Archive for March, 2011
Spring Boat Maintenance Tasks Moving Along
Posted by: | CommentsThe weather around Long Island was still a bit colder than preferred this past weekend but I was still able to knock out some of the Spring commissioning tasks in getting the boat ready for the 2011 fishing season.
The first chore on the list was the batteries. They got a good charging during the week and the meter reported them in good shape. Now, anyone who owns a Southport will be able to share my pain when it comes to the batteries. The Southport is a beautiful boat that I could not be happier with but there is definitely something to be desired when it comes to the on-board battery storage. Well documented on the boating forums by other owners but suffice to say that you need to have plenty of band-aids at the ready whenever dealing with the battery compartment on the Southport 28cc.
Once I stopped the bleeding from the battery struggles, the next task was to re-drain the lower unit on the port motor. When performing the winterization I noticed some water in the gear case lube that I knew was going to need some attention come Spring. Big thanks to my buddy Lou from Seaborn Marina who did a house call to pressure test the lower unit seals. Thankfully it turned out to be just one of the O-rings on the fill screw. 
Spent the rest of Saturday and Sunday morning doing a good wash and wax. I learned that paste wax does not really like the cold weather. The Collonite I use is a BEAR to work with under good conditions so the cold made it just that much tougher. Took some extra time but the results were very nice. I am pretty sure the wax will last longer than the aches in my shoulders from buffing it off!!!
The effort looks like it was worth it
Waxed and Ready Just About Ready to Fish
Just have to finish up the motors tune-ups, change out the filters and zincs and then bottom paint her to be ready for the 2011 launch date. The boat will be ready for the return of the Striped Bass to Long Island waters.
Tight Lines.........
Capt Paul Mandella
captpaul@maybetonightcharters.com
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Spring and a Young Man’s Fancy Turns To……….
Posted by: | CommentsMy old favorite fishing friend makes his 2011 season debut by trying to get all his ducks in a row in time for the Spring fishing season. Please wish him luck
Tight Lines.........
Capt Paul Mandella
captpaul@maybetonightcharters.com
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Spring is Coming to Long Island!!!
Posted by: | CommentsWith the arrival of some very Spring like weather to the Long Island area this past weekend fishing fever hit hard. On Saturday I spent the morning at another of the local Fishing Flea Markets and managed to find some more goodies to add to the tackle box. On Sunday temperatures in the 50′s prompted me to get the cover off the boat to get a jump on the Spring maintenance checklist.
Getting Ready for Long Island NY Fishing Season
Getting the cover off also gave me an excuse to play around with the new GoPro video cameras I picked up over the winter. These cameras are going to be seeing some serious action during the upcoming fishing season. Keep an eye on the YouTube channel for all the action, maybe even SUBSCRIBE while you are there. 
Getting Ready for Long Island Fishing Season
The local kayakers are already picking some small stripers in the local tidal creeks so the 2011 Long Island fishing season is drawing closer. I anticipate the boat hitting the water in early April. Lots to do before then.
Tight Lines.........
Capt Paul Mandella
captpaul@maybetonightcharters.com
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Fishing Line That Keeps on Catching
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A Mess of Old Fishing Line
In a recent post I discussed re-spooling all my reels with new line for the upcoming season. Today I came across a post on a favorite forum of mine discussing the need to responsibly and properly dispose of our OLD fishing line. The post included an image showing a dead osprey hanging below it’s nest due to being tangled in old fishing line. A very heart-breaking image to say the least.
The timing of the post I read could not have been any better. With the new fishing season rapidly arriving, anglers across the country will be taking care of their preparations for the 2011 season. One of these tasks includes replacing the old line on our reels. This old line, if not disposed of properly, finds it’s way into the landfills and garbage dumps. Since it pretty much lasts forever the old line can cause problems for wildlife that come in contact with it for a very long time.
I would like to encourage everyone to take the appropriate course of action in disposing of your old line so that you can be sure it was not YOUR old line that tangled a bird or animal. It really is something that only takes but a few extra seconds but is time well worth it.
So, what are the appropriate steps you may be asking?? Probably the very best option would be the recycling plan that Berkley Fishing has been sponsoring since 1990. I believe they have been the leaders in the discarded fishing line recycling since their programs inception. Here on Long Island, a lot of the local tackle shops have cardboard bins used to collect the old line that is then returned to Berkley to be re-used in the manufacture of other products. During your next visit to the tackle shop you bring your bag of old line and just drop it off in the collection bin.
I prefer to take the old line from the reel and wrap it around my hand and then cut the coils across the top and bottom with share scissors. This leaves the line in small lengths that will not be able to snare any wildlife.
Another option, although probably not the Greenest, would be burning it. I’ve tried this in the past and it is a pain in the neck, not to mention stinking to the high heaven. The stuff melts away to practically nothing but my thought here is that the effort is not really worth the results.
The bottom line here is that all of us anglers need to do SOMETHING to make sure our fishing lines are not continuing to “catch” long after we are finished with them.
If anyone has some other methods of disposing of their old line I would love to hear about them. Please take a moment and post a comment letting us all know. Our local birds and wildlife thank you
Tight Lines.........
Capt Paul Mandella
captpaul@maybetonightcharters.com
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Bring on the SPRING!!
Posted by: | CommentsFor those of us here in the Northeast there are some signs that Spring is getting closer. I finally have my lawn back, regardless of how brown it is, after months of being blanketed under a foot or more of snow. The visits my wife and I take to the local County Park have the wildlife becoming more active every day. I expect the daffodils and crocus to be pushing through the soil within the week. Yes, the signs of Spring are plentiful.
Long Island Whitetail Deer
Another sure sign of Spring for me personally is that of rods and reels ALL OVER the place!! The rods and reels get their winterization treats when the boat hits land in December. Old line is stripped, inner workings get a good cleaning and lubrication. The rods get a good bath and inspection for damaged guides and reel seats. All the stuff is put up for the winter rest.
Before you know it, Spring is rolling up on us and it’s time to start getting everything back in order. Remember all that line that was stripped off back in December?? Well, it needs to go BACK on in March. I can sit and snell hooks, pour sinkers and tie rigs for hours with no complaint but spooling reels is just a nightmare for me. This is not my favorite part of fishing to be sure. It bores me so bad that I’ve considered the purchase of one of those spooling machines. The powered ones are just way too expensive. Cramped fingers from keeping the tension on the spool is another joyous symptom of this past-time.
Now if I can remember which one goes back on where........
So I will end this rant here. I still have quite a bit of fishing line to spool on reels!!! 
Tight Lines.........
Capt Paul Mandella
captpaul@maybetonightcharters.com
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