Photography 101 – Revisited



photography 101In an earlier post, I had mentioned I was a photography 101, point-and-shoot camera guy, trying to capture those mostly short-lived photo opportunities. Getting a shot of that big fish, that eagle sitting on a tree branch, –you know the situations I am referring to.

My camera was set on full auto everything. Just turn it on and take the picture. The trouble is, those pictures were not all that good. Mostly, the images were just flat, washed out, and lacked detail. Occasionally I would get lucky and I would get an image that I liked.

Has this been your experience also?

Top 10 Reasons To Drink More Craft Beer


top 10 reasons to drink more craft beerI am a huge fan of cold refreshing beverages, especially those brewed locally. So I created my own top 10 reasons to drink more craft beer!

Yep, there are a lot of these lists around but I have my own reasons. Nothing against big beer as I still buy those mass produced beverages on occasion.

Craft Beer Merit Badge III



craft beer merit badgeOver the last two weeks I have grilled out 9 of 14 days on my Kamado Joe. When the grill is going, there is always a frosty cold beverage close by.

I did manage to work in a quick overnighter camping and fishing trip. And we did cook over an open campfire. So I guess I really did cook out 10 of the 14 days, just one of the those days was not at the grill.

Plan B Fishing Trip



plan b fishing trip
Getting outside and doing stuff is awesome! The fresh air, the outdoors, it just makes us all feel better?

With spring knocking at the door, my inner caveman wanted to get outside. A bad case of spring fever maybe? Anyhow, this past weekend, we were able to get out for a quick overnighter camping and fishing trip.

My Best Grill – The Kamado Joe Classic



kamado joe classic

The Kamado Joe might just end up being your perfect grill!

The temperatures are warming up and it’s time to get outside and do stuff! That means firing up your grill and enjoying some frosty cold beverages.

I have owned my own Kamado Joe Classic for just about a year. It is the best most adaptable grill I have ever owned.

How To Fish Crankbaits II: Fishing Tactics



Spring crankbait fishing
Spring crankbait fishing

Today’s post is the second in a series about how to fish crankbaits.

This is the link to the first post in this series, titled “How To Fish Crankbaits: Fishing Tactics.” This first post covers two ways to fill up your stringer.

This second post covers another two ways that you can try. But I am sure there are other methods? If you have something you like, why not share it with us?

Craft Beer Merit Badge II



craft beer merit badgeOkay, I have now earned my second craft beer merit badge for 2015.

It seems like it has been a while since I did my first craft beer post and earning that first merit badge for the year! As a reminder, you get one merit badge for every 5 craft beers that you try. Your list starts at zero on New Year’s.

We can make up the rules as we go along!

Choosing My Best Fish Finder – Revisited



I have posted this update to my fish finder cone angle chart to include the specifications found in the PiranhaMax 175 manual. You might find this table handy for your own research.

Let me know if you find this chart useful or you want other angles added?

choosing my best fish finder
Choosing my best fish finder

Choosing My Best Fish Finder



best fish finder
My choice as the best fish finder for my needs
I finished my research and have chosen the Lowrance Elite 3x as my best fish finder after looking at the Humminbird PiranhaMax 175 and the Garmin echo 301c offerings.

As a reminder, the cone angle determines the coverage, or footprint seen by the fish finder. A wider cone angle means that the fish finder will see more of the bottom.

For me, this is important because I do tend to fish shallower areas from a fishing kayak or a canoe. Why have a fish finder if it will only see a few inches of bottom coverage (narrow cone angle).

Fish Finder Cone Angle



fish finder cone angleI am evaluating fish finders. I have mentioned in other posts that most of my fishing is done in fairly shallow water. A lot of the local rivers and ponds are brackish and tannin stained, — read that I cannot see the bottom.

What I have learned thus far in looking over the product specifications is that the fish finder manufacturers do not measure cone angles in the same way. I see these comments echoed by others while doing my research.

But, I needed something to compare the various fish finder cone angle specifications and resulting footprint! Just what would I be seeing? A few square inches, a few feet, what?

I thought that this might be some useful information to share?