Hi Folks,
Old people have more opinions than young people. Or at least we have stronger opinions.
I was thinking about this the other day. I know exactly what I like and don’t like. I’ve had well over 60 years to figure it out. Younger folks are still working on this. I’m not. I know.
I like dogs. Big dogs. Never own a dog another dog can eat. Dogs never fail to give you the benefit of the doubt. Could be that’s because they depend on you for food, but I doubt it. Dogs always expect the best from you. If you don’t deliver, they’ll still be your pal. Dogs are great at forgiving. I don’t think dogs have many bad days. You can’t give a dog too much love. Dogs like nothing more than to please you and make you happy. We have 5 golden retrievers, 3 of the 5 are rescues. We are “over-dogged”. It’s hard to imagine they love me more than I love them. But they sure act like they do.
I like beef, especially steak. Any day Dixie fixes a nice steak or beef roast is a very good day. Today’s beef is different from the beef we had on the farm when I was a kid. It’s not as “beefy” tasting. I figure it’s the hormones and antibiotics or some other unknown additive to speed up growth and increase profits for producers. Probably all of this. We grill steaks using real charcoal, not briquettes. We start our fire with an electric fire starter. I don’t like the taste charcoal lighters leave in the steak. Plus, real charcoal is a lot hotter so the steak gets seared. A good strip or rib eye steak with a baked potato and requisite vegetable and I’m a happy guy. My doctor is not as happy about this. I doubt he eats much steak. I wonder what he does with all that money?
I like my wife and kids. This may seem a given, but I think there are people out there who can’t say this. Loving your family is one thing, but liking them is another. My best day is any day I can spend with them, individually or together. This, I feel, is an accomplishment, especially when our three girls were teenagers. I had some doubts back then. But I never gave up. I never stopped liking them. Not sure they could say the same. This was our “discipline period”. Now our oldest is dealing with this with her three kids. I just smile. Sudden enlightenment is wonderful.
I like birds. Birds are fascinating. They come in all sorts of shapes, colors, and sizes. They’re one of God’s better creations. We have over 30 bird feeders in our yard and during the year see an almost endless variety of avian creatures. Different species like different foods. We accommodate as many as we can. I don’t want to tell you what we spend on bird seed every month. I don’t want to even tell myself. Feed birds regularly and the word will get out. “Try the Ashby’s house. There’s lots of food there.” For over 20 years we’ve been a reliable feeding station and have been rewarded with an almost infinite variety of these marvelous animals. Next to dogs birds are my favorite animal.
I like jeans. Doesn’t matter what brand. I have Levi’s, Wrangler’s, and a lot of Costco’s. They’re all comfortable. My wife says I have “no butt”. Maybe that’s why jeans feel so good. Lots of room there. I like the pockets, which are pretty big, and accommodate a variety of stuff I usually carry. The watch pocket is handy for sales receipts, sinkers, loose keys, other small stuff. It’s funny, but no matter how warm or cold it is jeans are not uncomfortable. Maybe that’s why I wear them most of the time. It’s easy.
Unlike most of my friends, I like to drive. I enjoy getting behind the wheel and going someplace. Long trip or short, no matter. No TSA, no security, no cancelled flights, no rude airline clerk, no lines. Maybe it’s a control thing. I don’t know. Put me behind the wheel and I’m like the Eveready Bunny – I just keep going and going and going. Dixie would like to share in the driving, but I prefer to do it all. Frankly, she scares me sometimes. I’m sure I do her sometimes as well. My Mom drove until she was 92. I hope I’m that lucky. Dixie doesn’t feel the same.
I like gel pens. I remember when ball point pens first came out. It was after the second world war. Heck of an improvement over fountain pens and their messiness. But ball points were cantankerous and usually didn’t work when you needed them the most. Felt tips came along but I could never find one that had the right point, not fine but not bold. Both of these would leak a big ink spot in my pocket when I left the lid off or failed to retract the point. It was like I had put a fountain pen in there. I don’t think gel pens do that. Gel pens make me happy. They always write and are inexpensive. It’s nice that something so basic and cheap is so good. It doesn’t disappoint.
I like almost anything mechanical. Cars, guns, fishing reels, you name it. Good design or bad, I like it if it has lots of moving parts. I can usually fix most mechanical things. I like doing that. I feel a sense of accomplishment. I don’t like the grease or the dirty stuff, but that’s usually part of the “mechanics”. The only thing mechanical I ever really disliked was a sewage pump we had on the farm. I prayed every day it wouldn’t break. When it did it was one bad day. I’ll spare you the details, but I think that sewage pumps shouldn’t ever be classified as mechanical things. Never. Ever.
I like cigars. My wife doesn’t. Neither does my doctor, but he’s the same guy who apparently doesn’t do red meat. No cigars? No red meat? What the hell does he do with all that money I pay him because I do? Actually my wife started me smoking cigars. We were walking in downtown Chicago having a “lively” discussion (if you know what I mean) about 35 years ago when she said that I never had any fun anymore. All I did was work. That’s like telling a guy he’s a poor driver. My “pissed off” light came on and I ducked into a cigar shop and bought the first cigar I saw. Lit it up and surely demonstrated to Dixie that I could have fun! Funny thing. I liked that cigar and have enjoyed them ever since. One, maybe two a day. Sometimes none for a week. But I DO like cigars.
I like summers better than winters. People say that happens as you get older. No, I have always liked summers and really disliked winters. For as long as I can remember. Where we live winter can be gray, wet, cold, snowy, icy, windy, slushy, dull, depressing. Summers can be oppressively hot, but at least they’re reliable. Hot, humid, and usually sunny with a constant chance of showers. I can live with that. A neighbor bought a snowmobile one year after we had a 20″ snowfall. Sat in his garage for the next 10 years. He never had a chance to use it. That never happened with my boat (which I also really like).
I like fishing. No, I really like fishing. I like throwing a bait out and having it disappear into the water never knowing what, if anything, will be on the end of the line by the time it reaches the boat. If there is something on the end, then that’s called catching. I like both – catching and fishing. I like being outdoors. I like seeing animals, trees, even bugs. I like the clouds, sky, water, and landscape. This is all fishing to me. Fishing is probably one of the greatest gifts you can give to a kid. It teaches so many things that will help later in life. Fishing means new rods and reels and baits and the anticipation that comes with thinking this year’s tackle selection will finally give me the advantage. I like that feeling. I like the fact that fishing can be a short or a long event. 20 minute lunch break? Go fish. 2 week vacation? Go fish. I like fishing.
There are many, many more things I like. But, these just happened to come to mind for now. If it’s not mentioned here please don’t assume I don’t like it. I probably actually like it. There’s not that much I don’t like. Life’s just too short for that.
This newsletter is so chocked full of new stuff that we actually had to hold off on some news, new lines, etc. until the next issue. Our 10% to 20% higher Trade-In values have had the phones and email boxes overwhelmed since announced 2 weeks ago. It’s still on. See the details below. We’re also announcing some spectacular new lines: Paycheck Baits and Reaction Innovations. Shimano has introduced a series of “Baby” Waxwing jigs that are just super. All details are below. We’ve also got some great articles, updates, etc. that we are sure you’ll want to read about.
The weather has finally broken here with a high temperature of almost 70 degrees just around the corner. After this L-O-N-G winter I know we’re all ready for some serious fishing. Everyone here at American Legacy Fishing is ready to assist in any way we can. We thank each and every one of you for your support and promise to deliver even better service and products as the 2011 fishing season kicks off.
Again, thank you for your friendship and loyal support.
Tight lines,
Tom Ashby
EMAIL ISSUES and an Apology…………
Sometimes you eat the bear and sometimes the bear eats you. Between about 2:00 PM CST this last Wednesday, February 16, 2011 and about 3:00 AM this last Friday, February 18, 2011 we were bear food. Our email went down. Seems that Dreamhost (our email server) had a BIG issue with one of their servers and, as luck would have it, all of our email accounts were on that machine. As we said, we were bear food!
Worse, Dreamhost couldn’t recover any emails that we received during this outage. So, if you sent us an email during this approximate 36 hour period we didn’t get it. We sincerely apologize for this situation. We take great pride in IMMEDIATELY responding to ANY email, so this was a very Tough 2 days for us and impacted the level of service we typically provide. We hope anyone affected understands. We ask that if you did send us an email during this period to please resend it. We can assure you we will get back to you immediately. Again, our sincerest apologies.
The Versatility of a Sweet Beaver by Pro Brian Dolne………
Over the past several years, the beaver style baits have been among the most productive flipping baits on the market. In particular, the Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver has been the most popular soft bait in recent bass fishing history. As the product gained popularity, the creativity of fisherman became evident as new applications for this bait were developed. This article will discuss the various rigging techniques for the beaver. We are sure many of you are already utilizing some or all of these tactics but, with some luck, some of you will use this information to put more fish in the boat.
Texas Rig
This is the most common way to fish a beaver. Texas rig the Sweet Beaver with the weight of your choosing and drag it across a point, flip to wood, or punch through grass. For the average bass fisherman, this is a very basic rig and commonplace on almost any lake across the country.
Drop Shot
Fishing a beaver on a drop shot rig has really gained popularity in the past year or two. It can be rigged a few ways. We recommend pinching off the two side appendages and threading either a Size 1 Octopus or size 1/0 Worm hook through the top of the bait. Using a beaver as your drop shot bait of choice gives you a much larger profile than a finesse worm. It still gives off a finesse presentation but beefs up the rig when the fish are active. Typically, the 3.5″ Smallie Beaver is used on this rig; however, the 4.2″ Sweet Beaver can be used as well.
Jig Trailer
This is a presentation that has been extremely popular over the past few years. The beavers make an excellent jig trailer. They are a big and bulky trailer that seems to dial in big fish. The Sweet Beavers make a great trailer in particular on a 3/4oz. Football Head jig. Under water, these have great action on the back of jigs and their dense plastic help the jig cast a country mile. The Smallie Beavers also make great finesse jig trailers.
Punch Skirt Rig
You will probably notice that this rig is more or less a cross between a texas rig and a jig trailer. On the west coast, punch skirts have become very popular for punching through thick grass mats. Basically, you slide of the weight of your choice, followed by a “punch skirt”, and then tie on your hook and thread on your favorite plastic. This creates a completely weedless jig that can be thrown into the thickest of mats or lay downs.
Shakey Head
The success of the shakey head is no secret. It has taken the tournament trail by storm over the past five years. Typically, a finesse worm is used as the plastic of choice on this rig. For a bigger profile, using the smallie beaver on a shakey head can yield some excellent results. You can leave the appendages on or pinch them off depending on your personal preference.
As Spring draws near, we are all itching to get out on the water and hope that all of you are blessed with a wonderful fishing season. Remember: safety first and a bad day of fishing beats a good day of work. We hope to see you out on the water.
Brian Dolne
BRAND NEW (700+) Rod & Reel TRADE-IN List Now On Line…………
If you recall, we told you last issue we had a brand new list of trade-in rods and reels. Well you need to know this list is now UPDATED EVERY OTHER DAY. We typically get 50 to 100 rods and reels in every week in trade, so be sure to check our list out frequently. Right now there are almost 700 excellent used rods and reels on this list.
We JUST POSTED our COMPLETE UP-TO-DATE LIST of USED RODS and REELS on our web site. Folks, there are some real gems on this list! Whether you are a fly fisherman or use a casting or spinning rod or reel there are Lots and Lots of wonderful “lightly used” rods and reels available at what can only be described as “Knock Em’ Dead Prices”! With our “Increased Trade-In Values Program this list will only grow. Check back every two or three days for the latest list.
Every used rod and reel we take in on trade is Fully Inspected and Reconditioned and is ready to fish. We also have added a description of the cosmetic condition of every rod and reel. Regardless of appearance, we guarantee you every item is mechanically perfect and offer a 30 day warranty on any used rod or reel that you buy. Additionally, many of the used rods have the original manufacturer’s warranty as well.
Think about it. You can save 40% or more off original retail on a used rod and still have a full manufacturer’s warranty included (as applicable by manufacturer). Most of our used reels are priced at 50% or more off original retail. This is truly a chance to get some first class fishing rods and reels at some truly unbelievable prices. Just one caveat: This list is changing every day, so act now to avoid disappointment. Just click here for the WHOLE LIST.
Don’t Forget ~ OUTFITTING SERVICES Now Available at American Legacy Fishing Co…..
Starting in 2011 we are announcing a special service to all of our customers, especially those outside of the USA. We know finding hard-to-get fishing gear can be very frustrating for many of you outside of the USA. You read a USA fishing magazine or visit web sites that feature some highly desirable gear only to find out that manufacturer does not offer the product ion your country. Or, you find what you want only to be told the dealer will not ship to you.
We now offer our exclusive “Outfitting Service” that will purchase the items you need, create an invoice for you, allow you to check out using a credit card or PayPal, and Immediately Ship Your Order WORLDWIDE as soon as it has all been received by us. Even if we don’t carry a brand we will locate it and purchase it for you. In many instances we can sell you what you want at the low USA prices due to our volume. When this is not the case a small service fee will be added which we will let you know up front.
Why? Well we have always promised to go “above and beyond” for you, our customers. We feel by offering you this service we are keeping our pledge to be the best fishing gear dealer in the world. Give us a try and we think you will be very pleased. How? It’s simple. Just email us a list of what you need to [email protected]. We’ll get back to you with prices and availability and in no time you will get what you need when you need it. Try it, you’ll like it!
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