It's been fun but its time to move on......

[HOLY DIVER]

well I just watched my boat roll out of my driveway for the last time! yep I have owned a boat since I was 16 and there was actually times when I had a boat but didn’t have a vehicle to tow it, 14 years and 4 boats later I just gave it all up?!?! I think there are a lot of things that led to this but now that the boats gone I feel like someone just took a part of me and its hitting me pretty hard. I guess something hit me last fall when the farm I have hunted my whole life was bought up by the Amish I didn’t even know it was for sale but I guess they have deep pockets and made them a offer they couldn't turn down well 6 months later they bought 6 more farms in the area. this isn't a rant against the Amish I don’t blame them, it made me realize all this land that I took for granted and never paid a dime for was gone.. so I started to think about what if I had to go hunt the park or not have anywhere to hunt or even worst where are my kids going to hunt someday? I started to weight the odds and play the numbers game I found out what I could afford with a boat and without a boat well the more I thought about it the boat cost a lot of money and your lucky if a fishing boat is ever a good investment more like a money pit if you have the obsession like I do, so I decided its gone if I find the right land and so it goes I closed on my 80 acres last week. I have a lot of work to do up there to hopefully fill the void of not having a boat, an old timer told me a "they make boats every day but they stopped making land a long time ago" it kind of ring home for me...

I sold the boat with every piece of tackle I own, someone got a good deal just not sure if it was me or him yet!

fishing is a sport that can drive a man nuts, but trolling is a sport for nuts! I have been lucky enough to spend a lot of time on lake O and the finger lakes as a Guide, first mate , fisherman and a paying customer I have seen the good the bad and the ugly, I have a lot of respect for the captains on the lake that’s a tough job!

thanks LOU I have burnt up countless hours researching the threads on this site it has definitely made me a better fisherman

Tights lines

Doug

[ray koziatek]

hey dont tuck your tail too deep we got a hunting section here too .....

sence the wife retired ive gone from 100 plus fishing days ayear to less than 10 not counting the pro/ams....kinda miss it .but tend to make up for it on other waters,dug out and updated my scuba gear,bought a spear gun,trying to lock up 150 acres in odessa,...................................sold a bunch of fishing stuff with 5000 items plus to go...

but the boat is bought and paid for and it ant gonna be pryed from my posession (unless a nice sta ble outboard comes along.....

[Bruce Sullivan]

HOLY DIVER....I know where your coming from. I made the same decision 10 years ago after owning a boat for 13 years. I bought my land and built a cabin and it was one or the other, so the boat,tackle and all electronics went. I did not have the time,energy or money for both passions. I was a member of a fishing club called TYEE DEEP TROLLERS and got my lessons and information during weekly meetings back in the 80's. I want to say this site is awsome and a wealth of knowledge and dedication to those who post and maintain. I don't post very often but I am a vistor to this site almost dailyand enjoy reading in most forums. The irony is my daughter and son-in-law bought a boat several years ago and now I fish with them and can enjoy the big O and my cabin in the southernteir. I often talk about the good old days with them. I truly have the best of both worlds now.

[Fishtails]

Life is about change Doug. You put one passion on hold for another. Good for you You can always find someone to fish with that has a boat. Best of luck with your new land.

[chowder]

Doug, just prepare yourself for the experience of 'sharing' your land w/ people you don't know (and probably don't want to know). My dairy farm crop acreage is made up of several farms we have bought over the years and it is a frustrating but consistent part of my hunting life to have to deal w/ trespassing. We also do crop work on farms owned by non farming individuals and they are besieged w/ the same problems. Just accept from the start that these folks are going to ruin some of your 'private' time and you will be much further ahead than the person who thinks that now that they own some land they will not have to deal w/ people trespassing, stealing stands, and getting shot at...-Andy

[Big Dave]

Huntilng!! A deer walks in front of you and you shoot it. The fish have a better sense of smell , can feel movement with the lateral line, can see with the uv light. Try dragging a plastic carrot through the woods with a string and getting the deer to hit it.. Like Ray says there is a Huntilng section on the board somewhere And there is a share the ride section too!! Good luck with your new adventure

[seasquirrel]

Holy Diver, I know how you feel. It sure is hard juggling it all. I often times wonder if and for how much longer I can do it all. I am very fortunate to have all that I have for my family and myself to enjoy. If push comes to shove the boat would go in a heartbeat over my property I own. Nobody ever said a boat is an investment. At least nobody who ever owned one for very long. Snap up property while you can because it is only going to become less scarce, and expensive as you are finding out. If your property has timber potential on it and the prices of timber come back, you can buy another boat and then some. I haven't been without a boat for a long time and it would be a sad day for sure if I had to sell and not replace it. I think you are making a sound decision and a very unselfish one at that.

Andy, I feel your pain. That sure gets old fast. Pay for the land, up keep, and don't forget about the taxes and then have people steal stands, trail cameras and stink up your private acreage.

[rolmops]

It is my feeling that in a few years the urge will be back and a boat will not be far behind.

Good luck on your new adventure.

[choo-choo]

Hey Doug....Congrats on your new land purchase...I'm sure you are going to have a lot of fun, with lot's of memories hunting up there with your family and friends. You mention "it hit me hard" when you realized you don't have a boat anymore. It sounds like it was primarily a money decision to sellyour boat and fishing equipment. I think that is why it is hitting you so hard...down deep you want to do both (land and boat), but can't afford it...that sucks.The good news is, you are a young guy, (30 yrs old)so you've got time to save some dough to buy another boat in the near future,if it still bugs you not having one. It doesn't cost that much to keep a small boat in your driveway...and only take it out once in a while, when the weather is nice and the fishing is good . Fishing is great family fun, kids can enjoy it , from a real young age too.If you said "I can't stand fishing anymore" or "i hate being out here in a boat,I'm sick of it" , selling the boat would not be bothering you so much.... Just keep it in the back of your mind, you can have both, down the line sometime. Good Luck .....steve

[Gill-T]

What is better than owning a boat?........a friend who owns a boat!!!

[salmonite]

i think i am going to sell mine too.. I always said if i used it 5 or less times in a season i would do it and this year it happened. To many family commitments weddings etc... and i have thought about buying land with it too.

Somebody talk me out of it!!!!!!!