Conference wahoo::fishing

    Bart,
    
    There is alot of fsihing around Tampa. Rivers and lakes. Try Eagle
    Lake about 25 miles or so east, just outside of Lakeland (nice name).
    You could also call or stop by the Chamber of Commerce.
    
    Good luck and tight lines, Ranger Ron

    
    re.0
    	You'll probably read this when you get back, but...
    
    1) The bridge over Tampa Bay, or most any of the other bridges. All
    	types and varieties of fish.
    
    2) Head south a few hours to ?Tarpon Bay?, it should be the start
    of the season for some decent tarpon fishing. Late night action off
    the bridges can be excellent.

    							=Paul=

    Does anyone out in notes land want to go 50-50 on a guided Florida
    bass trip.  I'll be down there the 2nd week of February.  I was
    thinking of the St. Johns River, as I fished it once before and
    had good luck.  Two years ago I paid $160, plus the cost of live
    bait.  I imagine it's gone up some since then.  Send me mail if
    your interested.
    
    Gone fishin
    Brian

    We're a month off... I sent this out to a few folks this morning.
    So far I have got 2 folks who are considering...
    
    donmac
    
    
From:	TOOTER::MACINTYRE    "Don MacIntyre, 226-2395, LJO2/I4"  2-JAN-1990
    10:47:53.21
To:	@FISHERMEN
CC:	MACINTYRE
Subj:	South for the winter...

hello there,

anyone want to go south for the winter?? or how about just for a week or
so...

i'm planning on taking another trip south, probably florida, around march
maybe april...   last time we went down the last week of march, it was in the
80s and the fishing had supposedly JUST slowed down - we heard the usual,
you should have been here last week...  fishing was real slow for okeechobee,
but we had a great time nonetheless - and we SAW a 13lber boated 20 yds from
us at east lake toho...

2 years ago we left nh on a thursday am, driving and towing my boat - we spent 
thurs night at a cheap motel on the nc/sc border and we were fishing the
st johns in florida by noon on friday... saturday afternoon we were fishing
okeechobee... we stayed at the big o for a few days then headed back half
way up the state and fished east lake toho for a few days... then sadly 
headed north again home...

it's alot of driving, alot of fun and most importantly alot fishing!!
and also importantly (in my case anyway) real cheap...  we camped out all 
but 3 nights...  i have a large comfortable tent thats waterproof and 
windproof - which is real important down by the big o! - and all the 
necessary camping gear to make it not really roughing it too much...

this time down i'm hoping to do some peacock bass fishing!  according to
bassmasters the florida non-native fish dept has established a thriving
population of peacocks in the canals down there!!!

another thing on my "wish list" is tarpon!!!  however i don't know if
i'll want to spend the money that would probably be associated with
a guide...

my buddy brian, who went down with me last time, isn't fishing quite as
much these days since he's enjoying the wild and crazy single life once 
again 8^) so i'm kinda doubting that bri will be up for this trip - 
although you never know - this is the first he's heard of this! - 
interested bri???

so... i'm hoping to get at least one person interested in going, but the
more the merrier...  if anyone is thinking about some other sort of trip,
fill me in on that too - i'm open for alternatives as well...

one alternative i considered was visting coonass's fishing camp on the
louisiana texas border, free room, but that'd require airfare which would 
get more expensive... 

so if you got a couple hundred bucks, say 64 hours of vacation time,
and if your married - a nice wife - go for it!

donmac
 

     Hmmmmm, Florida hawg hunting for a week!! Sounds like a great idea
    Don. I have always wanted to go to Florida for BIG BASS but never
    had anyone to go with.
    
     I have driven down there about four or five times in my life with
    my brother but unfortunately that was before I got into bass fishing,
    we used to go down for spring break or bike week at Daytona Beach.
    Talk about some sleepless nights at the campground when all you hear
    is Harleys coming and going!!
    
    But anyways I am very interested in going and I will give it serious
    thought and let you know!
    
    Bass-O-Matic
    

    bass-o-matic, do you have a boat?  
    
    so far I have two others interested as well (tim lucia and the 
    harbormaster)  tim doesn't have a boat and the harbormaster isn't about
    to tow THE BARGE down there - so, so far mine is the only boat going...
    
    again, nothing is definite yet, right now where just tossing the idea
    around...  get back to me if you think you may be able to make it... 
    
    and florida is not the only thing we're considering, we're looking at
    other alternatives as well...
    
    donmac

     Don, I don't have one of those Rangers with 150 hp engines but I do
    have a nice 14' V-hull !! It's a Seanyph FM-146 with a 20 hp Merc and
    also has two swivel seats, livewell, and 28lb trolling motor. 
    
    Like I said before that I am giving this some serious thought and I
    wouldn't have a problem towing my boat down. I would like to hear 
    what other alternatives you might be considering!!
    
    Are all you guys going to the Centrum show? Because if you are then
    I would take a ride down from Nashua to meet you and we could talk
    this over some BASS ALE.
    
    Bass-O-Matic
    

    Hi! Don
        if you are around alabama in april let me know. you guys would be 
    welcome to my house and i'll take you to guntersville lake for some good
    bass fishing "pro bass" named guntersville lake as the best bass lake in  
    the country.  
    
                                  ray d.

    If chew wanna use my place chew don need to bring a boat. I gotta 14'
    VIP wit stick steerin an a 25 hp motor. Anyting bigger gonna get busted
    op by de stomps anyway.
    
    Coonass

    Bass-O-Matic,
    One of the alternatives that I was considering was flying down to
    Coonass' place, and although it was real tempting, unfortunately I'm
    not going to be able to accept Coonass' hospitality, because that was a
    little more expensive than I had planned on.  This year, since I recently 
    dropped a few hundred into ice fishing, my spring trip has to be a real 
    econo-trip...  I don't think we have set a meeting place at the Centrum
    yet, usually we'll meet at the concession booth between the halls at a 
    certain time and take it from there... 
    
    Ray, great to hear from ya!  I have been wondering what you were up to.
    As a matter of fact, Alabama is one of the considerations, I have given
    Lake Picwic some thought - thinking about them HAWG smallies!  And
    Guntersville had me interested as well - how far are you from there?
    Have you had a chance to fish it much????
    
    donmac

      Don, those other places you mention sound interesting but I have
    heard so much about the HAWGS in Florida that it would be my first choice
    if we decide to go. I also agree with you about it being an econo-trip and
    driving would be the cheapest way to go! I should also mention that I have
    a Toyota truck (OH WHAT A FEELING!!) and I could only have one passenger
    but my truck does have a cap and could carry alot of equipment in the bed
    if needed.
    
     Ahhh, I can see it now! sitting on the side of my boat, feeling that 
    warm Florida water with my toes and just tossing a live shiner in the
    the grass beds and when all of the sudden WHAMM!!! AHHHH!! I GOT A 
    GATOR ON MY FOOT!! 
    
    Bass-O-Matic
    

    Well, if we go we'll be twins since I'll also be drivng a toy (4x4)
    towing a 14' seanymph...
    
    Last night I receved a pile of information from the Fla non-native fish
    dept on the Peacock bass fishery but I didn't get a chance to look at
    it yet.
    
    I'll keep ya posted...
    
    donmac

    I haven't been able to do much fishing because of the new job and
    closing on the house. i have fished guntersville lake a couple of times
    last summer i caught a couple of 4lbs each time. guntersville lake
    is 45 min. from my house and another good place to fish is the wheeler
    lake area and that is only 45 min. from my house. they call them lakes
    around here but what they really are is the tennessee river flow. if
    you guys want you can camp at my house and do some fishing. it won't
    cost you anything. in april they tell me that it's the spwan season.

    
    
    
    
         Hey Don,
      
              I may have a magazine you would like to see I mean this
    bugger will make you drool like  a baby!!!!!!
    
    
               Its the Florida fish finder and there is a monsterous
    HAWG on the cover and you cant imagine the number of 7-10lbrs in
    there unbelievable. its a pretty good mag gives info on alot of
    the lakes noted for monster bass..
    
            If you would like to read it let me know I will get it to
    you some how.
    
    
                                                 Lee
    

    I'd love to see it, you could interoffice mail it to ljo2/i4...
    
    donmac 

    
     HI !!
    
     Rememeber me? Yes It's the BASSMASTER who as usual has been
    hibernating from the conference because I don't fish in the ice.
    It does a nasty job on my hull and propeller and plus I hate when
    the fish hit thier heads on the ice trying to get my gitzit.
     I was in Florida at X-MAS and for the 2nd year in a row fished
    West Lake Toho. Caught fish all day. Lost a few nice ones, but did
    intice a 6/12 in the boat.
     You guy's are sure tempting me...
    
     - Bassmaster 

    Yo Dave,
    
      Hope the Gitzit Queen was nice enough to let you take the
    big one this year.  After all, she had braggin right for a
    whole year.  Hope she hasn't gotten ahold of the new spring
    Bass Pro catalog, watch out VISA   :*)
    
    Gone fishin

It looks like the Florida trip is on.  So far there are 4 of us planning on
going - Gary Beadreau, Tim Lucia, Martial Vachon and myself.  We're considering
leaving Weds 3/14 or maybe Thurs 3/15 and returning the following Fri 3/23 
(9-10 days with only one weekend gone from the family)

I've been too busy with other things to plan the exact trip yet, but we're
planning on arriving at a northern florida fishing camp on day 2.  If the 
fishing is great we'll stay and fish the area for a week.  If the action 
is too slow than we'll head a little further south, and continue the pattern
till we find some good action or hit the everglades!  But the idea is, once
we hit Fla, to spend as much time as we can fishing and as little time 
as we have to driving.

I have a pile of information at home on Florida fishing, maps, where
campgrounds are etc..  But if anyone wants to reccomend lakes or fishing 
camps any where in Florida, we're all ears.  

By fishing camp I'm referring to a campground on (or at least real close to)
the water.  We'd prefer sites with elec and water but if the fishing is good 
enough we could do without those 8^). 

The only two fishing camps I've stayed at in Fla are Anglers Marina on
Okeechobee, right next to Roland Martin's Marina and East Lake Camp on 
East Lake toho. 

don mac 
                                

    How about fishdick Darold's at the base of Lake Washington?
    

I am planning on going to the Tampa area for a few days this month and would
like to try fishing in Fla.  I am flying down, so I can't afford the extra
bagage charge to take my Ranger. 8-)

Does anyone know where I can rent a boat in the Tampa or Harris Chain of Lakes
area? I don't particulary want to hire a guide and drow golden shiners.

keith

>>    How about fishdick Darold's at the base of Lake Washington?
  
    Ok... now I remember 8^)... Brett had to remind me in mail where that
    name came from - a rather 'spirited' exchange we had about 4 years
    ago... 8^)
    
    Thanks for the additional info Brett, I'll go over that this weekend
    with the maps - I'll also re-visit some of the older notes and review
    the recommendations made there.  
    
    thanks again, donmac

    As long as donmac reopened this topic, I might as well put my plea
    for help in as well.
    
    I am, just like the past 7 years, going to visit parents and inlaws
    in Ft. Lauderdale area with the family in mid April. In the past,
    I have fished Holiday, Sawgrass, and Loxahatchee with some degree
    of success. I do object to paying huge fees to rent their less than
    adequate boats.
    
    Would love to hear from anyone in the area willing to offer advice
    or willing to make a deal.
    
    I would be interested in renting the use of an available boat for
    all or any part of the 2nd half of April or 
    
    any offers to buddy up with me on your boat (of course I bring the
    beer).
    
    Any takers mail   CSS::JAFFE or DTN 264-2367
    
    Joel

    RE.15
    
         Don I sent out the magazine yesterday morning so if you do
    recieve it let me know with interoffice ya never know.
    
         If you come up my way fishin let me know we could possibly
    run into each other someday. (just dont swamp my crawdad though)
    
    
    
                              Later, 
                      good readin in that mag.
                              
    
                                             Lee
    

    Thanks Lee, I'll let ya know when it arrives! 
    
    And I'll be sure to let ya know next time I head to Maine.  My only
    fishing trip to Maine last year was a few days at Sebago in April,
    the fishing was good.
    
    donmac

    Don 
    
        I figured we might catch you on the merrimack in concord since
     its only a mile from me.
    
    
                                       Lee

    
    
    ooops, for some reason i was thinking you were in
    maine......sorry...8^)

    Don,
    
         Did you recieve the magazine yet? Was down to Pa last week
    around the Philly area and the guys down there had there bass boats
    out on the rivers already. the walleye are hittin pretty good down
    there. 
    
    
                                   well gotta run.
    
                                                   Lee
    

    Yes, thanks lee, as a matter of fact I used to help pick a fishing
    camp... what's your mail stop so i can return it to you?  donmac

    Don,
    
      you can keep the mag if I have it very long the wife will be using
    it to plan a trip to florida and I dont really have a desire to
    go there, except for some of the pictures in that mag was pretty
    decent (and the fish wernt bad either).
    
                             well good luck in Florida.
    
                                            Lee
    

We're back, all five us: myself, Gary, Martial, Tim and our unexpected guest
Murphy.  The weather was great and the fishing was UNBELIEVABLE!  I got a 
ticket for a no-wake violation. Martial broke two rods and a trolling motor.
Tim broke one rod.  Gary fell in the water.  Oh yea, on the way back coming
thru Virginia, we hit some traffic due to an accident.  Gary was driving my 
truck following Tim, who was driving Martial's truck.  The guy in front of Tim 
hit his brakes.  Tim hit his brakes. Before Gary hit the brakes we slammed 
into Martial's outboard - wiped out his lower unit and damaged the hull as
well.  Oh well, that's what insurance companies are for............... 

donmac - more later

Hey Don...

Please explain the meaning of "UNBELIEVABLE".  (heh...heh)

UNBELIEVABLE as in "unbelievably abyssmal".  I got two LM bass whose combined 
weight might possibly have come close to a pound.  I also got a 2lb striper
and a 2-3 lb pickerel.  Martial got one small striper (<1lb).  Gary got a 
mudfish (ugly sucker!) and won the hawg pool with a 3lb 10oz bass on a wild
shiner (some of these were bigger than my bass!).  Donmac got 1 pickerel, 1
sunfish and 3 bass, from 11oz to 1lb 12oz (I think this is correct).

Tough fishing!

Tim

    Yeap, it was tough.  And we spent a great deal of time shiner fishing.
    All of my fish were caught on artificials. 
    
    We spent Friday thru Sunday fishing the St. Johns and Oklahawa rivers
    in Welaka.  The old timers at the camp we stayed at said that they'd
    been there 10-15 years and the fishing was about as bad as it gets. 
    One old buck who's been there 15 years said that the wind was keeping
    all the water in the river and it was so high that all the bass were
    back in the woods eating acorns.
    
    Monday morning we broke camp and headed further south to East Lake fish
    camp in Kissemee on East Toho.  I've fished this lake a couple times
    and was confident we would do better there.   On the way down we fished
    Lake Marion, another lake on the St. Johns chain, reports were also
    dismal.  We spoke to an old timer netting shiners for the local bait
    shops who also said that fishing had been awful for the last couple
    weeks - he was blaming it on a cold snap they had had.  We fished
    Marion for a couple hours, I got my no-wake violation, and we headed 
    south the East Toho.
    
    After we setup camp there late afternoon, we launched the boats and
    headed out for a little dusk fishing.  3/4's of the way down the
    channel that goes to the main lake we ran out of water.  Turns out they
    have the lake down about 7 feet to kill off some weeds.  The areas that
    normally hold fish were dry.  The lake is a bowl and all fishing was in
    open water.  And the lake gets reall rough in the wind - tough to fish
    under these circumstances.
    
    We tried again in the morning but the wind blew us off the lake.  We
    decided to fish a smaller local lake that was on the map, but not
    known for its bass fishing - we found out why - nothing.
    
    The next day we decided to fish the west lake, the real Lake Toho.  We
    had heard that that is where they were draining all the water from the
    east lake into.  When we arrived at the launch we met another old timer
    who had fished with a guide the previous day - he directed us to where
    the guides were fishing and sure enough there was about 7 guide boats
    there fishing shiners.  So we joined them.  No one was catching fish.
    In the afternoon we fished artificials in a outside edges area and managed
    to pick up a couple.  The following morning we went back there and saw
    the guides also fishing outside edges.  Then it was time to go home...
    
    We didn't catch alot of fish, but we did have a good time.  The
    weather was great and we were fishing.  The accident on the way back
    did put a damper on things but we're trying to not let it bother us. 
    These things happen and that's why we have insurance.
    
    I'm hoping to plan another trip next year...
    
    donmac

     Well I guess I should list everyone's new nickname from the trip!
    
     Tim Lucia is now known as the SWAY-MASTER! he had a little problem
     controlling the sway while towing the boat through N.Y. -8)
    
     Don Mac is now known as the WAKE-MASTER! he had the pleasure of meeting
     one of Florida's finest while going through a no wake zone.
    
     Gary Beaudreau was known as the SWAMP-MASTER when he fell out of Don's
     Boat but we renamed him the SMASH-MASTER after he totalled out my
     boat  and damaged Don's truck. (don't worry Gary I always wanted a 
     house on a lake -8)
    
     And as for myself, I'm known as the ROD-MASTER I managed to break two
     of them and almost lost another while setting the hook a hawg! One of
     the rods was Gary's, hmmmm I guess payback is a bitch -8)!!
    
     the boatless Bass-O-Matic
     

    
    
    No comment from the Harbor "crash" master....
    
    
    Come on, the trip wasn't that bad was it?
    
    We went, we fished, we baked in the sun, we returned in one piece
    only with bruised equipment ...
    
    and "totaled" egos.
    
    
    Gary B.
    

    This is one trip I'm sure you all would rather forget, but just remember
    theres always next year!!
    
    In a few more days we're all be out there banging the water and hoping
    for the kind of wheather that you had!
    
    				Better luck next time,
    
    				Bart Lasky
    

    	So, is a bad day fishing still better than a good day at 
    work :-) ??? Maybe you can sell your ordeal as movie rights,
    yea, that's the ticket ;-)
    
    	RAYJ

Re: -1 and movie rights---

We can call it "Deliverance II"

Yes, it still beat work. 

    My turn now Don, perhaps I can save the respect of the NH BASS
    membership after your dismal catch. Your right though, you were
    fishin while the rest of us were entering longings in the sping
    fever topic.
    
    I leave for So. Fla. (Ft. Lauderdale) in 2 weeks. They have an even
    worse drought problem and the water level in the canals is probably
    very low. I've never fished there in April - anyone know what stage
    in the spawning cycle the bass are in? Not that it really matters
    - it'll be me thats warm and fishin while the rest of you are still
    looking for the last snowfall.
    
    Joel_whos_sure_he_can_catch_more_than_the_whole_lot_of_youes
    

    
    
    re: 39
    
    Water temps were we practiced fishing were between 68 and 72 deg F.
    Bass were mostly post spawn.  Further south were your headed will
    probably have water temps about 75 or higher.  Good luck, get a topo
    map and fish deepest water available.
    
    But what do I know about catchin' bass in FL anyway 8*(
    
    	The Harbor"crash"master
    

     Gary is right about the "SUN BLOCK 25", towards the end of the week
    I had to cut a pair of socks to cover my hands and wrap a tee shirt 
    around my neck because they were so burnt! Now I'm starting to look
    like a snake with all the peeling going on. Ya, I know "life's a bitch"
    
    
    The Boatless Bass-O-Matic!
    

YO, "Boatless"...    

Just how bad was the damage?  Totaled?  Can it be fixed?

What a bummer!  Maybe you can use the front of DonMac's truck for patching 
your hull. 
    

    Yeap, it was totaled.  Truck damage came to $2,300 and change...
    
    insurance-master

    Don chere dat wud be a capitalized offense!! In de state constatusion
    it says:
    
    Anybody wot destroys another wuns boat, motor, or fishin takel will be
    hung immediatly after de trial...
    
    Deres jus so much a mon kin take!!
    
    Coonass

    
    Thanks Coonass, I needed that...  8*(
    
    The Harbor"crash"master
    

     I just got the estimate from Green's Marine this weekend and the total
    cost came to $2,675.75!!! $1,900 of that is for the price of a new
    hull and the rest is motor damage. I think the boat is still useable
    but I won't know if there will be any leaks until I can get it into
    a lake. Just looking at it the cosmetic damage doesn't look too bad
    but it's enough to say "Hmmm??" if I ever decide to sell it.
    
     But now I'm trying to get a hold of Don's insurance agent that went
    and looked at the boat but he hasn't returned any of my calls, if he
    is going to give the run around I'll just hand the situation over to
    my insurance and let them deal with it.
    
    The Boatless Bass-O-Matic!
    

    Hey, we hit the 5 grand mark!  Nice job crashmaster! 8^)  Martial, does
    your facility have a metpay office, if so, stop by and complain in
    person that your not getting the response you'd like.  I have no idea
    who is handling the boat claim part, don't think I can help from this
    end. Sorry they're not handling this to your satisfaction, but I'm sure
    they'll square it away soon.  I guess we've shared enough of our horror 
    storry with the readership here, this really isn't the place to be
    talking about our insurance situations... 8^)
    
    donmac

     This will be my last note on the insurance issue, The Metpay rep
    finally called me back and we settled it this way. The cost of a new
    hull is $1,955 and they offered me $1,545 plus I get to keep the hull!
    So total parts and labor for the motor and the money for the hull I
    will be recieving a check for the amount of $2,305.75
    
     I did say that I wanted to pay off my boat this year but this wasn't
    the that I planned to do it!
    
    The Battered Bass-O-Matic