Spring is on the way and so is the fishing season which means it’s time to look over your boat, motor and trailer and make necessary repairs. It still may be freezing out but if you’re lucky enough to have your rig stored inside you can while away a couple of cold weekend days doing something other than sulking inside.

  Here are a few tips to help get your trailer ready for those trips to your favorite fishing hole.

  It’s a good idea to start at the front and check the coupler. This may be the most important piece on the trailer. Check all of the components. Does it operate smoothly? Lube it if necessary. If you have an extra hitch ball, insert it into the coupler and lock it down. Try and pull the ball out of the locked coupler. If you can pull it out, either rebuild or replace it. Check the welds or bolts that attach it to the frame. Repair if necessary.

 Check the lighting and make sure the turn signals and clearance lights all work. This may difficult if the trailer is in storage and you don’t have access to your tow vehicle. Here’s a handy way to check the electrical system. Get the female end that matches your plug and strip the loose wires bare about an inch. Then insert it into the trailer plug and use a 12 volt battery charger as your power source to power the lights. Now you can trace down and fix problems with the lighting system without risking running down your vehicles battery or blowing a fuse under the dash. Replace any cracked lens and blown bulbs. Don’t forget to carry extra bulbs with you.

  Repack the wheel bearings. Remove the tires and hubs, remove the old grease seals then clean out all of the old grease from the hub and bearings. Repack the bearings using water resistant marine grease available at your local boat dealer. Install new seals! Never reuse the old seal. The $10 - $15 spent on new seals is well worth the money and the peace of mind. Many boats use “Bearing Buddies” on the axles. You still need to clean and repack the bearings! The grease you continually pump into those hubs has to go somewhere. The result can be a blown grease seal and a seized bearing. It is no fun trying to find parts on a weekend afternoon and making repairs on the side of a busy highway.

  Torque the lug nuts to the manufacturer’s specifications. Most are between 100 - 115 ft/lbs.

 Check the brake system if your trailer is so equipped. Repair or replace broke or worn parts.

 Check your tires for excessive wear, weather cracking and cupping. Measure the tread depth. A good rule of thumb is to replace the tires when the thread measures 5/32”. If you don’t have a thread gauge use the old penny trick. Insert a penny upside down in the thread. If the top of Abe’s head is showing the thread is worn down too much and the tire should be replaced. Remember my motto, “When in doubt, throw it out”. Adjust the pressure to the specs listed on the tires. Remember to check the spare! Again it’s no fun being stranded on the side of the road with a blown tire and no spare.

  Check the winch and all of the tie-downs. Replace any worn or frayed straps or ropes.

 Lastly, give the trailer a good looking over from front to back. Crawl under it on a creeper and check for broken welds or loose bolts. Repair or replace as needed. Touch up any rust spots with paint if needed. May as well look good going down the road.

 That about covers it. Your trailer might have special gadgets or gizmos on it so check them all. The important thing is to fix small problems before they become major issues that can ruin a fishing trip.

It was always suspicioned
That he had contracted the ailment from his grandfather
Who had suffered from its chronic form his entire life,
And was therefore contagious.

They had played together
In cold mountain brooks
And caught native brookies
With their hands and rudimentary fishing tackle.

As he matured, the fever intensified:
He moved on to bigger streams and bigger fish.
He soon learned to outwit browns and rainbows alike:
No trout were safe from him!

He became enamored with fishing tackle
: He would do anything to catch a nice trout.
He traveled anywhere and everywhere in their pursuits;
He even took up fly fishing!

But, then, like his grandfather, he grew old.
He no longer wished to travel long distance to catch trout;
He longed for simpler times;
He longed for small streams and native brook trout!

And so, his fever abated:
He returned to small mountain brooks
In search of those precious native brook trout,
And his grandsons went with him!

Another great selection from Lloyd’s book Rambling Outdoors; Tales of Forest, Field and Stream. Used with permission.

  Now that you’ve been successful this spring season, what do you do with your turkey? Here is a quick check list on deep frying that gobbler.

 1) Don’t try to fry too big a turkey. The average fry pot will hold a 14 to 18 pound turkey. If your turkey is bigger than that you might want to prepare it another way.

 2) Always fry your turkey outside on a flat even surface. Don’t let kids or pets around while you are cooking.

 3) Be prepared in case of an accident. Fire extinguisher… good idea. Water hose… bad idea. Think about where the burning oil will go if the pot turns over. Under your truck? Down through the gaps between the boards of your wooden deck? It is best to fry your turkey in the yard or on a driveway. Get a piece of plywood to set your fryer on. It will help keep splattering oil off your grass or driveway. And believe us, the oil will splatter.

 4) Know how much oil you need. A good tried and true way of figuring the amount of oil needed is the water method. Put the raw turkey in the pot and fill it with water until the turkey is almost underwater. Now take the turkey out and mark where the water level is. This is the amount of oil you will need.

 5) Dry the fry pot really good before filling with oil to the previously marked spot. Also pat the turkey dry with paper towels inside and out. Shake it around to get the water out of the inside. Hot oil and water do not mix well.

 6) Use good clean oil. Peanut oil is the preferred oil because it can withstand higher temperatures better than other oils. Vegetable oil can be used in a pinch but try to get peanut oil. You can use the oil several times if you take care of it. Buy a filter specifically made for straining oil. They can be purchased at department stores, outdoor stores and online. Coffee filters don’t work to good!

 7) Wear thick leather gloves, a long sleeve shirt and long pants. When you are lowering the turkey into the hot oil you will get some splattering so expect it. Remember, USE CAUTION! Watch out for that hole where the neck was. Oil will gush out of that like a volcano.

  8) Before lowering the turkey onto the oil, TURN THE FIRE OFF! Ninety nine percent of the time oil will splash over the side of the pot. If you turn the fire off all you get is a small mess instead of a dangerous flare up. Once the turkey is in and the oil has settled down you can relight the burner. Bring the oil back up cooking temperature of 350 – 375 degrees and let the turkey cook. Keep the fire just high enough to maintain a good cooking temperature. Once the oil gets hot it doesn’t take much to keep it hot. Outside temperature and wind can affect cook temp so play it by ear and adapt.

 9) Go slow when lowering the turkey into the oil. Lower it in a couple of inches and then raise it up a little. Lower it in a little farther and then back up a little. When the turkey is a little over halfway in, tilt it to each side. This will let any air pockets out of the inside and should stop oil from splashing so bad. Going slow also applies to taking the turkey out. Bring it out slow and let the oil drain out of the inside back into the pot. And NEVER leave the cooking turkey unattended!

 10) Know when the turkey is done. The general rule is 3 ½ minutes per pound. This gives you an idea of when it should be done but use a meat thermometer to check for proper doneness. Raise the turkey out of the oil about halfway (you’ll probably need help doing this) and check the temperature in the breast and in the thick part of the thigh. It should read 165 to 170 degrees. If it is done, remove it to a large platter and let is rest about 15 minutes. If it isn’t done, lower it back into the oil and cook longer.

  And lastly, enjoy the fruit of your harvest. Be sure to retell the story how you bagged your bird to everyone at the table.

  Answer to Bonus Question: A gallon is larger than a gill. After we first ran this, someone wrote back and told us what a gill equals. We can’t remember what it is so you’re on your own.