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  Fishin' with Capt. Gus! ~ Pails and Buckets
August 26, 2007
Everyone knows the nursery rhyme about Jack and Jill "fetching a pail of water", as well as the expression, "kicking the bucket". Pails and buckets are useful in many ways. In fact, they are so useful that boaters and fishermen never have too many of them.
Buckets are made from a variety of materials, including wood and metal, but plastic seems to be the most common. They are inexpensive and easy to find at paint, hardware and other stores. Sizes begin small and get larger, with one gallon, ten quart and five gallon being the most popular. A good bucket has a metal handle and a lid. Sometimes they are free for the asking at a local bakery or deli.
According to one dictionary, "buckets" and "pails" are synonymous. The word "pail" is used more frequently in the northern half of the country and "bucket" is spoken most often in the south. Regardless of the word, buckets and pails have a multitude of uses on land and on sea. Depending on its use, a bucket takes on a name of its own to fit the situation. That's why you might hear of a deck bucket or a minnow, ice, fish, water or paint bucket.
It's important to have a designated bucket for a specific use. One doesn't want to contaminate a bait bucket with cleaning solutions or to put ice in a used paint bucket. Savvy anglers identify buckets by printing names on their side or by color.
With a length of rope attached to the handle, a bucket can be used to dip water from the lake to wet the deck. Add a lid and a battery operated aerator and the bucket becomes a live well for bait minnows. Other uses include a place to store line and cast nets, or to thaw frozen bait. Buckets also make excellent trash containers and can be filled with miscellaneous odds & ends that do not have a home anywhere else.
When a bucket attached to a rope, is dropped from the bow of a drifting boat, it slows the drift and keeps the bow into the wind. Some call this technique a poor man's sea anchor. Of course, the bigger the bucket, the slower the drift will be. When fishermen choose to drift broadside to the wind, they position a second bucket at the stern. A third method used to slow the boat while trolling, is to place two buckets off the stern, one on each side of the main motor.
Upcoming Events:
"Night Fishing from Boats, Docks and Bridges" - This free seminar will be at Gander Mountain, Exit 36, in Mooresville from 6:30 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 23, 2007. The basics of night fishing and how to use lights to attract fish will be discussed. The seminar will be conducted by Mac Byrum, Capt. Gus and Darrel Keith of Hydro Glow Fish Lights. For additional information or directions, call 704-658-0822
Lake Norman Sail and Power Squadron has scheduled a ABC Safe Boating Class on Saturday, September 22, 2007(change from Sept. 15, 2007) from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. The class will be at the Mt. Mourne VFD, Highway 115 in Mt. Mourne, NC. Cost is $35.00 and includes all materials. Call Clyde Starr at 704-947-2729 to register.
Tips from Gus:
One of the most popular uses for a five gallon bucket is to flip it upside down and use it for a seat when fishing from shore.
Hot Spot of the Week:
Bass are surface feeding in the backs of coves and in marina basins. Stripers are deep, feeding in water thirty to forty feet down in the river and old creek channels. Catfish are biting near the dam during the day, but fishing for them is better after dark.
The lake level is 94.7 or 5.3' below full pond and the surface water temperature is in the high eighties and low nineties. Low water conditions have exposed rocks and shoals that are not usually visible during the summer months. Boaters are urged to use caution while navigating over unfamiliar waters.
Captain Gus Gustafson of Lake Norman Ventures, Inc. is an outdoor columnist and a full time professional fishing guide on Lake Norman, NC. Visit his web site, Fishin' With Gus! at www.FishingWithGus.com or call 704-617-6812.
For additional information e-mail Gus at Gus@LakeNorman.com
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