Captain Phil

There are two ways to manage your money, get more or spend less. I have retired two times. The first time was in 2001. I bought a ten year old Chevy Truck and a new Skeeter Bass boat. I wasn't driving much, but I did plan to fish more. This worked for me. Eventually, I decided to un-retire. This lead me into the most lucrative career I have ever had, which allowed me to retire a second time five years ago. Just because you are old doesn't mean you are done making money.

If it was me, I would hire a guide to fish West Lake Toho in Kissimmee. Toho guides are plentiful and it shouldn't be hard to find a good one. Make sure you make your expectations known. You will catch more and larger bass fishing with live shiners. Success with artificials will depend upon your skill level. Fishing Toho is worth the price.

Fluorocarbon fishing line can make a difference in ultra clear water. I have had this proven to me many times when fishing offshore tournaments with live bait. If the water is less than clear, fishing line composition has little to do with the number of strikes you will get. More significant is the diameter of the line. At some point, an increase in diameter will negatively affect the action of the lure.

It's all about ratings. The Weather Channel thrives when these storms happen. Much of the country probably thinks the entire State is underwater? The Big Bend area is sparsely populated. If you build a home directly on water in Florida, you can expect it to be flooded at some time or another. If you have a 100 year old oak tree hanging over your house, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to know what can happen. In 75 years of living in Florida, I have only seen the eye of a hurricane two times. A tree limb fell on my house once. All it takes is once, but you could say that about driving to Walmart. One day, a huge hurricane will hit Florida again. It's happened before and it will happen again. On September 6, 1928, a devastating hurricane out of the Atlantic went in at Palm Beach, So many farm workers were killed when Lake Okeechobee flooded they buried them in mass graves. Even today, people are still finding their bones out in the lake. The bottom of both coasts is littered with the wreckage of ships that found themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. If you are moving to Florida to live near water, you should expect to have issues. Use common sense and be prepared. There is no reason to panic.

Playing with fast boats is a different sport than fishing. Two of my lifetime hobbies were fishing and drag racing, so owning the fastest bass boat possible was right in my wheel house. The first State Federation tournament I ever fish was in the early 70s. This was before high performance bass boats. The tournament had a shotgun start and it was wild and dangerous. Some guy had screwed a bass seat pedestal on the front deck of a ski boat. I had a 15' Terry Bass with a 70 and it felt like I was going backwards. As soon as I got home, I bought a 135 Johnson and bolted it on my Terry. That didn't do the job, so I bought a better boat, then a 150 Merc. For some years, the 150 Merc was the standard high performance bass boat motor. We used 2 blade surface props back then. They vibrated terribly and the passenger had to hang on the bow to get them on plane. I blew up a pile of those old motors. Things got more interesting when the Black Max came out. I bought a tricked out Hydro Sport from a dealer that could do an honest 65 mph on radar. There were many claimed 65 mph bass boats back then, few could actually go that fast. My dream was always to own a Gambler. They were made in Orlando, so my wife and I had them build us one. With a 225 Pro Max that boat could run 74 mph loaded with two men and tackle. I didn't get passed much, but if I did it was always a Bullet or an Allison. I have seen Allison's that could run near 100 mph with special motors. Again, this has nothing to do with fishing. What teaches you lessons is fishing in salt water. The fastest boat in the world is worthless in 6 foot seas. Even if the boat can do the speed, the ride will beat you up. When you fish offshore, you learn to throttle back and enjoy the trip. Every boat has a speed and trim where the ride is tolerable. Unless you are in an actually race, slow down and enjoy the ride.

Years ago I broke a 40 HP Johnson off the back of my boat when I hit a 4' by 8' plywood sheet under the water. The motor broke off running and cut up the deck before dropping into the water. Needless to say, that motor was junk after that. I have hit numerous logs running in Rodman Reservoir with my Gambler. Two friends of mine were thrown out of a Ranger when the motor hit a big gator at full speed. Hitting sunken objects is no joke. This is not something that only happens to other people. Slow down and use your kill switch.

Looks like my neighborhood.

Looks like this storm is going to hit around Cedar Key and Apalachicola. Thankfully, there is not much development around there. Cedar Key is a tiny restored fishing village. It's been underwater so many times, they issue snorkels to the new residents. Joking aside, I hope everyone stays safe. If they tell you to evacuate, do it. It's a good thing to warn people about the dangers and to tell them to be prepared. It's another thing to incite panic. I've been through dozens of hurricanes. When you live in Florida, it's something you deal with. We have many new residents that don't know what to expect. Unless you live within 5 miles of the coast or in a low area, hurricanes are mostly an inconvenience. The worst thing is dealing with power outages. It's no fun to lose your air conditioning in Florida. Falling trees are another problem. Watching the Weather Channel during a hurricane is a joke. If you listen to that guy, you would think it's the end of the world!

THIS ^^

I have never been to a baby shower and I have three grandsons and two great grand kids. My wife knows better than to ask me to go to one. After 58 years, she knows I would go if she asked. "Happy wife, happy life".

When I was younger, I would go fishing no matter what the conditions. More than once, I have sat in Okeechobee canals waiting for tornadoes to move over the lake. My wife and I have made the trip back and forth from the Bahamas to Miami in seas so big a 60' sportfish would disappear in the waves. Nothing would keep us from wetting a line. These days, everything has to be right. It can't be too hot or too cold. A little wind is good. Clouds are good. No rain. What's good about getting old is you have time for the memories even if you can't make new ones.

My PB came on a Gambler Craw. Can't remember what I paid, but I'm sure it was only a few cents. $175 a bait kind of sounds like a gambling problem. I think there is a website for that. ?

$125 for a bass bait! Hard to imagine. The most I ever spent was $20 for some Japanese wonder lure. I have spent way more than that for a collector lure, but it's not for fishing.

I have never loosened my drags. Then again, I fish with them constantly. When my drags wear out, I change the disks.

Here is what I would do. Warning, you may not like my solution. Find a 10 year or older aluminum boat that needs some work. Buy it cheap as all you will use is the hull. Make sure you can handle the repairs yourself. Want you want is an old Tracker, Lowe, Starcraft or similar. Gut it and build it to your own specs. Put in new wiring and buy a new outboard motor. Don't worry about scratches and the like as the first time you hit a sand or oyster bar you will have plenty. Go fishing!

Other than buying two boats, the best thing you can do is wash your boat, trailer and motor thoroughly before you store it. Flush your motor with clean fresh water. Second is coat everything with an oil based coating. Finally, make sure everything stays working especially the electrical connections and wiring.

I have been fighting that battle for a long time. Growing up in Florida, you want to fish bass and coastal salt water. The difference is in the hardware and wiring. You don't want carpet in a salt water boat either. Salt water fishing boats are made for a much tougher environment than bass boats. In salt water, less is better. Everything rusts and corrodes, seemingly as you watch. You can minimize this with maintenance as long as you are persistent. An aluminum or galvanized trailer is a must. Coat everything in WD40. Put heavy wax on the motor and anything painted. Wash everything thoroughly when you get back. Even then, you will have issues. In the 70s, I ordered a fancy custom Ranger bass boat for fresh and salt water use. Salt water destroyed it in no time. The best dual purpose boat I ever owned was a Lowe Roughneck. I fished both fresh and salt water out of it for ten years. I had some wiring issues from time to time which I had to fix. I ran a Motorguide Great White trolling motor and it worked fine. Stay away from expensive anything unless you want to buy it over and over again.

I have experienced many of these cycles in my lifetime. In the 80s, I had an 18% negative interest home mortgage that makes today's 6% rates seem free. If you need something and can afford it, you pay the price. If you don't "need" it, don't buy it. This is not a good time to buy anything unless you can't live without it.

Get yourself some fine steel wool. Makes blades look like new.

I believe much of the current inflation is artificially created. For sure, labor and materials cost more, but it seems to be getting out of hand. My wife and I had breakfast a few weeks ago at a small local restaurant. All we had was an omelet, some eggs, bacon, toast and coffee. When the bill came, it was $32. When I questioned the amount, the girl told me that was the price and started telling me about the price of straws. I told her I don't need a straw! Needless to say, I'm not going back there. I bought a car for my wife recently. The dealer wanted $750 a month for a compact Honda SUV. That is insane. After 5 hours of haggling and two more dealerships, I walked out with a better car for $32K cash. You are only a victim if you let it happen. Buyers need to go on strike. Only then will we see prices go down.

I have spent many a night sleeping on my boat. It's a lot more comfortable on a big boat than a small one, but both will work as long as you have enough space to lie down and stretch out. The biggest problem is bugs. The closer you anchor to trees and the shoreline, the worse they can get. If you can rig up some netting, it will help some. I have never had an alligator or a snake bother me while sleeping in my boat. I have seen snakes crawl in a boat, so be aware of that. Make sure you use your anchor lights. You don't want someone running into you in the dark. Don't anchor in a channel. If there is current, make sure your anchor will hold you. Navigating in the dark can be challenging. Numerous people have been killed or severely injured by running into docks and obstacles in the dark. Take water, food and a first aid kit. If you have to go to the bathroom, use a bottle instead of hanging over the side. Take your phone in case of an emergency. It is not a good idea to do this alone unless you are young, strong, healthy and have no choice. You can do it, but you won't sleep all that well.

Sounds like something he would do. ?

Many members may not know that Junior Samples of Hee Haw fame was a serious bass fishermen. I fished an Okeechobee Tournament that he entered back in the 70s. He didn't like to talk about himself or the show. At the time he seemed somewhat embarrassed about his fame.

I like all types of music. When I was very young, my mother worked in a record store. I remember her showing me my first 45 rpm record with the large hole in the middle and the adapter they used to play them. She had a small collection of 78s that I listened to as a child. In the Baptist Church singing was a big part of the service. In the fifties, I would often fall asleep listening to music on my radio. Early Rock and Roll was great. Buddy Holly, Ricky Nelson and the Everly Brothers were my favorites. I never cared much for Elvis, although my sister loved him. In 1964, a buddy of mine in gym class told me about a new group called The Beatles. Their early songs were some of their best. The sixties had some of the best music ever. My favorites were the Moody Blues, The Turtles, The Young Rascals and John Sebastian. Hard Rock started around that time and I got into Led Zeppelin and the Who. Country music tells a story, most of it sad. It's the music of poor people and struggles. Some of the best lyrics come from country music. Many of the kids I grew up with lived that life. In 1966, I went to school in Detroit. This was during the Motown Era and every bar and club had some famous group playing in it. Eventually I started listening to classic music. It's amazing how much inspiration it had on modern music. Hip Hop is not music, it's poetry. Today, my Sirius Radio has my favorite stations, 60s Gold, Classic Vinyl and Willies Road House. This world can be a pretty depressing place some times, music makes up for it.

You can't even see Lake Okeechobee from any highway that I know of. It has a 30 foot dike around most of it. If you want beaches, go to the coast.