Ready, Set, Go...

Alot of people I've met through the years think that guiding is just going fishing. Well, it is, but with a different level of attention,work and detail. Throw in running the boat launch here at Mile 14 and you'll see in this post my spring routine. Its alot of work thats made even harder just by being who I am. I have this approach to life where I do everything by myself. Everything. I'm not the guy who buys the $19.99 oil change. But I am the guy who turns the country music up loud and jacks up the rig risking his life to crawl under it and change the oil...not to save money, just to do it myself. I'm not the guy who takes the boat over for a 'tune-up' but I am the guy who puts the Mariner game on the TV in the garage and installs a new water pump while he changes lower unit fluid and of course changes the oil, on schedule. And I'm not the guy that takes 10 reels down to the tackle store and tells a teenager to "spool em up". But I am the guy who's wife is so used to holding the spool while I fill the reel that she considers it 'quality time'.....So you get the idea. Heres my list of things to do before I get the line wet.

1. Shovel the dirt of the boat launch (pic 1)...Wayne Passe used to tell me the shovel is a wonderful tool, you run one end and the other goes all by itself.

2. Rebuild boat launch stairs that were busted up by last seasons high water.

3. Take the door off the sauna and clean it out so I can hang my fishing clothes to dry there.

4. change oil in MP's car and my white truck

5. Cut up 3 or 4 blown down beetle killed trees and cut 3 trees leaning over the river ( they get leaning to the point where if you don't cut them they fall over and pull up a huge root wad with them. Erosion control.

6. Put in the walkway to the river (we take it out every fall so the ice doesn't ruin it)

7. Put up our two highway signs...called t.o.s. in government lingo (tourist oriented signage). Typical of our State Government, we received a threatening letter from the Dept. of Transportation informing us our signs MUST be installed with a 'frangable' device in case they're hit by a vehicle. The device is a wood 4 x 4 with a hole drilled at the base. So my sign will now be 'legal'... and none....none of the states are.

8 . clean and assemble 10 rods.

9. clean and assemble 10 reels.

10. Spool 10 reels.

11. tie 20 leaders to start ( I used to tie an entire seasons worth and I finally learned thats over kill)

12. Prep the guide boat, install and clean everything.

13. new teleflex steering cable for Pauls boat, our fun boat.

14. Sharpen knives and get cleaning station ready.

So as you can see this is one tough job here at Mile 14. Discipline, determination and an over riding sense that I dodged working a 'real' job fuels me everyday. Stay tuned folks, if I don't hear a fishing rumor real soon I'm going to start one.