I moved my pool patio furniture outside and onto the deck in order to open up the basement a bit. I want to scrape off some of the loose concrete block sealant and reseal the walls this spring. We had the front outside wall fixed about two summers ago and we no longer get any runoff water over the concrete block and into the basement... Good!
I have BIG plans for the basement and I need to take the first step to get it all started... Step 1: Scrape down the walls and reseal them.
I removed the snow blower from the garage and returned it to it's warm weather corner in the backyard shed. I noticed that my friendly field mice were at it once again building a small nest in the upper corner of the shed. However, several of my d-Con boxes were emptied and I found one little dead critter among the nesting... *sniff*
I tried to recharge the lawn tractor battery yesterday, but my meter showed "0" charge... Dang! The battery lasted two seasons and is warrantied for only one. I tried the battery today anyway without any success. I ran to the local ACE Hardware store and picked up another lawn tractor battery at $45! It should last me a good two seasons.
My next task was to place new "Anti-Fatigue Foam Mats" on the front deck of my jet rig. I already have two up where I stand the most, but I wanted to place two more just behind those. I used sticky taped velcro to hold the mats to the boat's rug flooring.
Notice on the next pic the old mat as compared to the new one. The stain you see on the old foam mat was from my last trip on the water. I use 'Bang' scent quite often on my soft plastics and the mat's help keep the scent off the rugs. 'Bang' is an oily extract from cooked molting crawdads. It's an oil that will eventually wear off the mat over time.
The plastic tub to the right holds my drag chain. The weight of the chain and the trolling motor wiring holds the tub fast while trailering the jet rig to and from the water.
Over the past few weeks, I've been collecting a few more custom lures from Winco's Custom Lures. In the picture below, there are four new baits I will be tossing about this season.
To the far left is the new short-armed 'Bronze Bushwhacker' in the 3/8th oz. size. Next to the 'Bushwhacker' is the hollow-bodied minnow that was just poured two weeks ago (Hot off the molds!). Next is the 'Bubba Craw' on a belly-weighted jig hook. This may be a killer this season for smallies, as well as, greenies at the local lakes. The last lure is a Winco's Tom Cat. These Mad Tom imitations are soft as can be and look extremely life-like. They, too, are rigged on the belly-weight jigs.
So, that's what I was up to today. Maybe I'll head to a nearby lake tomorrow and see if I can entice a largemouth or two to take a lure. I haven't been on a lake for months and it's time to test 'em out!
Dad
