Lesson Learned

[MOPanfisher]

I think most motors and pre set up boats have a tilt trim on the motor, throttle, and often up front.  All of them are very handy.

[Champ188]

Can't say I've regretted buying our Z119 a single day in the 3 years we've had it. Great rig, just the right size for us (19-6 plus a 10-inch setback plate). We do a lot of very tight dock fishing so a 21 would get pretty hard to handle in the wind.

[vernon]

15 hours ago, Champ188 said:

Can't say I've regretted buying our Z119 a single day in the 3 years we've had it. Great rig, just the right size for us (19-6 plus a 10-inch setback plate). We do a lot of very tight dock fishing so a 21 would get pretty hard to handle in the wind.

Fortunately (or maybe not so much), I "out grew" doing much of anything that can even remotely be classified as "hard".  And, sadly, that includes many aspects of my fishing!  I don't catch much anymore but in exchange I have totally eliminated the aggravation of having to "work" at not catching em'!  I'm so bad, I could probably call it a banner day to just sit back in my boat and watch you catch em' off of those docks!  Heck, I'd even cheer you on!  Well, so long as cheering didn't become too hard anyways.

Seriously, it's great to love something so much isn't it?

[Champ188]

12 minutes ago, vernon said:

Fortunately (or maybe not so much), I "out grew" doing much of anything that can even remotely be classified as "hard".  And, sadly, that includes many aspects of my fishing!  I don't catch much anymore but in exchange I have totally eliminated the aggravation of having to "work" at not catching em'!  I'm so bad, I could probably call it a banner day to just sit back in my boat and watch you catch em' off of those docks!  Heck, I'd even cheer you on!  Well, so long as cheering didn't become too hard anyways.

Seriously, it's great to love something so much isn't it?

It's funny how that, as we age, we all seem to find our happy place within this great sport. And sometimes that place shifts as the years go by.

For me, at least for the past decade, working at finding them, then figuring out what they're doing and how to get them to bite is half of my joy. The other half is sharing that information with whoever is with me and watching them catch them.

[vernon]

On August 10, 2016 at 7:32 AM, Champ188 said:

Oh, and congrats on the new 521, Vernon. That's as good as it gets.

 

1 hour ago, Champ188 said:

It's funny how that, as we age, we all seem to find our happy place within this great sport. And sometimes that place shifts as the years go by.

For me, at least for the past decade, working at finding them, then figuring out what they're doing and how to get them to bite is half of my joy. The other half is sharing that information with whoever is with me and watching them catch them.

Exactly.  I never consciously intended to slow down, spend a few hours less on the water, make fewer casts in a day, spend more time observing and appreciating my surroundings, etc.  It just kind of happened.  Next thing you know, I'm my dad!  I not only look like him, I talk like him, think like him and just flat out act like him.  And, I'm about as proud of that as I am anything.  

I spend way more time trying to help Kathy catch a fish than I do trying to catch em' myself and I know you've said the same about Donna as well as others.  I get a charge out of talking to folks on the dock, especially the ones that don't fish much or have much and giving them some pointers and sharing whatever lures that seem to be working for me with them.  Since the Ned came on to the scene, I've given away way more of Dave's heads than I could ever lose and gotten way more back in return.  You can just tell how excited they are and how much they appreciate the fact that somebody with a big ol' glitter boat (little do they know that the boat's just a cover for not knowing what I'm doing either) would take time to help them out.  Apparently, there's a whole lot of fishin' snobs out there that won't give them the time of day and look down their noses at them and make them feel uncomfortable.  Heck, I see a lot of them and they make me feel the same way.

What's REALLY a kick is taking a few of them for a ride in that big ol' glitter boat!  You'd think they were on the Space Shuttle!

Really, other than aches and pains, the only thing bad about getting old is what comes next!

I always enjoy reading about your perspective on things.  Keep the philosophical insights coming!

[m&m]

17 minutes ago, vernon said:

 

Exactly.  I never consciously intended to slow down, .  It just kind of happened.  Next thing you know, I'm my dad!  I not only look like him, I talk like him, think like him and just flat out act like him.  And, I'm about as proud of that as I am anything.  

 

Vernon, sounds like the Jim Croce song, "Cat's in the Cradle".  For years I had the lyrics on my dresser while my kids were growing up.  It was a daily reminder that I wanted to spend time with them.  My son designs and builds haunted houses and escape rooms and turned out to be a pretty good fisherman.  My 2 daughters turned out to be pretty successful in their careers also.  But best of all my wife and I are friends with our children.  We actually like to be around each other.  So when you said that, it reminded me of my greatest success.

Mike

[skeeter]

After reading these thoughtful posts it reminded me of a recent conversation with my Bro-in-law.  He's on BS, I'm on TR and the one comment about jumping off the pontoon and then trying to catch up with it in the wind really rang my bell. 

His thought was that in addition to wearing the auto-inflatable PFD and the regular use of the kill switch, he is strongly thinking about mounting the human hand-held end of one of those 30' retractable dog leashes somewhere in the center of his boat and attaching the Canine end or clip to the PFD.  He thinks that will still allow him free movement around the boat and connect him to the boat in case of an unintended man-overboard situation if he's out alone.  Neither he nor I are exactly in the Michael Phelps class of fast or strong swimmers and that idea might just allow a guy to catch-up to the boat on a windy day. 

You guys talking about age related balance problems I can relate to.  Add in the three-years-old lingering peripheral neuropathy in hands and feet from Chemo to that and you'll know why my fishing days are now few and far between.  At least 80% of my balance is now vision-based and that just ain't good enough on a wake-filled or windy day.   Beats the hell out of the alternative though !   

[vernon]

13 minutes ago, m&m said:

Vernon, sounds like the Jim Croce song, "Cat's in the Cradle".  For years I had the lyrics on my dresser while my kids were growing up.  It was a daily reminder that I wanted to spend time with them.  My son designs and builds haunted houses and escape rooms and turned out to be a pretty good fisherman.  My 2 daughters turned out to be pretty successful in their careers also.  But best of all my wife and I are friends with our children.  We actually like to be around each other.  So when you said that, it reminded me of my greatest success.

Mike

Mike

That's some pretty profound stuff.  I was about 19 or 20 when that song came out and it's actually kind of eerie now to think back on it.  Good for you and your kids I say.  Reminds me of my brother and I and our parents.  We weren't exactly "buddies" with our folks during the formative years but we sure learned things the right way.  When the time was right, we were all like the Cleavers.  Well, maybe not the Cleavers but I think you know what I mean!  

Thanks for sharing a great family story (and giving me an ear worm with that song that will now last for days!).  I really wish there were more than there are that were just like yours and mine.

Oh yeah, wasn't it Harry Chapin that sang that?  Although Jim Croce had some great ballads too.  

[vernon]

11 minutes ago, skeeter said:

After reading these thoughtful posts it reminded me of a recent conversation with my Bro-in-law.  He's on BS, I'm on TR and the one comment about jumping off the pontoon and then trying to catch up with it in the wind really rang my bell. 

His thought was that in addition to wearing the auto-inflatable PFD and the regular use of the kill switch, he is strongly thinking about mounting the human hand-held end of one of those 30' retractable dog leashes somewhere in the center of his boat and attaching the Canine end or clip to the PFD.  He thinks that will still allow him free movement around the boat and connect him to the boat in case of an unintended man-overboard situation if he's out alone.  Neither he nor I are exactly in the Michael Phelps class of fast or strong swimmers and that idea might just allow a guy to catch-up to the boat on a windy day. 

You guys talking about age related balance problems I can relate to.  Add in the three-years-old lingering peripheral neuropathy in hands and feet from Chemo to that and you'll know why my fishing days are now few and far between.  At least 80% of my balance is now vision-based and that just ain't good enough on a wake-filled or windy day.   Beats the hell out of the alternative though !   

Man, that's too bad.  I hope it can improve with time.  I hate whenever we have to settle for "well, it could be worse".  I prefer the old Old Milwaukee beer commercials when they said, "Ya know, it just doesn't get any better than this."  Hang in there.

[176champion]

Sorry to hear about that Skeeter and hope things get better...

I know about that chemo stuff wife went thru hell with it..won't get into details..

I have noticed that the last 1 1/2 years i have slowed down some what to my doing's and most of it my body telling me too and seems medical issues have come about also...but as they say life goes on....i'll be 63 in Dec...was heavy equipment and truck mechanic for years and when i was young i thought i was bullet proof..well the bullet proofing has worn off years ago...lol