m&m

Seth, nice pictures. Congratulations Mike

Golden age passports are no longer sold but if you have one it is still being honored according to the website. Mike

I got mine at the TRL dam visitor center Here is the web site with the instructions. When the web site opens scroll down and click on Senior Pass. https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/passes.htm#CP_JUMP_5088578 i hope I copied it correctly. Mike

I thought I would mention that all those who are 62 & older can buy this pass from the COE. It allows you to launch for free from any COE facility and there are other perks. Now here is the best part....it is a one-time $10 fee and good for life. On August 28th that fee goes to $80. So if you don't have one you should get it soon. Mike

abk, I'd like to say that I have been sneaking up around Big M and raiding the honey holes of some of our ARK friends and bringing the LM down to the dam area but I can't say it. Cause I'm a fisherman and we don't tell fibs. Glad to see that there is a LM bite going on. My wife's family is here for the week so won't be out until next week so I hope it holds. Mike

abk, thanks for the report. Sounds like you got hold of the right bait at the right time on a good pattern. Nice pictures. Mike

Healthy looking fish. Thanks for the report. Mike

Ketchup, you certainly don't let any moss grow under your feet. You hardly had an opportunity to get your boat carpet dirty. Good luck on all those new things going on. Next OAF tourney will see you joining the caravan driving up from the BV, Arkansas area. Mike

BC, well said. Mike

She has the dog pointing things out for her. Traitor dogs!!! Mike

Vernon, thanks for the offer. But dealing with a few crazy nit picking owners is better than dealing with a lot of them at two places. Find out what the people drink and make sure you always have it on hand to loosen them up when you need their support. Mike

Thank you to all who provided comments. At least the COE threw out a tease in the article. Don't forget to follow it up with a communication to the elected officials. Mike

QB, nice pictures. Thanks for the report. It must have been difficult to not pick up the bottom baits and stay with the sq bill. I'm proud of you perseverance. Mike

Vernon, Yes we have a POA. I'm President of it as no one else wanted the job. As George W. Bush said, "Nothing wrong with a dictatorship, as long as I am the dictator." So cars in driveways are fine, street parking is fine and we rewrote the covenants with the 16 owner's input. Very small group. We have a couple of lots for sale if you want to build in this owner friendly subdivision. Mike

The house we built has a 2 car garage so I keep my boat on one side and storage cabinets, a fridge and a chest freezer on the other side. The vehicles stay on the driveway because that is what it is for. That set up allows me plenty of room for the boat maneuvering. Just sayin Mike

abk, good luck this weekend. By the way, my wife caught the only keeper at the bend of your short cove yesterday during our 3hour fishing trip. SM on a Ned. We caught 6 total on Ned and sq bill. Fish were <10' deep. WT was a cool 84.7. Only about 3' visibility. I can always count on her catching a fish in that area so it keeps her motivated. Thanks for your stocking program. Mike

Here is my 2 cents worth... 1) everyone is correct that we must send letters to the elected officials. 2) we must state the safety concerns and the environmental impact. 3) we must offer solutions that allow people who have a passion for fishing and those that have a passion for pleasure boating can coexist on TRL. Examples: can there be no wake areas? can there be speed limits imposed on boats over a certain length? can certain coves be off limits to boats over a certain length? can boats over a certain length be restricted to certain hours of operation? can enforcement of buoy maintenance be increased? can marinas be held responsible for educating the people who rent boats about the TRL regulations? can signage be installed at every boat ramp that alerts boaters to the 100' no wake rule? i could go on and on but the reality is that the big boats are not going away so we have to offer solutions regarding coexistence. Lastly, I agree with the comment about engaging Mr. Morris. After all, his fortune was made from people who fish. We should write individual letters to him asking for his support. all of this may be no better than spitting into the wind but if we don't voice our opinions we will have to live with the recommendations that were submitted by others. Thanks to all who have and will voice their opinion. I'll be writing my letters today. Mike

Well if the COE said it will be revised, you can take it to the bank. It will surprise me if it is revised in a good way. All new docks today must have solar power. The newspaper said that a lot of people were questioning the mowing that will be allowed on the shoreline leading to their dock. I didn't hear anyone speak about it. It also said that marinas and resorts have different regulations. Mike

rps, nice eye. Dinks appear to be the order of the day for bass Mike

Hunter, you should go seek help for your addiction. Mike

Bobby, yes all new dock permits now and in the future must have alternative power. If you have a current dock and want to replace it, and you have overhead or underground service you can still use it and don't have to have alternative power for 10 years. Mike

I echo rps' comments. I truly appreciate every post on this forum. Mike

I just returned from the first COE meeting at the Chateau. I was able to submit my concerns verbally to a court reporter who was taking down my every word. I spoke about the size of boats, the removal of buoys, establishing no wake areas and the number of docks. It is the quickest way to submit your comments. They had a number of stations set up where you could ask general or specific questions. The questions I heard from most of the people were about their personal dock. I did not hear any general questions being asked. While we were there I would say there were about 75-100 people there. Mike

We view people on west coast and the NYers as elites, self-centered and out of touch with the rest of the country. Maybe that is unfair also...... On second thought we pretty much have them pegged correctly!! IMHO Mike

Sweet. Mike