FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

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Happy Sunday from the Texas coast where it will hit the 110 degree heat index mark today!

When I got this question from SA Joe I figured I needed to reread the post.  It was simply a matter of I knew what the hell I was talking about but since I am not the reader it was a fail.  So here is the best answer.

 Sorry for the confusion.

                                   That is one awesome looking buzzbait.

It was probably 1975 when I had my tackle store and was just really starting my guiding career and fishing tournaments fairly regularly.  Bassmaster Magazine had an article on a new bait that won a major BASS tourney.  I ordered some immediately, got them 3 days later, and on the first bank I put 8 Kentucky bass in the boat.  I have been hooked on buzzbait fishing ever since.  The fact that this one also floats just adds to the effectiveness and the design should fish over grass, a real advantage with a buzzbait.  It should be killer anywhere there are big bass and based on our experience with other doubles it would not even survive a week in Canada!  And what the heck at 3 for the price of 1 you can’t beat the deal.  So sorry I wasn’t clear, thanks for pointing that out.

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One of the concessions to “old” age and retiring early was being able to travel and fish, so I finally got the Tow Boat US unlimited coverage and the roadside support.  Not to pricy but it only takes once and you could have paid for it for years.  And it is nice to know if it all goes bad there is someone coming.  As a part of that I  get the Boat US Magazine and the August/September 2017/page 34 issue had an article on the proposed Trump budget as it relates to marine issues and I can not help but comment on some of it.

Some quick budget figures:    The National Marine Fisheries Service     -3%,   National Weather Service     -5%,     US Coast Guard   -1.6%,  Corps of Engineers   -17%,     National Ocean Service   -23%

Before I address each one lets just all agree, our government wastes billions of dollars every year.  No department is immune and there is a need to streamline all of them.  And I am sure the waste is just the same in these departments as in welfare and the military, but that is a discussion for another place.

Looking at the cuts, the National Ocean Service is charged with coastal zone management.  We are losing thousands of acres of coast every year and I wonder what a 23% cut will mean for that.  After seeing what Mississippi has done on their coast it would be nice to see that type of recovery along the whole Gulf Coast.  Another department that goes hand in had with the NOAA is the Corps.

While the Corps has been trolled for waste over the years they are much smaller than when I lived on a Corp lake.  They are in charge of  dredging, waterways, flood control, locks, and dams, and even camp grounds, ramps, and parks on Corp Lakes.  A 17% reduction in their budget would be devastating.  I do not have to tell you the condition of dams all over this country, large and small.  Many stretches of the inter-coastal are silting in, as are many passes all over the country.  Imagine a life on the Coast if dredging comes to a stand still, replacement of markers takes for ever, if at all, and ramps and access closes.  You get the picture.

And the least the Coast Guards budget should not be cut even this little.  If someone had told me when I was in high school in the middle of an Iowa cornfield that if you joined up you got a boat and a gun I would have joined up that day.  They preform vital services in both law enforcement much less saving our stinking lives when it is all on the line.  And I am sure the guys could all use a raise.  They are an important arm of national security, if something should happen in a shipyard or port the same folks who cut the budget will be screaming like they had nothing to do with it and the need for more law enforcement.

Unfortunately some services are going to be cut, end of story, it will just require the individual departments to figure it out.  But people continue to move to coastal areas, boats are everywhere, and millions of people make a living one way or another on the “coast” no matter where they live, not to mention waterways all over this country.  These services are taken for granted but imagine a life without them.  The best we can hope for is that the localities, state, feds, and organizations like the CCA can team up and work together (That is actually happening now amazingly enough.) to protect our coastal areas.  I expect the fight over the budget next month to resemble Game of Thrones.

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One last question for you and it concerns this striper fishing itch I have had lately.  It has been a while since I actually fished for them and seeing some of the stringers from Lake Buchanan has given me that itch.  I did catch a few in the old days and the Boss is a big fan of them on the plate.

OMG!  I did not notice until today that you can see the rear end of my Gremlin.  Folks I was styling in the biggest piece of junk on 4 wheels.  Wish I still had it! 

I am not looking for “spots”, just wanting to know some general info to get me started, I can take it from there.   So if you can help a brother out it would sure be appreciated.  Ramps, lower or upper end, resort or cabins I can leave the boat in the water a couple of days, that kind of thing.  So thanks in advance.  (And of course if you want to cough up the good stuff then like I have done here for 6 years, want me to share it, ok, want me to keep it to myself, fine by me.  I just want to catch a couple.)

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The Cowboys look like they are going to be a handful.  And one thing about the Cowboys that is constant no matter where you live, you either love them or hate them, there is no middle of the road.  It is just a question of how many will stay suspended and how many will be arrested this year.  To bad young players do not realize how fleeting an NFL career is and these days you could be gone and poor in a second.

That is it for today.  Hope you all had a great weekend, and if you fished hope you sacked a few and had a good time.  I on the other hand am now counting the hours.  My return to the water can not come soon enough.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines.