Lund Explorer

Boot Scootin' Boogie will always remind me of the Wednesday morning that I got my first chance to fish Lake Fork. It was in April of 1993 when a group of us "Yankees" traveled down to Longview Texas to compete in the KYKX Big Bass Bonanza. We stayed with a brother-in-law of one of my buddies, a real dyed in the wool Texan. He was so much the Texan, that he refused to come up to Michigan because the Dairy Queen's up here didn't have BBQ and a Dr. Pepper on the lunch menu. Anyhow, on the Wednesday that we decided to fish Lake Fork, I got to travel and fish with him. His favorite song was Brooks and Dunn belting out Boot Scootin' Boogie..... And he had a cassette tape loading with something like ten versions of that darn song. From Longview, through Gilmer, through Quitman, and right up to the shore where the 154 bridge crosses the lake, we listened to the same song, over and over again. Thank God he didn't have a cassette player in his boat! BTW - PB on LM that day 9lbs 9oz.

Sounds like a great trip. I think you've made a lifetime of memories for both of you.

Good Story! Now for a true story on how to get away with speeding. Back many years ago, 1974 to be exact, we had a new 55mph speed limit that the then President Nixon had signed into law. Needless to say, there wasn't a whole lot of happy people with that speed law, and many people, including my father broke that law every day they hit the expressway. Anyhow, shortly after President Nixon had resigned my dad and I were headed to Lansing from Grand Rapids down I-96. Pops as usual was cruising along at around 70mph when the state trooper pulled him over. "Excuse me sir" the cop said "Do you know how fast you were going?" "70mph officer" my dad replied. So the cop says "Don't you know that the speed limit is only 55mph?" And without missing a beat, dad said "Didn't that go out with the president?" The cop got this little smirk on his face, chuckled a little bit, and then started into a full and complete belly laugh. He walked back to his patrol car, got in, and drove away. He was still laughing as he went by us, and just waved. True Story!

Save yourself a bunch of money by buying the 12v and just getting a pair of small drift anchors for when you want to troll. I use my 60hp for walleye by using two bags, one on each side amidships in front of the console. W/O the bags I can't get down below 2.4mph, with them, I get right down to 0.8mph. Its a lot easier using the wheel to steer while trolling, especially in a chop.

Here's a place to start, the MI-DNR guide for boater access sites. http://www.mcgi.state.mi.us/MRBIS/matchcounty.asp?Cnty=81 You might also want to see what you can find out about the Huron River. The Pinckney State Game Area has a bunch of lakes including shore fishing and boat rentals http://www.michigandnr.com/parksandtrails/FeatureList.aspx?id=484&type=SPRK

Yup, Woo fished for smallies the whole tournament around a breakwall just offshore of Chicago. Most of the guys that caught LM did so by running in the Chicago River or the Ship Canal. I'd sure like to see a classic held in Detroit some year.

Ditto on the location..... Give us something to work with.

I moved from a glass bass boat into a Lund Deep-V. Its a 1675 Explorer SS with a 60hp 4-Stroke Mercury. Not a bad boat by any means, but it is under-horsed (BIA plate says 90hp), and you can catch quite a bit of spray at times. I think the wet ride comes from the fact that this boat has fairly straight sidewalls. If I had to do it all over, I might look at a boat with sloped sidewalls to keep the spray issue down (maybe Polar Craft?), and I would max out on motor size.

These days, I'll give just about anybody the GPS numbers to everything I've ever found. Of course I wouldn't mind a few tips on a good morel mushroom spot or two in exchange.

Catchy, but has a negative connotation. how about Cast for Hope, or something like that.... Now you're getting close. How about Cast 4A Cure?

I'll try to remember that. Good thing about my accounting courses my professors are CPA's. So hopefully since my school small, and it easy get professor help and could get recommendation from them to other CPA's or if a CFP they might know could use my help. My economic professor a CFP and he told me he work with CPA's, and the CPA will steer clients to him for more advice on investment and CPA will take care of taxes. He told me if I become CPA it be wise to partner up with stockbrokers, CFP, etc and they will help steer clients my way or pay for some of my service for their clients if I promise do same to them. You'll also want to get on good terms with the local commercial loan officers at the banks, real estate agents that deal in commercial properties, as well as attorneys that specialize in corporations, partnerships and LLC's. Lots of folks that can enter into a mutually beneficial relationships.

Rhino, I could write you a book about why, but on a busy day for me I'll give you a short two word answer to your question..... Human Nature.

Hey Root Beer, Here's to hoping you get your foot in the door some day. Just don't let those big boys pigeon hole you into that cubicle. And I'm always around if you want to PM me if you get stuck on something.

If you'd like some advice from a guy who is already 30+ years down your chosen career path, you had better plan on doing it all. And you REALLY need your CPA license if you want to deal with Uncle Sam on behalf of your clients. Not too many EA's anymore, and that is about the minimum for doing this job anymore. The key for me has been to focus on the small "Mom & Pop" business clients. Not a bad life, but be prepared to having to handle accounting, taxes, audits, software, plus a whole litany of consultation services. If you're good at it, you won't be able to handle all the clients that will come your way.

Probably not a bad idea to check the fishing rod's eyelets for rough spots too. Easy to do with a cotton swab.

If it makes you feel any better crappie are referred to as "Calico Bass" in some parts of the country. Up here, they're usually called specks. We catch them all the time when using small bass lures, so you are getting close. Good Luck!

My vote was for Baby Bass...... What other color would you want a bass to be?

So did you survive your day on the water yet, or is it still upcoming? I just got back from there (voluntarily for enjoyment only) if you need an update on the latest and greatest.

Everything I've seen here are good choices. But toss in a small floating Rapala that matches the normal baitfish in that stream. It can double as a surface lure when twitched as it washes downstream, or can be used as a crankbait, even a miniature jerkbait. If your stream has enough current, you can also stay above the cover and allow the lure to work in a drop-back method like they do for salmon or steelhead.

Welcome! Do you guys have a brother named Kenny?

It's scary how I keep getting told "Welcome to BR", when I'm only 10 miles from there..... Big Rapids (Michigan) that is!

I'm going to go against the majority of posters here and tell you that I don't see anything wrong with a boat loan, but with a little additional advice as to how to go about it. While I'm still regarded as a "Newbie" on this forum, I have been around the block quite a few times, and I have financed three different boats over the years. My advice is to first take a long hard look at your finances, both today, and in the near term future. If you've already got a secure job, you're into a home that you plan on keeping, and all of your other existing debts are under control, you should know what you can comfortably control. The two best people to help you with this thought process is your banker, and your spouse. Make sure to take the advice they both give you, for obvious reasons. Once you've figured out how much you can afford, don't make the mistake of rushing right off to the new boat store. While you won't end up with the absolute latest and greatest, the used boat market is normally the better option. Let the first owner take the big depreciation hit for the first couple of years. And make sure to keep the length of any loan down to around 3 - 4 years. This faster payoff will give you the chance to build equity in your boat so you can always trade up every few years or so while keeping roughly the same payment. Taking out a 10+ year boat payment will only leave you with a paid off boat that will be worth about what the old payment book is worth. Hey, being debt free is great, I've been there since 2003. But there is nothing wrong with well managed debt, as long as it is well managed and you don't end upside-down a year or so down the road. BTW - Right now, I've down sized from a 19' Pantera II with a $200 per/month payment, into a 17' Lund without a payment.

Just a guess, but look to see if there is a difference in the length of the shank (part between the bottom of the ball and the bottom flare). If they are different, I'd bet the long shank ball is the one with the problem.

Howdy Ridgerunner 7, Good Old Hamlin Lake.... You're right about all the critters in that lake. Between the Pike, Dogfish, and the occasional Musky, a guy can lose a lot of baits on a trip there. I've been fishing that lake for a number of years, and the fishing can tough at times. Normally I stay on the upper lake from Victory Park (boat launch) down to the narrows. I'll buzz down to the lower lake in the spring to hit the North Bayou, and the boat channels all the way down on the south end of the lake. Fall can also be a good time down there for the smallies off of the main breaklines. But on the upper lake, I can usually put quite a few fish in the boat by working plastic worms around the docks and the surviving weed beds that haven't been sprayed into oblivion. I've had some of my best luck from Indian Pete's Bayou down to the narrows along the south shore. Most of it has a fairly fast drop with a narrow weed band when there's actually weeds there. There is also a fairly productive drop off along the north shore almost straight across from the boat landing. Favorite baits for me? #1 - 7" Power Worm (Junebug or Tequila), #2 - 7" Power Worm..... As far as Pere Marquette Lake, for some reason I've never fished it for bass. But if it is anything like some of the other nearby river mouths, (Pentwater, Manistee, or Portage) you may want to switch to trying to find the weedbeds and target the largemouths. If you want to try for the smallies, target either the docks or slab wood piles. I'd suggest either a double willowleaf spinnerbait, or maybe a Kalin's grub (5" Avacado is my favorite) Those darn zebra mussels, they sure have changed things.

I've never fished Lake Louise/Thumb Lake, but it sure looks like a pretty little lake. And DEEP! That should eliminate quite a bit of it unless you're going after the trout in there. Other than looking for how deep the thermocline is where the smelt should be, I think I'd spend the first morning working across the top of that big saddleback on the east side of the lake. Topwaters in the morning followed by a drop shot rig along the dropoffs later in the day. And of course, it looks like there are quite a few docks along the northern shoreline. Should be some largemouth hanging around them. Good Luck!