Hey Western....Tired of the Darkness yet?
   I am. So what is it I can do that relates to Tournaments?.....Here is a Winter Primer to keep ya goin till the Thaw!
 
   1). Get all those baits out of the boat and re-evaluate your needs...."Too much is too much!"
   2). Take apart your reels and lube 'em up! Now is when you should get this done so if you find terminal damage or wear you have time to replace items.
   3). Time to rebuild you terminal tackle box....I for one have a very disorganized Terminal Tackle box as it is the one box that gets used the most and spends its whole life on the deck so I always get a new box and rebuild the stock items because a failure later is a failure later!..(Yogi-ism)
   4). For the boater...Time to scour the boat out and make those nagging repairs that you have been putting off....some simple...some...well might take the winter to complete!
Non-Boaters...how do you get your gear around when fishing and are your tackle bags adequate?....Speaking of that....how bout bringing them into the club next meeting so others can see what is availiable for the first annual..."Tackle

Bag Fashion Show"? I will issue prizes for the best in show and so on and it is open just to Non-Boaters, as it is a science in itself how you folks do this with little space.
   5). Motor service and preventive maintenance.....a must! and I have suffered the consequences several times -as have others - and it is the biggest thing that can get you to Non-Boater status really quick.

   Keeping up with a journal of hours on the water and fuel and lubrication used during the year can be an awakening, too, and although I have not been very good at this, I do see trends in performance so I will be one of those who gets the boat in for a tune-up at the good old Auburn Sports and Marine folks to ensure it is up for the Spring Draw Tournament! 
   By the end of this month, we will have our tournament dates solidified and they will be posted in the following letter, so get ready for another exciting year with Western!

Larry Sullivan
2004 Tournament Director