Boat Spotlight: S.S. Gin is Toxic

In honor of us being a week out, I thought I'd post this a day early. A little treat. That and you might need a little extra time to take it all in. Enjoy...

You might be wondering how the guy who had been doing all the reviews on these boats can impartially write his own boat's review.

He can't. Watch. I'll show you.

No stars need to align, no superstitions need to be adhered to, no magic potion needs to be sprinkled on us, we are just due.

A lot of trips have passed since Dad started going in 1976 and me in 1982. In that time a TON of fish have been boated and great times have been easy to come by. There has just been something missing...

Dad had a stretch of years fishing with Bob when huge question marks were raised about his fish catching ability. In recent years he has found his groove again and not only been catching more fish but seeming to put his boat partner on big fish. He is a steady fisherman, a good boat captain, and hopefully a good worm and beer getter. He has a lot to do with the challenges for this boat but none of the challenges are his directly.

His Anchorman has talked the talk for a long time and while catching a lot of fish, hasn't seen a ton of money come his way as an adult. This is another case of just plain-old being due. There are not issues with fish catching, netting, anchor work or anything else for that matter, he just needs to find that big fish. Finding the focus for that big fish may be the challenge. Never has an anchorman had so much responsibility.

I need to balance the continuous effort to cast that orange hat off Dad's head (I saw Aaron C. do it before so I think I have a good grasp on how), ration his Gin intake, ensure proper hydration, probably have to make his sandwiches, stock the cooler, fill the gas...etc. A lot of these are normal activities for an anchorman but it is the Orange hat and Gin that are the real challenges. Do I keep the Gin from him before dinner so we can fish in the evening or do I give him a little before dinner and after? There is a fine balance that needs achieved so we can fish early each morning and each evening after dinner. I may develop some sort of table to keep tabs on it. There aren't enough sunglasses on the planet for me to stare at that orange hat all week so there may need to be some sort of covert op post-gin where I can swap it out with a different hat.

If I can get these things accomplished, the possibilities are just endless for the amount of fish we might catch. But the 24 inch and up fish have eluded us for quite a while (some of us longer than others) and this is the year that changes...in a big way. The domination predicted for Gin is Toxic in 2011 will make Trent's 2009 look like a day at the bluegill pond.

Troy and Andy finally have some competition. In fact, for the first time throughout this process, they aren't at the top of the list. NEW LEADA!

Final Confidence List:

Gin is Toxic
Eye to Eye
Camp Director
Boy Was He Pissed
Almost Heaven
Teach a Kid to Fish

So there it is boys. Do with it what you will. I would steer clear of the Gin is Toxic boat on wagering day because with the amount of money sure to be placed on that boat, the payout is sure to be minimal.