Thanks ...

[The Collector]

Thanks to Scott for a great venue and thanks to all the sponsors. Team Collector got our butt handed to us and still managed a great time and can't wait for the next one.

[The Collector]

PS... any way to NOT tell Sheri about the next tourney???? C'mon, give the boys a chance :D :D :D

[bubblejunkie]

I second the Thanks to Scott and all the volunteers, Great tourney, ran out of time to talk to everyone. Thanks alot, Congrats Sheri, I knew I was going to need those Hogs.

Also Thanks, to all the Hell Divers' for there advice on a new gun I wont be going to the rigs agin with out a gun worthy of some of the fish over there. I got a new Riffe and will be getting a bigger on e to rig up for La. Thanks to all for a great time.

[LuvMyRedDog]

Oh yeah, I rode on The Collector. I had a rough start when I locked my keys in my car trunk before meeting the boat. Didn't think I had time for a locksmith. I had a boat full of people waiting on my ass, so I bit the bullet and broke into my car destroying my trunk in the process.

So, I meet the boat at about 6:00p.m., shoulda been there by 5:30. No one was too pissed off at me, but there was some ribbing. First for being late, second for destroying my car.

The seas weren't too bad tooling out to the Grounds but we woke up to 4'+ seas. They built all night and none of us got too much sleep. Diving in the seas wasn't too bad because most of our sites were within a mile of eachother. We didn't have to deal with the seas till the ride home. We started off tooling at about 17 knots but got it closer to 24 knots the closer we got to Tarpon Spgs.

Back at the dock we did the usual routine of cleaning the boat and I spent about 2 hrs cleaning the fish we didn't plan on weighing. Afterwards, Mike (The Collector) loaded the tournament fish in his Suburban and went home to New Tampa. The plan was to meet up at the weigh in.

I got to the weigh in by 9:30 b/c I was a volunteer. I'm waiting and waiting and get a call from Mike who tells me that our other Buddy, Rob, drove home with Mike's keys to the Burban. Mike couldn't raise Rob on any of his phones, and it looks like he's gonna have to break into his truck. After which, Mike finds some way to load the fish in his Porsche, and make it to the weigh in. Mike is getting help from his neighbor, but not much help and the neighbor won't let him borrow his car to drive to the weigh in. I get a bunch of calls from Mike complaining about how he might not make the weigh in, and I call Mike a bunch of times suggesting ways of getting to the SBO on time, all of my suggestions getting shot down. At one point Mike calls me and suggests that he might just show up at the weigh in (on his motorcycle) bringing his 12 pound hogfish, and leaving everything else at home. I replied, "Gee, thanks a lot."

So I'm sitting at the weigh in, sweating hard. Mike calls me and says he just spilled about 125# of fish on the floor of his porsche, he's gonna spend the next two hours cleaning his car, he's not making the weigh in. I'm speechless but in my head, I'm cussing like hell. So, I tell Scott McPherson that my fish ain't making it to the weigh in, I'm livid, I'm leaving and I can't do my volunteer shift of parking lot duty.

As I'm walking out of the pavillion grounds I run into Mike and Rob, both of whom have these shit eating grins on their faces. I didn't say a word and I was pretty mad for the next 5 or so minutes, and then I was happy because I got to weigh my fish. Besides, I couldn't stay mad at my fishing buddies.

All in all, a pretty good day. Thanks to Mike for a great weekend on the water, and a lesson to not believe everything that comes out of your mouth.

[ScottZeagle]

Sounds to me like you are taking this whole tournament thing way too seriously, Mike...

:D

[LuvMyRedDog]

Scott, when you pay a bunch to register, go to the grounds, gear, cans of gas, time/effort, guy on boat breaking my rods, hours and hours cleaning fish, you just have to make the weigh in. Otherwise, it's all for naught.

B.T.W. Scott, how many pounds did you weigh?

Also, I did my shift in the parking lot. My shift was 11:30 to noon and it was my duty to turn any late comers away from the closed weigh in line. THERE WERE NO LATE COMERS, COOL!

[ScottZeagle]

Scott, when you pay a bunch to register, go to the grounds, gear, cans of gas, time/effort, guy on boat breaking my rods, hours and hours cleaning fish, you just have to make the weigh in. Otherwise, it's all for naught.

B.T.W. Scott, how many pounds did you weigh?

Also, I did my shift in the parking lot. My shift was 11:30 to noon and it was my duty to turn any late comers away from the closed weigh in line. THERE WERE NO LATE COMERS, COOL!

I weighed more than the last place guys, but not as much as the winners!! ;) :D :p

The weigh in line was awesome, and the people who dropped off their coolers and kept going made it flow smooth!!

I asked Jeff P. to give your walkie talkie thing to Scott at the end of the day, so I hope you got it back!!! Thanks for loanig us those!!!

[The Collector]

Thanks Mike, you made a long ride to the weigh-in much more fun for us :D
Scott, congrats, we tied! I was not first or last either!!