Skunk Times 3

Or was it 4?It's been over a week since I had my string of not so memorable fishing trips on my local waters in Southeast Virginia so you have to forgive me.As always it was nice to get out rather than being a loaf on the couch.It would have been better to catch fish which was the intended purpose of putting the boat in the water.It happens every year though and I have nobody to blame but myself.It's like a bad habit that I refuse to kick no matter how much everyone tells me it's all wrong.Going fishing for bass when the air temperature warms up,yet the water is still quite cold.I feel that sweet warmth of the sun and I get this bug that tells me the fish must be biting,surely with these two days above 60 degrees they are out and hungry.How wrong I was,again and again and again.The funny thing is,I'm not the only one who goes out early every year and gets skunked,repeatedly,days in a row.I learned that even the "pro" bass fishermen with all of the fancy gear and 3000 hp motors can't find fish all the time.On a side note,the "pro" guys in my new neck of the woods seem to be a little more tolerable.We still aren't exactly on the same page when it comes to enjoying the entire outdoors experience but I will try and let that go.I took the time to explore some of the feeder creeks to the river,got some excellent pictures and found a few wood duck holes for this November that I will revisit.I'm aware the waterfowl season just ended,I never stop looking.The big event of the Spring happens when I get home in a few weeks,MAN CAMP! For those of you that have tuned in over the last year let me fill you in.Man Camp is a once a year event that myself and a few friends have hosted for eight years now.Every Spring,the tents get aired out,fishing poles get re-spooled.friendships get renewed and a bunch of dudes go to the woods to get away.As you may get from the title Man Camp is just that,a camp for men.There is no bitching about anything.Your personal life,we don't care.your wife,kids,job,whatever,just leave it at home.We all gather in the woods at the same camp site every Spring to have a good time,throw around a few jokes,drink a few beers and not get any sleep.The attendees have ranged from two full sets of brothers,six total to my old landlord and good friends father all the way from Vermont.We have dealt with temperatures from 40 degrees and mist all weekend to 85 degrees with plenty of ticks and chiggers.I ended up on antibiotics for tick and chigger bites last year,can't wait to do it again!So there it is back at work for a few weeks then the official kick off to Spring happens.Thanks for reading and get outside!I wanted to put more pictures up but the internet siganl isn't the greatest in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay

Versatile,I Could Be

Iguess I walked into this one.A few days ago I informed my oldest brother Swamp Thing over at River Mud Blog, http://rivermud.blogspot.com/2011/03/award-where-i-talk-about-feelings-is-no.html ,he recieved a blog award from LB at Biscuits and Bullets, http://bulletsandbiscuits.blogspot.com/2011/03/why-yesi-am-trash-picker-upper.html ,for being versatile.He in turn passed the award around as and I intend to follow through with this.So the instructions are to write a few things about myself that the internet friends may not know.So let's give it a whirl!

1.I'm technologically stupid As if you couldn't tell from the links above,I'm a computer idiot.I wanted to start with this because I honestly believe if I could figure this contraption out a bit better, my blog would be much more on point.As it is,I'm self taught on the computer and thankfully my career has little to do with them.


2.I like being different Both of my brothers have normal awesome lives and I applaud them for being able to hold that down.I simply can't do it though.I have always enjoyed going against the grain in every facet of my life.I stand my ground to an extent but I know when to admit I'm wrong.That doesn't mean I will do what you say though!My brothers are and have always been my role models and I'm glad they are happy but what makes them happy doesn't always work for me.

3. The Outdoors is my Life I honestly live for the outdoors.My nickname at work is bird dog.Every time I hear a duck/goose I look to the sky to see where it's coming from and where it's going.At work it literally kills me to talk to people on land who had a good day on the water fishing or hunting.I want to be there,I need to be there.I can't stand being inside on a nice day.If money didn't exist and the trade and barter system were still an option I would spend every day in the woods and waters of this great nation hunting,trapping,fishing because I love it.

4.Would of,Could of,Should of School,oh school how I hate you.I wish,like my normal brothers,I would have stayed in college.My brothers don't even know this or they do and never speak of it.I'm to the age now where I realize I screwed up big time.I can hear my dad saying,yeah no crap boy,but it hit me a few years ago.Towing a barge down the coast in heavy weather we broke the tow wire.I almost lost my life many times along with other merchant seaman that day.We saved the barge from going aground.Good for us,except nobody cared.It didn't matter to anyone except the insurance company who didn't get the call.It was just a part of my job.That day reminds me that being in an office,being that "yes" man isn't such a bad idea sometimes.

5.I'm a Closet Travel Junky I want to travel so bad and I have no reason not to.I went to Panama,El Salvador and Guatemala for work a few years ago on a tugboat and have always wanted to go back.Go back?Let me be real,I want to travel the globe before I retire so I can enjoy what the rest of the world has to offer.I went and got my passport a few months ago and as long as my income doesn't come to an end I need to make the time to branch out with my outdoor activities.



So there it is,a few things you may not know about me.Just wanted to thank the few hardcore readers that visit my site.I went through a phase where I didn't want to post on here anymore.Then I realized that the reason I write is to get things off my mind.I never stop thinking so I find it's good to write it down.So I guess I will pass this award on to a few people.Nope I can't do that,everbody on my reading list already got the writing prompt.So thanks for reading and get outdoors everybody!

A Wicked Wind

Everything is going great,I'm off the boat,my father is recuperating from surgery well,I arrive at my house for the first time in two weeks and I get this sinking feeling that something is wrong.It was ten at night as I walked into the back yard and discovered this mess.

Oh but wait it gets better!Not only did the boat get flipped off the trailer in high winds but the axle decided to stay at ground level while the trailer frame followed the boat.

So what's the damage?broken leaf springs is all the damage this fiasco caused.Unfortunately the trailer,which I bought new in 2006,was due for a bit of maintenance.I figured if I was going into this I might as well do it all and do it right.So after driving around eighty miles between five different stores I ended up with leaf springs,a handful of stainless steel bolts and lock nuts,wood screws for the bunk boards,PB Blaster penetrating catalyst which is my new best friend.Now I'm not sure how many of you own a boat trailer but I'm assuming if you do then this is childsplay to you.Me on the other hand has never done any of this by myself,however I have done all of it with help before.Let me say saltwater does wonders to any and all metal.Even with breaker bars and butane torches,I ended up breaking out a grinder with a cutting wheel to disperse one bolt.Not sure why I didn't do that to all the rusty bolts but live and learn I suppose.So after a day and a half labor and running around,80 dollars and my trailer is like new.
All in one piece and my mind set at ease,it was time for the maintenance that was scheduled for this spring.Lights and wheel bearings were on the menu and even though late in the day,I knew I needed to do it so the trailer would be ready to go.The lights weren't to much of a problem with the trailer already upside down everything was in my face and easy to get to.The bearings,well the bearings,yeah the bearings.I figured the trailer,which I rarely use,would leave the bearings to be in good shape.How incorrect I was!Sitting with my face by the hub cap and popping it off was my first mistake.Brown water and goo went everywhere and continued to drip out of the bearing.Bad news folks these bearings are trash,good news I have everything in my shed to fix them.So with daylight leaving me I hunkered down and cleaned out and repacked the bearings.Funny thing about it,after I was all done,I sat that and looked at it.I thought,the last time I used this trailer was over a year ago,why am I keeping it.Is it because it was my first boat and trailer?Is it because it's paid for and nice to have a backup?Maybe by next year I will be able to let go of it,but I doubt it.On another note my brother came down from Maryland with his wife and my nephew.Both my brothers and I had a great afternoon fishing trip on my local river so stay tuned for that post.As always thanks for reading and get outdoors!

Early Spring

Typically for the Mid Atlantic region we should still be dealing with feet of snow and gale force winds.Thanks to my furry friend it seems Spring has come early,or maybe not.I'm a bit of a weather nerd,I won't hide that from anyone.As a child I seriously contemplated becoming a weatherman until I discovered how much math was involved.At work in North Carolina and I have been watching the weather closely.I have been waiting for Winter to rush back in,however it seems the East Coast may be getting an early out from our contract with mother nature.The weather in Southeast Virginia over the next few weeks shows typical early spring conditions.One day near 70 the next 45 with 30 mph winds followed by three days of rain.The area needs the rain but not all at once.Being addicted to the outdoors means having a general understanding of ever changing weather conditions at the very least.The best way to ruin a good day outdoors is to be caught in a fast approaching cold front with the wrong gear.So I may be home again next week and looking forward to any break in the rain to go try my hand at fishing again.I would like to think I will be home for the entire spring bass spawn but that requires luck.Stay tuned and in the meantime,get outside and make the best of the day.