FISH CATCHING TRAVEL
One of my favorite part of any trip is the prep. As I get things under control, and the list is not small, my excitement rises at the thought of this trip. First will be Orlando and ICAST. It will be a who’s who of the fishing industry with the latest and greatest fishing gear so obviously that is a bucket list trip for any fisherman. Nothing like spending a couple of days with Michael talking fishing and spreading a little Knockin Tail knowledge to dealers and stores. It has put plenty of fish in the boat for me both fresh and salt, so it is easy to talk it up.
Then off to the Everglades. (Right this minute it is 13 degrees cooler than here and has been all week.) Of course, I am fishing the Glades but while there plan to fish Lake Ida a couple of times for both peacocks and a species that has always interested me the Clown Knifefish. So even with a couple of days of that I will still have 3 or 4 in the Glades including a day with Michael and a guide who he has fished with several times. (As a side note he is the current IGFA all tackle snook world record holder.)
Clown Knifefish | Complete Guide to How to catch Clown Knife Fish (bassonline.com)
The Clown Knifefish is one weird and beautiful fish and a fitting addition to the “I caught one of those” list. The lake is about an hour and half away from where I am staying so no big deal. So, the trip is shaping up nicely and I cannot wait to get on the road Sunday.
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The Wade Right Fishing Belt and the new Madre Sling.
For all your wading needs.
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I am a big maintenance guy whether boat or truck, and again it paid off. Part of getting ready for a long tow is the truck goes in for oil change, alignment, and overall inspection, along with a rotation and balance on the tires. They came out and said come take a look at this and there it was, one of the back brakes was messed up. It would not have lasted much longer if at all and there is no way it would have lasted through a 3000 mile trip with the boat. So if getting a brake job could be considered a jackpot I look at it this way: Way better than broke down alongside the interstate in Bum Fudge Georgia in the middle of the night.
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I must have clicked a like on some fishing website post and then got a request to like his page. Before I like anything I always go there and see what is up, same with friend requests. In this case he is touting the plastics he will be showing at ICAST. Which brings up the following point – He obviously does not know shit about me, nor has he looked at my page. It seems if he had a clue he might not have asked, at least to a committed direct competitor. Just like the local fishing company/resort that has never once liked anything I have posted but wants me to join their page. Don’t think so. It works both ways and much of these requests are nothing more than number driven. Gee I am hurt, I thought they wanted us to be “friends”.
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While it is too much to copy and paste if you want to see what our Game Wardens faced over the last holiday weekend click here, interesting reading.
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Just think only $15k and it does not run.
Needs work on drives , otherwise great boat , has 4.3 v-6’s …. Drives are corroded have parts for one , still need the other
NO TRAILER !!!!
Amazingly enough he has the titles.
Boat is sold as is. Front has some sort of repair not the best looking at all. Boat floats but is ugly
Front deck is missing over bow, 2 batteries (both dead from sitting I’m sure)
Trailer has older tires and not sure if lights work still been sitting
! Thermostat leaks I already ordered part it’s on back order a week less than 5 minute swap.
I always enjoy this one. No big deal right?
The boat has no title, (one can probably be obtained, You’ll have to talk to the people at Texas Parks & Wildlife to go about it)
My advice: Run! (Project boat = Piece of crap I cannot fix.)
This is a project boat. Motor in poor condition, has not been run in several years. Transom is bad. Steering is frozen. Floor needs to be replaced.
Really solid boat. (Really!)
Needs carpet redone & seats redone or new seats to be really nice. Great dual axel trailer with pretty good tires.
Motor needs a part from what I’ve been told.
And this so he gets top dollar.
Needs some leaves and stuff cleaned out of it.
Just didn’t have time to clean it out.
At least the $75 price is fair.
No title been sitting on the ground for a few years.
In other words it is a POS.
Motor is good, needs a little work. Will need new tires for the trailer. All parts work, but needs a little TLC or use for parts! No title.
Might take a while to get anywhere.
Motor needs some work as it starts from cold but doesn’t restart well from a hot engine. Let it cool down 15 mins and all is good.
And last an honest realistic seller.
FREE ,FREE ,FREE –May be good for paddling around in a pond!!!
Of course, I find the worst of the worst when showing you these. One thing that has happened is there are some good older boats for sale, but at a price I am pretty sure you could have bought them for when new. Plus, there are still a good number of almost new high dollar boats available. If I was looking, I sure would not get in a big hurry. Let the economy settle down and then we might get back to a little more realistic boat prices.
There is a little good news on the boating front as gas in our area dropped to $3.99 a gallon. Where we go from here remains to be seen but as it continues on its downward trend the cost of my trip goes down.
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I hate to rag on TPWD but occasionally they deserve it and on the next 2 issues they deserve tons of criticism. First, there is a deer breeder who the state is engaged with who has multiple documented cases of chronic wasting disease and he is fighting them on whether his whole herd should be put down. My question to TPWD on this very issue: Who do you represent? Rich deer breeders get some kind of pass? The resident whitetail herd is facing increased exposure to CWD from these farms and TWPD comes off as weak and beholden to commercial interests. Not what you are chartered for or what we pay you for.
And second, mountain lions. Texas is one of the only western states that does not have some kind of plan or protection for these amazing creatures. Mountain lions are also listed as a “Species of Greatest Conservation Need,” ranking them between “imperiled” and “vulnerable.” Time for the state to act. The unregulated killing of these animals is just stupid and against all science. Unless that state acts it comes off as either another kowtow to commercial interests or just plain lazy. Either way it sure is not the interests of the lions. Come on TPWD, how about joining enlightened and intelligent states who have a plan. Or is it just business as usual.
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So time to finish up preparations. Raining right now, thank God, so will finish getting tackle ready, leaving the truck detail until tomorrow. Then it is off on another adventure. Folks have occasionally told me I am living the dream, and that would be 100% correct. But you know what, you have to make your dream! We save our money, we rarely eat out, go to movies, buy stupid stuff, and drive 12-year-old cars and boats. It comes down to how bad do you want it? There is one truth about this life: We only get one run at it, and it is up to you what you make of it. We may die broke, the perfect plan, but we die without regret for what we wish we had done. So, seize the day. I will keep you updated on the trip. Keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.
Good Luck and Tight Lines
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A great philosopher once said: “People who have nothing to hide, hide nothing.”
No matter the party every time you hear of one of our “employees” who we the taxpayer pay, elected or appointed including Senators, that refuse to answer a legal subpoena or provide work product just remember this: “People who have nothing to hide, hide nothing.” Look at what has happened with the Uvalde shooting. Think everyone involved have been truthful or open about what really happened? (Gov. Abbott told you they lied to his face.) You are hearing lots of stuff right now on many fronts, but the point, until you say it under oath when given the chance the question still remains: What do you have to hide? And if you hear “absolute immunity” they made that one up. How our employees have become so self-centered, with the belief that they are untouchable is beyond me.
From the mouth of President Trump. (Who took the 5th 97 times in a sworn recorded deposition.)
“The mob takes the Fifth Amendment, if you’re innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment?”
(And before you get your panties in a wad I represented hundreds of felons and have a pretty good idea on how taking the 5th works so save your breath.)
My point on this rant, once you decided to work for us you should be transparent and realize who pays you and who owns your work product. If you do not like it go to work in the private sector like the rest of us. Oh yea, pay and benefits not the same as the rest of us. Who do these folks think they are?
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