jbmaine

I thought it was perfect I had the right gear I had the right clothes I had the right approach I had the right mind set I was full of determination I felt the first tug nothing gave it some more nothing finally gave it all I had results!!!! with the leaf blower on full I could finally clear the sleet off my boat tarp!!!!! Forgive me. I've had my new boat sitting in my yard for a week now. I never thought the first time I got it wet would be with sleet/ freezing rain.

There are times when I get annoyed with our " one size fit's all" type of thinking today. Commercial's on tv have reams of fine print that no one can read. People in positions of power lie right to your face, and no one blinks an eye. Directions and instructions cover a dozen different models, and darned if your sure which one covers the one you have. The list goes on. Most of the time I live with this as " the cost of living" in this world, but as I said, some times it gets annoying. Here's a few recent examples. I was trying to fill out some medical paper work on line and was instructed to submit it on a web site. I couldn't do it. Called and was told I needed to install a different browser on my computer. Told them I had no problem in the past and, was told they updated their system, now I need a different browser. I said, you just E-mailed me all these forms to fill out, you couldn't have added a couple of lines to let me know this. silence. Called a major electronics company to schedule some work on my computer, was told they couldn't schedule it now because they were having " computer issues". Boy, that gives me a warm and fuzzy. Just picked up my new boat and while waiting for good weather, and ice out, I'm reading all the manuals, and the motor manual says during break in to run the motor up to certain RPM's for certain times. Only problem is on this boat motor package, the tachometer is an option. ( luckily I got it). But if you need a tach to break in the motor, shouldn't it be standard equipment? I got the Ulterra trolling motor, and looking at the remote there are no buttons to stow and deploy, or trim up and down. Wait a minute, did I get the wrong remote? The quick reference quide shows a remote with these buttons, and all the videos I watched shows the same thing. More reading on my part from the on line manual ( another pet peeve of mine, why should I have to print it out) seems to indicate I have to go into a "sub menu?" to use these features. I sure hope I never have to trim the motor up in a hurry because by the time I put my reading glasses on, find the rite menu, and hit the rite buttons, I could be in trouble. O well, I'm off to get a cup of coffee and get ready for another " one size fit's all" day. Thanks for listening Jim

I was in the same boat ( no pun intended ). Traded my forester for a used ford edge with a tow package. If you liked your forester, you'll love the edge ( at least we do ).

I feel for you

I was followed home today by something black and mysterious.

Thanks for the kind thoughts everyone. It took me a while to decide to post this. I guess the reality finally hit a few days ago that I was just not going to get much better, ( my doctor kinda told me this a while ago ). I'm getting used to my limitations. As I said, it could me worse, I can stand for up to an hour before my foots done, sittings a little better, driving is OK for and hour or two, and although my foot swells up like a clown foot by the end of the day, the pain is mostly doable. My long term disability case manager has put me in touch with a sister company of theirs who is helping me go through the process of applying for S.S. disability, so that's good. Moving forward--- My wife has been disabled for the last dozen years and can't work, so we are home together and loving every minute of it. Our old boat was a tiller drive " skiff". I was twisting around to run the motor and tossing out an anchor 20-30 times a day. We were so sore and tired by the end of the day, we were only going fishing once every couple of weeks. Our new boat is still some what small, but gives me a steering wheel drive, a trolling motor ( ulterra) , a casting deck, and very comfortable seats for us with room to stretch out. If all goes well we will be some of those "lucky" people that are posting here with fishing pic's and stories all done during the week . Thanks again Jim

As the title says, it looks like I'm retired, just not quite the way I had planned. I've been a tool & die maker/ machinist for the last 40 + years, and standing on cement floors all that time has taken a toll on me. 7 years ago I screwed up my back and ended up having surgery. It's better, but never came back 100%. 5 years ago my right foot started hurting. I was found to have tassel tunnel syndrome, and had surgery to correct it. A year ago it started hurting again and 7 months ago my doctor told me to get off my feet. I was sent home from work, and since then I've been home ( thank heavens I had disability insurance). I've had tests, shots, PT, you name it, and have seen three different doctors. As of today I have been diagnosed with Osteoarthritis, Tendinitis, bone spurs, sciatica in my leg, and to make it more fun, it looks like the scar tissue from my old surgery has some how interfered with my Tibia nerve, causing nerve damage in my foot. Last week I found out my right hip/leg is shifting out of alignment. With all of this going on I'll never work my chosen profession again, and as I'll be 64 soon, my wife and I have come to the conclusion that for all intents, I am retired. Looking everything over I think we'll be OK $$$ wise, and to continue fishing we'd need a more comfortable boat. Towards this end we made the decision to sell our old boat, and some time ago we ordered a new one. We pick it up tomorrow. So from now on I'll mostly be a sitting down fisherman, but with everything considered, I'll be happy with that. All in all it could be a lot worse, and my wife and I feel blessed it's only as bad as it is. Jim

I'm lucky my wife has a good sense of humor. I mentioned sleeping in the boat, she said she'd sleep in there with me, just so I couldn't head off fishing without her. I grew up in the N.H. seacoast. There used to be a boat moored in the harbor named P.M.S. I'm guessing he slept on board quite a bit too.

Thanks for the replies everyone. It sounds like a loose fit is not uncommon, and while annoying, not really dangerous. I'll look into tape and maybe the hitch tightner. As far as wacking my shins, been there done that. Jim

We're on the count down to picking up our new boat, and we had the conversation, should we name it. My wife suggested we could name it for her. I said I didn't think honey or sweetie was much of a name for a boat. She said think about it. So I did, and suggested " Farty Mc boat boat. She was not amused. I can't wait to get the new boat, it will give me some place to sleep.

Ya, hearing a rattle while driving makes me cringe. In this case duct tape around the draw bar will fix it, but I'm worried all the stress will be on the pin. Jim

Thanks A-Jay, the rattle doesn't bother me so much as I want to know if the loose fit is normal. There is about 1/16 clearance between the draw bar and the square tube. Jim

Hi all, I bought a new vehicle for towing ( and everything else) last fall. It had the towing package and hitch already on it. Today was the first time I put the draw bar ( the part with the ball ) in the hitch. I was surprised that it was such a loose fit. After securing it with the pin I could still wiggle the ball a little. Enough that you can hear it rattle a bit going down the road if you hit a bump ( with out towing anything ). Is this normal or an issue ? On my old vehicle the draw bar was such a tight fit I had to tap it in with a rubber mallet. Thanks Jim

Worth to me is what I'm comfortable spending, Period. All my gear is lower to middle of the road, and works well for me. I'm sure higher end gear is nicer, lighter, smoother, better action, but I'm not comfortable spending the $$$$, so I don't even think about it. What I have catches fish and I have fun doing it. No need to go any further than that.

snowing here again, the ground is white. At this rate we'll have pre spawn- spawn- post spawn--summer--all within a couple of weeks.

Don't just cast to where you think fish should be. My wife has caught more fish casting to odd little spots I wouldn't have thought would hold fish in a million years.

Swim baits like that are approaching works of art. If you have the money and want to spend it, more power to you. I don't, and never will, but that's just me.

28 degrees here with a wind chill around 10. No power, running off the genny.

When asking which is the best fish finder, everyone says theirs is ( that's kind of a tease because they'll never give it to you). Universal answers Is the screen on my fish finder big enough--- NO! Do I need more rods and reels---YES! Do I need more tackle-----YES! Does my boat go fast enough----NO! Should I buy this---- NO!, buy the more expensive one! Do I need a bigger tow vehicle---- YES!

pushing 60 degrees here with thunder storms, then a chance of snow later this week. Crazy

awesome !! What did you end up with for a trolling motor, shaft length?

Great place for a weightless Senko. We've caught some of our biggest bass that way in 2 ft. of water or less.

Spitting snow here right now. To all of you still wishing for snow/ cold weather, please stop, it's not funny any more.

Hello, and welcome.

Not common at all. Kind of a gimmick type thing.