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Message Subject: What Makes Guys Quit? | |||
Mudpuppy![]() |
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Posts: 239 Location: Elroy, Wisconsin | Well Musky Buddies, interesting discussion. I'm 71 years old and this year put 29 muskies in my boat so far. My hands now hurt, the back aches and I'm clumsy as an ox. I have got very few years left to chase these wonderful critters and when I can't anymore I may be walking around but I'll be dead, a life long passion will end hard for me. I have been so fortunate that my wife totally supports my passion, I retired at 55, my kids are raised and successful, so I am very,very lucky time wise. I only hope that at the end they have to pry my cold stiff hands from my favorite rod. The sad part of my story is that my partners have all died and I go to LOTW 4-5 times a year sometimes alone. It would be fun to share the experience, there are few of the old diehards left. Keep pitchin as long as you can Mudpuppy | ||
jonnysled![]() |
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Posts: 13688 Location: minocqua, wi. | Mudpuppy - 10/7/2015 8:03 PM Well Musky Buddies, interesting discussion. I'm 71 years old and this year put 29 muskies in my boat so far. My hands now hurt, the back aches and I'm clumsy as an ox. I have got very few years left to chase these wonderful critters and when I can't anymore I may be walking around but I'll be dead, a life long passion will end hard for me. I have been so fortunate that my wife totally supports my passion, I retired at 55, my kids are raised and successful, so I am very,very lucky time wise. I only hope that at the end they have to pry my cold stiff hands from my favorite rod. The sad part of my story is that my partners have all died and I go to LOTW 4-5 times a year sometimes alone. It would be fun to share the experience, there are few of the old diehards left. Keep pitchin as long as you can Mudpuppy God Bless you Man!!! ... best thing that came from this sport is the long list of strangers that become friends. the sport has built lots of great relationships. | ||
Yooper Padre![]() |
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Posts: 337 Location: Watersmeet, Michigan | Funny, but I was just thinking about this yesterday. I'm pushing 60 now and the arthritis is spreading into my back and hands. Not sure how long I can keep casting the big gear, but I'll do it as long as I possibly can, and there's always trolling. As for fishing for other species, I do that all the time. I enjoy the unique challenge that each species brings, and a trophy fish is always a joy to catch, whether it be a trout, a pike, a musky, a salmon, or a perch. (Okay, maybe not the perch.) Fr. K | ||
Reef Hawg![]() |
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Posts: 3518 Location: north central wisconsin | gregk9 - 10/7/2015 6:22 PM I'll never be selling all my Musky gear!!! My wife will.....when I'm dead! And you'll be rolling in the grave as she offloads it for what you always told her you paid for it... | ||
FAT-SKI![]() |
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Posts: 1360 Location: Lake "y" cause lake"x" got over fished | This is almost a perfect topic for me right now. I feel as if I am at a stand still with muskies.. For those that know me, know that I will never totally quit fishing EVER! But, this year has brought. New house, new cars, new bills, new puppy, new slue of chores....ect....ect. On top of that I just don't have enough people to fish with. there is one maybe two guys that I fish with consistently. by consistent I mean more then once a year. Fishing alone is all well and good, just I like to fish with others better. But, I just don't get the opportunity to go as much as id like, or have the opportunity to go with other people as much. It sucks though. But I am in the boat that wants to sell a bunch of baits, keep 10-20 "special" baits 2 or 3 rods and fund some of my other hobbies. Like Shooting. I just bought a DPMS AR-10 .308. So that has takin a lot of my time also. Im a big shooter/hunter also. So like I said, on the fence about how hard I want to continue fishing like we do. Or if it is time to take a few steps back. Only issue is, I am not getting any advice one way or the other. ....... I think I need to go ice fishing to clear my thoughts ![]() Ice fishing is the only "thing" ever I have been die hard since I can remember Go every weekend of every winter that I can "safely" walk on the ice. LOVE IT!!! As previous guys said, priorities change I guess Edited by FAT-SKI 10/8/2015 7:43 AM | ||
MACK![]() |
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Posts: 1086 | muskidiem - 10/7/2015 1:17 PM Marriage or committed relationships mean you go from self to self sacrifice, then I had kids and that meant more sacrifice. Fishing hours go down, catches go down, but I still have a passion for it. Like Sled, I don't buy new lures anymore. Like others, I found balance in life. It is still my main hobby. I grew up, got smarter, moved on from the long days and frequent trips. I enjoy things differently now, like fall colors, time with others while fishing, seeing eagles, loons. I enjoy the experience, but am driven by the chance at big fish. I don't see that changing, and I look forward to time on the water with my growing kids and maybe into retirement someday. Wow. I couldn't have said it any better myself! I in "the same boat" as muskidiem with every word that he stated above. The only thing that I could add to that is...that while my days and hours on the water are incredibly limited these days due to married life with growing, active kids, my passion inside of me for this hobby of fishing is still raging inside of me, to the point where I'm just hoping to still be in good health by the time the kids have grown and left the house, that will then allow me to get back to my love of fishing and get back to more days and more hours on the water. | ||
jlong![]() |
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Posts: 1938 Location: Black Creek, WI | Its comforting to know that many others have found "balance" or taken temporary curtailments in their time chasing muskies to put priority with growing families. I'm there as well. When I read the initial post, I immediately thought of several hardcore musky nuts that COMPLETELY gave up musky fishing. I often wondered why those individuals made such a drastic change rather than seeking balance. My passion for musky fishing has not diminished, however my time spent chasing them has gone waaaay down. No regrets, as my time has been well spent with my family. Do I often gaze off into the distance and day dream of musky fishing while with my family? Sure. And that is the sign that tells me that "my" time will come. Until then, I'll continue to invest my $$$ in hockey equipment and hotel rooms | ||
jaultman![]() |
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Posts: 1828 | Just curious - what do you guys consider to be an acceptable amount of time to spend fishing? Given you work 40 - 60 hours per week, have a family, and the stuff that goes with that. Obviously everyone's situations are totally different, and there are no hard, fast rules. Just wonder how much others "in my shoes" actually fish. What's your balance? | ||
happy hooker![]() |
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Posts: 3156 | Balance ,,,,go when you can,,,you only get a few months a year to do it if you live north,,typically you lose a month to high water temps too,,apart from that you don't always get to fish the way you prefer all the time either bucktails and topwaters are usually put away by November,water temps below 45 your now fishing different just to score. I know this ,,lots of guys have quit here in MInnesota, guys that used to plan everything around musky fishing, the peak is over, the north side of mile lacs and big point dosent give 25 follows a day anymore,,they've jumped off the bandwagon. "Wish I could find out how to invite em to the next swap meet"!!!!! Edited by happy hooker 10/8/2015 8:54 AM | ||
Musky952![]() |
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Posts: 400 Location: Metro | I will add that I am just about to graduate college. I currently don't have a girlfriend or any other obligations. I feel like this time is short and I should be taking advantage of it, based off what I'm reading in these posts. Luckily I have done just that last summer and this summer. I am sure there will come a time in my life where fishing slows down because of family/work/other priorities. For the time being I would love to ride this train out and fish as much as I can. There is something about being on the water and away from traffic while watching the sun go down that never gets old. I think I might have been close to spending the same amount of time on the water as land the past 4 months. I am sure many of you guys were in my shoes at one point in your life. Still for me I will always have at least one setup with a couple lures to allow me to go on the hunt when the time arises. Thanks again for all your comments. I really do enjoy reading every single one of them. | ||
ToddM![]() |
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Posts: 20248 Location: oswego, il | Lots of great points being made, Sled and Nelson nailed it. Fish smart, strike when the irons are hot. For instance, I only know of one lake I would prespawn musky fish. My experience has shown ,as well as the success of others, waste of time. I don't musky fish for the sake of musky fishing anymore. That period of time, I salmon fish and do very well. I musky fish when and where I know they are going. Not throwing money down an empty well. I am sure fisherman give it up because they are not fishing smart. Having other successful means of fishing based on those same principles, bridges those gaps nicely. I have an early season lake I fish for blue cats.and a warm water period where I fish a lake for whatever is in it 11 different species at my disposal and you never know which one will bit next. I still buy musky baits. I buy smarter now, based on the thinking it is a better mouse trap or fills a void, a tactic I can incorporate in the future. I don't buy the new hype lure, bait of the stars or the makes me cool bait unless it fits that criteria. Edited by ToddM 10/8/2015 10:35 AM | ||
BNelson![]() |
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Location: Contrarian Island | good points.. I use to get all geeked up to do spring trips in March/April as well to Indiana, Iowa, even Missouri but realized those trips, while they may have been an adventure, cost quite a bit of time and money...and the # of fish in the net were not very good... fishing smarter now I go to lakes when the odds of them being 'on' are good...ie, don't book a trip to Eagle the week it usually turns over! ![]() | ||
MACK![]() |
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Posts: 1086 | Musky952 - 10/8/2015 8:55 AM I will add that I am just about to graduate college. I currently don't have a girlfriend or any other obligations. I feel like this time is short and I should be taking advantage of it, based off what I'm reading in these posts. Luckily I have done just that last summer and this summer. I am sure there will come a time in my life where fishing slows down because of family/work/other priorities. For the time being I would love to ride this train out and fish as much as I can. There is something about being on the water and away from traffic while watching the sun go down that never gets old. I think I might have been close to spending the same amount of time on the water as land the past 4 months. I am sure many of you guys were in my shoes at one point in your life. Still for me I will always have at least one setup with a couple lures to allow me to go on the hunt when the time arises. Thanks again for all your comments. I really do enjoy reading every single one of them. Glad to read/hear you have your feet firmly grounded to reality and don't have your head not in the clouds. Yes...enjoy this period of your life, while you can. Milk it for all it's worth. As you're quickly finding out by reading this thread, there are many, many different factors that could possibly change your time muskie fishing for you, whether you chose to admit it or not when that time comes. Bookmark this thread....save the bookmark somewhere...and come back to it in 10 years when you're 31 or 32....then check back in again 10 years after that...when you're 41 or 42...and chime in to let us know what life has presented to you and if/how it's changed things for you. Would be interesting to see. We were all young once, footloose and fancy free, a head full of steam, seemingly resilient to anything and everything, we could burn those long hours on the lake, all nighters, for days in a row and keep on truckin'. My oh my what I'd give to have that energy level back to still be able to do that! Who here starts to look forward to the head hitting the pillow each night at 10pm anymore these days?! Ha! These past few years, I've found while out night fishing...a time that I cherished and loved for so many years, because that was my "me" time to be out on the water...wife and young kids were in bed and asleep...had the lakes to myself....but....nowadays...I find when I'm out there...I'm "outta gas." After having worked a 40-60 hour work week, keeping up with the kids and their sports schedules and the homework...by the end of the week: I'm spent. By the time we'd get to the lake on a weekend for some family time...when the nights would roll around and the wife and kids get to sleep...that's when I force myself out there...out of sheer principle...because "I'm supposed to be out there doing what I used to do." Well...I found out quickly...that...my head and my heart wasn't into it 100%. I wasn't giving it my all. My energy levels were far too low to be focused and my numbers fell off and I started to question whether it was safe for me to be out there doing that if I was on the verge of falling asleep and only out there out of "principle." Started to find my pillow a lot more at night and instead, fishing smarter...not harder. Doing as others have said....try to hit those peak majors and minors to the best of my ability...schedule permitting... Edited by MACK 10/8/2015 11:04 AM | ||
esoxaddict![]() |
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Posts: 8825 | Jaultman... "Acceptable" is probably about halfway in between the amount of time you would like to spend fishing and the amount of time your wife thinks you should be fishing. If the boat sits in the garage all season and doesn't move? That's not acceptable. If the house is a disaster you're broke and your wife has wanted to go on "real" vacation for 3-4 years and you're taking 3 trips a year and fishing every weekend, that's probably not acceptable either. | ||
Musky Brian![]() |
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Posts: 1767 Location: Lake Country, Wisconsin | Musky952 - 10/8/2015 8:55 AM I will add that I am just about to graduate college. I currently don't have a girlfriend or any other obligations. I feel like this time is short and I should be taking advantage of it, based off what I'm reading in these posts. Luckily I have done just that last summer and this summer. I am sure there will come a time in my life where fishing slows down because of family/work/other priorities. For the time being I would love to ride this train out and fish as much as I can. There is something about being on the water and away from traffic while watching the sun go down that never gets old. I think I might have been close to spending the same amount of time on the water as land the past 4 months. I am sure many of you guys were in my shoes at one point in your life. Still for me I will always have at least one setup with a couple lures to allow me to go on the hunt when the time arises. Thanks again for all your comments. I really do enjoy reading every single one of them. you sound like me about 5-10 years ago....things change. ( wife, girlfriend, job, maturation) There's plenty of "Uncle Rico's" out there in the Musky world who have nothing going for them in life other than dodging bill collectors, forming zero relationships, and not realizing there is more to life than holding up muskies. As someone said earlier, the key is balance. | ||
Musky952![]() |
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Posts: 400 Location: Metro | MACK thanks for the post. I really like the idea of bookmarking this post and coming back to it every 10 years. I have a very strong feeling that my fishing hours will change but hopefully the passion doesn't. I love this sport and everyone that is involved in it. Its amazing what I have learned in just two summers fishing by myself and using this forum to better educate myself. I didn't think there was much more to learn but you would be surprised. I was in a relationship for 5.5 years and that took way more time than it should have (aka why I am now single) away from my fishing. I actually at one point realized that I was hardly fishing at all and loosing my memory of why I loved to fish so much. I was able to renew that passion for fishing and I am very thankful. I wish it was easier to show people why you like to fish so much and why it keeps you out there for hours and hours. What I came to the conclusion of is it's not just the musky that makes fishing so fun and exciting. It's the whole process, Packing the boat, launching the boat, seeing the wildlife, watching seasons change, looking at stars on dark nights, seeing huge bodies of water become glass with a sunset on perfect nights. That is what people don't get to see and its because it doesn't happen every time you go out on the water. Something about the lake makes me feel at home. My goal in life is to try and show this to other people. | ||
Zib![]() |
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Posts: 1405 Location: Detroit River | My health is the only thing that will make me quit. Though this year I said if my buddy out-fishes me one more time that I'm giving up musky fishing & taking up bluegill fishing. ![]() | ||
Propster![]() |
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Posts: 1901 Location: MN | Musky Brian - 10/8/2015 11:23 AM you sound like me about 5-10 years ago....things change. ( wife, girlfriend, job, maturation) There's plenty of "Uncle Rico's" out there in the Musky world who have nothing going for them in life other than dodging bill collectors, forming zero relationships, and not realizing there is more to life than holding up muskies. As someone said earlier, the key is balance. I still don't know how you could live where you were Brian as much as you love fishing Canada. I see you are moving at least a little closer to God's country. | ||
ToddM![]() |
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Posts: 20248 Location: oswego, il | ZIB, where you live I would take a break for some awesome bass, walleye, perch, white bass and salmon fishing too. | ||
willyboy![]() |
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Posts: 63 | As i lay in bed watching the smurf movie with my 2 year old son thinking about taking my 14 year old daughter deer hunting in the youth hunt this weekend. Than leaving for Canada in 8 days with my dad for a 9 day trip on eagle lake all after a 69 hour work week last week. I have to agree that it all about balance. I have an amazing girlfriend that understands and tolerates what i do. I on the other hand make sure to keep her happy. Life is short. As mud puppy said time goes by fast. I caught one of the greatest muskies of my like with him. Was not the biggest but the first of a great bite that we still have going. So just keep everything balanced take it day by day and enjoy every minute of it. | ||
MACK![]() |
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Posts: 1086 | Musky952 - 10/8/2015 1:00 PM MACK thanks for the post. I really like the idea of bookmarking this post and coming back to it every 10 years. I have a very strong feeling that my fishing hours will change but hopefully the passion doesn't. I love this sport and everyone that is involved in it. Its amazing what I have learned in just two summers fishing by myself and using this forum to better educate myself. I didn't think there was much more to learn but you would be surprised. I was in a relationship for 5.5 years and that took way more time than it should have (aka why I am now single) away from my fishing. I actually at one point realized that I was hardly fishing at all and loosing my memory of why I loved to fish so much. I was able to renew that passion for fishing and I am very thankful. I wish it was easier to show people why you like to fish so much and why it keeps you out there for hours and hours. What I came to the conclusion of is it's not just the musky that makes fishing so fun and exciting. It's the whole process, Packing the boat, launching the boat, seeing the wildlife, watching seasons change, looking at stars on dark nights, seeing huge bodies of water become glass with a sunset on perfect nights. That is what people don't get to see and its because it doesn't happen every time you go out on the water. Something about the lake makes me feel at home. My goal in life is to try and show this to other people. Sounds as if you and I come from the same mold. I'm not always concerned about catching fish. Catching fish is an added bonus. I'm out there these days...more for the time away from the stresses of daily life, work, the city, the traffic, to take in the peace and the quiet and just being out on the water: to relax. We may grow older, we may have life stepping in the way from time to time, taking some of our time on the water away from us...but....the passion still remains strong. We all find ways to stay connected to the hobby/sport to pass the time. I'm hoping that my kids take an interest in the hobby/sort of muskie fishing to give me a new boat partner or two. I've already been able to get my son his first at the age of 7. Still working on getting my daughter one. I contracted this sickness 35 years ago..will be interesting to see how long I'm still able to hang in there. I'm not old by any stretch of the imagination, but no spring chicken anymore these days either. I brutally beat my body pretty good back when I was a young adolecent and throughout my teenage years and into my early 20s with the BMX/Frestyle biking and the competition downhill skiing....and....now....my body is quickly reminding me of the abuse that I put myself through back in those days. It's creeping back up to haunt me. Much too young to feel this dang old. (yes...I know that a used, trite, cliched saying...but...very truthful). However, I'm always still looking forward to time on the water, either with the kids, with the friends, with my cousin and uncle or...solo. Just know, there's no, one set of hard, fast reasons why anyone would quit doing anything that they once loved. Times change, people change, life happens...lots of variables.... | ||
Zib![]() |
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Posts: 1405 Location: Detroit River | ToddM - 10/8/2015 6:28 PM ZIB, where you live I would take a break for some awesome bass, walleye, perch, white bass and salmon fishing too.
I haven't even caught a walleye this year. Back in April during the walleye run I waited over an hour & a half just to launch my boat on the Detroit River then once I got out there & had my drift caught off every 5 minutes I finished my drift & went home. That same week the DNR announced that bass would be open to C & R all year so that's what I fished for until musky opened.
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MACK![]() |
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Posts: 1086 | Zib - 10/8/2015 11:05 PM I haven't even caught a walleye this year. Back in April during the walleye run I waited over an hour & a half just to launch my boat on the Detroit River then once I got out there & had my drift caught off every 5 minutes I finished my drift & went home. That doesn't sound fun....at....all. That's not enjoyable or relaxing. Sounds stressful. I've been in those situations in the years past on my "home" lakes when the fishing was hot and the amount of boat traffic and fishing pressure was so thick that boats would be congregated in a small, densely packed area, to the point where boats were nearly on top of each other, less than a full cast length away, to the point where you could hear every single conversation going on every single boat and that's when it just became a full-on testosterone chest-thumping match to fight for the space on the water. Forget that crap! That's when I up and move. I don't need that. That's not fun. That's not relaxing. There's no fish worth fishing for or knocking boats together or snagging someone else's lure with your lure on each angler's retrieve. It's happened. Screw that! THAT's the part of this muskie hobby/sport I DO NOT miss one bit. Those are the situations that bring the worst out in people. I've had some First Class IDIOTS that have done some down right, inexcuseable, arrogant, selfish, self-centered, rude, inconsiderate, disrespectful, stupid things with their boat control, pushing their way into a spot on the water that's already occupied by one or more boats, because they "thought" they "owned the water" and "thought" they were better than anyone else on the water due to them supposedly having a new, bigger, higher-end boat with a bigger motor with the longest fishing poles on the lake. Overcompensation for other things in life? Maybe. I dunno. Topic of a different "winternet" discussion altogether. I leave it at that. Once I start to see those scenarios building on a spot on any lake I'm fishing...I'm the first to move out of there. Don't need that crap. I already live and work in an overly populated city each and every day...I don't need that same situation when I'm out on the lakes trying to get away from the mass populations of people. Lots of water out there, lots of fish in other spots on the lake. Give me the peace, quiet, and serenity in an area on the water in a spot all by myself... Edited by MACK 10/9/2015 8:26 AM | ||
vegas492![]() |
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Posts: 1039 | What makes a guy quit? Kinda easy. The juice is no longer worth the squeeze. Musky fishing is hard. It isn't for everyone. And when you lose the passion, why do it anymore? It tires your arms, back and legs. The older you get the longer those aches stay with you. Then add in marriage, kids...etc and time becomes and issue. All of that leads to giving it up. IMO. | ||
ShutUpNFish![]() |
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Posts: 1202 Location: Money, PA | Why wouldn't you fish for anything else? The biggest draw to muskie fishing for me has been a couple things. 1 - The challenge of catching fish that just are not that plentiful since thats the way nature has made it. 2 - The desire to catch that fish of a lifetime. I believe anyone who has the patience to fish for muskies and are actually good at it, will be good at fishing for just about any other species of fish. In my lifetime, I have targeted just about every freshwater species of fish and some saltwater species; I believe for one to truly appreciate muskie fishing for what it is, one needs to fish for others...To me, muskies are probably pretty close to the bottom in regards to the fight, but near the top in regards to the initial STRIKE! What would make a guy quit? Fishing in the ocean perhaps, lack of patience or confidence, catching other fish which are far easier or more plentiful, the expense....who knows | ||
gregk9![]() |
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Posts: 794 Location: North Central IL USA | Reef Hawg - 10/8/2015 3:28 AM gregk9 - 10/7/2015 6:22 PM I'll never be selling all my Musky gear!!! My wife will.....when I'm dead! And you'll be rolling in the grave as she offloads it for what you always told her you paid for it... There's gonna be some REAl good deals at my wife's garage sale after I put on the wooden overcoat!!!! | ||
MACK![]() |
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Posts: 1086 | gregk9 - 10/9/2015 10:13 AM Reef Hawg - 10/8/2015 3:28 AM gregk9 - 10/7/2015 6:22 PM I'll never be selling all my Musky gear!!! My wife will.....when I'm dead! And you'll be rolling in the grave as she offloads it for what you always told her you paid for it... There's gonna be some REAl good deals at my wife's garage sale after I put on the wooden overcoat!!!! Just sit there for a minute....and imagine the possible fact that a lot of those widows probably wouldn't/won't/don't even bother to take the time to sell any of it at any kind of yard/garage sale and instead just toss it in a dumpster and off to the landfill it all goes.... | ||
rodbender![]() |
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Location: varies | Only thing better than getting a headlock at a garage sale for a quarter, is haggling and getting it for 20 cents. | ||
Hammskie![]() |
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Posts: 697 Location: Minnetonka | Life changes. | ||
jvlast15![]() |
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Posts: 318 | So what you are saying is...the fact that my wife wants to start attempting to have a family is going to limit my fishing time? How well do you guys think it would go over if I said "more fishing time" as my reason now to start one? My guess...not well. haha | ||
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