It’s happened to us all: we’re at the lake or campsite and we get into something stinky, and all of our sure-fire at-home methods for getting the smell off our hands are, well, at home. (And how many of us REALLY always bring a lemon fishing with us?)
Here’s the easiest way to get a smell out of your skin (if it’s from fish, PowerBait, or some other unmentionable thing you touched!)
Use a Wonder Bar! These stainless steel “soaps” work with just plain water and, through enough rubbing, will remove odors.
I recommend the Wonder Bar because it floats. And if you’re kneeling at a lake and drop it… well, you want it back!
I carry my Wonder Bar in my purse and have for years. It’s hollow so it doesn’t weigh anything. And it’s perfect for not only smelly things out in the wilderness but also when you shake hands with someone who is wearing too much perfume or lotion. I’ve also used it when I got gas on my hands, after pulling weeds, or handling anything that I didn’t want to have my skin smell like.
The only thing I don’t like is that it can take a lot of rubbing. But the harder and faster you rub the quicker the smells go away.
Of course, you can always just rub your hands in a metal wash basin but um, gross! Especially a PUBLIC wash basin! And it’s very difficult to get between your fingers or the back of your hands.
And, there’s a big advantage of a Wonder Bar since it’s a bit difficult to rub a knee cap or elbow in the sink! Then, just keep rubbing until the smell is gone, rinsing with clean water between rubs or letting water run over the bar as you scrub.
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A drop-shot rig is a hook tied directly to the line (from four inches to four-foot above the sinker) with a sinker also tied to the line, below the hook.
To create a Drop-Shot Rig:
Pass a look of monofilament line through the eye of the hook. The tail of the line (the part that is not attached to the reel) is where you will put your weight.
Tie a Palomar knot to secure the hook and leave the tag end (the tail of the line that is not attached to the reel) about four or five feet long. Now take the tag end and go back through the hook eye from the point side toward the back. When you hang the weight, the hook will be at a 90-degree angle to the line with the hook point up.
Last is the weight and how far up the line the hook should be. Here’s where you’ll have to decide based on how high above the hump or sunken island the fish are holding. You’ll just have to experiment to see what the fish want, but 18″ to 24″ is a good place to start.
The Palomar knot is used for joining your fishing line to the fish hook. This can be used with single or treble hooks. The Palomar knot is easy to tie correctly, and consistently the strongest knot known to hold terminal (end of line) tackle.
1. Double about 4″ of line and pass the loop through the eye of fishing hook.
2. Let the fishing hook hang loose, and tie an overhand knot in the doubled line. Avoid twisting the lines and do NOT tighten the knot.
3. Pull the loop end of the line far enough to pass it over the hook, swivel or lure. Make sure the loop passes completely over the attachment.
4. Pull both the tag end and the standing line until the knot is tightened. Clip off the tag end of the fishing line.
Trout is a very delicate-fleshed fish. (It puts up a great fight on my Eagle Claw Feather-lite pole!)
If you can’t eat it right away, then be sure to get it ready for later. Clean the fish as you normally do. You might want to de-scale and cut off the head as well, even if you don’t normally do that.
After the fish is cleaned, make sure you pat it dry. Wrap no more than three good-sized trout in a freezer zipper bag. Squeeze out all the air in the bag before sealing it. Then, place the sealed bag into another freezer bag, squeeze out the air, and seal. Freeze.
Trout don’t last long in the freezer so eat them soon!
Readers Weigh In:
- Do you eat your catch right away or freeze it for later?
ESP Boss & The Queen Mother got back (today!) from their “big adventure” through Yellowstone, Glacier, and the Grand Tetons. While they had planned to kayak they said there wasn’t enough time.
One thing they told me though was that a lot of the areas were cracking down on aquatic hitchhikers. There were even checkpoints where water craft were examined for critters that shouldn’t be transported.
Knowing which waters contain nuisance hitchhikers is not as important as following these steps every time you leave any lake, stream or coastal area.
Before leaving any body of water, it is important to examine all your equipment, boats, trailers, clothing, boots, buckets etc and remove all visible mud, plants, fish or animals. Remove and leave them at the site you visited. The larvae (immature form) of an animal can be so tiny that you cannot see it. However, it can live in mud, dirt, sand, and on plant fragments. Do not transport any potential hitchhiker, even back to your home.
Eliminate water from all equipment before transporting anywhere. Much of the recreational equipment used in water contains many spots where water can collect and potentially harbor these aquatic hitchhikers. Then clean and dry anything that came in contact with the water, including boats, trailers, equipment, dogs, boots, clothing, etc. Plus, dry your equipment. If possible, allow for 5 days of drying time before entering new waters.
Do not release or put plants, fish or animals into a body of water unless they came out of that body of water. This includes live bait, if you’re permitted to fish with it in the area. (Check your state’s regulations; many lakes in Arizona prohibit the use of live baitfish.)
Also, do not release plants, fish or animals into storm drains, because most storm drains lead to water bodies or wetlands. This is an important prevention step, because many plants and animals can survive even when they appear to be dead.
For more information, visit http://www.ProtectYourWaters.net
Readers Weigh In:
- Do you have any issues with aquatic hitchhikers in your area?
- What steps do you take to keep your equipment clean?
