I wouldn't show up with a skinny pole and light fishing line.....there is a 40 pound catfish in the pond that surprises a lot of folks.  The last guy that caught him got 4 hooks out of his mouth - some folks just don't have strong enough line to haul him in.

I spoke with a friend last night that has been riding in this area for years, and he will help me map out some good rides.

It is all about the fun of it -- a 5 pound catfish would be a wonderful fight and that is about what would go chasing a little bitty buzzy thing tossed out into the water.

Bigger is just better ..... and if the line pops, so what?

MM's gonna haul one in and fillet it, and that will feed all of us anyway.

I have heavier stuff, and can get it out if needed.

Me, sitting in a folding aluminum chair, keeping tension on the come-along until the catfish gets bored and simply doesn't see the net coming up from the bottom.

Or me, holding the reel half of a broken ultra lite rig ......   could happen, as the line is over twice as strong as was ever intended to be used in that sort of wispy spinning rig.


     

"Oldfeller and the Sea" by Hmmmm_ingway what lives down there in Key West .....


I hope the sharks don't eat my catfish.    


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Dave posted this on a 3 man trip, he shoulda dropped it here where more folks are going ....

Waddya' guys think about this tent?

http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/for/5670734602.html

Looks to be about a $ 150 tent at Walmart

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Ozark-Trail-3-Room-10-Person-Vacation-Tent-Red/3410...

I am a bit worried about the "you get what you pay for" thingy.  Can you really get a new tent for $ 150 (used for $ 100) tent that is worth trying to sleep in.....especially when it is raining.  A tent this size is going to take about $ 50 worth of silicone spray!

And since Lancer is most likely already housebroken......we do have an extra bedroom in the house where he can sleep and plug in his CPAP machine.
(We also have a training collar that could be used in the event he is not yet housebroken.....it has one button that makes a soothing "reward" sound....and another button with an adjustable "correction" level!).

It wasn't really rat eyeball jelly, it was silicone grease.  

The trick is the nylon fabric has a pre-existing impregnation with silicone grease and rain water can't get a grip due to osmotic tension, it rejects the H₂O molecules.

Same trick works with canvas, get the silicone grease established and the water just rolls off.

Sniff the tire shine before you buy it -- some smells strong compared to others and you want the least smell you can locate.

Being straight silicone oil, it can also lube a zipper jest dandy.

Dave's tent disappeared off of Craigslist .....   sold, I suspect.

I pushed a bit about vacation time at work and got my days approved.   I am good for the whole trip, taking the 22rd - 2nd allowing lots of extra time for travel, etc.

Today's big push is putting everything in the car to carry Momma to the mountains, civilized style.  Asheville tea shops is what she is aiming at.

The boys are going off separately, visiting gun stores ......  

Set to arrive Tuesday night... itsa 12 hr drive... so hopefully GPS works.