12-31-2005  Happy New year!

12-29-2005  Now is a good time to respool those downriggers and reels.  Check those Twinkie Rigs and flies for damage and repair.

Any and all charter customers can now advertise on my Charters page for free.  You are now eligible for a Charter discount.  Email me for details.

12-28-2005  Sadly, I am shutting the Deer cam down.  At this point, it is a waste of bandwidth.  I have not seen a fresh track in the snow in over 2 weeks.

Archery hunting (perfectly legal), cars, who knows.  I am adjusting the feeder to spay very little each day (how much can the squirrels eat?) until I see signs they are back.  I will turn the camera back on then.

12-26-2005  For a limited time, most orders will come with a free copy of the January 2006 Great Lakes Angler.  If you are not aware of this magazine, it is the premier publication for the Great lakes Fisherman.  There are many fine local magazines and papers out there, but the GLA covers the whole Great Lakes Region.

12-25-2005  As the new year comes around it is a good time to reflect on where the store is going, where it has been successful and where it has not. 

I will be eliminating some items, not because there is anything at all wrong with them, but because they do not sell well.  Usually this is because they are widely available in stores.  Dipsy Divers are a classic example.  Almost every one of my customers uses them, yet they do not sell well.  The problem is, they are everywhere you go.

I am expanding other lines and stocking up on all items I carry so that I can even better commit to you that all items will be in stock.  By concentrating on what you do order from me, I am better able to keep in stock the items you want to get right away.

Certainly if you cannot find an item in your area and you wish to order it, you can contact me and I will do my best to help.

I will also be converting over to UPS for most of my shipping, probably in April.  The post office often takes a bad rap, 95% or more of my packages arrive just fine.  Unfortunately the post office does NOT track packages.  Until they are delivered, they have no idea where they are.  It is hard to say to a customer that I shipped an item on Monday and I have no idea why they don't have it Thursday when they leave in the morning.  With UPS packages are tracked every step of the way.  I will probably continue to ship some items by priority mail, especially light packages to the West Coast.

12-24-2005  Merry Christmas to all!

12-22-2005  Ready for Christmas?  Me neither.  Any customers on my mailing list, the tickets are all gone now.  I am glad they will go to good use.

12-18-2005  Josh (Raider Spoons) and the guys from Wisconsin have demonstrated once again how committed fishermen they are, or maybe how much they should be committed! 

Here is a report from Josh:

"(Josh) Fished with "Cookie Man" Mark and "Mr. Depth Raider" Curt Kell today (December 17, 2005). Nice day on the water today if you don't mind 15 degree temps!

Launched at around 7, but we couldn't get the big motor to piss any water, so we putted down to the power plant on the kicker and set lines at about 7:30. Ended up finishing up our 3-man limit at 12:15, after tossing a half dozen or so back and losing a bunch, including a real pig that broke us off. The big motor eventually thawed out, so all is well.

The new Chicken Pox Super Glow Raider was the star of the day, as we had that set on a Big Jon mini disk off the side of the boat with about 15 feet of line out. Anyone who says browns are always boat shy obviously hasn't fished Bender! Also took a few off the same setup on the other side, except using a Green Monkey Puke Spook Raider. Our best crank was a small green shad rap back 40, followed by an assortment of Bass Pro XPS lures. The black and silver zebra-striped Rattlin' Rogue took a few as well.

Highlight of the day was hearing Fishmeister on the radio saying to be on the lookout for a board swimming around with a fish attached. A few minutes later we ended up with a big mess that took out our lines on one side of the boat. In the process of untangling the mess, we realized that all our baits were accounted for, but there was an extra one in the water with a fish on it, and it just so happened that there was a Fishmeister board attached to that line. I wanted to land it and take a picture like Rich and Mike did to me last year with a fish of mine that ended up in their boat, but this one escaped as I was hand-lining it in. I did get to confirm that Rich's "monster fish" was only about 8 pounds, however.

One final note, the ramp was very icy. We had a hard time pulling the boat out. If you're going to Bender anytime soon, be sure to bring lots of salt!"

12-15-2005  A snowy day out there today.  If anyone out there has a used, older DIGITAL camcorder out there they want to sell, preferably cheap. please let me know.  The deer cam ahs a night vision feature which is not automatic.  My plan is to leave it on night vision, and during the day it will white out, but the second camera will work.  This will give it extra coverage during the times I most often see the deer.

12-14-2005  I have been busy the last couple of days filling Christmas orders.  Several people have taken advantage of my spoon pack offers and free gift wrap.  Remember, you can't go wrong because of my 100% satisfaction guarantee.  If the gift recipient already has a spoon, they are welcome to exchange it for another spoon or use it as credit for anything else.

If you ask for gift wrap, I will email you your receipt.  I will mail you a paper copy separately after Christmas so the gift recipient will not see it and spoil the surprise.  Actually that was not my idea, a customer requested it and it made a lot of sense to me.

If you are a non-fisherman reading this and don't know what to get for that Salmon Fanatic, you can do a gift certificate or give me a call.  I will be happy to help you pick out a great gift.

By the way - tired of guarantees that have that little "receipt required" clause?  Unless you paid with cash (at a show), I have a record of all my sales transactions.  If you ever have an issue with an item you bought on my store, don't let the fact that you tossed the paper keep you from giving me a call.  Try that at a big retailer and see what they say!

12-13-2005  The Deer Cam has finally actually caught some deer!

12-12-2005  7 degrees F this morning (-13.9 degC).  A good day to sort the tackle boxes.

Or you could take Jenny's approach:

12-11-2005  I goofed up on my Ad in Great Lakes Angler.  The Flint Steelheaders Show at Birch Run is MARCH 3-5, not February.  Thanks to Bill for pointing that out to me.

12-09-2005  Deer Cam is back!  Actually we can call it the Coyote Cam.  That brown blur just to the right of the tree is a honest to goodness coyote!  I failed to get a decent picture, but maybe if it comes back.  I must say that this does not please me at all.

I read today that a group of scientists have determined that the Great Lakes are at a "critical point" ecologically and are under assault from pollution, invasive species and overbuilding along the shore.  No kidding.  Unfortunately the Bush administration does not consider the world's largest supply of fresh water a priority. 

12-08-2005  Today I have good news.  Opti-Tackle has new Stainless Steel wire and 45 # test copper and "ready rigged" packs of 30# test copper wire.  I will have some the end of December, but you can order it now:  Opti-Tackle Fishing Line

They have a bunch of exciting products coming out for next year.  It is not a big secret that I am a big fan of Opti-Tackle.  They make and sell quality products at a reasonable price and are professionals in the way they act.  They are a "Mom and Pop" operation but their service and professionalism puts some big (and little) companies to shame.  Delivery is always fast and any issue I have ever had, even when I did not think it was an "issue", they are all over it.

12-07-2005  Pearl Harbor Day, lest we forget those who fell.  "The casualty list includes 2,335 servicemen and 68 civilians killed, with 1,178 wounded. Included are 1,104 men aboard the Battleship USS Arizona killed after a 1,760-pound air bomb penetrated into the forward magazine causing catastrophic explosions." (From The History Place)

12-5-2005  I have my Exhibitor Kit for the 2006 Ultimate Fishing Show in Novi, MI.  Included in the kit is a bunch of Buy 1, Get 1 free tickets.  From now until the show, any order in the Southeast Michigan area will automatically get a coupon.  this show, Jan 12-15, is a great way to kick the winter blahs.  I went last year as a spectator and was very impressed.  If you want coupons, or want more than one, email me.  For more information on the show, click here.

12-4-2005  I have a fishing report!  See below.

12-1-2005  Today is a big deal for me.  Today I debut the first Bob's Outdoors product, designed and assembled by us.  Some of you know that I carried a product last summer for holding fish.  I was not entirely satisfied with that product so I set out to design my own.  Sharp eyed people noticed that Tara above is holding a fish with the prototype of the new product, Bob's Fish Holder.  This product is designed to last a lifetime, yet to also be comfortable and functional to use.  The tool is made from components manufactured in Massachusetts, Missouri, and Ohio and assembled here in Michigan.

11-28-2005  I am back from visiting family this morning.  I hope you all had a great Holiday.

The new Inticer from Opti-Tackle

11-22-2005  Still no buck this weekend.  Still, a quiet day spent out in the woods is not that bad.  I received samples of the new Inticer from Opti-Tackle today, and they look nice.

11-19-2005  You will see a new "Hacker Safe" symbol on my web pages now.  This is your assurance that your information is as safe as we can make it.

11-18-2005  My buddy Skip sent me his fishing log for 2005.  Note the pathetic Steelhead and non-existent Brown Trout numbers.  In 2002 1/4 of the catch would have been Steelhead and there would be a dozen Brown Trout in there.

Now Skip had his fish per hour after deducting run time at 0.93, which makes a lot of sense.  There are places where boats typically have to run over an hour to fishing grounds so the fish/hour would be severely penalized, but my understanding is when you see the DNR statistics they mean length of trip.  0.79 is pretty decent in my book.  Keep in mind most of those trips are two person trips.

I estimate we caught over 30 fish together on my boat, so Skip's complete season would be closer to 135 fish.

I intend to keep a log like this next year, it should be pretty interesting.

11-17-2005  Lousy weather made for a lousy opening day.  Try again this weekend.  At least the weather is "more like it" for deer hunting.

I called today to book a river trip with Doug Samsal.  Skip and I went fishing with him last December and had a ball.  I highly recommend him as a guide and a good guy to fish with.  You can call him at 231-859-4485 or email him at samsal@jackpine.com  .

11-11-2005  I now have T Shirts and hats for sale.

11-10-2005  I would be remiss if I did not remember the 29 Crewmembers of the Edmund Fitzgerald, which went down 30 years ago today in Lake Superior. 

Today is a big day for Bob's Outdoors.  A sample of our first manufactured item goes out to be given to a major retailer today.  Hopefully you will see this item in stores next spring, I am trying like heck to have this very useful item available for Christmas.

11-8-2005  Today's News is good news.  Opti-Tackle has lowered prices on some items, as their volume goes up and they can buy in larger bulk quantities, their costs go down, my costs go down and your price comes down.  For example, the cost of the snubbers came down $0.50, so the price of my snubbers, and the 2 pack and 4 pack came down with it.  Their snubbers have been very popular, one of the best selling items on the store.

Opti-Tackle has some neat new products coming out this year.  They are evolving into a supplier of a complete line of high quality fishing gear.  I will be adding these items as I get pricing and they are ready for sale.

Copyright National Rifle Association of America Sep 2005

Again and again we see our industries close and good paying jobs go away.   I thought Republicans were supposed to be good for business.

The other shoe has dropped at Luhr-Jensen:

Luhr Jensen
Layoffs coming soon

By RAELYNN RICARTE
Hood River News staff writer
October 22, 2005

The doors of Luhr Jensen and Sons will close by next July — but layoffs of the 150 employees at the waterfront plant begin next month.

Meanwhile, the business has begun operating under a new name, LJS (for Luhr Jensen and Sons) Enterprises.

Owner Phil Jensen said the new name will eliminate confusion with customers. He said the Finland-based Rapala/VMC, via merger this summer, is taking over the manufacture of fishing equipment under his family name. The Luhr Jensen product line, established in 1932, will soon be made in Shenzen, China, just north of Hong Kong.

“Most layoffs will not occur until the late part of the transition period, which will likely be sometime this spring,” said Jensen.

In July, the Hood River operation joined with the Finnish company to put Luhr Jensen on the international market. The Hood River designs will soon be added to Rapala’s inventory that generates $200 million annually from sales in 27 different countries.

“The name will live on with Rapala but, truthfully, this breaks my heart a little,” said Jensen, who has been at the helm of the business for the past 30 years.

You will find some excellent deals on (Mostly - they did start making some divers in Mexico a while ago) American Made Dipsy Divers on my Closeout page.

11-2-2005  (AP) BENTONVILLE, Ark. - For 40 exhausting minutes, Wayne Goldsberry battled a buck with his bare hands in his daughter's bedroom.

Goldsberry finally subdued the five-point whitetail deer that crashed through a bedroom window at his daughter's home Friday. When it was over, blood splattered the walls and the deer lay dead on the bedroom floor, its neck broken.

Goldsberry was at his daughter's home when he heard glass breaking. He went back to check on the noise and found the deer.

"I was standing about like this peeking around the corner when the deer came out of the bedroom," said Goldsberry. The deer ran down the hall and into the master bedroom — "jumping back and forth across the bed."

Goldsberry, about 6-feet-1 and 200 pounds, entered the bedroom to confront the deer and, after a brief struggle, emerged to tell his wife to call police. After returning to the bedroom, the fight continued. Goldsberry finally was able to grip the animal and twist its neck, killing it.

Goldsberry, sore from the struggle, dragged the dead animal out of the house.

"He got kicked several times. He was walking bowlegged for a while," Deputy Doug Gay said.

At this time of year, a buck that sees its reflection in a window often charges, believing it is fighting off a rival, Gay said.

Goldsberry had the deer butchered.

"He's in the freezer," the man said before walking to the kitchen and showing off pounds of freshly wrapped venison.

On Monday September 26th the Grand Rapids Chapter of the Michigan Steelheaders will be having Larry Meier as our guest speaker. He will be giving a presentation on "Cormorant Control". Larry will get into some of there habits and what makes them such a destructive threat. The meeting will start at 7:30 pm with the presentation starting at approximately 8 pm. There will also be a social hour before the start of the meeting beginning 6:30 pm (refreshments provided). Please come if you are at all interested about Cormorants and the issues surrounding them. This meeting is open to the public membership in the Steelheaders is NOT necessary. The meeting will be held upstairs at Diamond Hall.

Diamond Hall is located at 435 Diamond Avenue NE Grand Rapids 49503. It is just north of Fuller Ave. on the west side of the road just past the railroad tracks.

9-13-2005 I'm back now, filling orders.  Too darn windy to fish my boat anyway.  This weekend we mounted a couple of lights to the back of my boat for fishing in the dark.  This will be way easier than holding a flashlight in my mouth!

9-10-2005 Some of you might have seen the "Bob's Outdoors Mobile" today towing the Holly Robotics Team in the Carry Nation Festival today.  Now that my obligations are filled, it's off to the lake!

9-9-2005 I am smoking Salmon today.  I did my first batch ever yesterday, and it was surprisingly easy to do.  Salt, Brown Sugar, Maple Syrup, brine over night and some hickory chips and you are all set.

From the Great lakes Angler Message Board:

"Salmon Unlimited of WI Monthly Meeting - Sept 14

Brad Eggold from the Wisconsin DNR will discuss some of the topics the upcoming Lake Michigan stocking conference. If you can’t make the stocking conference, it would be a good idea to come to this meeting. I hope that Salmon Unlimited can make a stand on where we stand on this issue at the meeting.

This month’s featured speakers will be Captains Paul Lohman and Larry Michel. Paul and Larry have over 70 years of combined experience fishing on Lake Michigan. They will discuss their tips for catching Great Lakes trout and salmon.

Public Welcome. Directions: Exit I-94 at Hwy 20. Proceed East into Racine (about 6 miles). Turn left (north) on Marquette St (at the Popeye’s Chicken). Take the first right after you cross the Root River Bridge."

"SU Illinois September Meeting (9/13/05)