DaubsNU1

I kept thinking "maybe this time I can fix it..." I do remember after one particularly frustrating morning, holding that gun by the barrel, wanting to pitch it into the marsh. Ugh.

^^ Agreed ^^ Stripped two old jon boats down to bare metal...zinc chromate primer...camo paint (they are used as decoy boats outside 100% of the time...get lots of use and abuse... Paint and primer have held up well.

The gun previous to my SBE was a Remington 1100 3" mag. It was a love-hate relationship from the start...loved the 30" full choke barrel (purchased the gun prior to steel shot mandate), it was great for waterfowl and turkey...a little heavy for upland, but I was in high school. Found a "Rem-Choke" barrel for that gun and it made more manageable with steel shot. But it jammed, and often! Tried all kinds of different approaches to solve the jamming problem...cleaned religiously. Had always read and heard "keep the rings dry" in the 1100, even tried WD-40...It would shoot a few times, then start jamming. I was about ready to throw the gun in the marsh and my buddy, who worked at Cabela's HQ in Sidney, asked if he could take and have a gunsmith look it over. Game changer! The gunsmith knew 1100's well -- his suggestion, keep those rings and rails dripping wet with silicone lubricant. He theorized that the powder residue gummed up the rings and caused the jamming. He strongly recommenced against WD-40. That gun never missed a beat after that. I once dropped it in the river on a cold November morning...pulled it out, shook it off, and proceeded to drop drakes : ) My Benelli has been just as good, if not better. The only time it has missed was due to operator error -- not getting the bolt properly forward, or the ever popular "forgot to put a shell in the chamber." I opted for the black-synthetic stock SBE. A few buddies got the camo dipped guns...we hunted the marshes a lot and found when you put a camo gun down in the marsh, it tends to blend in, resulting in a few panicked searches...

I still have Spiderwire on a few of my reels...It has to be 15+ years old. Two of my favorite reels still have Fenwick IronThread spooled...has to be 20+ years old. I'm still catching fish : )

Got a first generation Benelli Super Black Eagle in 2001. Literature said the guy should cycle everything from trap loads up to 3-1/2" magnums...but mine had trouble with the light loads, jamming and hot cycling them. So I called Benelli customer service...talked to a lady who said I needed to "break in the gun" by cycling a few boxes of 3-1/2" turkey loads to "loosen things up." Did that, much to my shoulder's dislike...and the gun still would not cycle the light stuff. Called back and got connected with a Benelli gunsmith...he asked if the gals in customer support told me to cycle turkey loads...I said yes...he was a little ticked and said he's asked them to stop telling people that. He talked to me for about 30 minutes about my SBE, gave me some tips and tricks... His words: No need to break in the SBE...some are machined a little tighter than others Recommended silicone / Teflon lubricant applied liberally, especially on the bolt rails, and stock spring. Recommended never using "gun scrubber" cleaners, as they remove all traces of lubricant...you want the bolt to slide freely. Said to just wipe down gun with paper towels to get dirt and grime off...then apply more lubricant. Instructed me to hold the gun firmly in my shoulder when shooting...Inertia system needs that to cycle properly. Said the in-stock recoil reducers will impact light load cycling. Only use the mercury recoil-reducer when shooting lots of 3-1/2 mags Said the bore is chrome lined, does not need any lubricant...but it won't hurt. Recommended running bore snake and then calling it good Said no need for the after-market stainless stock springs. The OEM spring is good....just make sure to lubricate (I can verify this has worked for 20 years) I did all he recommended...and my SBE will cycle 1 oz. loads with no problems. It has been a great gun for 20 years! No complaints at all. Easy to disassemble and clean. Highly recommend! Of my hunting buddies, all but one of us shoot Benelli's.

I fished a lot from 1991 through early 2000's when my daughters got a little older. Cut back on hobbies as they progressed through sports and high school. They are 23 and 21 y/o, and in college now...Man, I miss those days at the diamond, in the gym. Parked the boat for 15+ years, and finally got back in to fishing last summer. Other hobbies, in no particular order: - Deer, waterfowl, turkey, upland hunting - Restoring my 1972 Chevy K-20 - Photography (which turned in to a nice side hustle...mhttps://www.daubertphotography.com/ - ATV-ing with the wife - RV-ing...just got 5th wheel - Exercise / biking / swimming / etc. (trying to stay healthy)

Ones I have, and have used: Jitterbug: love em, still carry in my tackle box...fun to watch bass hammer this lure! Jig & Pig: have a ton, never really caught fish consistently...probably fishing them wrong Lazy Ike: never caught a d**n thing off this lure...one of the first lures in my tackle box as a kid Floating Rapala: I do like in certain situations Rat-L-Trap: Really like traps...catch bass, musky and pike. Devil's Horse: fun to fish, caught very few fish on them...mainly small bass Spinnerbait: still a go-to...hard to beat! Senko: Wow...love em! Lucky 13: Another in my tackle box for years...never caught fish Flutter Spoon: have them, never really fish them Norman Fat Boy: again, have them...don't fish cranks much. Bandit 200: see above... Don't have em: Creme Purple Worm Fat Ika Alabama Rig Hollow Frogs Hollow Belly Swimbaits Rage Structure Bug

nope. Nope. NOPE!

I grew up next to a public swimming pool...went every day...and never wore sunscreen. I'm 53 and doc found Squamous cell carcinoma on my head...they took it off about three weeks ago...still healing up the dime sized crater in my dome : ) I've been doing sunscreen / hats / long sleeve shirts for quite a while now. And I am super vigilant with ear and eye protection. Appreciate advice on pants and shirts. Good stuff!!

I kicked around the idea of getting a brand new bass boat back in 2000...had a two year old on the ground and one on the way...glad I did not go that route. I opted for this, a 1960 Rich Line with a 1974 Mercury 20hp 2-stroke. Boat motor and trailer was $600. Added trolling motor, casting deck up front, and seat in back. It served me well on smaller lakes and reservoirs in our area. Maintenance through the years has been the following: New spark plugs every spring. Installed bearing buddies in 2000...greased them every spring...never re-packed or replaced until this past summer Had to install new water pump in 2020 Purchased carb rebuild kit last summer New trolling motor battery every few years Replaced tires last summer Replaced lights / wiring last summer. Moved to acreage three years ago, so the boat lives in my shop full time now...and I'm re-designing the casting deck and adding storage, new fish-finders, & lights. I love this boat because it's small and light, and can get in to smaller lakes and ponds...but also has the V-hull...and can handle a little chop. It's old and I don't mind banging in to trees and stuff...big enough I can take my 80 year old Dad fishing. Find a boat that works for you. My brother just purchased his dream boat...brand new Lund Alaskan 1800 with 90hp Merc 4 stroke. He's stoked!! It kicks ass and I'm glad he finally got it. I'm happy with my boat and have no plans to upgrade, aside from my renovation : )

Have had most of my Shimano reels since the early 1990's...both bait-casters and spinning reels. Had an issues with drag on a bait-caster, but realized it was operator error when putting it back together after spring cleaning. They have all been flawless...no issues at all. Three Curado's, two Citca's, bunch of different spinning reels...even have a Cabela's branded Shimano spinning reel...it's my daughter's favorite.

For me, it all starts with the "magnum-opus" hookset, as my good-fishing-buddy used to say! Drive those hooks in deep! I then try to gauge the "feel" of the fish...is it a dinker I can muscle in to the boat...or have I hooked a lunker, or a pike/Musky by chance? If it's a big-un, I get my rod pointed roughly 45 degrees from the water...if the fish makes a run I can lower my rod tip and give her room, while still keeping the line tight. If she runs towards me a I can raise the rod and reel, again keeping the rod tight. Once the fish is done fighting and gets close to the boat, rod tip up...just in case makes one last run. I always keep my hand on the handle...I've seen waaay too many rod tips broken by fishermen who are trying to land a fish and grab towards the top of the rod...SNAP! Tight lines friends!

I certainly hope so! Previous owner picked up this Alaskan last fall...they own a lodge on Devils Lake and were going to rent this unit out...but decided to not get in the rental business. The boat had never seen the water...Brother got the full Lund warranty. He cannot stop grinning...

My brother has been a middle school PE teacher for 23 years. Every summer he has worked his tail off painting houses to help pay bills, pay for kids daycare, save for college, etc. He has been dreaming of owning his own boat for many, many years. He finally got the green-light from the boss (wife), and searched high and low for his ultimate...a Lund Alaskan, 18' with a 90hp. There were only two in the nation that he really liked and met all the criteria. So last week he drove 9 hours from Omaha to Devils Lake North Dakota to pick up his dream boat. Yesterday, he launched the boat for the maiden voyage. We spent about two hours driving around, breaking in the new Mercury, and just grinning. My 80 year old Dad was just ecstatic for my Brother...we all were...we all knew how long he had waited and how hard he had worked for this! As I backed his trailer down to load out, a cute young blonde walked down the dock towards my brother...she was a reporter for a local TV station and was doing a feature on the boat shortage. She asked to interview my brother...and of course my Dad and I said, "YES! This is the guy you need to interview...he drove 9 hours to get this boat!" Aired on local TV last night... https://www.ketv.com/article/nationwide-boat-shortage-due-to-people-wanting-to-get-outside-amidst-pandemic/36089196 So proud of all his hard work, dedication, and patience!

I've owned 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton GM's for 30+ years. Great trucks, as are the Fords, Dodge/Ram, Toyota, hell, maybe even Nissan (never owned one). My 1/2 ton's towed just fine...then I rented a bobcat on a double axle trailer for a weekend...eye opening. I'd rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it. In the immortal words of Colonel Hannibal Smith, "Overkill is underrated!" So back in 2004 I opted for a 3/4 ton 2500HD with the 8.1/496cid/Allison. Crew cab, LT, leather, loaded. Loved that truck...my daughters loved the DVD player. Got 10MPG city, sometimes close to 12 MPG highway. But there was never anything I was afraid to tow, long distance or short. Sold that truck after 16 years and went diesel...It tows my tiny boat and ATV trailer just fine...about 3,000 lbs. Wife growled and asked why I needed that much truck...a year later she gets the bright idea to get an RV...so I'm now pulling this : ) Glad I opted for more power... Long winded way of saying, get as much truck as you can afford now...don't want to have a case of the "I wish I would have"s.

Already have the Baltic birch purchased and most of it cut to fit. I think it's going to work out well...nine-ply, tough as nails. Epoxy resin and should be good for my lifetime : )

Got some storage roughed in today. Slow, but still progress...

Sandpit near the Platte River here in Nebraska.

Sitting on my sister's dock, just jigging a ned rig...not a care on the world...shooting the chit with brother and his son... This hit ever so lightly...20 inches, bout 4lbs.

Been slow going on the boat...wife found a 5th wheel she liked...got it purchased and delivered...had to install turnover goose ball hitch on the Diesel. Was back at the boat recently...got the front trolling motor/fish finder piece cut, as well as transom wood. Holes drilled, now it's epoxy resin time