Here is a little short story for ya':
I could barely sleep at all. So unlike me, generally I sleep so soundly I'm always scared that I won't wake up if the house happens to catch fire. I woke up at 1:30am, 2:00am, 2:45am and finally got out bed at 3:30. I dressed and ran out of the house, hurriedly making my way to our meeting spot. Once there I loaded my tackle into the boat and we made the short drive the the launch ramp. We launched the boat and had about an hour and a half to eat breakfast and listen to the BS of the other guys.
Finally the time came to blast off. We were outfitted in our helmets, coats, insulated bibs and gloves. We had a decent ride, probably about 15 minutes to our first spot. Although we were the 44th boat out we quickly went past most of the other boats that went the direction we did. Before long we were running in the smoothest, flattest water I can remember. I happened to look down and see the reflection of the blue and pink clouds on the water which made me realize just how beautiful of a morning it was.
We made it to our first stop and that was the end of the beautiful day. From that point on it was a long epeisode of no... No bites, no fish, and really, honestly no fun.
Finally we were able to catch 2 short fish and that was really the exciting part of the day. What a horrible tournament. One things for sure we have absolutely nowhere to go but up from here. I can't remember the last time we did not catch a single keeper in a tournament. I think it has been at least 2 years.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Checklist Time...
Owning a boat is an investment, probably a poor one, but still. Over the last couple of years I have tried to keep up with most everything that is going on in my boat. With it having a few years on it it is inevitable that some things need some attention. Being the procrastinator that I am i generally put things off unless they fail to function entirely. Some things I do stay on top of and I regularly check and maintain them. I always check fluids and things concerning my motor. I also yearly grease the bearings on my trailer and lubricate moving parts. About once a month I check all the lights and check the air pressure in the tires although I visually check the tires every time I take the boat out. Being that is kind of a slow time for fishing and the weather has not really been cooperating, I took a little time to work on some things that I needed to.
I usually start out every year by making a checklist of things that I know needed attention and I just check them off as I go. I knew my livewell was leaking down slowly and I assumed that my valve was clogged. I removed it and inspected, cleaned, and reinstalled. Where I discovered that I thing I need to replace the cable. Had I just left this issue I would have had to deal with this leaky valve all year and I would have to keep a close eye on any fish I put in the livewell and risk having one die and possibly costing me a check.
I also had one small section under the passenger and driver's seats that I failed to replace the carpet on while I was tackling that job this past summer. I was finally able to finish that and mark that off of my list.
I lubed and checked the spring tension of my Hot Foot and I checked the proper operation of my "kill switch." Don't want a malfunction with these parts.
My gearcase apparently got some braided fishing line around the propshaft that cut into the seal and allowed some water in, that froze in the recent cold weather and I had to have a little work done on it. Not exactly what I wanted to spend my money on, but it happens and when it's repaired I know that it will be water tight with new seals. It also allowed the inspection of the internal parts (gears and bearings, etc.) which is not bad. Luckily everything was in very excellent condition. That in itself will give me some peace of mind.
All fittings and screws need to be checked every so often to make sure they are tight. I will get that done too. I'm going to add some additional lights from Bluewater LED and I need to check a loose bilge pump one day.
All in all to be it's age, my boat is in good shape because I do these things every year. I still have a couple of small things on my list to do and I'll mark them off as I get to them. My main concern is being 100% ready to fish, without any things that need repairing when it warms up a little. So if you have a few minutes, write down every single thing that you would like to check, repair, or change and get on them as you get a little free time.
I usually start out every year by making a checklist of things that I know needed attention and I just check them off as I go. I knew my livewell was leaking down slowly and I assumed that my valve was clogged. I removed it and inspected, cleaned, and reinstalled. Where I discovered that I thing I need to replace the cable. Had I just left this issue I would have had to deal with this leaky valve all year and I would have to keep a close eye on any fish I put in the livewell and risk having one die and possibly costing me a check.
I also had one small section under the passenger and driver's seats that I failed to replace the carpet on while I was tackling that job this past summer. I was finally able to finish that and mark that off of my list.
I lubed and checked the spring tension of my Hot Foot and I checked the proper operation of my "kill switch." Don't want a malfunction with these parts.
My gearcase apparently got some braided fishing line around the propshaft that cut into the seal and allowed some water in, that froze in the recent cold weather and I had to have a little work done on it. Not exactly what I wanted to spend my money on, but it happens and when it's repaired I know that it will be water tight with new seals. It also allowed the inspection of the internal parts (gears and bearings, etc.) which is not bad. Luckily everything was in very excellent condition. That in itself will give me some peace of mind.
All fittings and screws need to be checked every so often to make sure they are tight. I will get that done too. I'm going to add some additional lights from Bluewater LED and I need to check a loose bilge pump one day.
All in all to be it's age, my boat is in good shape because I do these things every year. I still have a couple of small things on my list to do and I'll mark them off as I get to them. My main concern is being 100% ready to fish, without any things that need repairing when it warms up a little. So if you have a few minutes, write down every single thing that you would like to check, repair, or change and get on them as you get a little free time.
Friday, January 1, 2010
Happy New Year!
It's the beginning of a new year and a new decade and it's going to be a great year for fishing and for everything in my life. I am so excited. I'm planning on fishing some different tournament trails this year, I'm hopefully going to be purchasing a newer boat, and many other exciting things.
Spent the day trying to recover from whatever this funk I have is, plus tending my smoker. What better way to kill some time while you don't really feel like doing much?... I got 2 pork butts sitting at about 185 now. Just waiting for them to get a little warmer before I pull 'em out. That's gonna be my pork for good luck in '10. Gonna put a little slaw on them sandwiches, it'll have to work in place of turnip greens for wealth. Had some black-eyed peas earlier. So I guess I'm all set... Tough life being superstitious.
It's the beginning of a new year and a new decade and it's going to be a great year for fishing and for everything in my life. I am so excited. I'm planning on fishing some different tournament trails this year, I'm hopefully going to be purchasing a newer boat, and many other exciting things.
Spent the day trying to recover from whatever this funk I have is, plus tending my smoker. What better way to kill some time while you don't really feel like doing much?... I got 2 pork butts sitting at about 185 now. Just waiting for them to get a little warmer before I pull 'em out. That's gonna be my pork for good luck in '10. Gonna put a little slaw on them sandwiches, it'll have to work in place of turnip greens for wealth. Had some black-eyed peas earlier. So I guess I'm all set... Tough life being superstitious.
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