UltimateBass Home Front Activities June 2024

[Donald Garner]

Good morning to everyone,

  Here we are June     

I hope this new month brings Good Health and much Happiness to all of the UB Families 

We're starting the day off with Blue Bird Skies with temps 74-88dgrs.  We have 84%humidity with a SE wind @ 5mph.  The 10 day forecast is looking sunny with temps being in the 90's 

The Grandkids are here they had a good flight in from Anchorage, Alaska yesterday.  Bailey is still sleeping, Owen is fired up full of energy     He wanted to see some bulls and cows first thing this morning.  Dwayne took him over to Ft. Hood training Area to check out the cattle that's  over by Nolan Lake.  Ft. Hood has an "Open Range" Policy for the ranchers in the area.  There's a huge mix herd of cattle over there grazing.   He got to see a Texas Long Horn up close this morning 

I don't know what else is planned for today at least right now.  I'm sure Grandma will have a plan.

SHC; I'm glad the weather is finally clearing up both here and there.  All that nasty weather y'all gotten came from here     Sounds like you need to get busy and get prepared for the up coming fishing trips 

To everyone hope yawls weekend is a pleasant one.  Be safe in your travels if you have to be out and about. 

[Bud Kennedy]

Got some jobs to do today.  Just finished trimming and edging around the house, flower beds, trees, etc.  Trimmer batteries ran low so they are on the charger at this time.  Will be needing them a little later to blow off the sidewalks and driveway.  Now its time to spray all around the foundation of the garage and house for insects etc.  This time of year when the temps get hot they get active and find their way into the house.  I'll take care of that problem today thats for sure.  The final task of the day is to trim a bush in the courtyard.  After cleaning up the clippings I am sure the Mrs. will want me to take it all to the recycle center.

I don't know if there is anything else on my verbal honey do list but I will try like hell to avoid things being added.  It is a great weather day with temps maybe to 80 and low humidity.  This morning at 7am it was 52 degrees and was a nice refreshing start of the day. 

Today June 1st is the official start of hurricane season for those of us subject to these kinds of storms.  The busiest part of the season will be in September and October as a rule but given this years' forecast we should expect some action during mid summer I guess.

[SHC286]

Just look at these "thunderstorms" over Farmerville! I slacked off on my prepping because of this? Y'all, I swung by the boat ramp on my way into town the first time this morning, and there weren't no place to park! Folks were parking half a mile off down the road on the shoulder.

[topdsm0138]

How's everyone doing today?

Got a little more done to the Dakota today. Need to get another can of polyurethane to add two more coats.

Tiller Mafia.

[SHC286]

Been busting my back all day! Two oil changes. My son's car was just due and he needed the learning, never done an oil change before. I told him next time I'm just watching and only gonna speak up if he starts to screw up. I'm ashamed of how long it's been since I changed the oil in my truck, but in my defense it mostly makes a trip to the dump exactly one mile away once a weekend, and the oil still had a dark honey color when I drained it today. So I'm not even gonna dwell on the fact that it's been at least two years. Then I replaced a blinker bulb, my trailer lights plug, hooked everything up and wouldn't you know it, everything works! Mostly. I didn't even have any leftover parts! I did discover there was a loose wire connector going to the right taillight of the boat trailer so I took care of that by just cutting it out and resplicing it. Then I spent the next several hours going through the old man's stuff, taking some out and replacing with some of my own. He had several rods with missing guides, so I set those aside for repair. All of his reels look battered (enough to be deep fried) but he did his own maintenance and tuning and I know they're all in tip top shape mechanically. I test cast a few for the heck of it, and yes, all smooth as butter. I made sure all the required gear is onboard and in good condition, and left a post-it note on my windshield to not forget water, lunch, and paperwork. I love post-its. I've taken so many hits to the head they're a real lifesaver.

I should be good to go in the morning, I hope the current forecast is at least somewhat accurate. It's calling for some spots of light rain in the early AM, to be petering off to nothing by noon with 3-7 mph winds.

[SHC286]

Now the forecast I'm looking at is rain off and on all day. I swear, if you don't like the weather round here, just wait a minute.

[topdsm0138]

Good morning guys.

  Slept like crap..dogs and wife stole all the blanket and bed. Seriously, how does three chihuahuas take up THAT much room?!.

  Anyways, I haven't opened up my Mystery Tackle Boxes for like three months now and felt like a kid on Christmas this morning. Even got a new Zara Spook and a fun little "History & Tips" for it in the monthly flyer they put in the box. Figured "Hey, Capt has been having some good luck with his moddex version." So posted that up in FL Chat for newbies and seasoned alike to look over.

Well, off to tinker on the boat some more. Enjoy your day, stay safe and tight lines.

Tiller Mafia.

[Donald Garner]

Good morning to all,

Partly sunny with the chance of a thunderstorm this afternoon     Our forecasted temps for today are 75-88dgrs with 91%humidity with a SE wind @ 9mphs.  It's that time of the year that these Texas Thunderstorms just pop up 

We're heading to the water park this afternoon if the weather holds out.  If not then we'll more than likely head over to the movies with the grandkids. 

Top; Your boat project is looking good.  Tks for stopping by and providing an update.

SHC; Sounds as if you were busy with some vehicle maintenance issues.  Glad you're getting your gear ready for that first trip out.  Hope the weather holds good for ya and you have a great outing in the boat.

Bud; Tks for sharing the day with us.  Good luck with keeping the Honey Do List short     Yard work will keep ya busy for sure.  With all this rain we've gotten the grass and weeds grow real quick here.  We're in the process of finding a new exterminator to come and spray our place.  The previous company up and quit providing a service without any warning.  We usually have our place sprayed quarterly both outside and inside.

I hope everyone has a pleasant Sunday.  Enjoy the family time together and be safe in your travels if you're out and about.

[SHC286]

Well Don, it was an adventure that's for sure. My truck doesn't seem to even realize it's pulling a load, it just chugs along like nothing's back there at all! I was glad to see that, the truck is old and has about 240K miles I think, so to know it's got plenty of pulling power and that Jasper transmission does it's job put my mind at ease.

The launch went fine. I wasn't too worried about that. I idled out a bit and pulled up to the dock to wait for my wife to park the truck. As I sat there with the engine idling in neutral, I held the trim lever down until the motor quit moving. And I thought "somethin don't quite look right..."

I was right. When we left the dock and idled out a good ways I put the throttle down and we both almost soiled our britches. The boat stood straight up. I said "somethin definitely ain't right..." My wife asked me to take her back to the dock immediately, so I did. Then I tried again. Same thing, and I stopped. I said screw it. I'm out far enough, according to the Lowrance owner's manual there should be fish beneath me, time to figure out the electronics and trolling motor. I'll just idle back when I'm done.

I dropped the trolling motor, figured out how to turn it back and forth with no problem. But where's the power switch? I crawled all over the front of this boat, I know dang well there's a switch somewhere. I finally found it, a rocker switch up underneath the pedal. I could tell one side was momentary on, and the other was always on. So while standing and bent over, for some reason I hit the always on. That's when I discovered the speed for the trolling motor, which was pointed 90 degrees port, was set at full speed. This sent me straight over the side, falling into the lake backwards and inflating my vest. Then I was in a mad scramble to get to the ladder on the back while the boat was spinning in circles, thankfully with the bow spinning away from me.

See, that's why I wear a life vest even with the boat not being in motion and knowing that I'm a strong swimmer. It suddenly was in motion, and I could have easily been knocked unconscious as I went over the side.

But it wasn't all bad. It was getting hot and a quick dip cooled me off quite nicely, ruined the pack of smokes in my pocket though. And while climbing onto the back, I noticed the motor certainly was NOT trimmed down all the way. So I pushed the lever down again once I got back onboard and stopped the trolling motor. It went on down the rest of the way, and now I know why it didn't look quite right before.

After making a few casts and getting accustomed to the trolling motor and humminbird out in open water, I heard my phone going off in the storage box. It was my wife, asking if I'd paid the ramp fee. Oh crap. No I did not. Turns out, five bucks and neither of us had any cash. So I pulled up the trolling motor and fired up the big motor. Time to see what this thing will do with the trim properly down. It got on plane almost immediately and took off! It handled great. I turned it around and started heading to the dock. First time I ever been the one in the boat while putting it on a trailer, I'm usually the one backing the trailer into the water. But I got it on the trailer perfectly straight on my first attempt. See, I don't want to call attention to myself or my truck because my inspection sticker has been expired for three years. Like I've said, this truck usually only goes to the dump once a week and the rare bank fishing trip. So I parked everything well out of the way to look inconspicuous. Then we fished for a bit until it got too warm, had a picnic lunch and went home. I'm about to go get on the mower right now, then wash this dirty old truck and hopefully get home early enough tomorrow to go get it inspected.

[Donald Garner]

Good morning to everyone,

Forecasted temps for across Central Texas this morning are 75-91dgrs with mostly cloudy skies.  We have 70%humidity with a S wind @ 14mphs.  There's no rain in the forecast for the time being but these afternoon Texas Thunderstorms have a way of just popping up 

Kinda slack day here with the grandkids.  Grandma took Owen shopping for some new clothes.  Bailey is here with her dad relaxing.  I had an Lab Appointment this morning.  While there I enjoyed my breakfast of biscuits and gravy with fried eggs, hashbrowns and sausage patties 

Yesterday we spent 4 hours at the waterpark and everyone was pretty tired when we got home.  There was a little bit of sun burn on the faces other than that it was a pleasant outing.  I don't know whets on the schedule for tomorrow...maybe heading to the movies     

Wednesday afternoon we're taking them horse back riding over at BLORA (Belton Lake Outdoor Recreation Area)

SHC; Wow, I'm glad you weren't hurt when you got thrown out of your boat.  I've had that almost happen to me on a couple occasions.  Your boat has the same trolling motor I have on my Stratos.  When those batteries are 100% charged up and you have that setting on 10 you're going to be moving  pretty quick     Yep that control switch is on the side of the pedal.  You need to ensure it's in the (momentary on position)  I usually have my setting set between 5 - 8 depending on the wind.  If I want to move from one place to the other quickly I'll set it on 10. 

So what was the issue with the Outboard Trim Switch?  As you found out if the engine isn't resting against the transom when you take off the bow will stand straight up    When I was first learning to operate a bass boat I was learning in a Champion.  They were famous for standing up and dropping slowing from the Hole Shot.  Once you got on plane you had to back off the throttle 

Glad you had the chance to get out and get some SEAT TIME in the boat.  The more time you get out on the water and play around with it the better understanding you'll have with it.

To everyone hope your day has been a good one.  Y'all enjoy the family time together and be safe in your travels.   

[SHC286]

I have no idea what's up with the trim lever, possibly just another loose connection. But now I know what it looks like fully down, I know what to watch out for. I can use the buttons on the motor if it gets glitchy again before I figure it out.

[Bud Kennedy]

Today started with some gentle showers between 6 and 8 AM.  It stayed cloudy until about 10AM and then the sun came out and the temps soared up to 98 degrees along with some significant humidity.  Too dang not to be doing much of anything outside.

I finally got a hair cut today.  My usual barber shop was very crowded so I had to try to find another place.  After stopping by a few shops and they too were crowded, I finally found a new shop.  Not that great of a hair cut but at least its done.

After the haircut went home and picked up the Mrs. and went out to get some groceries after a quick stop for lunch.  I am going to spend the rest of the day right here in AC comfort. Tomorrow is bowling day so nothing other than that is planned. 

[SHC286]

Got my inspection sticker taken care of, that was a quick and easy trip. Went out yesterday and did some fishing from the bank. Didn't take the boat out because I paid attention to the forecast, again... ugh. I swear I'm never trusting another forecast. They can tell me the sky's turned green and there's an armadillonado in my backyard, I ain't gonna believe em until I walk out back and get hit by a flying armadillo. It was a beautiful day. Didn't catch a thing. Being on the boat probably wouldn't have changed that because, hey, folks like me are the reason it's called fishing and not catching! But it would have been more fun and I would have had more area than 75 yards of pressured shoreline to work with. I actually can't think of a waterbody in my immediate area, accessible by bank or bass boat, that's unlikely to be highly pressured right now, and most of my regular bank fishing haunts are flooded. This would be a good time to take the kayak into the bayous.

I'm off all week next week, I'll have to see what happens. I have "administrative" junk to attend to, appointments that I just can't handle while working, so I've taken PTO to try and get to it all in the same week. And maybe I'll be good until next year.

[Bud Kennedy]

Donald, I suppose those grand kids are running you ragged by now.  I will also bet you are having a great time just being the fun grand parents.

It has been a bit busy here at the beach with some very hot weather for a few days until Overnight Sunday,  Storms rolled in and dropped some much needed rain.  Sunday the temps stayed in 70s all day with off and on showers most of the day.  Finally got to get the lawn mowed today with some decent temps in the mid 80s and a nice breeze and some partly cloudy skies.  Still have to trim and hopefully I can get that done in the morning.

I have had a few days of not feeling so good but seems to be better now.  I never really recovered fully after having Pneumonia last summer.  Just need to take things slow and easy for the most part and try not to overdo things.  I did get some reasonable sleep the last couple nights and that is a good thing.

Hope everyone is doing well and making the most out of every day.

[SHC286]

Was planning on fishing tomorrow. Went from four days of a perfectly clear schedule that was actually looking like the VACATION that I'm allegedly on, to now having two very full days ahead of me. Pest control, company truck services, alignment for my own truck, follow ups at doctors and veteran's affairs, and something else I have written down somewhere. Meanwhile I need to find time to do yard work because I WILL NOT BE WORKING THIS WEEKEND.

[caddyjoe77]

back from the swamp today.  one of these days will be my last trip there.

studying for a tech interview tomorrow -- this is a fast ticket out of said swamp. 

[SHC286]

Dinner tonight is corndogs and fries.

But it's more fun to pronounce it "kerndawg", with enthusiasm.

Like, the grandson is having a corndog. Wife asks if I'd like one.

HELL YEAH I WANT A KERNDAWG!

[topdsm0138]

Was a great week to be a duck or a boat owner down here. (OOOPS!!, had to edit as as autocorrect got me good on the spelling of duck.)

Tiller Mafia.

[Donald Garner]

Good morning to everyone,

Happy Father's Day to all the UltimateBass Dads and Grandpa's out there 

Partly sunny skies are all across Central Texas this morning.  Our forecasted temps for today are 76-91dgrs with 67%humidity with a SE wind @ 13mphs.   We got rain in the forecast for Wednesday and Thursday.  The rest of the week is looking sunny with high temps in the 80's 


Whew what a couple weeks its been.  Those two grandkids ages 10 & 7 were a hand full     It was a great visit we did quiet of bit of traveling to the zoo, swim parks, splash pads, movies and just driving around watching cattle graze.  They don't get to see cattle grazing up in Alaska.  Much less come face to face with a full grown Texas Long Horn out on the open range 

My brother in law and wife stopped in for a couple days also.  They live up in St. Clair, Missouri.  They're out traveling celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary.  They be returning here on the 22nd for a couple days to recoup from traveling out West > New Mexico, Nevada and California. 

The Grandkids are now back in Alaska their mother flew down yesterday and picked them up.  Dwayne has moved back to Alaska also.  He got a couple job offering to work there in Anchorage and back on the North Slope.  While he lived here in Texas (6months) he applied for numerous jobs.  Not one job offering came back offering him a job.  He applied for two jobs in Alaska and got interviewed for both.  He's suppose to start working on Tuesday the 18th of June. 

Peace and Quiet and Resting is on the schedule for today    Busy week ahead with numerous medical appointments (+) a dental appointment.

I hope everyone has been doing well these past couple weeks.  Y'all be safe in your travels and take the time to enjoy the family.  Happy Father's Day again to all the UB dads and granddads.

[Donald Garner]

Good morning to everyone,

Forecasted temps for across Central Texas today are 76-92dgrs with 88%humidity with a SE wind @ 9mphs.  We're supposed to have partly sunny skies today and tomorrow    Rain is moving back in on Wednesday 

Early start here this morning.  I'll be spending the day at the hospital.  I'm receiving my Infusion Treatment today for my kidney issue.  It takes all day to get this done.  Hope everyone has a very pleasant day today.

Y'all be safe in your travels if you have to be out and about.

[Donald Garner]

Greetings to all,

Forecasted temps for across Central Texas today are 73-91dgrs with partly sunny skies    We got 50%humidity with a SE wind @ 15mphs.  Rain is moving into the area later on tonight and into tomorrow 


Busy day today as I made an early morning trip to the post office for the wife.  I got back home and fired up the John Deere Riding mower and the Troybilt trimmer and got the yard work completed.  I did some work on the flag pole that was damaged during the last storm.  Hopefully it will hold up this time.  If not then when the funds become available I'll hire a commercial contractor to come in install a 20ft Commercial Flagpole.

We bought a new washer and dryer here a few weeks ago.  The dryer isn't drying the clothes right for some reason.  I guess tomorrow I'll climb under the house and disconnect the dryer vent hose and see if it's stopped up.  I think it is as it hasn't been cleaned out in a couple years 

I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the family time together.  Y'all be safe in your travels if you have to be out and about.   

[Donald Garner]

Good morning to all,

Mostly cloudy with rain moving into the area later on this afternoon.  Our forecasted temps for today are 73-82dgrs with 65%humidity and an E wind @ 13mphs.

Not too much happening here today.  I had a dentist appointment this morning but it got rescheduled.  The tech that cleans my teeth was running late.  So now I have another appointment scheduled for Friday at 8am.

Stopped by Walmart for some quick shopping.  Back home now and fixing to fire up the weed eater.  I seen a spot in the back yard I missed yesterday.

Hope y'all have a pleasant day and relaxing evening ahead today.

[Bud Kennedy]

Another warm but nice day here at the beach.  Temps in the upper 80s with a nice breeze.  More hot and humid forecasted for the weekend.  Took advantage of the weather to trim the lawn and the ditch out back of the house.  All done and everything looks good for another week. 

We had to  go to Walmart to pick up some prescriptions and then a quick stop at Lowes foods to pick up some Chicken Tenders for tonight.  While there had to get some of their giant cranberry/orange muffins. Always a nice treat with coffee in the mornings.

Nothing else planned for the rest of the week but I'll just bet that She who shall be obeyed has some different ideas for me.  Don't think I will have to worry about being bored.  In the mean time I am gonna jump into my nothing box and take it easy for the rest of the day.

[Donald Garner]

Good morning to everyone,

Forecasted temps for across Central Texas today are 73-91dgrs with 69%humidity with a SE wind @ 9mphs.  The week ahead is looking sunny with the temps in the mid 90's 

Busy morning here I woke up early extra motivated cleaned all the floors vacuum and wet mopped the hardwood floors.     Its house cleaning time today as we have  the wife's brother and sister in-law coming in tomorrow for a couple days.  They're on their way back from visiting The California Redwood Forest.  They'll be heading back to Missouri here I guess on Monday 

There's nothing else planned for the rest of the day except relaxing. 

Drove over Belton Lake Dam and Stillhouse Dam yesterday.   The lakes are still closed due to flooding of the camp grounds and parking lots with the boat ramps     Nolan Lake over on Ft. Hood ground is still pretty wet from the Tropic Storm rains we got day before yesterday.  The ground is too wet to launch a boat from the bank.  The only good thing about all this high water is the fish now have a chance to move back into the Old Fishing locations prior to the drought 

Bud; Glad to hear that your able to be up and about.  So how's the bowling coming along?  Have the Summer Leagues started yet?  Good luck keeping a LOW PROFILE there's nothing wrong with hiding out  every now and then 

To everyone hope your day has / is going well for ya.  Be safe in your travels here over the weekend.  Make sure you take some time to enjoy the family time together also.

 

[Donald Garner]

Good evening to all,

It's been a bright hot sunny day across Central Texas today       Our forecasted temps for today were 73-93dgrs with 46% humidity and a S wind @ 9mphs.  Summer time is here the week ahead we're looking at mid 90's for highs.

Spent the day changing out a damaged trailer tire on the Stratos Trailer.  After getting the tire changed out I took the Stratos down to Goodyear and had the other tire replaced.  I'm just glad I wasn't out traveling when this tire decided to tear up.

These tires have been on the Stratos since Spring 2011.  Checking them out they're not that worn.  I guess a combination of Texas Heat and Hail storms were what caused this damage.




After getting the trailer tires repaired I came in and took a nap      I was really tired after switching that tire out.  I can't remember the last time I had to change out a trailer tire.

Hey I hope everyone is doing well and your day has been a pleasant one.  Y'all be safe in your travels if you have to be out and about.