Smalliefan2

Best show in the southeast. Attend when I live in east Tn. Missed many years being out of state. Great deals, chance to talk with vendors. Seminars are very good, Shaw Grigsby will entertain you all day.

Lifetime Tn. sportsman, lifetime NY fishing, Al, Ky, Fl, and this summer Vt & Ont.

Lotsa road trips. Okeechobee Dec. 26, Dale Hollow in March. Pickwick in April. St Lawrence and Champlain in July. Losing desire for road trips, making this one last time. Age and doctor appointments catching up. Did all the boat updates last year.

I tear mine down every year, clean, lube, and replace parts if needed. Respool with fresh line. Clean the rod also, reel seat, guides, handle. I fish year round, this is kinda a rainy day project.

All of the above is good info. I would recommend taking the boat to a Merc dealer,and pull the history from the ECU. Also ask for the maintenance records. If the motor is good, then I might proceed. If not, don't walk away, run.

We have three in the area: Soddy Custom tackle, Hwy 27, Soddy-Daisy,Tn. Real Deal, Hwy 27, Dayton, Tn. Fish Tales, Hwy 60 Birchwood (Cleveland) , Tn. All have very broad selections, great service.

Bought a Golder Rule eon's ago, and haven"t lost it. Have a 22". I fish tournaments, and this is the bump board most used. Still don't own a boat with a built in slot for storage, lives in a rod locker. I think they are still less than $20. Also use a scale, and culling beam.

I take four to five when a co-angler. MH crankbait, Med. spin for shakey head, Med, & MH baitcasters, and sometimes a med or med lt. for ned, wacky or micro jigs. You usually fish used water, but some places, like small sloughs, you have the same opportunity fishing the opposite side from your angler. Same for some of the off shore structure. I also have been invited to cast to the front from my angler. I may carry up to five, but actually use just two to three. Good luck and enjoy the competition. Fish to your strengths.

Root beer, green pumpkin and smoke ( if you can find it.)

Cut down doing stupid things to once a week, rather than daily. Use the lures in my boat that I normally don't tie on. That will help clean out and lighten my boat by the end of the season. The oldies were successful before, just replaced by younger, sexier lures.

Casting: 2-med, 3- mh, 1-h, 1 crank, med, 1-crank, mh, 1 custom mh+ Spinning: 1-ul, 2 ml, 5- m, 2 custom wraps. That is my rod lockers, have about thirty five others in racks, grandfathers, dad's and mine over the years. Brand isn't important to me; some are from companies that are no longer with original owners/developers.

I went from 4500C to 4600C (thumb bar). Fished with them for forty or so years. Built like a tank, parts easy to find, routine maintenance is easy. They are "heavy" compared to the newest reels, but durability, reliability are second to none.

NOAA at home, Accu weather and weather bug on my phone.

Looked at new St. Croix, talked with rep. The older style are being replaced with a micro guide, about 50% larger than the original micro's. Much smaller than the "traditional" guides, larger than the old micro. Their new rods are all the newer micro, i.e Victory etc.

I narrowed down to one brand many years ago. Just change line sizes, types to match the technique I was using. Makes maintenance easy, minimal spare parts needed. The brand is also very reliable, so issues are minimal. Still have a number of different brands, they are in my retired box. Give them for the young anglers starting out. All have been cleaned up, plus I have the paperwork when I donate them.

I tear down my baitcasters every year.These are the ones I use constantly. The ones I throw occasionally, I oil bearings, and tear down every few years. The level wind worm shaft gets pretty well gunked up on the ones I use frequently. Spinning reels, same maintenance schedule. I always have a schematic when cleaning, and make notes on things that look challenging when disassembling. I also have all the tools I need before I start and a tray for parts.

I have a lifetime collection, including my dad's tackle. The old stuff still works, though I only throw occasionally. Lotsa plastics, I buy a second and third bag of the color and shape that is working for each year. I can tear up a bagful in one trip at times. Hard baits, the OG series is a good example why we buy more. The only place I found flat sides before was the annual tackle show in east Tn. Did a housekeeping couple years ago, and gave a ton of stuff to the local high school team . Time to do it again.

My dad was on jeep carriers for North African invasion, ferrying planes. Then in combat across the pacific. Called up again for Korea. Mom was a WAVE, Brooklyn naval hospital, then the pacific. My uncle was in Patton's third in Europe. Many neighbors served in combat. None of them would talk much, but went they talked between themselves you got a peek at what they went through, and accomplished.

Got my dad's, cleaned it up, still works. Was state of the art at the time. Now ? I like the modern reels.

Used to carry extra spools for my spinning reels, back I used mono. Now, the only time I carry extra line when I am on a road trip.

I tore the rotator cuff, muscle and tendon in my left shoulder in January. Got second opinion, after they tried PT first. Got MRI, and scheduled arthroscopic surgery. Had it July 4th wknd. Doctor had me out a week, I could have had six if I wanted. Then I went back to work, managing in Walmart supercenter. Wore the sling for six weeks, and did my PT at home everyday. Still fished. Set up a spinning rod to cast right, and reel left. Didn't move my arm reeling, just my wrist. Helped keep my sanity by fishing. Out of the sling at six weeks, but full recovery took longer. Been a while, but I guess six months or more before I was confident I was 100%. I had short term disability available, which covered the week I was out. I would suggest checking on short term, and second opinion.

The split grip has the blank open, so you can feel the other end of your line. The pistol grip, which I still have, acted like a shock absorber. I do not get the same feel from my old rods like my new ones. Also, rod technology advances contribute to this. MikeD nailed it on handle/rod length.

The outdoors was one thing that did not shut down during covid. Our local ramps looked like weekend tourney's during the week. License sales jumped, and marine sales went through the roof. My Ranger dealer told me, 11/12, Mercury has a 62 week backlog for motors not going to the manufacturers. It is crowded, but the loss of anglers has reversed, and a health industry and participation benefits all of us in the long run.

Classic baits. Deep Wee R's and old Bomber model A's were the go to crankbaits in 70's to mid 80's. Team9nine nailed the hooks, split rings. I still use them, and have some in packages.

Bit of a stretch, Dale Hollow. Several marina's w/cabins on the water. The slough's are big enough to fish all week, and not be bored. Examples Horse Creek, Star Point, stayed at both, plus others I used to drive from Plattsburgh, NY to Dale Hollow every spring, towed my boat sometimes. Long drive, about 2500 miles round trip, but worth it. If I remember correctly, three of the four largest smallmouth came out of this lake. I would fish tubes, hair jig with U-2 pork trailer, small plastic baits, .ie. mini lizard, topwater and smaller crankbaits. Weather could be a wild card. Went from snow on Monday to t shirt by Friday one year, others just nice all week. Just pack for possible swings.