I Am a Fishing Widow

Well, it's official...I am a fishing widow!

The saga started when we were getting ready to leave Iowa. When we load the truck onto the big trailer, we have to raise the boat motor so the truck will go under it, then we lower it so our total length is just a hair shorter. That's when we found out that the boat battery was completely dead...but that story is in a previous post...

While we were at Fort Peck, Dale had noticed that the boat trailer lights weren't working, so when we were in Wisconsin, we decided to track down the issue while the boat was still on the big trailer, because things are higher up and we didn't have to crawl around on the ground to see the wiring. It took a while to figure it all out, but it turned out to be a wire on a running light that had come loose. Easy fix...yay!!

Fast forward to Texas...the boat is unloaded from the big trailer...now we just need a new battery, right? Wellll...maybe not....

I had remembered that the very first time we had a battery issue was last winter, about 2 weeks after we had a shallow water anchor, called a Talon, installed. (A shallow water anchor is basically just a stick that you shove down into the bottom of a body of water and tie off to your boat or kayak to hold it in place. The Talon is kind of a shallow water anchor on steroids...it is electric, and can go down 15 feet) So about 2 weeks after the Talon was installed, we were out fishing, and when Dale went to start the motor, the battery was dead...and we got to take the "boater's walk of shame" and got towed back to the marina. The battery charged up fine at that time, so we just figured it was because we had kept the fishfinders powered up all day. But since then, we've gone through 2 batteries...

So we stopped by the place that installed the Talon, and I asked if the Talon draws power even when it's off...our buddy, Scott, who owns the place said yes...that's why you have a Perko switch on your boat...and I reminded him that we don't have one on our boat. (a Perko switch is a shutoff switch for the battery so the electronics on the boat don't drain the battery...most boats down here have them, but our boat isn't from here...)

So Scott sent us to the parts store to get a Perko switch...one with settings of "off" "1" "2" and "all." Our plan was to connect the boat motor to 1, and the rest of the electronics to 2, so we could shut off everything except the motor, as we need to be able to raise and lower the motor when the boat is on the big trailer (see above for why...lol)

While Dale was in the parts store, I started second-guessing our plan, so I called Scott (who was busy with another customer and had to call me back). to make sure that our plan would work with just 1 battery (most boats down here have at least 2 batteries, but we have 1). Dale came out and said the switch was $75...I did a quick search and found one at another store for $25 in Portland, TX, so we were going to O'Reilly's to swap out the battery.

While we were at O'Reilly's, Scott called and I asked him about using the switch with just one battery...he said good catch, that it wouldn't work without a second batter to run the electronics. Then he said we should get a manual breaker to install between the battery and the Talon so it wouldn't draw power when we were parked...I asked if we could just install a rocker switch...he said yes, and that I should probably be a technician...lol.

In the meantime, we're hauling around a boat on a trailer with no lights, because when we got down here, they had quit working again! Dale checked the wire that had come undone, and it wasn't that...Our neighbor, Bob, came over to help him track down the problem...

Bob is a great guy, and has spent many hours helping Dale with the boat lights...but Dale has renamed him "Mr. Broke-It" because every wire that Bob touched broke!! Now, it's not Bob's fault...not even a little bit...because the salt air and salt water here corrodes wiring fast...and our trailer is 9 years old and so is its wiring! So wires were breaking and connectors were breaking off lights everywhere...

When we were talking to Scott, he looked at the running lights on the trailer and told Dale that we needed a new light for one side and a pigtail (connector) for the other side. So we already had those parts...Dale had actually bought 2 new lights AND 2 new pigtails...so the guys replaced both lights with new ones...but when they tested the lights...nothing!

So they started trying to track down the problem...and it seems that the tail lights on the trailer were also dead...so Bob looked up the part number and sent it to me so I could order 2 new lights, which I did...so new lights would be here in 2 days...

Now in the course of testing, they had the lights on the pickup on, so they could check the power to the trailer lights...can you hear the train coming on this one yet??? When Dale went to move the pickup, it was dead...dead...dead...They tried using our new battery jumper...and no go...they hooked up our charger...and no go...they hooked up Bob's charger...and no go...and finally, they tried to jump it with Bob's truck...and nothing...now our truck battery was dead beyond redemption!!! So the guys jumped in Bob's truck and went and got a new battery for the truck...now, in the battery's defense, we don't recall ever changing out the battery...and the truck is 9 years old...but we have a fresh, new battery that will last a while.

Fast forward 2 days...we have 2 new tail lights in hand...the guys are out installing them...and...are you ready??? None of us noticed that there is a difference between the lights for the 2 sides, and I had ordered 2 of the same light...well, poop!!! So I went back online and found the right light (which was actually the left light, but I digress...lol) And by the way, as a side note...Amazon Prime 2 day shipping isn't always 2 days...this one was to take 3 days!

So in the meantime, Bob and Dale decided that the wiring in the trailer was bad, since they had bypassed the trailer wiring and the new lights were all good, but still wouldn't come on with the existing trailer wiring...so Dale bought new wiring.

When they went to pull the new wires, Bob touched the ground wire...and it broke off in his hand! So our wiring problem was probably only that the ground had to be redone...of course, the lights were all still bad and needed to be replaced anyway, so as long as they were at it, they replaced all the wiring just so everything is new. Now everything was working except the light that was still on its way...And in the meantime, they also installed the cut-off switch so the Talon won't keep stealing power!

Yesterday, the last new light came in! Dale put it on, and now all the lights were working! Dale had to go to town, so he stopped and got his fishing license.

So this morning Dale wanted to take the boat out to check it out and make sure all is good...so he and Bob went out to go fishing for a few hours...even though I am somewhat jealous, I'm glad they got to go. We could probably figure out how to get me on and off the boat, but I just don't want to risk messing up my knee before my surgeon gives me the go-ahead to start using it...

So here I sit...it's the first time since we got married 24 years ago that Dale has gone fishing without me...I hope they are having fun and bring me some fishies!

And that's how I became a fishing widow!

Happy Endings Make New Beginnings

 Well, our last fishing day on Fort Peck reservoir has ended...we got skunked...again...but all-in-all, it's been a really fun month and a half!

We ended up with a few Walleye, a few Northern Pike, a couple of Largemouth Bass, a Lake Trout and about 6 smallish salmon in the freezer. And we also caught a couple of Lake Trout and Carp that we gave back to the lake. And Dale caught a bait fish called a GoldenEye...we didn't keep that one either but it was kinda funny looking.

We didn't get a chance to fight any big salmon, unfortunately...but just being out on the water was really fun! The wind made for some awesome adventures...we learned that even the tiniest of bugs can show up on a boat over a mile away from the nearest shore...and they show up in droves! And boy, are they ever annoying!

We normally take the dogs fishing with us, but the bugs were so bad that we had to start leaving them home...alone...scary thought...but they were really good boys!

At least we know that we can leave them home alone if we need to...but hopefully we'll be able to take them fishing with us from now on...we like to think that they really do enjoy our company...lol.

The boat is all buttoned up and ready to be loaded onto the big trailer tomorrow...I told Dale that when we're done doing that, I want PIZZA! And not just any pizza...I want pizza from the restaurant at the Fort Peck Marina! It's the best pizza I've had in a long time! If you're ever here, you gotta get you some!

We'll load the truck on the trailer on Saturday, then take off for Wisconsin on Sunday morning...we're gonna hit the road early because it's supposed to be 100 degrees on Sunday! Yikes!

Strangers in the Daylight...

So today we went to Glasgow, about 20 miles from our campsite, and went into Ace Hardware for some stuff...we got what we needed and were checking out, when I felt a tap on my shoulder and a female voice said "I thought you were going to crochet all day!  But I'm not knitting like I said I was going to either."

So I turned around and saw a woman who I didn't recognize, standing there...we both laughed and went our separate ways...when we got to the parking lot, Dale said "okay...who the heck was that?"  I had no idea...So I started thinking of who in the world I would have been talking to about knitting or crocheting all day...

Now, keep in mind that we're over 500 miles from home, and have never been to this area of Montana before.

To quote Bugs Bunny..."Think, Wabbit, Think"...and finally it hit me...

Yesterday we were at the fish cleaning station and there was another family there.  We were chatting about fileting knives (electric, manual, battery operated) and our preferences...As I was fileting my walleye, I accidentally ripped the skin, so I grabbed my catfish skinning pliers, used them to hang onto the filet, and continued to filet...

The gal across from me asked what the pliers were, so I showed her...and just after that, her hubby ripped a filet, so Dale handed him the pliers to try out...by the way, if you filet a lot of fish (or even a few) Catfish Skinning Pliers are a wonderful tool (instead of trying to hold the skin down with your thumbnail as you try to remove the meat from the skin).  I learned about them in Texas from a guide who let me use his pliers once...

Anyway...we were chatting with the family across from us and Dale mentioned that we were probably going to take the next few days off of fishing because it's supposed to be in the high 90s, and get up to 107F!

The gal said the she was probably going to hole up in their camper and do some knitting...I said that I would probably be crocheting all day...

After we left the hardware store, we went to the boat shop to see if they had the part that my downrigger needed, but the boat shop was closed.  So we found a sporting goods store...and guess who was in the fishing section?  That same family!  I admitted that it had taken me a few minutes to figure out who had "accosted" me in the hardware store...her hubby said that she never forgets a face...I, a little embarrassed, admitted that I almost never remember a face...lol.

It's funny...I have hundreds of Facebook friends all over the world, so it didn't really surprise me to have a stranger come up like that...some day, I know it's going to happen for real...

Hot Fishing and Broken Salmon Gear

 Today was our hottest day of fishing!! Now, when I say that I don't mean that the fishing was hot...it was 99 F out on the water...it was HOT!!!

But we did catch 4 keepers...I caught a couple of Walleye, including my personal best of 2.6 lbs 20"...and Dale caught a couple of Largemouth Bass, including his personal best of 3 lbs 17"...

Not a bad day...

You didn't hear it from me, but we had actually headed out to test out our salmon gear. We had bought these things called Dipsy Divers that are supposed to take your lure down to some pretty deep depths...but ours wouldn't dive and just stayed on top of the water (we later found out from the kid at the tackle shop that we had rigged them up backwards...no wonder they wouldn't dive!)

When we couldn't get the Dipsy Divers to dive, we switched to the downriggers...And wouldn't you know it?? After not being used for a year, we just assumed that things would work just like they always have after sitting for a while...but...Dale's rigger has no power (now we have to check to see if it's the plug, or the rigger itself) and my readout went dead (we knew that they would eventually need to be replaced, but there was no telling when the displays would die...they're about 7 years old now...so I guess it's time)...the problem is that the display (which tells how deep the lure is (and that's kind of important to know)) is a sealed unit and I don't know where to get another display...oh boy!! More research!! So when none of our salmon gear would work for us, we decided to just drag some lures around and that's when we caught the Bass and Walleye...

All in all, it was a good day out on the water, but It was really hot!! It's supposed to be up to 107F over the next few days, so I think we'll probably be hibernating in the a/c....

I also caught my personal best human...5' 5 1/2" 225 lbs...as I was climbing out of the boat, I snagged my shirt sleeve on a lure...a big lure about 5 inches long...I had to detach it from the rod and wear my "badge of honor" as I walked to get the truck and trailer to pull the boat home, where I could change shirts...I hope I don't repeat that one...or at least if I do, I hope that the lure matches my shirt so it's not so obvious what I've done...lol

I am not George of the Jungle...

One of my favorite movies is "George of the Jungle."  I especially like the scene where George is trying to get Ursula to dance around the fire with him.  Ursula said that she would feel stupid.  I love George's answer..."sometimes George falls out of treehouse, but not feel stupid...something good always happens after"  Well, I'm not George of the Jungle...and something good didn't happen after...

Tuesday morning, we launched the boat and headed out onto the lake.  When we got out of the marina, Dale hit the gas to go faster, but the boat wouldn't plane out...we looked toward the back of the boat and it was full of water!!  There was about 6 inches of water on top of the deck back there...that meant that the entire boat was filling up!

He quickly turned around and headed back to the docks...as he turned, he asked me "did you put the plug in?"  Oh, crap...

 For those of you who aren't boaters, there's at least 1 hole in every boat that, when the boat is on dry land, lets out the water that splashes over the front or sides of the boat when it's out on the water.  There's a plug that should be put into the hole (BEFORE it's launched) that stops water from flooding in and filling the boat with water.  

Now, on a normal fishing day, Dale backs the truck up to the boat and I attach the trailer, and we head out on our way...when we get to the boat ramp, Dale gets out, puts in the plug, and gets into the boat to start getting things ready.  While he does that, I am removing the tie-downs, unlocking the motor, unplugging the power from the truck, and a few other things before I back the boat down the ramp and send it into the water.

But we're camping at the lake, so when we pull the boat out of the water, we are skipping all of the little chores that we do if we're going to head down the highway after our day of fishing.

So on Tuesday, I got into the truck and Dale hooked it up.  Since we were totally out of sync with our normal process, neither of us gave a single thought to that open hole in the back of the boat...and I drove to the boat ramp and launched our now-not-yet-seaworthy boat right into the waters that would soon begin to fill it up.

So back to our nightmare...racing time to get our now sinking boat back to shore before it's too late.  At least we have a bilge pump.  Its job is to pump water out of the boat if there's too much water in the bottom...the only problem is that there was more water coming in than the bilge pump could pump...it's just not made for that volume of water...

We made it back to the marina and Dale beached the boat.  I hopped out of the boat (well, climbed as fast as I could, which is not very fast these days) and ran (okay, okay...I walked briskly up the hill) to the truck, grabbed the plug (that we store in the cupholder so we always know where it is) and got back to the boat as fast as I could go (like I said before...I'm not very fast these days, especially going down a steep boat ramp and then down a gravel, dirt and rock pathway...in flip-flops)

Now if this really was a George of the Jungle-like movie, the narrator would come in at this point and say "Meanwhile, back at the boat, Dale is waiting patiently (yeah, right...patiently waiting as the boat sinks and Amy meanders to the truck and back)..."

So I got back to the boat and climbed back in...but neither of us could reach far enough to put the plug in from the inside of the boat.  So it was obvious that one of us would have to go wading to get it done...and since that part of the shoreline was really muddy and slick, I voted myself the lucky candidate, not because Dale couldn't do it, but because his crutches and mud are really not compatible.

I climbed back out and walked to the back of the boat in what was now almost waist deep water, reached down and finally got the plug in the hole...yay!  At least now there wouldn't be any more water coming INTO the boat...now we just needed the bilge pump to do its job and expel all the water from inside the boat back into the lake where it belonged!

There was still a whole lot of water in the boat, so we sat there, beached, for a while...a couple of guys cruised over to make sure we were okay, which was nice.

After a while, enough water had left the boat that we were comfortable going out again, so we used the push pole (thank goodness for fishing in the shallow Texas waters, so we do have a push pole and I have lots of experience using it) to get us back into deep enough water to use the motor again.  

Even after our ordeal, we still wanted to go fishing!  It was kind of windy, so the water was somewhat rough, but we headed out anyway...because that's how we roll!  (and I was soaking wet, head to toe, and this was the one day that it was not over 90 degrees and sunny...but I figured I'd dry out pretty quickly...and I wanted to go fishing!  Now, mind you, Dale is a caring hubby and had suggested that I go change into some dry clothes, but I refused...sometimes I'm not too bright)

There was still quite a bit of water in the boat, and the bilge pump was still running...but it was pumping less and less water...Dale turned off the pump to see if whatever was blocking the pump would dislodge, but no go...so we let it pump, slowly, for a while longer...it finally slowed to a trickle...so I decided to stick my finger in the outlet hole to see if there was something blocking it...and apparently when I did that, it caused enough back-pressure that it actually DID dislodge whatever was plugging up the pump, and it started spewing lots of water...yay!

So we started fishing, but the boat was rocking and rolling and pitching...it was hard to stand up...we fished for a couple of hours with no bites, and the boat kept trying to spin and our lines were tangling...then I didn't get one of Dale's lines out of the way of the motor fast enough, and it got snagged by the prop!  I cut the line and pulled in the rest of it (and the lure, thankfully).  I was reeling in our other 3 lines when another line crossed into the prop...not good!!  Not only that, but that line had snagged the bottom and it wasn't coming loose...so I cut that line, too, but that lure and sinker was gone...

By then, I was so fed up with our fun day of fishing (not to mention that I was still cold and wet and it was my own dumb fault) that I told Dale I just wanted to go home...so we did...(those of you who have fished with us know that we are total die-hards and don't quit for much of anything...but this day had just pushed me over the edge)

So...I am NOT George of the Jungle...I DID feel stupid...and something good did NOT happen after...

NOTE: we now clip the plug to the boat keys, so if we ever forget it again (we'd better not!!!) at least we'll know it pretty quick because it's right next to the ignition key...

PLAN AHEAd

 What a goober I are!!!

We had to put new tie-downs on the batteries for the trolling motor in the boat before we left Texas...no problem...they went on just fine.

Well, when we got home, because there is a lot of vibration and motion that the boat goes through when it's on the big trailer, one of the batteries had broken it's little plastic anchor piece and had bounced all the way to the farthest limits of the battery cables! Yikes!!

So we decided to replace the cheap plastic anchors with some nice steel straps (raised up with some nylon washers so the strap can slide underneath them)...

I went to Ace and bought the steel straps and nylon washers (1 per strap, right?? Wait for it...)

I climbed into the boat this morning and found that the steel straps I had bought were too small...I was afraid of that...so I drove the 16 miles back to Ace, got the right straps (this time I took an old piece for comparison...no reason to do that in the first place, is there? Nah...) So it cost me 90 cents to exchange the little straps for the correct straps, and $6 for the gas to go exchange them...boy, am I a money-saver or what??? Luckily, I had some more errands to run.

So anyway, I got the bigger straps and they are perfect!!

I climbed back into the boat (mind you, it's about 9 feet from the ground to the gunnel, so it's a bit of a monkey climb...

But I digress...I climbed back into the boat, and put the first 2 straps on with the 4 washers I had bought...(do you remember that I said "wait for it"??)

The first 2 straps were perfect and I put the battery into its place and strapped it down...and then it hit me...it takes 2 washers per strap, and there are 2 straps per battery...and there are 2 batteries!!

Remember I said "I are a goober??" You do the math...so now I need 4 more nylon washers, and if I have to run back to town, it will cost another $6 in gas to buy $1 in washers....

I think I'll wait until I have more errands...

Oh yeah, and in the middle of it all we got a thunderstorm...just where I want to be when the lightning starts to fly...in an aluminum boat hanging 9 feet in the air under a bunch of nice tall pine trees!!

Life in the Parking Lot

 Holy moly! The things RVers do!!

For the past week or so, there's been a fifth wheel parked next to us...they're not here for service, and the folks at Bretz have no idea why they're here...the guy in it told me his wheel bearings leaked grease and it got on the brakes, so they had no brakes...he changed out the bearings and brakes right there in the parking lot....

Last night, the service manager stopped by to give us an update on our issues, and asked if anything had been going on next to us...so we told him what we had been seeing, and that even if the truck was gone, there was a woman and child inside...so he went over and asked them to please leave, since they weren't customers (a reasonable request, especially since they had been plugged into the electric here for a week.)

So last night about 9, the guy came back with his truck, hooked up to the fifth wheel, and pulled out...and the whole are heard a big metallic clunk! He stopped, got out of his truck, went to the back of his camper, and then he reeled up his power cord...the clunk was the plug ripping out of the electrical box! I hope he didn't damage his trailer (or the power box here)...seems like they have enough problems already...

Then just a little while ago, a motorhome just like our old one (same model, same year, same paint job...I mean identical...I had to go out and look to make sure it wasn't the same one, but it wasn't)

Anyway, this motorhome pulls up the road past me, and I always look at the top of RVs passing by...because I've chased down lots of them with the antenna up...but this one was different...this one had his satellite dish up!! Now ripping a tv antenna off an RV roof would cause some damage....but ripping a satellite dish off an RV roof...well, that would cause a whole lot of damage!!

I went out and pointed to the guy as he sat in his driver's seat...then I pointed to my head, and cupped my hands together on my head and swiveled from side to side...his eyes got wide as he realized what he had (or hadn't) done...he finally got it lowered and we had a nice chat about his motorhome, since we both had or have the same one...and I suggested that he get a clothespin and put it on the key or steering wheel when the dish was up, and on the switch box for the dish when it was down...I told him that, having had the exact same coach, I knew that the travel height is about 12' 8", and his dish was in definite jeopardy! He's really lucky that he didn't have to go under any low bridges!

The RV life is never dull!!!