After reading the post from our friend down South I'm inspired to contribute something completely off the subject of politics and general griping.

I recently returned from an eight-day fishing road trip with three other guys and thought I'd post a few tips for those planning their own trips. This was my first extended road fishing trip. Please feel free to add your own tips.

1. Don't gloat when you're on a hot streak and others in your party are smelling the skunk. Your skunk time will come.

2. Don't hate your partners when you're on a skunk streak and they're gloating about their catches.

3. Expect someone in the group to have an opinion about everything: the size of your spinner, the color of your line, the cereal you eat, the cigarettets you smoke, the booze you drink, etc.

4. Be glad someone else wants to do the cooking and doesn't want any help. Do the dishes in return.

5. Expect to be woken up several times during the drive home to talk about your partner's enormous fish and how lucky he was to have the fish Gods smile on him. This will be especially true if you were on a skunk streak the last few days.

6. The old addage to take twice the money and half the clothes is especially true on fishing trips. Why would you need clean underwear every day?

7. Expect lots of bad music.

8. Accept lots of belching and flatulence coming and going from the destination. Contribute whenever possible.

9. Buy booze and smokes at the border. Canadian cigarettes are best in emergency situations only.

10. Change money at the border, especially if the camp host doesn't take plastic.

11. Expect to carry lots of money in coins.

12. Expect to waste at least a good part of one day driving around the rivers in the area looking for that special local "secret" spot only to end up fishing amid dozens of tourists at the pullout along the main highway. Your success at this spot will be directly proportional to the time you've spent driving up and down fire roads, logging trails, etc.

13. Drink lots.

14. Think twice before believing the kayaker who says, "Yeah, that's an easy float. You'll be done in four hours." If you take his advice you'll put in around noon and come to find you have 20 river miles ahead of you with a nasty set of rapids around the bend.

15. Laugh lots.

16. Pack Aquaseal.

17. Bring sandals for the showers.

18. Expect your leg of the drive to be through the most dangerous, winding, canyon section of the drive in the dark.

19. Appreciate the friendliness of Canadians.

20. Ignore the standoffishnes of Canadians.

21. Take time to look down at the beautifull fish in your hands after the picture has been taken before you send it on its way.

21. Appreciate the beauty of fishing for native fish in wild rivers never touched by dams or over development, even when you're on a skunk streak. You've most likely already landed more big ones in a week than you will in two months back home.

That's about all I can come up with off the top of my head. Please add your own tips and expect me to add to this list too.

Bruce

[This message has been edited by B. Gray (edited 09-19-2000).]

Great list. I'll see if I can think of an addition or two. One off the top of my head is: If your not driving, make sure that you buy your fair share of gas and then some. Secondly, go the extra mile on the front end of the trip when it comes to research or destination information. You'll be surprised how much you end up falling back on previously researched resources and information.

Good thoughts Bruce-sounds like a great trip

Hey Bruce, nice tips... how was the trip? Most importantly how was that rod? Bob's is in the shop now. Remember our deal, you said you would send pictures.

Take care.

TH

The trip was great. I hope my tips don't make it sound otherwise. And the rod - fantastic. I get my pics back tonight and I'll try to get a couple scanned to send your way.