1 Swine Flu ( If I was ever so lucky) but I have been fighting it for 2 weeks, and spent a few days home from work because of it.
But on the plus side, I've been reading, surfing the web, working, and getting ready for Indian Hollow Weekend and the start of my vacation.
More on the Orange Gun Club Kids Fishing Derby, Trout Stocking, Indian Hollow, and the Millers River One Fly Competition coming soon.....
First I got my new bow, a Ragim Wildcat 24# 68" takedown recurve. Shoots well, I just need lots of practice.
My Radio from Yaesu was finally repaired a second time. The first time it was "supposedly" repaired, yet on the return trip they found more problems with the repair from the first time around.
On April 14th, I crushed the last 2 fingers on my left hand while repairing a garage door at work. I spent more time doing paperwork and safety training than I spent at the emergency room that night.
And I caught a flu bug, no not the H1N1 Swine Flu ( If I was ever so lucky) but I have been fighting it for 2 weeks, and spent a few days home from work because of it.
But on the plus side, I've been reading, surfing the web, working, and getting ready for Indian Hollow Weekend and the start of my vacation.
More on the Orange Gun Club Kids Fishing Derby, Trout Stocking, Indian Hollow, and the Millers River One Fly Competition coming soon.....
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