One point of clarification. Richard Embry wasn't the one who fell out and broke the rods. This was a mutual friend of Richard's and mine who I would like to keep anonymous. Keep in mind; this is the SECOND time this friend had to use the seat warmers due to falling in. ;)
Next time, I will remind him to bring extra clothes and a bottle of good scotch. ;) James -----Original Message----- From: James Boldman [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Tuesday, December 04, 2001 4:01 PM To: 'waflyfishers' Subject: RE: Fishing vehicles? So far this thread has become rather interesting. All the variety of vehicles we use to go fishing with. Each of us has our own uniqueness' in vehicles. Unfortunately, this year I have not been able to go out fishing as much as I would like therefore a lack of posting to this forum. This is one of the side affects of working for a software company. I've been enjoying hearing about everyone else's experiences and trying to visualize the harmony. Anyways, back to the topic. I've been enjoying my 2000 Ford Excursion with the 7.3 diesel. Tows just about anything <10000lbs. The back is large enough to sleep in, if needed, rods fit nicely through the back when jumping from one fishing hole to another, it has leather heated seats which serve two purposes; 1) seats don't absorb the water from the waders, and 2) the heated seats are nice when a fishing buddy has a tendency to fall in on multiple fishing trips especially the twice in one day on the Yakama and 3 broken rods at his expense. He's probably going to kill me after reading this post. Richard Embry, you who I'm talking about. ;) Another great thing is its big enough so if I want to take 7 of my friends along with me but only to the public well known fishing spots. This could be an advantage or maybe a disadvantage of owning a SUV the size of a bus. Plus I still get great mileage. I average 17-21mpg which isn't bad for a rig that weighs 8000lbs. Downsides, well it's big and bulky. Small roads are not something for this rig due to the width of 7.5+ ft. Wet float tubes will soak the carpet in the back. It's tall and can make it difficult to put up or take off a boat from the racks even with two people. Well, that�s my input. Hope to go fishing here shortly and I will be posting my results. James -----Original Message----- From: PATRICK PETERSEN [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Tuesday, December 04, 2001 10:38 AM To: waflyfishers Subject: Re: Fishing vehicles? The best all around fishing transport has to be a 4-WD pick-up and a cap for the back. No more leaking tents, no more bad sleeping nights with rocks in my back, and plenty of space protected from the winds of eastern Washington. I have A 2001 Toyota Tundra with a Leer canopy that has an excellent turning radius, good gas mileage, and much much more power than my old Nissan P/U. This set-up is the apex transport of my fishing career. Small enough to go anywhere, large enough to sleep two adults(under 6'6")in the back comfortably, fast enough so I can drive like a crazed maniac to the destination of choice, powerfull enough to tow just about any small to medium size boat over the pass, and drives like a Lexus. It sure beats the Mazda RX-7 that I started out with that would bottom out over a speed bump. > [Original Message] > From: Charlie Mastro <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Date: 12/4/2001 8:02:24 AM > Subject: Re: Fishing vehicles? > > Oh I have to get in on this one.... > > I've been a pick-up guy for 20 years or more. Only started fishing 7-8 > years ago so I've now had two fishing vehicles. > > The first one was an '87 Mazda long bed, 4 cylinder, 2 WD with a custom made > canopy and rack. I slept in the back, put bikes, kayaks, pontoon boots, surf > boards and such on the racks and put 260,000 miles on it in 14 years. I > built some boxes in the back so I had a flat area to sleep on and my camping > gear and rods were stored under. It was a great truck and was near death > when I traded in (overheated on the way down to Pullayup to pick up the new > one). > > Well I think I have just about reached truck nirvana. I got a Red '91 > Toyota 4 WD, V-6, extended cab with AC. I now have enough power to actually > pull something (a trailer with a two-man pontoon boat and extra gear, fire > wood, whatever). It handles great on and off road. The old Mazda didn't > have much ground clearance and I was always worried about getting stuck. Now > I fear no road... > > I just got back from Bend over Thanksgiving and ran into 6 to 8 inches of > snow and two mountain passes and was I glad I had the 4WD. The AC made the > trips to Montana and the Methow a lot more pleasant this summer. First > vehicle I ever owned with AC. I used to avoid going east in the summer > because of the heat. I hate hot... Now I don't mind the heat so much if I > can get out it when I get off the river. Just like a good heater after a > little winter steelheading. > > I would never own a vehicle I couldn't sleep in, or carry toys. After that > it's all just gravy. > > Tight lines my friends, > Charlie > > > From: "Kent Lufkin" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Date: Mon, 3 Dec 2001 13:52:38 -0800 > > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Subject: Fishing vehicles? > > Resent-From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Resent-Date: Mon, 3 Dec 2001 13:52:43 -0800 > > > > Over the years, we've discussed just about every kind of fishing gear > > or strategy imaginable. But it struck me the other day that there's > > still one indispensable piece of gear that every one of us uses: the > > vehicle that gets us where we fish. > > > > I assume that for most of us, our fishing vehicle is also our daily > > driver that spends most of its time making trips to the store or > > commuting. For some of us in a multi-car household, a second vehicle > > may be much more appropriate for fishing. A very few of us may > > actually have a rig dedicated just for fishing, refined over years of > > use. > > > > To get the ball rolling, here's my own 2� on the subject: > > > > I've always owned a pickup. In fact I can only remember a couple > > years when I didn't have one. My current ride is a 1998 Ford Ranger > > XLT extra cab 4x4 with a 4.0 liter V-6 and an automatic. Wish I'd got > > it with the small, half-sized doors to get behind the front seats. > > However, a retractable cover keeps things out of sight back there. > > > > The bed will hold a couple float tubes fully inflated or my 9 foot > > pontoon boat (I haven't tried stacking two pontoon boats back there > > yet.) There's plenty of room left over for gear bags, coolers, oars > > or rod tubes. Plus, the bed doubles as a place to sit and wader up > > without rocks that can tear up my neoprene wader feet. > > > > But having a pickup does pose some limitations. Leaving stuff in the > > back is an open invitation to theft if you leave it there even > > briefly. And relatively light weight stuff needs to be tied down to > > keep it from becoming airborne at highway speeds. > > > > My truck's bed isn't long enough that I can stretch out in it to > > sleep, and I'd need some sort of canopy to stay dry in the rain. The > > space behind the seats doesn't hold very much gear (long rod tubes > > are an especially tight fit) and it's a real pain to get to. Finally, > > if I owned a boat and trailer, my rig is probably much too puny for > > serious towing. > > > > But for the most part, it works well for the kind of fishing I do. > > The 4wd and high ground clearance are a real plus on marginal roads. > > > > I'd sure like to hear how other subscribers have adapted their > > vehicles for their own fishing style. > > > > Kent Lufkin > > > > --- PATRICK PETERSEN --- [EMAIL PROTECTED]
