Time to Fondle your Tackle!

[OceanBlue]

In honor of the Salty Dogs Tackle Tying Party this evening, I thought this was an appropriate post for today's installment of "Lighten Up!"

How to Fondle Fishing Tackle
By Ed Zern

Excerpt from How To Catch Fishermen published by Appleton Century Crofts

"There is a hard and fast tradition, at least among people who paint magazine covers, that some time before the opening of the season all fishermen worthy of the name haul their tackle out of the attic or garage or wherever they store it and fondle it with loving care and dreamy-eyed expression, while vision of leaping fish dance in their heads and their wives and children look at them with mingled pity and contempt.

Now I firmly believe in tradition, and for a long time I tried to go along with this one; but the fact is that I've accumulated so much tackle over the years that getting it properly fondled in time for Opening Day is out of the question. It's true that a bait-casting reel, even with level-winding attachment, can be fondled in ten minutes, and some of the experts can do an adequate job in five or six - but there isn't a fisherman living who can fondle a three-piece split-bamboo fly rod, and do it properly, in less than half an hour. And I simply haven't the time for it.

I thought of hiring a neighbor's fifteen-year-old son to come in evenings and fondle tackle while I tried to get some work done in my study, and my wife and children agreed to look at him and sneer, but he said that although he needed the money he had to draw the line some place, and so I dropped the idea.

So until somebody starts a tackle-fondling service for busy fishermen I'm going to fish with unfondled rods and the *heck with tradition." ~ Ed Zern

*Edit

Have a great weekend!

[fish assassin]

I was going to comment that my wife doesn't have any tackle to fondle, so
she just satisfies herself with fondling MY tackle, but somehow that sounds
kind of suggestive/tacky! :grin: :grin:

-assAssin-

[OceanBlue]

FA - You ARE married after all. Doesn't that make it her tackle, too?

[fish assassin]

PM - Roger THAT!! Everything I think I own is at LEAST half hers, and in
most cases there's no half way about it!!


-assAssin- (married 30 years ... how does she handle it?? :grin: )

[OceanBlue]

FA - Carefully? :grin:

[Miss B Haven]

Is it time for us Tackle Fondlers to come out of the closet? :blush: I ran to Miss B yesterday and grabbed some stuff for show and tell tonight. I was worried I was going to crash on the way back over the hill. Couldn't help playing with those Tuna lures, planer boards, rolls of 200lb leader, etc etc. Oh- it's been so long!
Now that I've got that off my chest, anybody else out there that likes to stroke their engines and listen to them purr? [img]graemlins/hearton.gif[/img] :grin:

[fish assassin]

PM - I was thinking more in the line of "very well"! :grin: :grin:

-assAssin-

[OceanBlue]

Mel - haven't you heard that you shouldn't fondle while driving?

FA - :grin:

[Miss B Haven]

This thread is getting too um.....cultural! :blush: :blush:

[corrirod]

FA,

My wife says, "What's hers is hers and what's mine is hers." :shocked: [img]graemlins/1zhelp.gif[/img]

[Bait O' Eggs]

I'll admit it I'm a reel Ho. [img]graemlins/1zhelp.gif[/img] It all started innocent enough. I bought one reel, then bought another reel, but then I had to finish the series and bought the whole line of reels. Then I found myself polishing the reels real slow with soft music in the background.

Then I needed more reels,

That blonde one, with the big handles,

That cute little fast one with the magnets,

That spinning one that went around and around,

That saltwater one that like the long walks on the beach and being at sea

Then I found myself putting my reels on the book shelf so I could see their tight little drags as I walked about during the day.

When some one wanted to borrow one of my reels for actual fishing and had the nerve to actually touch it and palm it I found myself jealous, making up excuses to grab it back from certain fish slime exposure...

I am not ashamed of my lust of quality reels and my admiration for quality engineering and reel sex appeal.

When we go fishing together I promise I wont be thinking of your reel while I am fishing mine.

Do I need help?

[OceanBlue]

BOE

[Miss B Haven]

BOe -you do need help. I'll be glad to help you get rid of this destructive behavior. When can I come over and get those reels? :grin:

Precious, My Precious, where is My Precious?

[ 04-18-2003, 10:47 AM: Message edited by: Miss B Haven ]

[skein]

You are a Reel-Wraith. There is no hope for you.... or any of us.

My shop is full of boats, my gun safe is full of rifles, and my tackle cabinet is full of, well, tackle.

And I just bought a new Penn Senator today.... sob! [img]graemlins/1zhelp.gif[/img]

I woke up today and told my wife, "One day closer to Tuna!"

I'm doomed!

Skein

[Miss B Haven]

Skein- you're not on the road yet? Lets see- 2 hr drive, 1 hour lost, 1 hr at Stars asking "directions" (they charge a buck per intersection for those :grin: ) another hour of lost. Hmm.. what time does Santanas close?

[sinker]

And some of my posts get deleted??

[Silver Hilton]

Oh, it's a fine line we walk, eh?

I always figure it's fine as long as my kids can walk up, read the post, and ask, "Daddy, what on earth are they talking about?"

As to tackle fondling, I can do it for hours. But I need to be alone.