Haven't seen or heard anything yet about invasive species permit here in south sound (Pierce county). Probably coming. I frequently travel to N. Idaho to fish Lake Pend Orielle and other bodies of water. Theres a check station on I90 outside of Post Falls that charges $34? for outta state watercraft. Okay, is what it is. Theres also a check station on I90 in Wa. just over the Idaho line. On one of my last return trips home I stopped into this Wa. watercraft check station. The gal that walked around my boat inspecting had a dog with her. I swore up and down I had no drugs or contraband onboard. She got a good chuckle over that. No, the dogs, with their sense of smell many hundreds of times more sensitive than ours, are trained to sniff out invasive tagalongs. No shat!. Actually thought that was pretty cool.

Heres my 2 cents.
In 2017 I bought a 2015 9.9 Suzuki for a kicker on my 19'6" Northwood that had a 4.3 Merc V6 main drive. The Suzi was like new and we ran it prior to my purchase. So I used it until 2021 but it had an annoying habit of not wanting to start on arrival to water destination. This progressively got worse. I changes filters, checked fuel lines, float bowl, etc. Priming, starter fluid, check spark plugs had little effect, but after a vigorous workout it would pop, then start. The saving grace was that for the rest of the day it started flawlessly on 1 pull, even if it sat for a couple hours (WTF)
First trip to Riffe in spring 21 we spent 45 minutes at launch pulling our guts out. The Suzuki was soon to become a big black anchor or fish habitat. Finally we got it going and we were set for the rest of the day, but I made a resolution- I was done with it- at 67 years old I had enough. So when I got home I started shopping around for a new unit. At that time the COVID had totally disrupted supply chains and new 9.9 outboards were in very limited supply. I was set on electric start and power tilt would be nice but not a deal breaker. I found one 9.9 hp in stock in whole south sound area. Went and checked it out but it wasn't electric start. I told the salesman I needed electric start. He said "No, you don't. It's a Honda". My past experiences with Hondas were parallel with what he was saying. Done deal. Now I wow my buddies- cold startup first thing on the water, squeeze the fuel line bulb to prime the carb, pull out choke, 1 pull and she's running and pissing like a racehorse. Buddies are impressed. Love the Honda. The Suzi was a great motor other then..........................

I did take the carb apart before selling it and found some minor debris near a jet. It was still a little stubborn cold starting for the prospective buyer but got it going and he took it for what I was asking.

Last time I checked MA area 13 two pole with license endorsement

Thats a lot of work! And it turn out great. But, its not really work if you enjoy doing it.

Good job on the kokes. Guessing they were deep this time of year. Hows the lake level for launching?

Sounds like a good plan. Love to see a picture when completed.

Yeah, I too have learned the hard way about the caustic effect the rubber lures have on the surroundings.

Thanks. Hoping to bring it up to the wooden boat center on Lake Union sometime for the festival.

"Woody" was finished 2008 (less upholstery). 21'6" long. Cold molded (epoxied) marine plywood over marine ply ribs and white oak battens. Skinned with Mahogany. 10 oz. fiberglass laid below waterline (white stripe). 350 Chevy marine V8, forward/neutral/ reverse velvet drive transmission.
Been mainly used as party boat and never in the salt.

Attached file:
(Download)

Barely make it out- Sunnybrook, made by Union Hardware

I too have collected a good many vintage reels, lures, etc over the years. Years ago I acquired a boat bookshelf at a garage sale. They made me a deal I couldn't refuse- Buy the 3 books I was looking at and they'd throw in the American flag sided bookshelf. I used to use it as a bookshelf in my bedroom, stocked with my bedtime reading material. After wife re designed bedroom decor the boat shelf went down into my office area not far from my lure collections. It didn't take long to put 2 + 2 together, Viola'.

Forward to last year. As a retired cabinet maker (past boat builder) I decided to take a pattern of the boat shelf and build a few out of my stock of materials. I used re-sawn weathered Cedar fence boards and some Walnut paneling for a trail. Results were very pleasing. My favorite is the weathered Cedar............

Iv'e sold a few by word of mouth. Haven't thought of advertising, don't want to jeopardize my retirement (Hah that's a joke. Been busier than when I was working for a living.)

So I am happy with my display, although it only handles a small portion of my collection...................

Looks like you had a good year!
My year I would call average catch rate with only 1 skunk. The exception to that was the 3 days at Buoy 10 on Columbia River. The planets must have aligned. Weather and tides were incredible. We (only 2 of us the first 2 days) had in the net 16 Kings anywhere between 15 - 30#s. Of those, 4 were keepers (adipose fin clipped hatchery). At one point we had a double- I had to put my rod in the holder to grab a net. Crazy wild fun shxt!

The You Tube of our first day on the water says it all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbdRzeF-L0Q

You're sharing what many of us have felt. We know deep down what's coming when we bring them into our lives. But we live in denial because of the joy and absolute love and devotion these fur kids give us. It is heartbreaking looking into their eyes knowing the clock is ticking, but also knowing how much they enhance our lives in the present makes it worth it. It balances out- the companionship and joy they bring us, then the price paid grieving. Embrace your grief as homage to the life well lived in your company. The pain you feel just substantiates the wonderful things you shared in that time frame.

You will fish again. You'll know when it's time.

Take care

Greetings. Wa. waters are heavily managed so I suggest you familiarize yourself with the regs. There are lots of bodies of water open all year. Maybe share more of the typeof fishing and species you wish to target. Me, I'm down in Puyallup area.

Probably make a good doorstop.