Lund Explorer

I stand corrected sir!

Clayton doesn't have anything to worry about as long as he can pass this sobriety test!

Actually, Google gives credit for that quote to Frank. I'd have to say Skunked is in the lead. But two questions remain!

I keep forgetting that you live quite a ways south of here. I see that favorite lake thing and figure that's your neighborhood (Duh). It must be nice to be able to get out fishing before the end of April like it is up here. Anyways a springtime roadtrip for me is perfect as it adds a few weeks to my fishing season. It even snowed here at home during last year's trip! Pretty sure I wouldn't have been on the lakes up here during that week. When ever and where ever, I'll be looking forward to seeing if the trip fits into my schedule again next year.

Are you feeling the itch? Maybe it isn't too late to tie up a few dozen jigs and mail them to each of the road trip coordinators along with a suggestion or two? Perhaps a brand new design that you could name "Ants in Your Pants"!

Drunken Trivia Time - Who made the following quotes: 1. "A woman made me drink..... I never did thank her though!" 2. "I feel sorry for people who don't drink.... When they get up in the morning, that's the best they'll feel all day!" Bonus Question: How do you call a deaf duck?

Agree with the above on the use of live bait. My preference for bobbers are the stick type that are more sensitive. You might ask the den leader about rods/reels if any of the scouts will be bringing ones from home. Be prepared to have enough rigs for each scout to have one though just in case. You'll probably be busy enough to not have one for you, but may want to make an offer to the leader. If you're looking for an educational experience, ask the den leader if there is some part of the program that could be gone into. Other than that, I'd stress time fishing. At this age it is more important for them to enjoy. TAKE ALONG A CAMERA! After the event, make a printout of the pictures to give to the den leader to hand out to the cub scouts to have for their own. Keep another set to put towards your requirements for that Eagle badge. Maybe post a few on here to boot!

So long as you understand that buying a trailer is not an investment, I'd say why not. It puts the wife and kids on the ground floor and makes her happy. I wouldn't worry about what your FIL has to say on the subject now or in the future about the whole decision as he will probably do so anyhow whether you take him on the offer or not. If he's going to talk, put him on the hook for a better trailer that might be a little easier to heat in the winter and doesn't have a ton of built in repair projects needed already. While you are gone, just consider those payments to really be rent. After you get home from your deployment and you get your life back in order, then start looking for a real home that will build equity. As a matter of fact, maybe your best bet would be to suggest to the FIL that he purchase this trailer as a rental property that he can use as an investment. It will be a lot easier to move out of it, and he'll be on the hook for the najor repairs that older mobilehomes all face.

Almost as bad is growing up in a small town where one of the police officers was just as addicted to hunting and fishing as I was. You cannot imagine how many times I was "pulled over" by this guy. Not for a traffic violation, but simply for the latest report on what was biting, or how I'd done bunny hunting. It was soooooo much fun when someone would call my Mom to explain how they had seen me suffering another traffic stop!

Most of the CO's I've had contact were very professional, and I know several by name as they have been on the job for years. We did have one youngster that had issues, but he has fortunately been long gone from our area. I'm not sure if he just had the wrong attitude or what, but even one of the other CO's got in the habit of carrying cards with the name and address of the main surpervisor so people knew who to send complaints to. As long as people treat them with respect, these officers seem willing to return the favor if you are following the rules. Sort of like a lot of other professions.

Wow, a bunch of great responses, and a vastly superior question in the original post. We don't see nearly enough detailed questions like this one and it makes it a lot easier to provide an answer to. The only thing I'm going to add as a response is to target shallow water cover. I've always found that bass will move into very skinny water when it's dingy.

I know you said you didn't want to break the bank, but you may want to look re-siding the house at the same time if it will need it in the next few years. That was our project last summer, and it worked out great. Some of the beneifts: 1. Stick with the company's standard sizes which are cheaper. 2. Siding now fits perfectly to the new windows. 3. Chance to add 1/4" insulation and Tyveck <sp>. Our house could use the extra insulation and was old enough it didn't have house wrap. Also before the project starts, start watching the sales flyers for the wood you'll need to do finish work on the inside. The stuff goes on some crazy sale prices a few times a year. It took us two months to find a sale but saved close to half on cost. Stick with a quality window maker, buy the E-Glass option, plus make sure it is rated for your area to qualify for the tax breaks. We cut our heating bill by almost 40% the first winter! That paid back a lot of the extra cost we had doing the project.

Hey Kid. Is somebody with one of those fancy fiberglass rockets giving you the what for about your favorite fishing holes? Next time ask him where he started fishing before he got tied down with the big old monthly payment! I guess I'll never live long enough to figure out why some people feel the need to look down their noses at the how or where others enjoy the sport. If I were you, I'd ignore the ignorant around you and just enjoy a spot where you know he'll never show up. BTW, how's school going?

Great post A-Jay! Makes all those years when I was stationed in the middle of North Dakota seem longer and colder somehow...... Thanks!

When has a case of irritable bowel syndrome required an escort by two USAF F-16's? Ever since 9/11! http://www.detnews.com/article/20110912/METRO/109120377/FBI--Detroit-bound-flight-passengers-were-no-threat I wonder what would've happened if a couple just wanted to join the mile high club.....

Read sections IV & VIII of the attached. This is pretty close to the rules our club had. Not surprising in as much as we were a B.A.S.S. affiliated club. We averaged about 20 members each year, and about 2/3's owned a boat. During most tournaments, some of us boaters had to either volunteer to leave our boats home, or a drawing was held to determine who had to. No member was ever forced to leave their boat on shore more than once in any year. http://www.michiganbass.net/images/State%20Championship%20Rules.pdf I should also say that even though the club's president, tournament director, and many of the members were long time friends, the club always did its very best to welcome any new members. The seven years I fished with this group were some of the best tournament years I ever had. I still see many of these guys today even after I got out of the cast for cash racket and consider them as life long friends. The most important lesson I learned was something the club's president always reminded the members. That the goal of the club was based less on winning and more on fair play and sportsmanship.

I'm trying to figure out how any species survived the good old days of stringer pictures back in the early 1900's. Seems rather strange that we're now worried about one fish dying when some of those pictures showed hundreds of dead fish hanging in front of a handfull of anglers.

A simple google search of "studies on released fish from bass tournaments" will give you a ton of articles to read on the subject. From what I've read years ago, some fish will return to their original capture site while others will relocate to suitable structure closer to the release site. Biggest factor is that most survive the ordeal to still be catchable. That is a vast improvement from the days when fish where brought to the scales on stringers.

How many more does your wife need for that sled team? Mackinaw Mush is just around the corner!

26 cu/ft isn't all that big when I had to feed the size of the tribe we had. Once a year we stuffed a whole cow into it, along with at least 1/2 a pig, a couple of deer, and untold amounts of fish. Those salmon aren't small! My favorite time of the year was when Jackie took all the kids to pick strawberries for freezer jam. So how big was the walk in freezer aboard that ice breaker?

Morning A-Jay! Some good advice so far, but a few other things to consider. First, buy the biggest unit that will fit the space you have for it. Keep the unused portion of the freezer full by putting in bottles/containers of ice water. The more in the freezer, the more efficient it will work. The stored ice will also help in the event of a power outage. Second, see if you can find some containers to store your frozen goodies in. I've used the older style plastic crates that they used to use for milk products. In our 26 cubic foot job, you can stack them two front/back, two deep, and five wide. We sort out product by type and make sure we rotate what goes into it. Third, buy a vacuum sealer and bulk bags. They do help fight off freezer burn. Label all of the bags with the date you put it in the freezer.

I can see it now, Clayton is sitting on some mountain top in the middle of BFE Afghanistan in a few months when his phone rings. "I'm hungry....... Come home and make me a grilled cheese sandwich!" My suggestion is to get her used to it now. Go fishing in the morning. 1st cast is with the phone into the middle of the river. After that, toss anything you want in peace and quiet. If that doesn't work, sit outside the bathroom door anytime she goes inside, and ask her endless questions. You have a two year old so you have the perfect example of what to ask. The moral of the story is that no relationship is going to last if you are required to share certain life sustaining organs with your spouse. You might as well teach her to be somewhat self sufficient now, or get yourself fitted for a shock collar.

Of all the votes for Canada, yours listed three of the top reasons I'm with you. And I couldn't care less about bacon or ginger ale!

It doesn't have to stressful at all if the boater and non-boater understands and obeys the rules. In the OP's post, he stated that those rules gave the non-boater the right to run the trolling motor for half of the day. I've fished several clubs that gave the non-boaters that option and I never had a problem going to the back of the boat for half the day. It gave the other angler a chance to setup casting angles, and at times when we were fishing docks, it gave him the first chance at some of those fish. Having boaters and nonboaters competing for the same prize money while giving the boater control for the whole day is a recipe for a failed club that has nothing to do with the nonboaters in it. Maybe it is the boaters in the OP's club that need to look for something that fits their needs better.

Because bass are a lot like trout and have many fans that enjoy their beauty. Probably the same reason why pork chops are eaten by more people than lamb chops. I mean, Mary had a little lamb, whose fleece was white as snow. Aside from Charlotte, who was friends with a pig?