Dinky

Caught these in Erie Basin last Thursday and Friday.

Obviously everyone is entitled to his/her own opinion, though forming it from watching folks on fishing shows only seems a bit narrow minded. I have actually fished with Ish in an Open tournament and he is a professional and a gentleman. I have been around him many times since and he has always been unpretentious, respectful and friendly. I have never fished with Ike but have attended Bass U. and was able to spend some time with him. He is either a very sincere unpretentious person or a fantastic actor. I have seen the shows you refer to and really do not see the same qualities in these two that you do.

Sorry Zip --was so wrapped up in trying to figure out how to get the pics on the site I wasn't paying attention. I will delete them.

I only wish I could remember how I got these to my gallery in the first place.

Lake Fork for sure.....no wait, Erie for the smallies...no, actually Lake Fork for big LMs....no, Erie, final answer---no, Fork; Erie, Fork, Erie, Fork........ Why do I have to pick one---- BOTH is best. Final, Final answer!

M-80's and a dip net. Too old school for you? Ok, then a 1/4 ounce jig and Uncle Josh pork frog.

Not denying the 'nicest, funniest, frendliest' part either.

Had a great time fishing with you, Mod. We could have caught more fish if it had not been so windy and so muddy. WMD PS: I'm not OLD!

Yeah, but you will have 7' a lightning rod in your hand!

I'm sorry I didn't check with you first, riskkid 2, but RW is really old and he is depressed because miranda lambert hasn't called him. I figured a day on the lake with us would either cure or kill him.

Interested in a threesome with me and riskkid on Wednesday?

Fishing Rhino- I'm arriving some time Thursday before noon--if you need any help breaking in your motor. Also will have open seat Thurs & Friday for fishing if anyone else is interested.

So far no one has mentioned anything that has NOT happened to me. I guess that makes me old, too CATT. In fact I can add a recent one from this week: as I got on plane and my bow levelled out my trolling motor prop flew off and landed two feet from me.

I confess I wan't sure who Miranda Lambert was so I googled her. She ain't gonna call you, RW. But, if she does please ask her to join us at the RT.

Great info CATT!! If I can get to the Bend this fall can we set up a 'live demo' guided trip? (@ your normal rates of course). Also, I hear a lot about fishing the outside bend of a creek or main channel. Any guidance on that? Thanks again for the great info! wmd

Great Scorcher214!

I got a seat open on thursday 26th and friday 27th.

"Guns don't kill people...." Ooops wrong topic-- start over: "Boats don't catch fish, fisherpersons catch fish" (with apologies to Issac Walton). Although I understand why a pro fisherman might sometimes use a "run & gun" strategy in a tournament, I agree that slow and deliberate is much more productive and enjoyable.

Crikey! she's a beauty! Is she just a "Trophy Wife" or can she cook too?

I think you are right. Plus a lot depends on the coin toss as to who gets what quarters to fish.

Speaking for myself, I appreciate the apology and consider all above nothing but H2O under the bridge. Your considerable experience regarding boat safety in general would certainly be valuable to all of us. May I suggest a separate thread on the subject. I know many of us would benefit.

With all due respect, A-Jay, your 30 years of experiences in USCG search and rescue, as impressive and commendable as it is, gives you no right to use my posts as a jumping off point for your lectures on boat safety. And neither do I appreciate the negative tone your original post/lecture attached to our experiences; the implication being we were engaged in some unsafe and ill advised activity. You have no facts whatsoever to substantiate your claim that all my experiences have been positive. For all you know I could be retired military and a VietNam Veteran with extensive knowledge about S&R under extreme conditions.Please quit patronizing me and other Marshals. We all get it--you are for safe boating. So are we. You have absolutly no right to imply that we Marshals or the pros we were with last week were guilty of 'complacency and/or [excessive] adrenalin'. Please get down off of your self-righteous soap box and quit lecturing us like we are a bunch of undisciplined children.

First: Every Pro I have ever ridden with is extremely safety concious and an excellent boat operator. I have never felt in any danger any more than when I'm in control of my own boat. All the boats have at least one handle for the passenger, most have more. Never been in one that didn't. Second: Any time you are on a body of water like Okeechobee it can get windy and rough without causing undue safety issues to the pros, their passengers or other boaters. The length of time running in those conditions, rather than the operator, is what makes the experience exceptionally tiresome and tedious. Third: your interpretation of our experience is either a) a reflection of some hidden bias or agenda based on a lack of knowledge/experience about high performance outboard boats and the pros who operate them c) a product of sour grapes or d) a combination of all of the above. Fourth: Your comparison of Elite Tournament fishing to NASCAR is totally unrealistic: for example the tournament in question was on a lake covering over 500,000 acres--a somewhat larger venue than any race track NASCAR runs on; the fishermen have an aversion to competing near other boats--NASCAR drivers must get close to each other while driving one ton missles at 200 mph. Fishermen drive a relatively short time at high speeds-they can only catch fish when the big motor is shut off; while NASCAR drivers aren't even competing unless they are at high speed and pit stops are measured in seconds. Fifth and final: Due to your post I will never again relate in a post any experiences whatsoever as an the Elite tournament marshall or individual boater. If I wanted to be lectured to I would have stayed married to my first wife.

I marshalled for J Todd last year at St. Johns river on Saturday. It was my first ride in a Phoenix. It really impressed me and should I win the lottery I'd probably get one.

I have only used PP so cannot comment on it vs the Talon. Just make sure your jack plate is such that you do not have to remove the boat motor to attach the PP bracket to it. My old jack plate was in two pieces and on my 1st PP --a 6'---I had to have the motor taken off to safely attach the bracket. Regarding the hieght of the PP: the 8 or 10 foot models would have to be lowered to get into most garages, but as Glenn said it is no problem and then you can raise it back up inside. As far as on the water-you can lower them to get under a bridge and can even allow them to drag in the bottom as long as it is soft. I know some pros who drag the bottom at times simply to slow down drift--somewhat like a shallow water wind sock. but of course this could cause damage if you are not careful. PPs remind me of cell phones when they first came out....I never saw a use for them then, but now I can't get along without them. Every time I have fished or marshalled with an Elite Pro and they have caught a fish in 8' or less of water the PPs immediately go down as soon as the fish is boated, then there is time to retie, etc before throwing back into the same general area. I will do the same if I ever catch a fish!