Fish Tip: Uninvited Guests By Eric Burnley

Uninvited Guests

By Eric Burnley

Most of us have had our boat put up for the winter since last fall, and it may be in the back yard The wires on your boat are another attraction that invaders can’t resist. They will chew off the insulation to on a trailer or in a marina in the water or on the hard. Wherever it is, chances are good you haven’t been onboard for quite a while, but that doesn’t mean your boat has remained uninhabited.

Boats that sit undisturbed attract visitors who are looking for a warm place to spend the winter. Rodents are the most likely culprits, but racoons, squirrels, and other varmints can move in and cause all sorts of problems.

One of the first places to look for trouble is your PFDs. The material inside these items makes nice nests and chewing through the canvas outside is no problem for a determined rodent. I suggest you take each PFD out of whatever you have it stored in and examine it closely. Look for even the smallest hole and dispose of any PFD that fails inspection. use as nest building material and leave you with a sure fire-starting situation. Take the time to inspect all the wires you can get to without tearing half the boat apart. Terminals where several wires come together are good locations to begin the inspection. Even if the insulation is okay, you can still look for any of that green gook that forms on terminals and needs to be cleaned off. I have found Corrosion Block does a great job of preventing that. I spray it on all my terminals, and they look brand new a year later. Bugs also like to invade boats. I have had wasps build nests under my outboard motor. Talk about an abandon ship drill when I raised that motor! I have also found ants in my boat, but they don’t seem to do any damage.

There are numerous products on the market that will discourage varmints from coming aboard during the winter. I try to stay away from poison because you never know who might end up eating it. Live traps or the old-style mouse traps will work. For bugs, there are sprays that work very well.

# PFDs attract all sorts of uninvited guests.

Keep some bug spray handy when you open the boat in the spring. Use Corrosion

Block on those electric terminals.

27th

Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022

8am-3pm

Non-Profit Fundraiser

annapolis Elks Lodge #622

2517 SoLomonS ISLand Rd., EdgEwatER md 21037 admission is only $5 per person! Kids 14 and under are FREE!

• Informative Seminars from expert anglers share their tips and techniques 8:30 am Capt. Brian mayer: How to Read a Fishfinder 10:00 am Shawn Kimbro: Light Tackle Fishing 11:30 am Capt. Charlie Sisson: Summer Trolling for Rockfish, Bluefish & Spanish Macks 1:00 pm panel discussion: Light Tackle Fishing on the Chesapeake Bay

Panel Members: Capt. Chris Dollar, Capt. Richie Gaines, Lenny Rudow, Shawn Kimbro • Light tackle Jigging, Bay trolling and offshore tackle from local tackle dealers • Book a trip with our region’s top charter captains and guides • Easy access from I-97, Route 50 and Route 2 with Free parking • Food & beverages including pit Beef Sandwiches, oysters and Full Bar Service

CheCk us out online for: • Directions • Seminar Info • Vendor Info

Rt. 50 I-97

www.saltwaterfishingexpo.com

Rt. 2

Solomons Island Rd.

H

Rt. 50

annapolis Elks Lodge 662

Rt. 665

aris t. allen Blvd.