FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

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Here I sit on a Wednesday morning, watching fishing.  The plan was to get up and go, but I just did not make it.  But fishing is always on my mind and here is a few random thoughts.

8/11.  My first marlin, a fishing memory forever burned in my mind.

It is our 7th Birthday. Thanks!

The blog’s birthday is the reason I put up these particular pictures from 8/11.  My first marlin, a fishing moment that can’t, and will never, be topped as long as I live. Today fishcatchingtravel enters it’s 8th year. The first post was in August 2008 and this will be my 989th post.  It boogles my little pea brain.  The site has come from a simple desire to put this stuff down on print to a full fledged website that has had hundreds of thousands of visitors over the years.  That was never the plan, in fact it still floors me at times how far this site has come.

Over the years I have had my moments, this is to much work, costs to much, takes away some from the real reason I fish, but I have soldiered on.  But the rewards have so outweighed the work.  So many new friends, some great fishing with folks I would have never met, and even the occasional free stuff.  And I have learned so much, I hope you have too. But this blog comes down to one simple thing, you.  Without you readers this would be long gone.  Every time I get a nice comment, a fishing report, or maybe a suggestion on how to do this or that, it makes it all worth it.  I can not thank you enough.

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S.A.D.

Seasonal Affective Disorder – sort of.  Normally this disorder is a winter disorder caused by the inadequate exposure to light.  Well that is not my problem right now.  I am currently suffering from a variation of this syndrome.  In my case it is Summer Affective Disorder, in other words I am freakin’ sick of summer this year for some unknown reason.  I can barely get motivated to hitch up the boat and go fishing.  And the last couple of trip results hasn’t helped matters.

All I can think about is fall schooling redfish, the Corky thump from a winter trout, a bass smoking a jerk bait when it is 30 degrees out, and those crisp morning rides across the water as dawn breaks.  Unfortunately this syndrome is not official, there is no pill, no treatment, nothing to cure my current condition.  Looking at the weather here for the next 10 days shows a great variation in day time temps, wildly swinging between 96 and 97 degrees with a 10% chance of hope.  According to Jessie the weather dude, who’s forecasts I alternately love and hate, we will be looking at a heat index of over 100 without a break. Love that humidity.

But there is a temporary cure for my fishing funk, Colorado.  A little over a week away, today’s forecast for Pagosa Springs – 83/52 with 32% humidity.  Fishing for trout in a cold mountain stream in the heart of the National Forest, hiking over 11,000 feet to a stunning mountain lake, it is the cure for what ails me.  So I am taking a few days off from the water to regenerate, at least until tomorrow morning.

********************Get inhaled

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8/11.  Love those Louisiana trips!

How much does it cost to go fishing?  Or in other words do not tell the Boss!

The answer?  I don’t want to know, but now that I brought it up lets take a real simplified look.  I can’t believe I am doing this.  So we will take a year and average the costs over 150 trips. First the boat.  In my case $30k for 10 years of use, they don’t last forever.  $3k a year, so $20 a trip.  And then you have to get there, so gas for both truck and boat.  Even for a fairly close short trip $30 is a reasonable estimate.  (Probably $70 yesterday.)  Wear and tear on the truck, .25 a mile, a low estimate on a 50 miles roundtrip, again a short trip, $13.  Insurance at $300 a year is $2 a trip.  And just general maintance, not including a new trailer, tires, and graph, etc., around $600 a year if I am lucky, or $4.

• Boat  $20
• Gas  $30
• Insurance  $2.
• Maintenance  $4
• Vehicle costs $13

This may be simplified, but I do not want to know any more.  I am sure I have missed something but that is clearly a low trip estimate.  Take this year as an example.  New trailer – $2800.  Upholstery – $300.  New trolling motor – $900.  New graph shortly – $750.  Hard to average those out over their useful life, but it is plenty.  And we have not even taken into account my tackle shopping habits.  So when I occasionally whine about the cost, looking at it this way might give you an idea why.  This is an O-shit moment – I am spending an easy $75 average a day every time I go fishing, not counting tackle, rods and reels, ice, water, and a couple of moon pies.  Wish I had not done this!  Actually I am sure the Boss has a real understanding of the costs, or prefers to think gremlins are raiding the checking account.  At least I have this blog so I can whine some more.  There is only one way to reduce the average cost, fish more often!  Yea, that’s the ticket.  And one last comment – It is worth every freakin’ penny!

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My motor is bigger than yours.  What are we in the 5th grade?

OMG.  I just saw the first teaser ad for the new Yamaha outboard.  It is going to be 400hp!  Is there no end to the madness?  Are we going to see even more high dollar boats screaming along shooting big rooster tails as they blow by us?  I fully understand the need for speed, our car is a perfect example of that, but this is nuts.  Sorry, but I think the horsepower race has finally gotten onboard the train to Crazy Town.

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8/11.  And Belize is not the bad either!

Pro Teams

With the advent of the internet the tackle companies have come up with an ingenious program for folks wanting to be on their Pro Team, and to sell more stuff.  So out of curiosity I have responded to a couple and they all have similar programs.  One is for “real” pros, of course they get it all.  Then for the rest of the Pro Team you get a discount, but only if you buy a certain amount of product.  Which looking at them closely you can usually get the same products on sale for the same or less, but you don’t get the cool stickers.  It seems to have boiled down to a simple fact – Spend a bunch of money with us and you can be a Pro.

One rod company’s program was 40% off the regular price, you had to by at least 5, and had to swear on your loved one’s grave that you would exclusively use their rods.  Ok, not a bad deal, unless you want a rod for bonefishing, tarpon, or any other fish besides a 15″ green one.  Another required you to purchase 5 of their products initially, and then buy 4 more by years end, all at 30% off.  In fact, there is now a online company that charges you to register to be a Pro, and then connects you with companies who make the kind of Pro deals above.  Every body is getting in on the act.

I have to confess that I am a value shopper.  I keep abreast of all the sales, be it retail or online.  Folks if the spirit moves you do it, especially if you really do swear by their products.  I do the same with folks who’s products I believe in.  But you can buy the same stuff, or another companies similar products, anytime for the same price or less.  Guess this observation comes from the whining about the above cost of going fishing.

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And Topwater Billy chimed in on my strike out the other day.

Well, well well.
First off, you dam well had better knocked on the proverbial wood when you made the statement about the 50 hp. That’s like the kiss of death, saying something of that nature.
Second, you’re fishin’ the wrong water, man. That fresh stuff is for drinking and bathing in.
Lastly, as I’ve already said, if you put together another of the Chandeleur trips, let me know. Can’t promise I will be able to make it, but I would sure like the option.

Knocked on the side of my head right after I wrote that about the 50hp.  And the fresh vs. salt argument will go on among fisherman.  But like opinions and rear ends we all have them.  In my case it is 50 years of freshwater fishing and it is hard to get off that train so I keep on plugging.  And as far as a potential Louisiana trip, 4 folks have expressed interest, I will keep all informed.  Good to hear from you.

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Reading multiple fishing reports from various sites it seems the redfish are starting to school up.  There have been several really cool videos of huge masses of redfish, and lots of reports of great catches of reds right now.  Reminds me of 2 winters ago when Chris and I found a massive school of reds down near Twin Coves, right before the Austin boys showed for Fishmass.  The first morning the one boat went down there, we stopped on the pocket above them.  Then we heard yelling and here comes all 4 of them, running for all they were worth.  In front of them was a red wave, a huge massive tidal wave of hundreds of reds with the boys in hot pursuit.  When the reds dispersed the boys came over, all with a limit.  We ended up taking them back to get their boat, almost a mile away.  Fall really is just right around the corner, and with it some redfish madness.

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So back to real life.  I am off to Lowe’s to pick up new boards and carpet to redo the skiff’s bunks.  (Just a note.  On past repairs I have used outdoor carpet from Lowes, it held up well and was half the cost of the bunk carpet sold in stores.)  The job is actually not that bad, simply make the new ones, go fishing at the lake, and when done make the switch and off you go.  Trailers, can’t live with them and can’t live without them.  Then my GPS sonar researh will resume.

I have looked until I am blind.  I really am not a deep structure fisherman, I just want to know how deep it is, maybe see a fish or two, and how to get where in the hell I might want to be on a new body of water.  So if any of you have an opinion on brands let me know.  I am particularly interested if any of you have used the Raymarine Dragonfly or any other Raymarine product.  The top of the line is the Dragonfly 7Pro and the thing that I like about it is it comes with both freshwater and coastal mapping, which saves a ton of money over buying the cards to go along with other units.  And don’t even go there with the ability to update,  or interface with the Starship Enterpise, or the ability to upload on faceytime.  That is not happening with me.  I am all about ease of use.  So I really am interested in any input you all might have on gps/locators, if you have an opinion lets hear it.

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8/11.  Wow!  Not the stringer but who is that young man on the right?  Guess I have not gotten any prettier over the years!

There you have it for today.  It really has been an adventure and while I have made some mistakes, it is what it is for better or for worse.  So again a big thank you to all of you, you know who you are, that have supported this all these years.  I am humbled and appreciative.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines