volzfan59

I'm all for it!

For me it pretty much comes down to my mental health, my peace of mind Before retirement, my time on the water was my safe place, somewhere to get away from the pressures of my career. Don't get me wrong, I love catching bass. I've just found that I subscribe more to the Henry David Thoreau quote, "Many people fish all their lives without knowing that it's not the fish they are after." My apologies if I butchered the quote.

To be completely honest, unless they bring in some kids stuff, probably not. I remember reading that they're going to have people dressed as "Paw Patrol" characters there. I'm sure that they'll have some other stuff too, but I don't know. If you do go, be sure and carve out time for the museums and the Hall of Fame. They are great!

I agree with you @ajay, if someone has the means, no time is the wrong time while doing their due diligence. @Jonald is looking to buy new so my suggestions probably aren't for him.

What @slonezp said! I realize that you're thinking about buying a new rig, but don't forget the used market. Once this looming inflation takes hold, with everything that will come with it, coupled with the boats that will hit the market as covid restrictions have eased, there will be deals to be had on nice used rigs. A lot of people took up fishing, and bought boats during the heights of the lock downs. Some will stick with, a bunch won't. They'll get sick of making payments on a rig just sitting in the garage or the driveway. In about 12 to 18 months, maybe sooner, the used market will be flooded. Save all that you can, cash will be king!

When I worked at the BPS in Kodak (Sevierville), TN, our number one complaint was concerning the vacation sales folks. They aren't even BPS employees! They work for a timeshare company, which is what they are actually "selling", called Green something. I can't remember the last part. I was told that BPS allows them in the stores because they manage the BPS resorts. I was somewhat interested in attending the Fishing Fair, it's only at the Springfield store. Most of the major brands will be setup there and there will be some deals to be had. Also, there's going to be some really good concerts with major acts. That's an additional charge and it's a pretty doggone steep one. That, in addition to these crazy fuel prices and a rental cabin or a room is an awfully large cash layout. I think I'll stay home.

If it's like the enclosed trailer that Fish had, there is a door at the front of the trailer. On his, you entered through the tackle room and then into the boat area. He said that he liked the convenience of it, but that it was a bear to haul around. I'm pretty sure that he towed with a Chevrolet duelly.

Reminds me of Fish Fishborne's old trailer from his B.A.S.S. (the true Major League of Bass Fishing) tournament time and his old fishing show, Go Fish! He had a traveling tackle room in the front of the trailer. He used to come into the BPS that I worked at quite a bit. He and I talked about the rig a few times. Go Team Grandma!

GO VOLS!!!

Great post! I too can go from zero to a full blown A*@ in a matter of seconds. I guess it's a holdover from my law enforcement career. I've been working to overcome this since retirement. So far I'm doing great, but a reminder such as this is helpful. Thank you @jbsoonerfan.

My dad instilled the love of fishing in me. Due to his job, we lived in several places so I got to fish in a lot of places. My dad fished for whatever bit. Fast forward, as my racing "hobby" was winding down, my next door neighbor in Nashville got me hooked on serious bass fishing. He was a guide and a tournament angler. Whenever he wanted to go practice for a tournament or just wanted some company, he'd take me. RIP Pop's and Charlie.

You should be able to find a pretty nice used rig in the $5000.00 range with an outboard. Like @MN Fisher said, 48" bottom should be your minimum. Anything less will be fairly "tippy". Years ago I had a 12' X 36" Jon. Great little boat, but standing could be a chore. I've got a 16' X 50" now and it's fairly stable for a jon boat.

My Dodge gets a whopping 13 mpg! I keep the tires properly inflated, tuned up, change the air filter twice a year. Still, 13 is the best I get around here. I live in southern Arkansas, nine miles from Louisiana. It's flat and we rarely have snow or ice. If I look west, I can see TX, east and I can see MS. Okay, that last part is and exaggeration ?

I used to have a Ford F-150 and a Chevrolet Suburban, both 4WD. They both had really nice, painted factory running boards. I was a lot younger then and didn't really need them. Fast forward to my 60's, I have a 4WD Dodge with big tires, lifted, etc. I still don't "need" them, my wife wants me to get them for her. I'm looking at a 2WD Toyota Tacoma, it will pull my 16' aluminum just fine. It's flat where I live and with these crazy fuel prices, I'll get better mileage. I won't need running boards with it!

That rig is looking really good buddy!

@MN Fisher, What filter did you use?

Congratulations to Jason Christie!!! He finally got his Classic win.

When I lived in Nashville, my next door neighbor was a tournament angler and a bass fishing guide. I have been a fisherman all my life, but I just fished for bluegills. When I quit racing stock cars, Charlie started taking me bass fishing and got me started the right way. Like your brother, the man had the patience of Job! He taught me how to use a baitcaster, even gave me three of his Ryobi reels. Even taught me how to operate a boat. RIP Charlie, I miss you

You can't go wrong with the Crankin' Sticks, especially at that price. I've got four of that generation and some of the previous generation. I love mine!

She's looking great MN Fisher!!!

Not a mlb fan at all. I do enjoy college and minor league baseball.

I saw an adventure type fishing show on TV years ago. They were fishing some river in Russia. Don't remember the name or what they were catching, but they caught a lot and they were big. On Randy Blauket's YouTube channel he said that he had nine or so subscribers from Ukraine. Matt Stefan buys some baits made in Ukraine, from some guy over there. They're fishing for something there. I'm not going to get political, but I really feel for the innocent people. They didn't ask for this. Little man Putin seems to have lost his mind by threatening to use nukes. Other than Belarus, China and probably North Korea, the world is turning against little man.

While I am a fan of the majority of BPS rods and reels, you couldn't give me a PQ2. I was still working there during the changeover. The PQ1 was a much better reel. There will always be lemons, Shimano, Diawa, etc, they all have them, some more than others. I bought a bunch of PQ1's during the change. I hope I get my sales flier today!

@TnRiver46 Yep, you're right, not sure why I wrote Holston? Heck, it's one of my favorite places on earth!

I've always wanted an Outback, I think they look great. Seems like I read that the Forrester and the Crosstrek are built on the same platform? Everyone that I have known that owned a Subaru loves them and wouldn't own any other brand.