Hawg Trough repair

[Cowpokey]

My hawg trough snapped in half at the 12" line measuring the second fish of the day last weekend, had to put it back together.

Took a page out of "WWPGD?"* and put my hawg trough back together. Got a 6' long fiberglass mail box pole and a tube of clear silicone from Lowes. Cut the rod to the length of the back of the trough, ran a bead of silicone down each side and pushed the rods in to the corners. Then it got messy smoothing out the silicone. But it's fixed. I would suggest doing the same to yours, before it breaks.

*What Would Paul Goody Do?

[Cowpokey]

[Salty Dog]

Nice fix. have you float tested it with the added weight? not a bad idea to prevent breakage.

[bunnielab]

I bet with some looking (as opposed to 2 seconds of googling) one could find a thinner version of this stuff:

http://building.dow.com/na/en/produc...ty/billets.htm

And lamanate a full sized chunk of it to the back of the Trough to provide both increased strength and buoyancy. However, my current approach of catching only the smallest of fish precludes the need to carry a measuring device at all. It's a pretty efficient system.

[Cowpokey]

Nice fix. have you float tested it with the added weight? not a bad idea to prevent breakage.

I haven't tried floating it yet, silicone is still curing. Goody has his set up the same and he said it floats.

[Pc4sun]

Good job.

[Goody]

I haven't tried floating it yet, silicone is still curing. Goody has his set up the same and he said it floats.

Mine has been float tested and it does float. It has a heavier feel to it also from the rods.

Mobile

[Cowpokey]

I bet with some looking (as opposed to 2 seconds of googling) one could find a thinner version of this stuff:

The foam in mine is 1/2" round foam, locked in place with a hot glue gun.

Picked up the foam at Lowes or Home Depot, it's called caulk less insulation, or something like that. 20' of it in a package was pretty cheap.

[Cowpokey]

Poly Foam Caulk Saver is the foam:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Frost-Kin...C22H/100159362

[Salty Dog]

Cool, looks like another project on the schedule. Thanks for the info. Nothing better then the revival of the Ole Hawg trough.

[baldkayaker]

I hope you knocked 2 inches or so out of the middle for an instant boost in all future catches!

[PigPen]

I've been looking for a better measuring device and was worried about the fragile nature of these things. BSP sells a rickety plastic one that extends out like a slide rule or a aluminum one that won't fold, float or hold a fish. Would building my own with PVC be out of the question? I already own some 4" tubes used for storing and moving rods.

[mweber02]

Great idea to fix the break. Those look like the wooden stakes plow companies put out before snow to mark off paved areas. I would assume a wooden stake would help it float.

[J.A. Veil]

I've been looking for a better measuring device and was worried about the fragile nature of these things. BSP sells a rickety plastic one that extends out like a slide rule or a aluminum one that won't fold, float or hold a fish. Would building my own with PVC be out of the question? I already own some 4" tubes used for storing and moving rods.

Before I bought my Hawg Trough, I made a similar device out of a thin-walled plastic 4" pipe sliced in half lengthwise. I glued a plastic ruler inside and put a snap-on lid from a deli container over the end to make a stop for 0". It did not hold up very well, so I bought the Hawg Trough. I have heard of guys making their Hawg Troughs more flotable and durable by adding spray-in insulation along the back side of the trough. You could also incorporate Cowpokey's idea of using the fiberglass rod for stability.

[Frogsauce]

Just use wood. You can make your own to whatever length you want. You can even make a folding one with hinges. It's very simple, cheap, and it floats.