vernon

Whoaaaa! Easy Donald! You're gonna be all over CNN tonight! HOWEVER - you got my vote!

"Hoarder" IS probably a little more appropriate than "collector"! BTW, where has the ol' boy been? Completely abandoned the forum for football? I tried to PM him a couple of times last week and the thing said that he wasn't accepting messages. Just figured it was a full mailbox. Hope it's not related to the recent shoulder injury.

Nobody said anything about "alleviate." Rather, I'm seeking an alternative source! You know how sometimes when your foot hurts really bad, if you bang your thumb really hard with a hammer it makes you forget about the foot? THAT'S what I'm talking about.

Thanks Quill. You know, I got a bunch of em' but haven't thrown one in quite a while. I'm willing to try anything at this point - I'm dying here! Despite the wind, fished hard today and switched up stuff often. Only fish all day was a 15" skinny as a starved dog largemouth, 30 ft deep in 60 ft of water on a centipede. And if that isn't bad enough it was while I was opening a desperation/consolation beer! Golf tomorrow. I need a change of pace in where I seek out my inner frustrations!

Oh yeah, we're an enviable bunch! Even during football season! Although it has nothing to DO with football - just fishing and golf! Not exactly tearing em' up fishing and golf will wait till tomorrow thanks to the wind but your point is well taken! I was going to say I wish everybody could be here but Saturday and Sunday I was pretty sure everybody was!

Thanks for the tip and good for you guys! Just came in a while ago (good Lord is it ruff out there). I tried the Crawler and Wart for a while but not a bite. Sounds like I might be too close in - paralleling the bank but no luck. Also might be too far back but that's how I caught my spinnerbait fish yesterday. But yesterday's gone! Tried the jig, Ned and spinnerbait but nary a fish. Saw six or eight other boats and everyone was chucking shallow but never saw a fish caught. Was gonna pick up Kathy and head back out but gonna have to stay in the kiddies pool for a bit if we do. That Z521 is a great rough water boat but I ain't that interested in testing out its capabilities if I don't have to! Thanks again for the advice!

Yep. I'm not complaining. Even if it does sound that way. I have the same problem trying to convince Kathy that I'm not whining just because it sounds like I am! Also, upon further review, golf will have wait until tomorrow. I'd rather take on 40+ mph winds fishing than trying to maneuver a little white ball on top of the hill at Buffalo Ridge!

Oh yeah, water temp in areas where the wind was blowing in was between 77 and 78 degrees! Is fall fishing over?

Well, the rest of the day wasn't exactly gang busters. Worked the windy points, banks and pockets till my arm like to fall off. Spinnerbaits and Rock Crawler for the most part. Zippo for the most part on the chunk rock banks but did get a few in the cuts and pockets. All smallmouth in about 1-2 ft. of water and all on the spinner. Grabbed it like blue gill on a plastic worm. About six or seven total with two keepers of 16 and 17 inches. Eventually moved out deeper (although the points were nearly impossible with the boat traffic-I thought those guys used to go home in the fall?) and picked up five on the Nu Tech jig and two on Ned. All shorts but chunky and healthy. Good fighters too! For whatever reason, the shallow fish including the keepers were really skinny but the deeper shorts were fat and thick. Was hoping for a good nite bite but didn't happen. Wind was pretty strong and it was tuff to see after it got dark. Stayed out till about 800 with only two short smallies on the jig and both of those caught themselves. Was reeling the jig back in and they about yanked me over the side! I know - there's a lesson there but I was getting tired and was no longer coachable. Absolutely unbelievable moon rise though. So cool it put an end to fishing! We just kind of drifted along for 30-40 minutes as it rose over the hills and thru the clouds. Magnificent. Looking like golf today but might get back out this evening. Back at it hot and heavy tomorrow though. God, I do love this place.

Headed out about 700 this morning. Fished Jake Creek out to point 1 and a couple spots closer to the dam. Spent the first hour throwing the fun stuff, Ploppers and spinnerbaits. No soap. Moved out to longer gravel points and switched to Ned and Nu Tech jigs 25-30 ft. Picked up seven or eight shorts but that was it. Came in for lunch and to pick up the wife. Headed back out for round two shortly. Gonna keep throwing the spinnerbaits and give the Rock Crawler a shot. Will report back later.

Kinda like a box of chocolates!

Man, I don't know. Freeze healing just ain't my idea of fun! If I lived up there, by the time I thawed out from winter it would already be winter again!

The bullet proofing is gone and ain't 8 foot tall no more neither!

Unfortunately, I think I've reached the point where the healing process has stopped! I do get a bit of a respite from the pain I guess, but come spring, I don't much seem to feel like I've done much in the way of "healing"! In fact, now that I think of it, the feeling of desperation kind of starts in the spring when I realize the total number of casts that I have left are limited and dwindling every day - then by this time of year I'm in all out panic mode. Like Mickey Mantle said, "If I had known I was gonna live this long, I sure as hell would have taken better care of myself!"

Thank you! Although I'd love to live down that way, I really don't mean to sound as if I'm complaining. I'm way fortunate to be able to make it down four to five weeks most years. I'm sure lots of folks would kill to share my "misfortune." Nonetheless, when one loves something as much as I do that lake it's hard to be completely satisfied sometimes! It's amazing how I can get so excited each and every trip (think 10 years old and Christmas Eve) even after doing this for, what is it now, 40 years? The preparation can be almost as much fun as the trip itself. Today's cold, nasty and raining but between packing and having the boat out in the garage where it's warm and dry I feel like the week has already begun! I'm not sure but I think I've probably stripped and re-spooled my reels three or four times already this week. Tying on the lures that I'm anticipating using so as to save time when I get there, rearranging the storage compartments to get everything just so, it's just really cool to have something like this in our lives. Who knows, if I lived there, maybe I'd start taking it for granted after a while. Doubtful, but you never know. C'mon Saturday!

Bonjour!

Global warming is causing the sun to shine at new and different angles. It's all over the internet!

As we're heading down on Saturday for the week, I sure hope the cooling water gets them going. I always start feeling this sense of desperation this time of the year! Like, man, I gotta make sure that I capitalize on every minute and every cast cause it's almost OVER! Who knows how many more days we'll have before those dang snow balls start flying, the north wind howls and it's too cold to even go out and get the mail much less go fishin'. Being a little over four hours away makes it pretty tough to just pick up and go when we get a nice day or two. I do envy those of you that reside full time in the area. And these 12 minute days don't help a bit. Seems like the sun comes up at around noon and goes back down around 200! My, how I hate winter! Good news though - it's only about 72 days until the days start getting longer!!

Oh wait - I should probably "unlike" that post. I thought you said, "in the buff". My bad.

Definitely missed you man! I think the last time I was able to glean insight from your musings was actually in person when Kathy and I were down at your place for her birthday in late July. If I remember correctly you were going in for your pre-surgery exam with the doc that day. Seems like a long time ago for some reason. Try and keep all them parts lubed up and working correctly from here on out! Glad your back.

Curious as well. Hadn't heard anything more since early summer when it seemed to be a cold case.

Congratulations?!?! More like "deepest sympathy"! I want my next job to be checking ID's at Heavens gate! Oh well, he's young. He can handle it.

I used to too. My old boss loved taking vacation time. Of course, she only loved it because while on "vacation" she could work non stop and uninterrupted. She took piles of work home every night, would send emails at 300 am, worked every weekend and had literally NOTHING else to live for. I tried for years to convince her to slow down and enjoy some of life - if not for herself then for her husband and son. No soap. Then suddenly, four years ago, her husband dropped dead of a heart attack at 63. Although she was overcome with guilt and regret at the time, all she knew to do was submerse herself even deeper in work. I haven't talked to her in a couple of years now but I'm sure she hasn't changed a bit. Not your typical federal government employee to say the least. Me? I keep waiting to get bored not working but so far it ain't happened yet. If I only had more money, I can't imagine how much fun this retirement deal could be.

I think the "poor" people (that's what I'd call them if I was Johnny - not while I am one) could stand to wait until I vacationed myself to death which probably wouldn't take long anyway. THEN they can have all that's left to share equally among themselves! And if that deal aint' good enough, fine, I'll just take what's left with me! Could build a heck of a pyramid for my tomb!

Of course. Starting out pretty conservative though!