Going to Tullahoma, Tn, Tues, Oct. 19 for granddaughters birthday. I would go fishing at Tims Ford Lake if there was small boat rental, but only pontoons for rent. More expensive than I'd like to spend. Might do some shore fishing, or maybe, some stream fishing. Or just play some golf. Weather should be pretty good for the week, we'll see.

Jason was a midshipman during the 50th anniversary of "D-Day". He was on board the "Connoly" for the celebration. He and the rest of the middies went to a shore side establishment to sample the local brews. Of course, there were the crews from other countries also in attendance. The required muscle flexing and obligatory fight was a complete disaster, with everyone, no matter which country they were from, being arrested. All were placed in the same holding area, where they actually got to know each other. All of the sudden, the German middies snapped to attention, causing all of the detainees to look toward the door. There stood the captains of there respective ships. Everyone stood at attention, waiting. The German Captain, with the blessing of the others stood in front of the assembled middies and chewed them out for ten minutes. Jason said, " Dad, I do not speak German, but I understood every thing he said".

Happy birthday Bear. At my age a person has a ton of stories, about almost everything. So here is one of my bear stories. My wife and I have called each other "Bear" since the Smokey the Bear commercial in the late 60's, early 70's. This continued after our son was born. He was read to from the time he was born, with the typical childrens books. Some of his favorites were the Berenstein Bears books. One day when he was about three, he asked my wife, "Mommy, are we people or are we bears". We still call each other Bear on occasion.

Loved the story. I play the Bagpipes, not well but ok. Thing is I figured that with only 9 notes it would be a snap. WRONG. The signature note require very agile finger work. And with my sausage type fingers the signature notes keep my hands very limber which is good for my age. The breathing required is also helpful for the lungs, obviously no smoking.The practice period of at least an hour each day is mandatory to be proficient. My practice sessions set the dogs howling, the cat trying to find someplace to hide, and the neighbors wondering when will stop. The best part is that no one knows if you are doing well or just passable.

All of the advice here sounds good. For the places to look for Crappie, I start at the stick ups using a slip bobber set at a foot off the bottom. My best success for them is near a beaver hut, seems to attract Crappie like a magnet.

I probably not the best person to get advice from, but will tell you what works for me. I fish both small streams and some pretty good sized rivers, also some interesting impoundments. For the impoundments, a 6ft. rod with not more than 8lb. mono seems good for most LMB fishing. I also have a 5ft. ultra light with 4lb. mono that is great for the smaller type fish. The small stream rods are the 5ft. ultra light and a micro light with 2lb. mono. For the bigger streams and rivers, mostly for SMB, Redeye and others, a 6ft with 6lb. mono works well. For trout in small streams, I use a 7ft/3-4 wt. fly rod which is good for most of the places I fish. I do not buy expensive rods and reels for the simple reason that I am frugal (read cheap, according to my wife). I have good luck with equipment from Cabelas/Bass Pro Shop. Try asking a KNOWLEDGABLE sporting goods person to let you get the feel of the rod and reel combination, not some smuck puting in their time. The right one will fit your hand and balance properly for you. The wrong one will just not feel good at all. Anyway, good luck, and tight lines.

Know about limited movement. Anyway, welcome to the Stage. Hope your recovery is safe, quick, and positive. Broke my neck, took a while to regain lost function. Better now, lots of outdoor exercise helped the most.

The robo calls. I cannot remember when someone called me that wanted to talk to me. All I get are the buy something, medicare , insurance, God needs money, car warranty, help the political party and........... I thought the phone was mine, but I must mistaken.

I have access to two different kayaks, both my sons. The short one is really built for white water work. It is about 6 ft., very hard to get into and out of at my age. The other is just under 9 ft. long, weighing in at 58 pounds. It is a sit in rather than a sit on. For my build (short, wide in the shoulders and hips), it is much better. It has enough room to move about a bit, and room for the tackle box, etc. It is very easily moved with nice agility on the rivers that I fish on here in WV. It fits into the pickup with ease, even though it sticks out farther than is legal. I have not been stopped for that, but do have a red flag that is attached to the stern when traveling. I have not tried an ocean type or a racing type. They just didn't appeal to me.

You must be a close relative of mine. I can't think of anything written by you that I have not had experience with. I have trouble when I am on the stairs and my wife asks me something. Them I have to try to remember if I was going up or down and what for. Glad to see it isn't just me.

I believe it has been almost a year for me. Seems as if every time I get the urge to go fishing, something comes up to thwart the plan. I am not really complaining, lots to do around here and and at family homes and farms. However, I almost never get skunked while fishing. Right now the mountain re shaping here is taking a lot of time and energy. 150,000 cuyds of rock, stone and dirt takes a while. Plus the timbering to have a place to move the material took a bit of time. Maybe next month......... I like fall fishing, not too many boats on the lakes.

Wife wanted a Grand Piano, I gave her an upright organ.

I spoke to the people at our school reunion. Small school, town was twice as populated during school hours. I had been harassed about not using "GREEN" protocall. I informed that we did not use disposable diapers, we walked to the grocery store,post office, school and church. We handed down clothing, school books, autos and toys. We didn't drive to the mall to spend the day shopping. We all worked all summer on the farms in the area, or were babysitters, waitresses. Some of us worked on golf courses all night. (This had some perks if your girl friend showed up to help, but I digress) We didn't have air conditioning running all summer. Entertainment was mixed skinny dipping (once). Now, I can' find a soul to help here on this farm. Schools wont' teach cursive writing, wood shop, or descriptive geometry. I finished by telling her, a twenty something, to take a really good look at the differences from 1959 to 2021, then tell me about the "GREEN" bull s---.

Nice fish. Welcome to the stage. I married a girl that didn't say much until we were maried, she hasn't shut up since.

Welcome to the stage. There are a lot of really good folks here to read and answer posts. Fun, fun, fun.