. . .and how?, let me count the ways.

So far I took apart all my 6500's and greased them all up on the inside and even got new bearings and main gears for 4 of the 6 so they are now as smooth as they will get as some are 10 years old. I sent back 2 Quantum Boca 40's and they gave me brand new ones so now all I have to do is spool all the reels up with new line and be good to go.

My rods are all laid out on my living room floor and I was thinking of actually taking a rag and wiping them down with wax, am I nuts?

I miss all the fastidious preparation that must come before a fishing trip, no matter what kind of fish/area I might be heading out into. I look forward to having to tie up new live-bait rigs or getting all the sabiki, hi-low rigs ready and tieing up light lines on the weights so that they will break away when snagged. Most of all I miss the boating part of it all.

I miss the trailering part. Making sure all the lights are working, that the tires are all 50lbs, that the bearings are all up with grease. That I need to get to the store to get some way heavier duty tie downs instead of the light duty Highland-Wal-Mart ratchet tie downs that wouldn't hold the boat down in case it ever decided to take a trip down the street/highway some day.

I miss making sure everything on the boat is up to snuff. I need to make sure I spray all the electricals on the boat with the corrosion resisting spray stuff and make sure all the little things work on it which it should, after all, I went over eveything last April and May and everything worked so well this past season right into December.

I miss starting the motor up and motoring out, making sure the engine is warmed up before taking and keeping it at 4000 rpm for the trip to wherever the fish might be this day. I so look forward to this May when I get my first new boat and motor, the anticipation is building, anticipation like nothing I've ever had to experience before. It is nice in that I'll have two boats at my disposal once I get the new one but come March, the old one with a new Mercury on the back will do no problem.

We've got all the bait, all the rods and reels are ready, maybe they will all have a rig on them ready to be baited and sent down probably for Cod or Mackerel as March might be when things get started again and it isn't so cold to fish out on the sound or outside the sound so as to be comfortable in the warming days and the warming ocean. Having the radio on and the little GPS on and just listening to the radio with that sun beating down or even a total overcast, so long as the seas are down enough to run and be comfortable is all we'll need. Maybe have the VHF turned down low just to listen to what might be going on around us and to feel just that much safer on the water.

The first bites will come and someone will set the hook and be tight on a fish, any fish, it doesn't matter what kind or what size. That is all that has to happen for the fishing trip, any trip that is, to be a success, the hope that there is a fish down there willing to bite someones, anyones, line,. Ahhhh, the hope of Spring.

Don't you know, "It's just TFCTF"!!!!!!!!!!!!

that about sums it up my friend.

I'm right there with you. Yesterday I had to get out of the house because everyone was sick and I needed some air and space so off I went to the beach and then found myself at #^&#^&#^&#^&'s Sporting Goods in Plymouth. Normally I don't buy from the big stores but somehow I mangaged to purchase jigs, trolling lures, Boga grip(Berkley), 1,000,000 candle rechargable lantern, pistol grip hook remover, and a couple of plugs. $80 later I felt I was chipping away at this season's to-do list. I called the bait shop in town this afternoon just to talk shop and make sure there was other sickos still getting ready for this season. That is what this board is all about man. You, me, and whatever the number of folks here are, all feel for you. You're not nuts!

The very worst part is I think of selling my streetbike that I've had for 40,000 miles now and love to commute to work on when the weather is nice but worry that I might get taken out by some errant driver someday and I wouldn't be able to go fishing or boating anymore.

The very worst part is I actually thought of selling my snowmobile that I now have 5,600 miles on so I can put more money towards all the boat/fishing expenses and so I won't worry about going through the ice or getting taken out by some yahoo coming around the corner on my side of the trail.

The very worst part is I think of selling my CR500R for all the same reasons as the streetbike and dirtbike. It is getting to that point where I'm getting older and both my body and mind are telling me that I need to either think about giving these things up or really actually give all the things up that brought me so much joy in the past because I now think they might be dangerous and cost me money that I could put towards boating/fishing. Is this crazy thinking or what?

The very best part is that the boating/trailering/fishing is easy on the body and while bodily threat still exists, I think it would be way lower than with streetbiking, dirtbiking or snowmobiling. I think that would be un-argueable.

I never thought I'd even think of these things but I have. Could be getting older or it could be the true love I feel for the boating and fishing part of life that has a stronger draw on me now than ever before. I think I'll keep the toys as I have them, they all work very well and with a minimum of maintenance as I've gotten good at the maintenance and especially with using them so they don't break. I don't think I have to make any rash decisions too soon, but I really think that with my love of fishing and boating being so strong now, I just may give some of my loves in life up someday.

Gee, imagine what my thinking might be like if I ever have kid(s)?

Exactly! Sharpen those hooks, check the line, what to bring for gear, where to go, what time/tide is best for what spot, get to bed early, get up very early and GO HIT IT!
You are so right! I miss all that stuff.

i wanted to start a thread
"BAHAAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHAAH I CANT TAKE IT ANYMORE"

but i thought that was insane.

if i have to listen to jay baver say "hi im jay baver and today we are going for some monster bass off the ......." ..... instead of me going out out to ........i may actually go cross eyed

in our house jay baver is mr what to do with hands :)

The hardest thing, like they say, is to have something and not be able to use it than to not have it/own it and want to use it.

Time is short now, I just want to get to March and I'll be back out there somewhere. This season was nice, I was out until the last weekend in November and had I known that December was going to be like it was I would have gone out all those nice weekends in December.

the worst thing is that my school ends on may 24-27. then i will return to rit for a summer quarter and i wont be able to fish for the spring schoolies and squid run much because rit starts on june 4-july 29. god, im so freakign depressed now. :rocketem: someone just shoot me:skulz: (not literally).

that ground hog better be right

I hear you Bassiyus...I even had the same question about whether I was over the top enought to wipe down all the rods- for now, just going to content myself with cleaning the reels and putting new hooks on everything. Trimming down the life for the fish? Makes sense! I wonder why I don't trim everything else down too sometimes..dark thoughts..

i wanted to start a thread
"BAHAAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHAAH I CANT TAKE IT ANYMORE"

but i thought that was insane.

if i have to listen to jay baver say "hi im jay baver and today we are going for some monster bass off the ......." ..... instead of me going out out to ........i may actually go cross eyed

in our house jay baver is mr what to do with hands :)

nice little rant there. If he's so bad, why are all the episodes tivoed? :eek5:

nice little rant there. If he's so bad, why are all the episodes tivoed? :eek5:

never said he was bad... i'd just rather being doing it than watching it.

i would like to see him keep his hands in his pockets though :jester:


and the babahahah would be in reference to not being able to fish not the show.

This is exactly why I'm working 2 jobs this winter. I'll save some money, and get out of the house. Unfortunatly, I have internet access at both jobs where I repeatedly check striped bass fishing sites, while I slowly wait for the return of the bass. Late March can't be here soon enough.

Being of Italian heritage, I believe Mr. Baver just needs to learn a few more words.