If I am driving past Mille Lacs on the way up or back, always stop at the Garrison Holiday for gas and bathroom break. It will be different when it turns into a Circle K, but I’ll still stop.

I’ll second the comment about Bass Pro. While we grumble that it’s not the Cabela’s we once knew, you can’t argue about the stocked shelves every day of the year with any tackle you could ever want.

These shows are mostly to have something to do. Look at new products all in one place. Basically, be immersed in your hobby for a few hours. It’s not a place to find deals.

David Shanvunhueisn wrote:

At Scheels last night and the 30’s are on sale for $498

A few years ago that would’ve been a good deal, but hard to drop that much on a flasher these days.

I wonder if there is about to be a shortage on building supplies coming soon. Everything will be sent down there. I also have no idea how home insurance companies pull a profit down there.

There were so many deals on these late winter last year. Striker just had a really good deal on the Predator suits, too. You know that warehouses are still probably pretty full at ice retailers after the bust of last winter.

I haven’t looked, but I’m guessing you can get a better deal on one compared to the Reata or glass Lund Tyee. No one really knows about the Solera. The Skeeter fans are going to be looking for their other models.

All boats in the same class are about the same now. Like any comparison, it comes down to the storage, and other small things like console layout, livewell configuration, etc.

No idea what the prices are for other makes, but I can’t help but think the way Honda runs their outboard business doesn’t help as their low volume must mean less parts out there, too.

If you want a 6.5 ft bed with crew cab, it can be hard to find on the lot.

Post a Pic of that new toon sometime. Looked pretty nice when you bought it.

I think this is a generational thing like bike helmets. Multiple generations now grew up wearing bike helmets from day one so to them it feels unnatural to go biking without one. Whereas us old guys NEVER wore a helmet.

With PFDs, it’s the same. The older generation finds it hard to start wearing one since throughout our life, none of the adults in our life ever did and we never did when we became adults. People just didn’t do it.

I’ve been holding off because I fear it’s a slippery slope into something else to collect. A month or two ago there was a pretty big auction online from a house that had a ton of great, old beer signs. I would’ve bought so many of them.

For me, it’s just one of those things, that I just have to avoid all-together. The amount of cool antique outboard manufacturer signs and other fishing signs is just too much.

Probably Minnetonka for me. No family cabin. We actually do pretty well on Minnetonka in the spring for walleye, among all the other species.

It’s somewhat sad to me how I am so desensitized that stuff like this doesn’t even intrigue me anymore. 30 years ago pre internet, our worlds were a lot smaller and things like this would shutdown the country. Today, I just shrug.

As others have said, dealers don’t order many with the 6.5 ft box to sit on the lot. Most guys who want one order their truck.

The problem I saw when I was looking a few years ago is that dealers that did order the 6.5 ft bed did so with the top trim and was super expensive.

I also think that there are more 6.5 ft beds sold in Canada, based on what I’ve seen in the used truck market and where the trucks came from.

I also think that more people would want the 6.5 ft box, but most people don’t even know that this option exists since every other truck they see has the shorter box.

I think the show is probably at a point where it should change. It used to be that guys could order their fishing boats at the show and they would be here by opener. Today, even ordering at the Jan boat show does not guarantee you’ll get it in time. So maybe this show can move forward some to a warmer time of the year and maybe have it at the State Fair? That way you could have some outdoor exhibits, etc. No one wants the hassle of going downtown right now and paying for parking. If you had it at the State Fair, the DNR building could open up and those exhibits could be part of it.

That idea aside, I would like to see more exhibitors with different kinds of outdoor stuff. Tents, overland rugged camper trailers, etc. There are so many cool products out there right now with the popularity of camping and being outdoors. Have some cabin builders, show off pre-fab cheap cabins that guys could put on their land. The show could then appeal to more than just us old fishing guys.

Would the state buyout the resorts and other landowners then? What is the plan to compensate them?

Cousins getting that kind of an offer with his age and coming off of that kind of injury just shows you have few good QBs are out there. All the teams are competing for the same small pool of them. Cousins is not a championship QB. He improved big time with the Vikes over his time with the Skins but he was never the Mahomes or Brady who could just make it happen in clutch moments and carry the team.

As others have said, if it’s your daily driver, you want a half ton. More comfortable, less noise, better ride. Your better half is more apt to want to ride in it with you.

I would only get it the bigger truck if I was pulling a big camper or other enclosed trailer all over the place.

I stopped going a few years ago after getting tired of the same booths in the same place manned by the same people. But I think I’m ready to check it out again to see what’s new. The only thing holding me back is this will be the first time going without my dad, who we lost last year. Just one of those many times that it will hit you. But we’ll see.

Not unexpected, but I already hate how much time I spend staring at the graph as it is. Sad that we can’t escape the screens even on the water. Makes me want to go back to basics with a 16 foot rowboat and just get back to fishing.

Eelpoutguy wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>queenswake wrote:</div>
February 18, 2024 at 4:16 pm#2254881
I think just like with the fancy wheelhouses, I think a lot of these are small business owners who need to take money out of the business every year or it will be taxed. It’s farmers who need to play similar tax games. My guess is they pay it all in cash or finance a smaller amount than what you see.

What?
You would need to prove it is for business. You would need to come up with a provable % that it was used for business purposes and write that off but we all know you would be lying.

I just had this conversation with my bean counter about a pontoon. She said it was not advisable as it would put me on the IRS radar.

No, I’m talking about S-corp shareholders taking profit out of the business for personal use. Not related in anyway to a tax writeoff for the business.

After making it out ice fishing a total of one time, I plan on doing a lot more spring fishing this year. Water levels are up from last year, let’s go. I have the itch in the worst way.

I think just like with the fancy wheelhouses, I think a lot of these are small business owners who need to take money out of the business every year or it will be taxed. It’s farmers who need to play similar tax games. My guess is they pay it all in cash or finance a smaller amount than what you see.

I also think that post-covid people are still saying f it and just living life. So many people have homes locked into super low interest rates, have jobs that pay well, etc. People can afford this kind of stuff. It’s a different time of a lot of wealth by so many people.

It’s always this time of the year when I think about selling some assets and calling it a career so I can actually do all that I want to do over summer. It goes by so fast and unfortunately too much of it is spent at work.

At a minimum, really thinking hard about buying a cabin this year to act least get me closer to the places I want to go. And working from there at least part of the summer.

Dunno. Life is passing by too quickly and I’m going to spending the majority of it working.

Normally I would say our typical March and April wet snow dumps are going to hit us, but everything is so wacky now that it’s hard to say if that will even happen this year. I do wonder if this summer will be a wet one after the last couple drought summers. Seems like we are due for that flip.

CBMN wrote:

Missed the even bigger tritoon with dual 400’s that was right next to the one that eelpout posted earlier.

Compare the prices of these maxed out pontoons with the 30 ft Sea Rays, etc bowriders and I’m guessing the prices come pretty close. That’s who these are targeted for. I wouldn’t be surprised is one of these pontoons eventually has a head you access from a raised console that goes down into the pontoon. Just like these big bowriders.

Nice boat. Curious what made you choose the Barletta over the other brands? Layout, dealer? So many options out there.

There should be more deals to be had this time as compared to the past couple of years with the sales slowdown. Will be interesting.

I haven’t gone in a few years, but it’s always a good way to put yourself back in summertime imagine what is coming. However, I have a lot of ice fishing to catch up on, too, so will be wanting to do that next weekend, too.

As for pontoons, they are so many new brands coming out every year, I’m sure it will be quite the selection and interesting to see what new innovations are out there.

Atavar wrote:

I know it’s heresy but I can load full sheets of plywood or 10’ lumber in my Honda minivan, shut the door and keep it dry in the rain.
I have hauled pallets worth of cinder blocks and concrete without a problem.
Sorry guys, but if you can’t load a sofa or a chest freezer and shut the tailgate it’s not a pickup truck, it’s just a Ute.

Yep, pretty sad when minivans can haul more that a truck. Minivans outdo trucks and suvs in that regard.