Plastic Worm Fishing

Plastic Worm Fishing

I am not much of a fisherman, but now that I am retired I have more time to try. Plastic Worms are popular and you can get them in many shapes, sizes, colors, flavors and prices. I was overwhelmed by the selection.

As a little kid, I dug up worms in Mom’s garden and used them. The lake we were at had blue gill and sunfish and worms worked just fine. We would put them on a hook, drop them off the dock edge and we would catch 6 to 8 inch bluegills.

I tried that with plastic worms, and did not get any luck. Then I found you needed to do a Texas Rig hooking system. This is a set up that has a small nose weight for the plastic worm and a hook that has an offset at the top of the hook. What you do is put the point of the hook in the nose of the worm, push it in a ¼ to a ½ inch and then out the bottom if the worm. Then the worm is slid up the shaft of the hook to the top where the off set or bend is. The point of the hook can now be turned so it is pointed back toward the body of the worm and can be pushed in to the body of the worm making it a weedless set up. You can get good how to instruction to make this setup on the web.

You now can cast the worm to where you want to fish it. The nose weight takes the worm to the bottom and you then slowly bring in the worm. If you want to fish off the bottom a little you use a Carolina rig. With it the weight is place up the fishing line from the worm not at the nose of the worm. The weight drops to the bottom and the worm floats up off the bottom so the fish can find it easier. These setups are supposed to be the best ways and the easiest way to rig the plastic worm. With the point of the hook in side the worm the set up is mostly snag proof. And remember, bring them in slow…worms do not move fast. 8-)

Other tips: short worms for clear water, long worms for dark water, and slower pull in for cold water. I read also that a dark worm works better in dark water and in low light situations. The minimal light makes them standout in the water. 

In dark water it also helps to use worms with fluttery tails that disturb the water more and that makes them easier for the fish to find them.

It is still fun to use the real worms though. You get to get dirt all over you trying to get them out of the can and fight with them to get them on a hook.

Solar Panels for Boat Battery Charging.

Solar Panels for Boat Battery Charging.

I have solar panels on two of my boats and they do help keep the batteries charged for the most part. Here are a few things to consider with a solar charging systems that can help you decide a system to pick.

First there are solid panels and flexible panels. Solid panels are heavier and need to be rigidly mounted so they do not slide around and break. This limits where you can mount them so they are not in the way and the placement may limit how much direct light they will get. Flexible panels let you mount them or place them in areas that are curved or even let them be movable so they can get the most light possible.

You need to be realistic on how much power you will get from them. If they are not in direct sun and facing the sun the output they produce will be way lower than what the max rating they can produce. Realistically you need to figure that the output will be 30% to 40%of the stated rating.

A PV panel that puts out less than about 10W is unlikely to require a regulator/controller. If it puts out more than 10W it should have one. BUT if you can afford a PV panel get a regulator/controller. You can get a cheap regulator for a small panel for less the $10. For a larger system get a good controller/regulator. It can prevent battery overcharging, reverse discharging, and reverse-polarity protection. It can save the batteries and the solar panels. 

If my boat sits for a number of days I know the batteries will be charged or mostly charged when am ready to use the boat. And what is nice is it is free electricity.