Hi Folks,
I sit here early this Thanksgiving morning just grateful that God has blessed me with two happy and healthy children, a wonderful wife, and the capacity to take all three of them fishing from time to time. We have a warm house in a safe neighborhood and full bellies. Life is good for now.
I hope all of you reading this also have these things, but if you’re going through a rough patch, just remember that the sun will rise again tomorrow, water will still taste good, and life will be enough, to paraphrase Marc Antony from HBO’s “Rome.”
It’s been awhile since I’ve written anything, mostly because my work duties have expanded and I’ve just found I have so little time to handle a great deal of things. I hope some of you return from time to time to read past blogs that you’ve found helpful, and I’ll get back to it in the near future.
I do want to point out to you that there are good Black Friday deals to be had tomorrow, and there are also things that should have been priced at or below the “special” asking price to begin with. It can be tempting to splurge (A cashier at the sporting goods store once asked me, “Sir, are you ready for your order?”) but if I could give you any advice about tomorrow, splurge on stuff that you actually need.
One thing you might consider trying if you haven’t so far is picking up a baitcaster. I don’t suggest this for people with little time or little children, but if you’re into the sport you ought to learn one eventually, and Bass Pro Shops usually has an awesome deal on their Pro Qualifier this time of year. It’s a very high quality reel that you can often get for the price of an entry-level model. While it is a little heavy, it casts well, has a few braking systems, and is forgiving for the novice.
I also like to use this time to restock lures and items that I lost last summer. It’s not as glamorous as a new rod or reel, but it’s the business end of your set up. Terminal tackle is especially important and good deals can be had. Soft plastics also have good sales going on, many at 40% off or so. Check the usual online distributors (Bass Pro Shops, Monster Tackle, etc.)
Anyway, it’s a shorter post today. I just felt like after so much time away from this I had to break the ice and write something again, but I do have plans for the day as I suspect most of you do and have to run.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours,
John Paxton
