Wanna Talk About the Weather?

Hi folks,

Wanna’ talk about the weather?

We actually saw 66 degrees and sunshine last weekend! At the BassMaster Classic in Birmingham it actually got up to about 75 degrees and it was sunny! Spring surely is just around the corner.

I don’t know about you, but for this “old guy” it’s been a brutal winter. We had a blizzard December 6, 2013 and there just hasn’t been a break in the cold, snow, freezing rain, and gray skies up until last week. Safe to say we’re sure as shootin’ ready for some sunshine and warm weather. Most of you know this condition as “Cabin Fever”. Dixie and I call it “walking on pins and needles” since we tend to get fussy with each other after so many of these gray days..

Sure, we’ve been outside. To get the paper in the morning, wheel the trash cans out to the street, take the 4 golden retrievers out so they can do their duty, and (oh joy) pick up their substantial “gift” out of the yard and off the driveway (our dogs are spoiled and when there’s snow or ice on the ground they seek out less challenging areas such as this). Otherwise we haven’t been outside or on the water which, by the way, as been extremely “hard”.

I know I’m an “older” guy and I keep thinking that maybe I’m just getting soft and too comfortable to tackle the elements that years back I wouldn’t have given a second thought to. But then I look back on this winter’s weather and think, “No, this has been a really tough winter.”

Here in southern Indiana we’re told this is the worst winter in almost 40 years. If that’s the case then I would have been in my late 20’s when there was a winter as bad as this. And to be honest I don’t ever remember braving such weather to go fishing even 40 years ago. Nope, I’m still the same guy as I’ve always been. Just a few more wrinkles and certainly more than a few aches and pains that I never imagined 40 years ago. But the spirit is still there. I think it’s just that I may have gotten slightly smarter or simply frozen up!

So I’ve gone through every tackle box I have and rearranged lures, gear, utility boxes, and whatever else I can. Every reel now has new line and has been oiled, greased, cleaned, and tested. Every rod has been checked out, loose guides repaired, cork handles cleaned, and any tip tops replaced if needed. Shoot, I even took time to put some Amoral on the rod blanks!

The Lund has been waxed and anything that was broken or needed attention has been fixed. The live wells have been cleaned out, the rod locker purged of miscellaneous hooks, torn plastic tails, pieces of line, and whatever else has accumulated in there over the last several years. The electronic connections have been cleaned and some anti-moisture stuff applied to them. I even cleaned the bilge and vacuumed the carpets. Safe to say the boat is ready.

The trailer bearings have been repacked and any burned out bulbs have been replaced along with some pretty well worn safety chains. The carpeted slats that the boat sets on could use replacement carpeting, but given we’re dealing with frozen lakes, sub-arctic wind chills, and icy launch ramps, that will have to wait for a few more weeks.

I’m sure I’m no different than most of you being more than ready for Spring and some time on the water so I can try out a passel of new gear I have bought over the last few months. I just got several new rods and reels and even though I have cast them in ALFC’s parking lot, am really chomping at the bit to get them on the water so I can confirm they are the best I have ever used in a “real life” situation – that’s where I actually have a fish on the end of my line!

Several times Dixie and I were ready to head south with the boat and our gear to get away from this remarkably bad Midwestern winter, only to be frustrated by another ice storm or more than a few inches of snow. Pulling a boat and trailer in this sort of stuff is a sure fire way of asking for trouble. So we sat at home. And we sat at home, and we sat….

Yep, winter has been tough on all of us. Me, you, and anyone else who craves the outdoors and time on the water. But we’re getting close. I mean, it is almost March. And March is a month that usually brings more good weather than bad. Even though we haven’t seen any crocus pushing their heads out of the ground around our oak trees, it’s surely only a matter of days before they do. And then will come the daffodils and tulips and – voila – Spring will be here!

So here I sit writing to all of you. I know you’re as ready as I am and hopefully we’ll all be on the water very, very soon. Let’s all hope that as bad as winter has been this year that Spring and summer will be equally unusual in how fantastic they are and how many fish we are able to hook compared to the last 40 years or so. Like I said, I know all of us are ready. Really, really ready!

Over the last week or so we have had a ton on fantastic new products arrive in stock here at ALFC. The brand new Lunkerhunt “anatomically correct” rubber frogs are nothing short of amazing. Probably one of the best lures I have ever seen. And Lunkerhunt’s plastics are to die for. The Shimano Curado I low profile casting reels are so “hot” that no dealer has been able to keep them in stock. They’re that good! The just released G. Loomis IMX rods have been totally redesigned and our entire staff’s consensus is that these are the best $300 fishing rods we have ever seen – no contest!

We also have received another shipment of Stealth lures that are simply fish catching machines. Add to this list the new LEW’s reels, the fantastic new Daiwa Tatula reels, the Abu Garcia Revo reels, Denali and Castaway rods, Live Target’s Bait Ball lures, Shimano’s Antares and Metanium casting reels, and all of the new Jackall lures and you have lots of new “goodies” that anyone would love to include in his or her tackle box.

And it’s not over. Coming soon are the all new 13 Fishing casting reels, the redesigned Shimano Stella FI spinning reels, new rods from Dobyns, and an expansion of 13 Fishing’s rods and it’s obvious it’s going to be a very, very good 2014. And hopefully warm, sunny, and full of fishing excursions.

This issue we have some great news about entending the Annual Rod and Reel Trade-A-Thon for another week.  We also have all the winning details on this year’s Bassmaster Classic, and what a thriller it was!

Thank you for your wonderful friendship and support. All of us here at American Legacy Fishing truly appreciate your continued loyalty and support. We feel we are so fortunate to have so many friends who share our joy and obsession with one of the world’s greatest sports. Thank you once again for all you do!

Tight Lines,

Tom Ashby