Ratherbfishing

Megastink. My response might have been a bit blunt and for that I apologize. I will persist in my stance that you should not advertise yourself with the aforementioned expression. You may be a better fisherman than me, are probably more knowledgeable in tackle than me, and you almost certainly you are a better salesman than me. HOWEVER, when you use "a lifetime of experience" as your unit of measurement, YOU open this up to scrutiny and/or criticism. As I responded, others may also. Let's not forget that, like it or not, it is still the old fogies who hold the "purse strings." I realize that your thread is not a cover letter and you are simply looking for advice (which I thought in some manner I had given) but never think that what goes on social media stays on social media. Increasingly (from my limited understanding, anyway), social media is HOW people are increasingly marketing themselves-for better or for worse. peace.

Is the picture in your avatar recent? If so, I suggest you don't, when writing cover letters, use the expression "...knowledge amassed from a lifetime of experience." Us old fogies won't be impressed.

"Awwww *&$#@&^!!!! Forgot to bring the lightbulb!!!!!"

Do you believe the herbicides applied in no-till practices are what caused the pheasants demise there? I can't think of any other link.

A natural fool, perhaps, but not a natural fisherman. Though I still have TONS to learn, where I am today took a fair amount of time and effort. Had I not had a natural affinity for fishing, the effort would've probably ended long ago. I would have simply become one of the nameless "rabble." Actually, I am still that but I'm usually too busy fishing to care.

Same here except mine undoubtedly went to the great tacklebox in the sky.

Without a doubt it would be the pond (and the land around it). A boat is just a boat but land is land.

The sad part is that I don't know the last time I've seen a tackle store in a shopping mall. : (

"Outside a bass, a book is a fisherman's best friend. Inside a bass, it's too dark to read." (paraphrased from Groucho Marx). Probably crappie. I love getting into a school of them. Plus, they (especially black crappie) glisten like emeralds.

i'm sure you know this but make sure you save the boxes. Sometimes they are worth more than the lures themselves.

I have an antique lure collector's book at home. I'll try to look these up. (It won't, of course, say, if or how well they work).

I'm envious of those trout (beautiful fish) but I'm MORE envious that you have a buddy who calls you up just to say "Lets go fishing!" Priceless!

Couldn't sleep, huh? It may seem corny but here are some lines from the movie Contact- where an alien species makes contact with humans. It is a science fiction movie but it is much more about the human condition than it is about "aliens" or "outer space. "In all our searching, the only thing we found which makes the emptiness bearable, is each other." Those who hold a more "theological" philosphy on the matter might find the above quote incomplete but to a lesser or greater degree it is true. I can't say it more concisely than what was already said. "All we have is each other." Hang in there! There are people who have it worse. And there are those who might have it better. But we ALL have pain, sadness, and suffering. And it never goes away completely. Not, at least, until it is our turn to fertilize the earth. And then the pain is picked up by those who loved us. I hope your troubles become more like an annoying little chihuahua nipping at your heels than a mean old pit bull that won't let go.

Nothing personal to those who like carp but I don't want to live in a world where that is all there is to fish for.

If you got it into the boat or onto dry land, it counts.

Excellent bass too but that's a super nice purple...er, bluegill!

To answer my own question, it depends. The day we had to run immediately back into town to get a new cranking battery and then, later that day, when we barely avoided getting swamped when a rusty hose clamp broke, I could've done without a boat. But it would be nigh on to impossible to get to many of the places without one and it can be quite relaxing. And, as STRASO20SS said, it IS a huge floating tacklebox. I'd need a pack elephant (or at least a donkey) to carry all of my stuff otherwise. Thanks for all the thoughts. : )

If you could access the places you fish without a boat (and without wearing yourself out in the process), would you keep your boat? How much pleasure do you glean from having your boat?

Make sure to get him some yellow and orange paint so he can paint flames on the sides of his baits. : )

Why don't you just poke yourself in the eyes with the glowing end of a burning stick? You CAN find a situation better than this one and until such time as you do, you're better off being single.

Not in any particular order: Christmas Vacation A Christmas Story Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer Merry Christmas Charlie Brown How the Grinch Stole Christmas It's a Wonderful Life A Christmas Carol Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (although as DarrenM has already said, this is really a Thanksgiving movie)

My buddy and I asked his mom if she could drop us (and his 12 foot jon boat) off at a bridge on the Sangamon river and then pick us up later at another bridge a few miles dowstream. Well, it had been a very dry summer and we found ourselves carrying the boat more than riding in it. Finally, the water began to get deeper but we noticed that there still wasn't much current. Around a few bends we realized why: There was a huge log jam damming up the river and there was almost NO water downstream of it. Already hot and sweaty we wound up carrying the (not light) boat about a mile through the woods and through stinging nettle. Then, once we finally got to the road, we still had to walk about 3 miles to bridge where we were supposed to be picked up. It was one of those "we can laugh about it now" experiences.

"Those storm clouds are going to go around us" (Said by my friend ten minutes before the storm went around us and over us and ON TOP OF US). I was just as dumb for listening to him.

Yes, yes, and yes-though one of my boxes has recently been relegated to storing extra baits,line, hooks, sinkers, etc. which won't fit in my backpack, other box, or soft bag. My "system" is in constant flux and I'm always looking for better ways to carry everything.

Learned how to use the force you have!