Farewell to all on Fishin.com....very long be warned

For 8 years now I have been a member of this board. Personally, it was a better board when it was fishin.com and not fishin.com + other boards, but that is my opinion. I have learned a ton about fishing, especially 8 years ago when I became a boat owner for the first time and started fishing for the first time in lakes. Advice, Tips and other information flowed freely on the fishing boards. You could ask a question and get a ton of answers. Not only did I learn a lot on this board I truly believe that I gave a lot back to it as well.


Everyone here knows that FNF is my favorite way to fish and I have received no telling how many emails and PM's from the article that I wrote and was published here and other fishing sites as well. I know for a fact that I have helped people catch fish on the FNF for I have met them at the ramp or at the hotel and they would introduce themselves by the board name. I was always easily to spot, who else drives an Aluminum Deep V boat to Bass fish. When I would stop in Jamestown, strangers ask hows the Stripers, around Ky and Barkley hows the crappie, and such. Nobody in their right mind is a serious Bass fisherman out of a Deep V Aluminum boat. But when you are 563lbs when you started fishing a Deep V is perfect for you are sitting on a seat and not the floor. My friend Dave Stewart told me once that he never seen a Bass Boat catch a fish. He is right. At first I was intimidated when I fished a couple of tourneys at Ky and Barkley, sitting there waiting to launch with all these 40-50,000 dollar rides with their 225-250hp motors versus my 90. When they said go my partner and I would just sit there and get out of the way and wait until all had gone before we left. Fished 5 tourneys at Ky and won 3 of them. Nothing huge but still decent success.

Then came December 2009. The first time that I physically was not sitting in a hospital bed the day of the Billy Westmoreland. I decided the Monday before the Billy to fish the tourney for the first time. My normal partner was working in Texas on a temporary assignment with Toyota and could not fish with me. My other buddy from Indiana could not make it so I posted an open post on the board looking for a partner. John Robertson, Catchemall, was the first to respond with a phone call. It was funny hearing the excitement in his voice wondering if I had a partner and I said I did now. 7 more phone calls or emails asking came in that night to all I had to turn down. You all know the rest of the story because I remember sitting in the parking lot of a restaurant in Celina that had free wi-fi at midnight typing the story and posting on this site. But it was funny after we won the tourney and John passed the lie detector test, he got the truck and I put my old aluminum heap on the trailer. He was trying to find a place to park and tie the boat down. As he was slowly moving thru the lot, a fella was wiping down is Z21 Comamche Ranger and John drove slowly passed him but had to stop because a fella walked out in front of him to cross the street. The Z21 guy tells his partner, "they caught them out of a Tracker". I was still behind him and he thought I didn't here him and I said "Never seen a boat catch a fish". He looked around and the look on his face was priceless. The plaque on my wall that says 1st Place 27th Annual Horse Creek Billy Westmoreland Memorial Smallmouth Invitational will be there forever. John, I appreciate you being my partner and sure do wish we could have defended the title in 2010. But John was standing in the parking lot a couple of hours before the supper/meeting Dec 3, 2010 of the Celina Hospital taking video of me being airlifted to UK for emergency surgery to remove an abcess the size of a softball that turned into the size of a small basketball by the time I got on the slab at UK. No Billy for me in 2010 and after October 28, No Billy for me in 2011. The article on Bassmaster.com was well publicized here, I forget who posted the thread telling people about it but it was cool hearing from those that read it came shortly after the Billy win.

Lot of good memories shared between people of this board. My only mistake was leaving the fishing boards and venturing over to this board called Off Topic. But 27 surgeries, 511 days in the hospital and another who knows how many days recovering at home gives you a whole lot of time on your hand. I don't care about politics, never voted never will, unless Ted Nugent runs for President. Don't care about the terroist or their activities. Push comes to shove it is Me, My wife and My kids against the world. I am a sport fan but a UK Basketball Fanatic. So what do I post about and respond to, Sports topics. Do I say what I mean, ABSOLUTELY. Does it get me in trouble at times, ABSOLUTELY. Am I going to change, ABSOLUTELY NOT. Recently it has become more than banter back and forth. Yes I do have respect for posters like Geo, Mills, mhall, Tim T and some other NON-UK fans for they are fanatics about their respective teams. Yes the Banter does border personal at times between them and me, yes it does cross the line at times, but it goes both ways. Has it ever gotten to the point that it has recently with 2 other not mentioned U of L fans, NO. Is it ever going to stop between them and me, NO. I offered a truce to both of them, 1 accepted the other did not. These same two happen to be fishing partners as well, so a tight duo. Am I proud of some of the things I said to these 2 plus 2 others that decided to stick their noses in where it did not belon, ABSOLUTELY NOT. But will I say what I said to them to their faces, ABSOLUTLEY WITHOUT HESITATION. There is only one sport that I will get worked up over and that is UK Basketball. Stripping Tobacco, cutting firewood, working at my Uncle's sawmill on my Grandfather's farm growing up as a kid listening to Caywood on the radio. Macy, Phillips, Robey, Hurt, Givens, Bowie, Turpin, Walker to those not so well know Chris Gettlefinger, Bo Lanter and on. Knowing players hometowns, Jeff Sheppard from Peachtree City Georgia, Jared Prickett from Fairmont West Virginia for example. NEVER missing a game on TV when I got older for YEARS, all the memorabilia that I have plus my now 7 yr old son has. I do Bleed Blue and will defend it to the end.

Basically, a lot of good times here on the site. But recently the Bad Times for more outweigh the good. I don't like the fact that a moderator picked me out for defending myself and told me to lighten up. Sure looks like it is ok to start a fight but not ok to defend yourself or your team. But that is up to Peter and his staff. For me, you can start a sport topic board or not. If you look at the last month on 2 threads have been viewed more than 1,000 times and one of them is Funny 2 and the other is the NCAA Football thread that started this mess. Without me going back and forth defending the garbage the other 2 are posting, what is the use for a seperate board to moderate. Funny that people are griping about it clogging the board but over a 1,000 views tells me there are many here reading for their enjoyment then griping about it. Choose a side and stick with it. Don't say on one thread that all sports topics should be banned then on another thread say Roll Tide and talk about how great Alabama Football is. You can't have it both ways. Pick a Side. Before Kentucky Basketball starts winning and these 2 particular Louisville fans start Whining, I am choosing to bow out of the site.

To those that I met here ahd have become friends with, I got your number and you have mine. To those that I have befriended thru the site and have exchanged PM's and such, I appreciate the opportunity to have met you and maybe we will see each other on the ramp or on the water. Mhall, Tim T, Geo, Clyde and others that have bantered back and forth with me that I respect, good luck to your teams this year, hope you win them all except when you play UK. PS-Get rid of Pitino and I will even root for Louisville as well. To the other 2 U of L fans that post half truths and garbage plus accuse me of faking or lieing about being in the hospital recently and the 2 that butt in where they don't belong, Have A Nice Day.

Elnutsmalljaws
Certifyable FloatnFlyable