Big Branch, 9/29/19

Debbie and I did a little bank fishing at Big Branch after dinner, Sunday. It's basically Little River, not far from the head end. Didn't catch anything really big, but they were nice fighters and fun to catch. It's a beautiful place to fish, and only about 4 minutes from the house. Trying to figure out where/how  to get the Jon boat in there! Here's a few pics...

Sandy Cross, 9/26/19

Debbie and I went up to Sandy Cross to do a bit of fishing today. This is near Nashville NC on Sapony Creek.  This is just off Sandy Cross road near the bridge, just before I-95. If you go to Sandy Cross Baptist Church near Nashville NC, you're practically there. The patch to the launch is a really rough muddy dirt path, and it's only good for Jon Boats or Kayaks, but well worth the effort.

Man, talk about a BEAUTIFUL place...it was our first time there with the Jon boat, and with the water level down about 2ft below normal, we got to really see what was down there. Lots of bass laying up in the structure, you just have to take your time to navigate it. Here's a few pics...

Click in the "Fishin'n Hole Catches" in the RH column to see all of the pics and trips we've documented to this location.

Little River @ 231, 9/24/19

After helping a friend on a boat project all day, Debbie need to run to town for a few minutes. On the way she said "I need a fishing fix", hahahahah. So, we diverted the trip to the bridge over Little River, at hwy 231 (south of Zebulon). We got in a little fishing before dark. Debbie hit a beautiful 3lb LMB on a 5" YumDinger in pearl & watermellon, along with a few others we caught. Here's a few pics from the evening...

3lbs

Black Crappie

Bluegill

LMB on a beetlespin :-)

Atkinson's Mill, 9/20/19

Debbie and I headed over to Atkinson's Millpond today. We hadn't been since sometime last year, and had forgotten how beautiful this place is!! Lots of cover, sheer banks, and a long head / feeder. Wow, you can get close to 2 miles up in there. Lots of structure, laydowns, overhangs, and shade. About 30 minutes in, Debbie hit a bass that was a monster!! She fought her a while, and when she came up to jump, Debbie eased up and wouldn't let her...but she did stick hear head up out of the water to about the back of her gills....her head had to be at least 6" across!!! She rolled, went deep, and as Debbie was getting close to the boat, she ran under the boat, drug the line down the side of the boat, and broke it. Wow, Debbie was sick!!! Anyway, we know there's some big girls in there to catch, so we'll be heading back to see if we can find another soon. Here's a few pics from the day... 

Loaded in and ready to go...

Lunch time!

Old Minn Kota 28 repairs

Once again, I'm patching up my old Minn Kota 65, 28 lbs of thrust. This was made back around 1985, so it has a lot of miles on it. When I got it with our old Jon boat, it looked like it had been dropped on it's top, and a bunch of glue was poured into cracks. The two front screws had nothing to screw into, chunks were missing out of the cover around the edge, and the FWD-REV switch was bad. 

I found an exact replacement for the switch at Walmart, popped it in, and used it like it was. I really didn't expect it to last for the better part of 2 years, as hard as we run it. But it did :-) . The aluminum mount was broken, so I welded it and built it up in the corners a bit, and mounted it to the boat. I modified the mount so I could pull a single pin, and lift the motor off the boat without having to bother with the clamp bolts on the transom. I also installed a quick connect to the power leads, and fabricated a weed guard to help keep stuff from getting wrapped around the prop shaft. Despite how it looked, it held up pretty good. 

Recently, I decided to take the cover off and try to repair / clean it up a bit. I sanded the old glue down, filled a bunch of holes and places where chunks were broken out, and installed a bit of wood to allow the front screws somewhere to attach. I also beefed up a few of the smaller wires that were overheating when I'd make a 2+ mile run at full throttle to get back to the landings. Here's a few pics of my now Black Special Edition Minn Kota 65 :-)

The above 2 pics were after the work...

Filling and sanding the cover a bit...

Lots of cracks to repair...

The cover looked pretty bad from the outside...

Forming up around the edges before filling and shaping. Also, I added a hardwood  block, then drilled it fro the screws to attach to from below.

Hidden Pond, 9/15/19

Debbie and I put the Jon boat in at the Hidden Pond today, late in the afternoon. We caught a few fish, had some fun, and got EAT UP with red bugs, hahahahah... Here's the only pic I have from this evening. I thought I took more, but something must have gone wrong...

Boddies Millpond, 9/14/19

Debbie and I decided to come back to Boddies Millpond and explore a bit more. Last week, we hit several bass (LMB), a Chain Pickerel, and a few other things. Debbie caught a beautiful 3lb 12oz bass on this trip, along with others. This is a cool place, with lots to explore with a Jon boat or Kayak. Here's a few pics from this trip...

3lb 12oz

Lunch time!