I’m 10 miles away from a boat ramp on the Elk River, 14 to several on Wheeler Reservoir, and I can’t seem to get there.
It’s a sordid tale.
Years ago, in 2016 I think, Gander Mountain was sliding into the abyss. I lived in Huntsville (AL) at the time and Gander was selling off all inventory and chaining up the doors locally, as they soon would be nationally. I was late to the game and pickin’s were slim by the time I realized they were selling off inventory. I picked up several poles and reels that formed the core of my fishing tackle at the time. This was right after I bought my boat and before I really understood which poles (and reels for that matter) went with which species and how lure weight needed to be tied to pole characteristics, etc,etc. (many, many etcetera’s)
I did a bang up job of frustrating myself. I thought the problem was me when in fact it was me AND the gear. This last year I started taking fishing a little more seriously (if a person can actually do such a thing). I began reading ‘how to’ articles and then saw some reviews on Amazon for KastKing fishing tackle. I sprang for a baitcaster called Royal Legend II. It was of surprising quality and I could actually cast the sucker without backlashing/birdcaging. I wondered what it could do on a quality pole (also from Kastking) and the difference was amazing. Over the course of a few months I bought 5 new poles and 7 reels.
Baitcasters from left to right Royal Legend ‘II’ (3 of these), Royal Legend ‘Elite’ and Zephyr BFS (finesse). The two spinning reels were both Royal Legend ‘Glory’ in the 3000 frame.
Four of the poles were ‘Perigee’: 6’ (for the BFS reel), 6’.6”, 7’ bait-casters and one 7’6” for one of the spinning reels. I put the other spinning reel on Kast Kings 7’ ‘Resolute’ spinning rod.
I had all of this equipment loaded up and out on the boat for about a week in September; casting away…living the good life when Maggie showed up. Maggie, an absolutely stunning Black and Tan coon hound, appeared on my doorsteps at 1:30 in the morning. I thought someone had lost her while hunting or she had wandered away from her owners so we set some food and water out and went back to bed. The next day, still there. I brought her into the house and placed her in the laundry room and she was content there and would not leave that room except to go outside to do her business and then she would come right back to the door. When I went out she crowded me so much it was almost impossible to walk.
Monday rolls around and we cart her off to our vet in Loretto (TN) to see if she was ‘chipped’: nope. The vet looks her over to see if she’s ok and, after giving her a blood test, tells us she has Heart Worms. Well shit. The vet says there are two general ways to treat her: Fast or Slow. Fast is expensive, painful to the dog, could kill her, and we would have to completely limit her physical activity for at least a month (if not more). The reason for limiting her activity was because the ‘fast method’ kills all of the adult worms in two mass killings a month apart. When the worms die they decompose and that material ends up coating the walls of her lungs and she would literally suffocate if she were to engage in any exercise greater than a slow walk and only then to use the rest room.
This is going to get back to my fishing in a moment, just stick with me.
We opted for the slow method where he treats her for any larva that may be in her blood with an injection, gives us heartworm meds to keep her from getting reinfected, and pills that are given to her twice a day to sterilize the adult heartworms she currently has. The sterile heartworms would die off at a slower pace over time. We would have to limit her movement for a month, but not as severely as with the fast treatment. We’d walk her on a 25 foot leash and she was content with that. Things were looking up and I’m all set to hit the river and lake in late September when wifey, while walking the dog, trips—falls—and breaks her hip.
We went to the emergency room, they admitted her and operated the next morning. Long story shortened: 3 days in the hospital, ambulatory ride to inpatient rehab for a month, then a month of in home physical therapy followed by a little more than a month in outpatient physical therapy. My fishing went dark for the last 3 months of last year.
The good news: the entire ordeal with my wife breaking her hip: emergency room, surgery, hospital recovery, ambulance ride, inpatient physical and occupational therapy, home care nursing and physical therapy and then outpatient physical therapy (and all of the food and meds my wife took while in care) set us back a grand total of (drum roll) $1.69.
One dollar and sixty nine cents.
Interestingly, every person involved with the care, facilities, food, meds, transport, etc.) knew what was/was not covered by Medicare and Tricare and everything they did was correctly coded and submitted with the exception of the $1.69 overcharge by a radiologist.
Insurance? Medicare (because we’re ‘dated’) as primary, Tricare (thanks to my 20 years in the service) secondary. So now the Social Security Administration is going to raise the price of Medicare by 8 or 10 bucks and I am more than happy to have them rip it from my monthly check.
Now that things have moderately returned to normal I’m ready to hit the water. I’ve got some heavy duty insulated and water proof overalls. coat. Boots, gloves and balaclava. A new thermos and inflatable life vest that can be worn under the coat. I’m ready, but the weather has gone to hell so, well, shit.