Long Mike

I'm pretty meticulous about taking care of the interior. I let the lake wash the hull. It's aluminum.

The same as it was the last five times this question was asked.

Solder the wires and then use shrink wrap. No worries about crimp connections and definitely no worries about twisting the wires together.

When I graduated from High School my parents gave me a set of Craftsman tools. It probably cost them at least a hundred bucks. That was a lot of money back then for a working class family. I still have those tools, 48 years later. My 1/2" ratchet is getting flaky, but I know I can still return it for a free replacement.

Welcome to BassResource. As a beginning fisherman, I would urge you to read the articles posted here... http://www.bassresource.com/how-to-fish/ There is a LOT of information on choosing the right rod and reel.

I run 87 octane with e10 in my Merc 150. I treat the fuel religiously with StarTron. The motor starts and runs flawlessly. It would be very difficult for anyone to convince me to change the octane rating that my motor is rated for.

Huh? What creature bait?

I have very little to add to all of the above comments. I had a GREAT trip, on a GREAT fishery with GREAT old friends and met GREAT new ones. As I do every year, I'm looking forward to next year's trip. I'm very sorry that so many of our active members were unable to attend. Maybe next year.

Good news! My truck is fixed! Bad news! It cost me $470. I'm headed out in the morning and should arrive around 5:00 PM.

Thanks Brian. I hope so. I'm driving an Escalade, another GM product. Let's hope it's a simple, and inexpensive fix.

Wouldn't ya know it. I get a "Check Engine" light on the dash yesterday, and then a total loss of power. Got a display that said "Reduced Power." Well no shilt! I couldn't drive more than 15 mph. The truck goes into the shop first thing tomorrow morning, the day before I am supposed to leave. Ask me if I am PO'd.

You might want to look at Tuf-Line Supercast braid. It's the greatest stuff since the invention of sliced bread. As for the Fluoro leader I would use about a six foot length. If necessary, you can re-tie several time be for reaching the braid, There are differing opinions on which knot to use when joining the fluoro to the braid, but I use the Stren knot. I you are going to use Tuf-Line, make sure you wet lines the thoroughly before you pul the knot tight.

I wear a specially designed vest. I usually carry a full set of 3/8" drive sockets, along with the ratchet. My crescent wrench, 30' measuring tape, and pry-bar all have custom pockets as well. My hook remover and braid snips are attached there somewhere, but I can never seem to find them. Maybe I need to re-think the design of the vest.

Bought my 2004 Tracker TV-18 w/ 150 Merc for $4,500. I haven't kept track of the costs, but here is what I've done. Replaced the carpet and all seats Installed a six inch jack plate Added a hot foot Moved the trim controls to the steering column Installed a Lowrance network, which displays water pressure, fuel level and fuel consumption on my depth finder. Replaced the water pump and impeller on the Merc Replaced the tilt/trim hydraulic pump seals Installed LED lighting under all my deck lids Installed a burglar alarm. Any deck lid that is opened will set off the alarm. Installed a Lowrance HDS-8 with side-scan on the console Replaced the Motor-Guide 45# cable-steer TM with a MinnKota wireless Terrova 90# with iPilot Installed a Dual-Pro three bank charger Replaced all three batteries Replaced the trailer tires Installed LED lighting on the trailer Other than the above, I haven't done much. Other than the jack-plate and the trailer tires, I did all the work myself. My best guess is that I spent an additional $5K over the purchase price of the boat/trailer.

Thanks for the update Brian. I'll bring the chicken, if I can find him. He's been pretty elusive for the last several years.

OK, I'll take you guys word about the weather, so I no longer have plans to choke my chicken.

Looks like I'm going to do it again. The last time we went to Pickwick, I brought fifteen inches of rain with me. The long range forecast for Pickwick is for rain on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. The Gods are against me! I think I need to sacrifice a chicken or something.

I suggest that you go to the top of this board and read the Rules and FAQs. The FAQ's provide tons of information on this topic.

Wow! You attend the 2nd Annual Road Trip, and then no more is heard from you until ... you showed up at this year's Classic. It was great seeing you again, and now it's even better with you joining us at Pickwick.

So, based on your above post, and the posts you made in the Fishing Resume' forum, you have now given me the impression that you strongly resent criticism, be it constructive or not. That's understandable; criticism by any other name is still criticism. You have two choices. You can accept the advice of those who have "been there, and done that," and allow the advice to sink in, or you can ignore it and do your own thing. Either way, the only person ultimately responsible for the decisions you make is you. I wish you the best, and hope you have a long and productive career in any profession you choose.

So, where's the song you were talking about? The only thing I heard sounded like a bad case of diarrhea.

There are over 300 topics on this forum. I would suggest you start reading them to find out what suggestions are being offered to fishermen hoping for sponsorship. As you will soon learn, it's a tough road, and your initial post is certainly not going to make it easier for you.

Watched it a couple of times. Not real fond of it. Much prefer to watch Deadliest Catch.

It's very premature at this point, but I would be willing to bet that this is another case of domestic terrorism; another nut-case out to kill and maim innocents.

Well, I suppose that if you want to get there at lunch time and do a little fishing, then ohmygoditsonlythreeoclockinthefriggingmorning is not such a terrible time to leave. I, on the other hand, plan on arriving as the cocktail hour begins. I will arrive fresh as a daisy, while you two heathens will fish in a frenzy for a couple of hours and then will have to dash madly back to your room and wash that nasty ole fish scent off before attending the soirée. To me, my method is much more civilized, don't you think?