Last of my new rods came in today!!

[mixermarkb]

Howdy Guys! 
 

It’s been a minute since I posted, and I don’t have a fishing report for TR or The Pond To The East where I usually fish. I hope to be down the second week of April and have some fish pics to show-

But I have to post.

Some of you may remember my post about this time last year about 27 high end combos disappearing from my house during the divorce. Welp- that divorce is STILL working its way through the courts, but after working a full time job, a second job every Sunday, and door dashing when I wasn’t working and didn’t have my son with me, I put together enough money to get back in the game gear wise. With the generous gift of someone from this forum of a Lews BB1, and prowling Facebook Marketplace and a pretty good Black Friday sale, my last two rods showed up today. 

I went with the NFC Edge rods by Gary Loomis, and I have to say I’m a very satisfied customer, even with the LONG wait times. I wanted a more modern version of my favorite G.Loomis IMX and GLX rods, but couldn’t spend the money on G.Loomis NRX. The Edge Silver Widow MBR’s feel every bit as light and sensitive as the NRX CRR-873’s I used to have, and the Black Widow, First Strike, and EFX rods all do exactly what I wanted, which is feel similar to the classic pre-Shimano G.Loomis rods, which in my hands felt better than most of the current versions of Loomis GLX and IMX pro, but incorporate the advances in materials from the last 20 or so years. I’ve not made it to the big lake yet, but from fishing these in the local conservation lakes, they are exactly what I was hoping for. 
 

I know, gear doesn’t catch the fish, and I didn’t have to have gear like this to fish, but today, I can look at this one small part of my life and feel like I’m back to normal.
 

After my heart attack in July of 22, the wife asking for divorce and her bogus felony charge against me in February of last year (felony charge finally dropped in December), my Mom having a serious stroke and going from walking Elephant Rocks State park at 80 to being bedridden in a nursing home barely able to speak, having a rod box full of fantastic gear to fish with- well- it just means more than y’all can imagine.

I’m still fighting to maximize my role in my Son’s life. For now that just looks like weekends and his Spring Break, and every other week again this summer, but this time last year I was in the middle of 61 days of not being able to see him at all. Fishing tackle, fishing, boats and all of it mean NOTHING compared to being a present Dad, but I can tell you when I back the boat into Bull Shoals in a couple weeks and have him sitting in the passenger seat ready to go catch smallmouth, I’m not sure I’m going to be able to cope with the feels.

No matter how dark life gets, if you keep going, it gets better. 
 

So if you are considering checking out, like I was this time last year, stick around.

Don’t fix  temporary problems with permanent solutions. 

[BilletHead]

1 hour ago, mixermarkb said:

Howdy Guys! 
 

It’s been a minute since I posted, and I don’t have a fishing report for TR or The Pond To The East where I usually fish. I hope to be down the second week of April and have some fish pics to show-

But I have to post.

Some of you may remember my post about this time last year about 27 high end combos disappearing from my house during the divorce. Welp- that divorce is STILL working its way through the courts, but after working a full time job, a second job every Sunday, and door dashing when I wasn’t working and didn’t have my son with me, I put together enough money to get back in the game gear wise. With the generous gift of someone from this forum of a Lews BB1, and prowling Facebook Marketplace and a pretty good Black Friday sale, my last two rods showed up today. 

I went with the NFC Edge rods by Gary Loomis, and I have to say I’m a very satisfied customer, even with the LONG wait times. I wanted a more modern version of my favorite G.Loomis IMX and GLX rods, but couldn’t spend the money on G.Loomis NRX. The Edge Silver Widow MBR’s feel every bit as light and sensitive as the NRX CRR-873’s I used to have, and the Black Widow, First Strike, and EFX rods all do exactly what I wanted, which is feel similar to the classic pre-Shimano G.Loomis rods, which in my hands felt better than most of the current versions of Loomis GLX and IMX pro, but incorporate the advances in materials from the last 20 or so years. I’ve not made it to the big lake yet, but from fishing these in the local conservation lakes, they are exactly what I was hoping for. 
 

I know, gear doesn’t catch the fish, and I didn’t have to have gear like this to fish, but today, I can look at this one small part of my life and feel like I’m back to normal.
 

After my heart attack in July of 22, the wife asking for divorce and her bogus felony charge against me in February of last year (felony charge finally dropped in December), my Mom having a serious stroke and going from walking Elephant Rocks State park at 80 to being bedridden in a nursing home barely able to speak, having a rod box full of fantastic gear to fish with- well- it just means more than y’all can imagine.

I’m still fighting to maximize my role in my Son’s life. For now that just looks like weekends and his Spring Break, and every other week again this summer, but this time last year I was in the middle of 61 days of not being able to see him at all. Fishing tackle, fishing, boats and all of it mean NOTHING compared to being a present Dad, but I can tell you when I back the boat into Bull Shoals in a couple weeks and have him sitting in the passenger seat ready to go catch smallmouth, I’m not sure I’m going to be able to cope with the feels.

No matter how dark life gets, if you keep going, it gets better. 
 

So if you are considering checking out, like I was this time last year, stick around.

Don’t fix  temporary problems with permanent solutions. 

                Welcome Back Mark!

[Quillback]

Good to see you back in the game!  Looking forward to seeing some fish pics.

[Ham]

Gosh that’s a lot to deal with Mark. It’s Got to get better.

I hope the new gear helps you enjoy your fishing time and I hope you catch a bunch. 

[grizwilson]

atta boy Mark, it is kinda like eating an elephant, one bite at a time, hang in there

[196champ]

Keep after it!  Good luck fishing with your son in the coming weeks!

[mixermarkb]

3 hours ago, Ham said:

Gosh that’s a lot to deal with Mark. It’s Got to get better.

I hope the new gear helps you enjoy your fishing time and I hope you catch a bunch. 

Ham, I left some stuff out. I’ve been feeling like Job for the past year or so. I’ve still got a few more battles to fight, but I’m starting to see peaceful times ahead. It’s hard for a dad to win in court, and truthfully I don’t have to get everything I want, but if the court actually does what’s best for my son- I think I can build a new normal for him that will be ok.

[rps]

You probably know this, but it is advice I always gave parents who had divorced and shared a child or children.

No matter what, under all circumstances, even if they deserve it, never criticize the ex in front of the children. Never compare yourself to them out loud. Instead, put a favorable light on their actions. "She probably thought that was best for you." Children are not stupid. They will compare the two of you on their own. They will see the difference and behave accordingly once they have a choice. In addition, it protects the child from the inquisition after a visit with you. "What did he say about me?"

No matter how difficult, be patient and play the long game.

[mixermarkb]

2 hours ago, rps said:

You probably know this, but it is advice I always gave parents who had divorced and shared a child or children.

No matter what, under all circumstances, even if they deserve it, never criticize the ex in front of the children. Never compare yourself to them out loud. Instead, put a favorable light on their actions. "She probably thought that was best for you." Children are not stupid. They will compare the two of you on their own. They will see the difference and behave accordingly once they have a choice. In addition, it protects the child from the inquisition after a visit with you. "What did he say about me?"

No matter how difficult, be patient and play the long game.

Absolutely. The arc of the universe bends slowly, but it bends towards justice or something similar..

He knows where he’s taken care of, where there is food in the fridge, who takes him to the doctor, and dentist and gets his hair cut and always has clean laundry. 
 

As I type this, I’m putting fuel in my truck on the three hour drive home and he’s curled up asleep. The very best feeling in my life is remembering how safe I felt around my Dad, and knowing he feels that same feeling around me. 

[STLbassbuster]

Keep your chin up Mark there is calm water ahead! I have 4 edge rods and really like them. I also have some TFO rods and Gary had a hand in those years ago, good bang for the buck. Tight lines!