Tossing live baitfish into your targeted area before beginning to cast is a sure way to start a feeding frenzy. To throw them farther with less arm strain, make a bait-hurler. Cut the bottom out of a sturdy plastic gallon jug. Insert a 3-foot broom handle into the jug's neck, drill two holes through the neck and handle, and fasten them together with bolts and washers. Load it up with live bait, and toss.Field & Stream Online Editors
Allowing your beached boat to wallow in the waves can damage the hull very quickly. To prevent this, lay a sturdy 3-foot 2x4 at the water's edge, and slide the bow up onto the board. This will keep the keel, which is the area most susceptible to damage, from rubbing against rocks and sand. Stow the beaching board in the boat so you have it handy every time you go ashore.Field & Stream Online Editors
Whenever you see a tom with hens, make note of the time and location. Turkeys are creatures of habit, and knowing their routine is crucial when gobblers won't respond to calls because they already have company. Unless you spook them, you can expect those birds to show up again tomorrow at the same time and place you saw them today. Be there first, put out decoys, and call softly.Field & Stream Online Editors
Design Your Campfire for Cooking Over Coals
If you ever get a small leak in your boat's or car's gas tank, rub a bar of Ivory soap over the hole. When the gasoline comes in contact with the soap, it will form a puttylike substance that will plug it temporarily. But it has to be Ivory-"or at least that's what the Canadian outfitter who showed me this trick claimed. -"John Case, Katonah, N.Y.Field & Stream Online Editors
