Saying Thank You and Good Bye to an Old Friend

Not knowing what the economy is going to do in the near future has slowed up some needed decisions that had to be made this year.  But the time had come to make a few that just could not wait any longer.  With another tournament season starting and countless miles of driving ahead I took a big change in faith and had to let go of my 2004 F-350 6.0 4x4 Diesel Crew Cab Dually that had served me well over the last 8 years or so.  From trips to Mexico for a few biker rallies to countless tournaments. 
There were of course some bad days when that 6.0 just drove me nuts with needed work to keep it running.  But after only 180,000 miles it was time to let her go as there was some needed work that I could not justify to keep her running another few years.  It still ran well, but it was time to make the move to something newer.  I kept my F350 clean so whoever gets her will get a good truck.

But thanks to Johnny Johnson and Toby from Hatch Toyota they had a truck there that fit my requirements.  Now, I like Toyota trucks but they just don't make a diesel truck.  But they had a super clean 2010 Dodge RAM 4x4 Big Horne Edition with a 6.7 diesel motor and only 28,00 miles. Hardly broke in and the price was right.

But the best part of the whole deal is that the folks at Hatch Toyota, sight unseen offered me more a fair trade for my Ford and a great price on the Dodge.  They secured me better financing and made the whole deal easy.  All I had to do was take an enjoyable trip to see them in Show Lo, AZ, some 215 miles from my home, but when we got there, there were no games.  The paperwork was ready and we were there and gone pretty quickly.  No hassle, no stress and no BS!

Thanks Toby and Chaz at Hatch Toyota in Show Low, AZ and Johnny Johnson for sending me there.   Give them a call then next time your looking for a new car or truck!  You'll be glad you did.

U2 Pro Formula Wrap

Well, it finally happened.  Got some sponsor assistance in wrapping my Legend and due to the fact that my spponsor liked my last wrap so well A&M got the call to do it again.  I presented the design concept and they made it come to life.  

Thank you to U2 Pro Formula and A&M Graphics for your support and a great wrap!

               Pleased to announcethat I am now part of the Power Team Lures Pro Staff Family!
                                                        www.powerteamlures.com

A Night At Canyon Lake to Remember

A Night to Remember

My fishing partner, my step-son Chris ,and I decided we wanted to go out for some full moon fishing.  Not having fished on Canyon Lake at night for a few years out we headed for some fun fishing.  We fished from 6 pm to 1am and had a blast. Canyon is known for producing hugh double digit Toads and we wanted to see if they were out playing.

The evening weather looked promising with no Summer storms, a slight breeze, no clouds and a full moon on the way.  Water temp was between 82 and 85 degrees, slightly stained with a 2 to 5 foot visability.

We started off in the first 5 minutes with a solid 3.5 lber LM, on a dropshot rig with a Robo Worm.  We worked the Canyon Walls and large boulders as we went. A few minutes later I flipped a Texas Rig with a 10" Red Shad Power Worm into a pocket along a canyon wall where I knew there was a shelf about 10 feet deep.  As I slowly dragged the worm over the shelf, I got another strike.  It was another 3.5lb LM.   As I was dropping into the water, my partner, who had flipped a Texas Rig with a small grub right back into the same pocket and he yelled FISH!, WOW, and what a fish, he blasted a 6.94lb LM from the same spot.  So, back to back fish from the same sopt in less than two minutes. 

At that point we felt sure this was going to be a good night of fishing.  Shortly thereafter, we hit another fish, which we thought to be another LM, that turned out to be a nice 16 inch Catfish. 

Then, as always, when the sun goes down fishing on Canyon Lake slows or comes to a dead stop for up to a few hours.  We pressed on leaving the river canyon walls and headed back to the main lake where we had several old spots we wanted to try our luck at.

It was hit and miss for a while but finally fishing picked back up and we found a pattern that stayed consistant.  Somewhat puzzled, a couple of my old spots just did not produced so we moved back to where I caught the first fish of the evening and my partner laned a nice 3+ lb LM on the same spot. 

Now, we pride ourselves on keeping our fish healthy and alive!  But our 6.94 suddenly went belly up.  I continued fishing while my partner tended to the troubled fish.  We couldn't figure out what happened' then we spotted it.  Somehow the livewell Oxygenation system and water circulation had somehow inadvertantly been turned off...for how long we didn't know.  So all sytems back on, U2 Pro Formula Livewell Treatment and some fresh water and 45 minutes of my partner and I switching places keeping the fish upright and near the circulating water nozzle, the fish finally recovered and stayed upright and seemed healthy again.

We headed to another spot  and started to work the boulders near the shore.  This spot was like  the others where we caught fish but, a strong breeze had come up.  We worked one direction through the area and would get to a spot where the wind would stop.  We'd fish it and move on and the wind would pick up blowing in the opposite direction.  Strange...  We would work back down until the wind stopped again and when we moved past that point the wind would pick back up again in the opposite direction....  I think you see where I'm going here.....  Each time in either direction the wind would stop at a particular point...for no reason as we were in the open.  So eventually after several passes in each direction we decided to just hang there in the calm zone for bit.  And then, it paid off.  My partner yelled FISH! and I grabbed the net.  He had not seen the fish yet and was looking down when the fish jumped at the back of the boat and I looked at him and said you have a Toad!...and the rodeo was on.  Needless to say this LM was his personal best of 10.11 lbs.  and she was a beauty. 

I don't know what happened, but it just seems like we had a little help....  If you know

We fished until 1:00 am pulled out our scale to see what we had.  What a night.  We took our best three and hammered a 21.30 lb bag!  (10.11, 6.94 & 4.25lbs.)  Then we added the two others for a five fish weight.  (3.5 & 4.0) for another 7.5 lbs totalling 28.8lbs for a 5 fish limit! 

A great night!!! With all the fish safely back in the water we headed home.  A persnoal best for my partner, twice in one night, a Team personal best and great teamwork saving a fish. 

I don't know about what happened, but it just seemed like we had a little help here... if you know what I mean. 

Canyon Lake, East of Phoenix, AZ is one of four lakes in a chain of lakes.  From Saguaro Lake, the closest to the valley, to Canyon Lake with its beautiful canyon walls and abundant wild life and majestic Big Horn Sheep to Apache Lake which follows the old Apache Trail and once Ppony Express U.S. Mail Station in Tortilla Flats ending at the Roosevelt Dam and Lake Roosevelt, each separated by man-made dams, each with its own beautiful desert landscape and great fishing.

What a great night!  One I am sure we will both remember and talk about for a lifetime.

WOW!  What a great event.  Last Saturday June 9, 2012 I participated in the first 'Our Warriors on the Water' event.  Twenty 24 local Pros took 24 veterans from the Korean War to current conflicts for a day of fishing on Roosevelt Lake as our way of thanking them for their service and comittment to keeping America free.

It was a great day on the water with the veterans competing againt each other for top honors from each war campaign.  We fished from 5:00AM until 10:00AM then assembled and headed for Roosevelt Resort for lunch and awards.

Shake Rattle & Troll Radio Show,1100AM host Don McDowell organized the event and pulled some great sponsors, Bill Luke Jeep, Dodge, RAM, Sportsman's Wearhouse, Rim Country Rods, Payson Round Up, Fast-Tech Designs, just to name a few, together to help make this a day to remember.

What a great day and a great way to thank our Warriors, past and present, for their service to our country!
 A special thanks to the folks at Legend Boats for providing some special tactical gear for my Warrior and I for the event!  Be sure to check out the 2012 Alpha 211 Tactical boat @
http://legendmarine.com/boats/tactical/

I know I'll be looking forward to the 2nd annual event next year!

I am excited about being invited as one of the local Pros to take out a veteran on June 9, 2012 for a 'Warriors on the Water' event.  We have twenty-four local Pro's who have agreed to take part and veterans from as far back ad the Korean War who will be joining us in celebrating their service to our country.  Hosted by Don McDowell of Radio Show 'Shake Rattle and Troll' and Bill Luke Dodge, this has all the right stuff to be a successful event.  We'll take the veterans out for approximately a five hour mini tournament on Roosevelt Lake, then bring them in for a weigh-in, prizes and a good lunch at the Roosevelt Resort in Roosevelt, AZ.  It should be a great time for all.  I will post the results after the event.

Hey, I almost forgot.........Well Actually I did forget.  Sorry Shane!  But, WOW if you want any of your taclke or lures custom painted, chack out my friend Shane's website www.kaostackle.com.  He is amazing!  I recently received back some lures I left with Shane to do for me.  They are amazing!  They are done so well I'm not sure I want to use them.  But really, check KAOS Tackle out.  Great Stuff.

And thanks Shane for a great job and for serving out Country!

Well I finally received my Power-Pole for my Legend. Thanksto Curt with JL Marine (Power-Pole) for helping me with my order.  Also, thanks to my friend Ken from Holiday Marine who installed the mounting bracket for me.  The rest of the installation has gone very well.  It is pretty straight forward.  I have been doing a little each evening this week after getting home form the office. Today I will be finishing up today with adding the Green hydraulic fluid and hooking up the power.  Can' wait to test it out!  I will post pictures later.

I am excited to announce that I have just been selected as a member of the Power-Pole Pro Team.  For my boat I have selected the new 8ft Blade model.  (www.power-pole.com)

Wield the power of a Blade.

The new Signature Series Blade is in a class all by itself. Extreme performance and stopping power are delivered by a brushless motor and high flow pump, making this the fastest, strongest and deepest anchor available. The Blade is thinner, more aerodynamic and the Everflex spike folds neatly into the new pocket design. The Blade comes with C-Monster, advanced wireless dash switch and standard remote control so you’re ready to fish from anywhere on your boat right out of the box.

SWIFT

Nothing stops your boat faster and safer than Power-Pole anchors. The unbelievably fast action means you can stop as soon as you see a fish or hook on without any concern for stress on your transom, the only stress you’ll feel will be on the other end of your line.

SILENT

Nothing stops your boat quieter than Power-Pole anchors. The Power-Pole deployment system is virtually silent, allowing the anchor to quickly slip into the water undetected with no disturbance below the surface. The only sound will be the splash of all the fish you land.

SECURE

Nothing holds your boat stronger than Power-Pole anchors. Precisely tuned hydraulics provide maximum force to keep your boat pinned down in all water and current conditions, as well as all bottom types including hard sand, rock, mud and grass, so you can stand and fish with confidence.

A CHANGE IS COMING!

Well, I can now say I am please to announce that I am part of the Legend Boat Family.  I picked up my Legend boat last weekend and started setting it up.  I want to thank Allen, the Legend Boats Western Regional Rep and Dean at Legend boats for all of their help and support!