Many questions...

[Micropterus salmoides]

I always have dumb questions I wanna ask, but I always figure I'll let them build up so that I can seem extremely ignorant occasionally, instead of frequently.


I'm having trouble locating 50 amp glass fuses. Did a few searches and keep coming up short.

Liquid electrical tape...any good?

Portaboat. I want to put my trolling motor up front, but the back ends too light and I end up doing loopty lues all day. (Should've seen me the first hour in the water after I got the boat.....) Maybe just some random heavy weights?

I remember someone having posted an equation for calculating average amount of time a battery would last hooked to a trolling motor. Did I just make that up in my head or is that possible to calculate?

I eat catfish all the time......at restaurants and seafood shin-digs. Never really fished for 'em. But now that I started and am catching some.....:o I really don't know how to clean 'em properly. I'll spend 5 minutes on one fish trying to skin it.

Anyone know a place in Southeast La. where one might puchase a catalpa tree? We decided we need a tree in the front yard (too bare) and it's between a cypress, magnolia or catalpa. Naturally, I want a catalpa, but convincing the other half may not be so easy

Ummmm... home remedies for poison ivy?

I would ask for help getting my young'n to stop wettin' the bed, but I think many of yalls patience has ran out by now. :D

THANKS!!
______________
Adam

[LBM]

"I eat catfish all the time......at restaurants and seafood shin-digs. Never really fished for 'em. But now that I started and am catching some..... I really don't know how to clean 'em properly. I'll spend 5 minutes on one fish trying to skin it."

MS
This Youtube vid might be of help to you http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edsJOuwcRKg.

This is not my method of cleaning them but still a good method. I don't skin mine out but use a electric filet knife similar to how I dress crappie.

[pwbuilding]

You Can Filet Them Just Like Any Other Fish
As For Yur Youngin Wettin Dont Worry He Will Grow Out Of It. Just Dont Let Em Drink To Much Before Bedtime
Also Pray And Ask The Lord Fer Help In All Situations
Good Luck

[Glowgood Jigster]

Firstly the Portabote/trolling motor: I don't know why you'd want it up front unless you're using a gas motor in back also? If so, that weight should balance it out well. I use a 30lb thrust MinnKota on mine, transom mounted with the battery back there too, and it works great. If you're the only one in the 'bote, maybe a long extension on your trolling motor will do the trick, and you can steer from the back seat with the motor up front. Sure would be interested to see how you have that mounted up there too!
Secondly, the poison Ivy remedy: I won a bunch of this stuff at a geocaching event, since our hobby often leads us into poison oak infested areas to find caches. I've used it once after contact with poison oak and didn't have any rashes. It's called Tecnu Extreme/poison ivy scrub, and it's made just up I-5 forty miles from my home, in Albany, Oregon. www.1800itching.com Hope this helps, that's about all I know.:D

[Downwind]

http://davesgarden.com/ps/go/1682/

Catalpa Tree

[joejv4]

50A Glass fuses and liquid electrical tape - can't help ya.

Portaboat and TM... like glowgood jigster said - an extension handle on the TM so you can sit in the back with the motor up front. You can probably use a piece of 1/2" conduit for an extension.

Battery time: first you have to know the battery capacity in AmpHours - If I remember right, you divide the AmpHours by the current draw of the TM (gives you total hours) then subtract 30% for realistic life because the battery will really only run a TM down to when it's 70-80% discharged.

That catfish video is one way to do it, but the pulling the whole skin off in one piece takes too long for me. I don't get a lot of cats, but do get a lot of bullhead - and clean both the same way as each other - fillet them just like other fish and cut the meat off the skin after I get the fillets off - it's just faster that way.

Home remedies for poison ivy - I've tried most of them because I'm VERRRRY allergic to the stuff - practically break out in blisters when I see it.

My grandfather used to make up catnip tea - cut some wild catnip and boil it in water then apply with a cotton ball - seemed to help dry it up a bit, but my favorite, that seems to work the best is "Fels-Naptha" soap. It comes in bars, and is supposed to be made for spotting laundry (like Shout). Rub a wet washcloth on the bar to get plenty of soap on it, then apply to the blisters. It dries it up pretty quick.

Bed wetting - good luck!

[Jim C.]

Instead of the glass fuses i put inline 50 amp breakers i got at a boat dealer. Just cut out the old fuse & wire in the breaker. Jim C.

[father of 4]

Cleaning catfish. I skin them by cutting all around the bottom part of the head, go in a cricle completely around the catfish and go under the 2 bones sticking down below the head and also right under the side top fins. Then get some catfish skinning plyers and skin it. Then cut by the spine just below the head and break the spine and pull the head off. Most all the guts should come out. Then take your electric fillet knife and filley the meat off starting at the tail and work your way up. Then you only have to cut the ribcage out and you have a great piece of boneless meat. I personally just fillet the meat and dont skin it first but if you dont hold your fillet knife just right you will cut right thru the skin and have heck getting the skin off the fillet. They are great eating. As for your Kid wetting the bed, if your kid is a boy, the best way to potty train them is to get a box of cheerios and put one in the toilet and have him see if he can hit the middle. He will like it so much he will even get up in the middle of the night to try it. Just put the cheerios by the toilet so he can throw one in lol.

[Buffy]

There is stuff called Rhutox, it comes in a pill form, and jell, and we used to get it at the health food store, the pills we found at the local pharmacy. Works great for poison ivy, in case you thought it might be for other uses.

[Micropterus salmoides]

That's why I love these forums! So much great help and suggestions.
I'd buy each and every one of you something cold of your preference.

Thank you all. EVERYONE.
I've already put some of the suggestions into action.

I've got my fuses ordered.
I bought some recommended poison ivy "soap".
I've spoken to a few people about ordering a catalpa and that may be a possibility, but if not, seeds are a definite.
I'm gonna try the no knife movement w/ the catfish and am also gonna buy the skinning "pliers" tomorrow.
Got the formula and about to do some calculating. (As long as its not Calculus I think I'll be alright)
Still in the works w/ the whole bedwetting thing, but that's due mostly to a son who is half as stubborn as his pops.

Thank you much.

I'm still working on figuring out the trolling motor thing though. I shoud've been more specific. But I'm thinking the 5 gallon bucket drag might be a good idea. All the ideas were great, but I forgot to mention how my boat was set up w/ female connector plugs for the TM.

All the wires from all my plug ins (trolling motor (front & back), stern & bow lights) and live well run between the hull and deck in closed cell foam blocks and come out of one hole on the side where the battery box is mounted. So....I really would like to keep it that way w/o going into any cutting. I guess I could leave it that way and drop another battery in the back and extend my TM wires and run 'em loose across the length of the boat, but I'd rather not. I don't think it would be enough weight anyways. I just would like to run (if you can call it that with a TM) and fish from the front.







Adam