Hwy. 133 To Hwy. 7

[Gavin]

Nice whoopty! LOL...

[mzrealfish]

Aptly named in it's early years before the floats...I have had this canoe for 17 years. Bought it with a trolling motor and homemade motor mount for $150. 3 years ago did a 2 day on the Big Piney at 12++feet and scraped and cracked the keel from nose to tail. Finished the trip with a duct tape bottom. Patched it, sealed completely but ugly as all get out.

The pictures attached here are my canoe partner Humphrey. He is a rescue dog that had an abusive owner before us. Lost a leg to that guy. Awesome dog going on his first canoe trip with me. He's been in the canoe on my pond but this is the real test.

[SmallyWally]

Good job there with Humphrey.

[ColdWaterFshr]

Cool dog! But even Humphrey seems to recognize the hopelessness of your boat, and seems to be saying with his eyes that you need to put that boat down. Do it man, do it. Its cracked, its patched with what looks like asphalt and pond scum. The outriggers even seem to be begging for mercy. Craigslist that stainless steel grill visible in the background of the photo, and the faux leather recliner, and there you got some spending cash to find a proper boat that Humphrey deserves at this point in his life.

There should be a rescue shelter for boats with abusive owners!

[mzrealfish]

ColdWater, what you don't seem to realize is the debacle is indestructible. The Big Piney at 12++ feet! I'd like to see you on the Big Piney at 9 ft. and still here to post about it. Are there nicer canoes out there? Yes. Is the replacement cost of a 12 ft. fiberglass old town canoe over $1200? Yes. Is that grill worth more than $1200? Yes. Does that mean that one disposes of a perfectly functioning canoe because you don't like how it looks? No.

Not sure what color the clouds are in your world my friend, and I'm not sure who is funding your trust fund my friend, but I do know I don't come on forums like this my friend and start bagging on people who work really hard to have what they have, and then take on a disabled dog when they already have 2, just to be talked down to by people like you. So did you have a point or are you just bored with your perfect life and felt like bringing the rest of us down to your level? My friend.

signed,

your friend

[ColdWaterFshr]

I was joking bro. Love the boat, love the dog. People always accuse me of being too serious when I'm joking and too joking when I'm serious.

Have a great trip. I'm going this weekend too in my old beater 17 year old Old Town and dog.

Cheers

[ColdWaterFshr]

mzrealfish -- trip report??

[mzrealfish]

Got down about 5 Friday evening. Picked up Andy @ rt.66 canoe and headed to the Hwy. 133 access. We put on and floated for 30 minutes first night. The water was cold, guessing 48-52 degrees, but have no real idea. Had some people on the bank say 45 degrees. Woke up and left camp about 11. Fishing was slow, but picked up a bit about 2. I was catching on a green and yellow jig with a pumpkin fat Ika. My buddy caught a couple on a texas rigged whiskey hula grub. Then he switched over to a suspending rogue and caught the big one of the trip. All said and done, he caught 4 smallmouth. I caught 14 smallmouth and 2 spotted bass. My largest were the 2 spotted bass at about 1 1/4 lbs. and 1 1/2 lbs. unfortunately my phone was dead by then so no pictures of them. All save the spotted bass were caught near rootwads in the off channel. Both of the spotted bass were caught just off the grasses in faster moving water about 3 feet deep. Almost all of the fish were using the shadows from over hanging trees as extra cover and hitting presentations along the edge of the shadows. I did not catch any fish open water with sunlight.

[mzrealfish]

Looking at the pictures, I guess some of those were caught on a brown jig with the Ika...We floated too far on Saturday so we actually camped about 1/4 of a mile from hwy 7 bridge. We did not fish Sunday because we were being picked up at the "Old 42" instead at the bridge, but that last run looked pretty promising for those heading out.

Mark

[Greasy B]

Sweet. Not the easiest time of the year to catch stream smallies but prime time for float trip.