Valley Industries of Lodi, CA makes a variety of trailer products (including the replacement bearing protectors being used on Toy Boat 2's trailer).

One of the more interesting items in their catalog is their Hitch Aligner. This device consiste of a couple of adjustable-length rods with large yellow balls on one end, and magnets on the other.

These gadgets are placed on the hitch and on the trailer tongue. The rods are long enough so that the tow vehicle driver can see the balls through the back window and align them as he backs up. When they get close enough to touch each other, everything should be pretty much in the right position. See:

Gaffs are useful tools, but can also be a hazard if the point is left unprotected. We've seen a number of different approaches to hiding the point, but J.R Jones has a unique one. Their Safe-T-Gaffs have a "switchblade" style hook. The spring-loaded point folds into the handle, and can be released with one hand. See: http://www.jrjonescompany.com Safe-T-Gaffs are available in a number of lengths up to 6'. An 8 model will be available soon.

courtesy J.R. Jones Company

Sportfishing ran an interesting article titled: "D.O.A." by Ron Ballanti. The article describes approaches to raising large fish which have died during the fight. Definitely not an easy process, so the tricks mentioned should be a big help if you find yourself in this situation.

The key point: when this happens, you can not pull straight up on the fish. Your best chance of success is to go down current (or swell/wind), and move off a fair distance before you start pulling. The idea is to get the fish to plane up, rather than try to lift it directly. If you try to plane the fish against the current, a head-down attitude can actually cause the fish to dive deeper.

---

Hooks, of course, are critical to your success. Marlin magazine ran an article in their March 2006 issue titled "Choosing Hooks for Billfish " by Captain Peter Wright, describing current trends in offshore hooks. A couple of points (pun intended) of interest:

Offset circle hooks (ones in which the point is twisted slightly off plane from the rest of the hook) are as bad as J hooks when it comes to gut-hooking fish. Offset circle hooks should be flattened, or thrown away if you are interested in using them for catch-and-release fishing.


Owner JOBU hooks are becoming popular on the West Coast for trolling lures. These have shorter shanks and wider gaps than hooks like the Mustad 7731 or 7691.


• Should you try to sharpen circle hooks? The general recommendation - DON'T. If you change the angle of the turned in point, it will not seat correctly in the corner of the fish's mouth. If such a hook gets dull, you should discard it.

---

The April 2006 issue of Pacific Coast Sportfishing featured an articled titled "The Thin Line Between You and Fish: Spectra " by Dave Kodama. This is a good article that covers just many of the currently popular ways to attach Spectra to your fishing outfit. Here are a couple of other interesting points from the article:

When using a loop-to-loop connection to join Spectra to a mono topshot, be sure to pass the topshot 2 or three times through the Spectra loop, rather than just once . Otherwise, the topshot loop may be cut by the Spectra loop.


Spectra melts at a lower temperature than nylon monofilament. In situations where Spectra and monofilament lines are tangled and allowed to run over each other (as in multiple simultaneous hookups), the mono will usually cut through the Spectra due to heat buildup.


• Many people use a splice to join mono or fluorocarbon to Spectra. The usual way to finish the splice is with adhesive and thread over the end of the Spectra. Another way to finish it is to use Sato crimps , which are very small precision-made aluminum crimps. Believe it or not, these are as small as a thread finish, and much faster to do. Sort of pricey, but highly regarded among long range fishermen. See: http://www.satocustomtackle.com/procrimpkit.htm

Not mentioned in the article is the issue of the strength of Bimini Twist knots in Spectra. Bimini Twists used to be known as "Twenty-times around knots" because in monofilament, 20 twists will yield 100% knot strength. In Spectra, it is clear that more twists are needed to reach 100% strength, however, there is some controversy about how many more turns are needed. Recommendations we have seen range from 30 twists to 100. We're sticking with 100 turns, or a coaxial splice, as mentioned in our "Tips and Tricks" column.

John Ziegler's "Boat Tech" column in the May 2006 issue of Pacific Coast Sportfishing had some great advice on trailer maintenance use. One nifty trick mentioned is to carry a spray bottle of soapy water to spray under the wheels if you get stuck making a really tight turn and the wheels bind.

Well...another conversation with Simrad Tech support. Their suggestion - leave the drive cover off, get a can of dust blaster or a spray coolant, and wait for the problem to come back. Check the LEDs to see if there are any diagnostics, then hit the circuit boards and see if the problem goes away. If not, hit the fluxgate compass with coolant. It's possible that the compass may be having the heat buildup problem, as there are electronics in there, too. Fluxgate compass replacement cost? Around $250.00.

This tip appeared in the April 2006 issue of Marlin Magazine: use Scotchguard or other fabric protector spray on cork grips after you clean them off, in order to keep them clean. Apparently it does not affect the traction of the cork.