FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

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Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.

I hope whatever you do today you have a great day.  I was going to fish but will wait until tomorrow.  In my case it will be a nice quiet day at home with the Boss at work saving lives, popping pimples, and everything in between.  My plan will be to do a little reorganization of the tackle room and of course to watch some football.  A lifetime Bear fan, and a 10 year Cowboy fan, (How is that possible?) football and Thanksgiving have been a part of my life since I was old enough to watch .  Having them both play back to back makes for a great day.  Plus my arms and hands are aching, casting the cork and popping it over and over is work, so a day of rest will do wonders.  Back at it tomorrow.

What a mess!

Things I am thankful for today.

• That the Boss and I are about to hit the 30 year mark.  Everyday is a blessing.
• That she still likes me, I hope!
• That my parents are doing well.
• That my brother Kelly is there always helping them.
• That my great in-laws are doing well.
• That I have been cutting some “dead wood” (Read folks who are a buttheads.) out of my life the last few years, and it sure has been better.  The culling continues.  Life is to short to suffer fools.
• That my daughter, her husband, and my 2 grandkids are doing great.  As I write this they are in Africa with their foundation working with poor children and making their lives better.  Unlike other folks they not only talk the talk, but walk the walk.  You can not believe how little they have and how thankful they are.  Love you guys.
• That I am not on any medicine, and neither of us has any real medical issues, and other than wear and tear we are both doing fine.  (You who are not that old will soon appreciate that when you hit the big 65.)
• That the blog has brought me much joy and let me meet so many great folks that share our love of fishing.  Opinions may differ, our backgrounds may be complete opposites, but our love of fishing binds all of us with a common language.  I love hearing from all of you.
• And as a former Nationally Registered Paramedic I appreciate that there are folks out there, cops, EMTs, fireman, and the military, who sacrifice much to keep us safe and sound.  And a special thanks to the ER Docs, PAs and Nps, and nurses who will wade in it to keep us alive.  While we are all fat and sassy watching football after a big Thanksgiving meal with our families they are on the front lines.  Thanks to you and your family for your sacrifice.  You are not forgotten.
• And thanks to all of you, it has been my pleasure.

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WTF?

I get tons of spam on this site every day.  My favorite was the one I used to get a lot – “You used to be interesting.”  But now I have a new one that comes a couple of times a day and it is epic.  Interesting way to try to sell me something.

What I wouldnt give to have a debate with you about this. You just say so many things that come from nowhere that Im pretty certain Id have a fair shot. Your weblog is fantastic visually, I mean people wont be bored. But others who can see past the videos and the layout wont be so impressed with your generic understanding of this subject..

Any time asshole.  LOL!  This guy no more knows what my blog is about than the man in the moon.  The internet is an interesting and dangerous place.  A perfect example is how some folks comment on Facebook.  If you can’t say something nice don’t say anything.  Guess it make them feel better.

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Redfish Candy!

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And now for a real comment.

Doug, seeing you in your winter gear , I HAVE COME TO THE CONCLSION THAT YOU CAN EVEN CATCH FISH IN THE WATERS AROUND THE NORTH POLE AND THAT WATER IS JUST PURE ICE !!!!!

There are not many people of your caliber who would brave the elements as you do. Hats of to you, brother. What did I do today–nothing but gripe about how much rain of late and all the cold temps.

Boy Howdy keep doin’ what you do and keep us arm chair quarterbacks informed.

Its your True Grit , my friend I am sitting by the fire place on a cold wet night with a Guinness. Who knows, I just may just get up early in the morning and go fishin!!! BAh Humbug !!!!!!!!!!!! Call me a Whimp.

However we are all so blessed to fish in any weather.

I just bet a guy you will fish on Thanksgiving–go get em’ Doug, Mac

Mac has been with me from the beginning.  It is so good to hear from you and that you are up right and taking liquid nourishment.  And sitting by the fire on a cold wet day with a Guinness sounds like heaven to me.  Trust me, at times it has been tough to keep it up and occasionally I just want to sit by the fire and nurse a toddy.  But by the same token the blog has taken me on the water more than I ever would have without it, and I do not regret one day.  (Except those occasional things like throwing a rod in the lake or taking out a loan to fill up the truck and the boat at the gas pumps.)  And this time of year the fishing is a no brainer and the next 6 months are the money shot, no matter the weather.

It is a sight and sounds extravaganza as the geese left the marsh yesterday.  One of those great outdoor moments.

And funny that your comment came today.  As I was riding down river yesterday morning the memories of days like this came flooding back.  Winter fishing, high wind, rain, ice, lining up to blast off in the Bass-A-Thon in the pitch black at 10 degrees in February, done it all.  Coming back in rollers so big I cracked the hull on my bass boat.  Fishing a tournament when it was 20 degrees and wondering why the boat was filling up with water.  Changing a trailer tire along side the interstate out of Tallahassee when it was 110 degrees as the cars are screamed by.  Going on trips where you had to make the best of it just comes with the territory.  It has been all about how bad do you want it.  It made me smile thinking about all of that as I ran along happy as a clam, and today was extra special because I knew I was going to whack them.  And if it warms your heart by the fire I could not be any more humbled.  Thanks for the kind words.

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For some reason I am still getting friend requests faster than I can deal with them.  Many are fishermen/tackle companies/fishing apparel etc.  Everybody is trying to sell something.  One of the rod and reel companies I had to unfriend because they were posting literally all day and night about their stuff.  And while I have no problem with that a few fishing pictures and a little real information would be appreciated.  So from now on I will stick with my “friends”.  I am not trying to sell you anything, other than the occasional line of BS.  But hey, what do you expect, it’s free.

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And I got a note from Michael, the owner of the Controlled Descent Lures, and he gave me a tip.  Next time I use it on the popping cork I will add the floatation to slow the descent even more, and make it hang horizontal.  I sure know one thing, they were eating it today.  And he is still working on the new bait, wish I could tell you about it but I would have to kill ya, so we will just have to wait and see.  But I sure like the concept.  Lures continue to evolve and it is due to young designers like Michael who have a vision.  Old guys like us who started out on “rubber worms”  think we have seen it all when something else comes along to move the needle.  It all adds to our collective fishing tool bag.  Remember lures are nothing more than tools that have their place.  It is up to you how you use them.

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I cooked the Boss her Thanksgiving breakfast before sending her on her way.  They are having a turkey dinner at work, I on the other hand will be having a steak.  And the biggest plan today, sort some fishing stuff, trudge a couple of miles on the treadmill, watch 2 football games, read my book in peace and quiet, and stay in my pajamas all day.  Perfect.   Fishing is back on the menu tomorrow.  And the day would not be complete without a fishing memory.  How about Fayette 2012?

So whatever you do, whoever you do it with, have a great day.  Keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines