TOX & Mac @ Crystal Lake

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

Well, here are a few of my pics. Mac has a lot more of the cottage, etc., and one he needs to post about the crawdads we found in the lake.



Here is the view from the cottage deck. Yep, that's the old NITRO on the lift.

Here's how the lake looked early in the morning.....the one and only morning we got out!!:lol:

Now for the Brownfish....

That was the class of fish we caught pretty much the whole time except when we were yankin Google Eyes off the hooks and givin' them the "spin" back into the lake.



Mac's turn:lol::lol:



TOXIC

 

[Carlos Hathcock III]

nice fish my brothers!!!!

 

[William H. (Bill) Barham]

Great lookin' fish and it looks like you're having a great time!



Uncle Billy

 

[Bill McElroy]

Here's a few more pix's.....man..what a GREAT time!! My wife grew up on that lake,..and her folks still live up there...we had them over for dinner a couple of times and as usual, everyone had an excellent time....more pix's to follow later.



Me and my family..

Tox's family...

the view of the lake....nice points and drops aye??

Trypical Crystal lake "Crawfish"..

Chillin' and ready for some Grillin'!!

Man, I wanna go back.....this workin' for a living is BS!!!:angry: But..it's time's like that, and looking forward to the next one, that makes me hang on!!



Carry on!!

Mac

 

[TrepMan]

Mac and Tox - Great shots, glad the girls take after your wives and not you!!! LOL



Wish I was there dudes!!



Trep

 

[Mike L.]

Sounds like you all had a great time! Nice pics!

 

[Marty Klein]

Very nice!

 

[Mini]

guys get any topwater action??? oh i guess not since you only got up one day!!!! SLACKERS!!!



Good looking pics, better looking families.

 

[Bill McElroy]

Nothin' on topwater.....tried several times, with several baits and speeds. We were on the water by 9am almost EVERY day.....fished no less than 7 hrs every day!! I get up at 4am every WORK day..........ain't doin' it on VACATION Jack!!!!:angry:

 

[Dan J.]

Guys, I can't see how it could get any better than that!!! I just can't figure out how you two got all those beautiful young ladies to hang with you!:lol: Those are the memories that will keep your old bones warm years from now. Good food, good fishing, and great friends can't be beat! Y'all have earned and deserve it in my book!!

 

[Mini]

did you find and show tox any of the real crawdads up there? the blue ones?

 

[Bill McElroy]

Yeah,..they were stickin' outa the Rock Bass's mouths!!

 

[Mini]

Sweet. I wasnt sure if they would be as blue as they get in the full moon....



Glad yall had fun. Still wish someone would have told me about it, but that would have ruined the "family" feeling I guess...lol

 

[Bill McElroy]

We DID tell you when we would be up there....but you had to work all week and had T's on both weekends..(Remember?? you offered me your boat to use, but Tox was going to have his up there anyway...I didn't need yours)

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

Mac is one of the coolest dudes to hang out with. He's got the Kill it and Grill it down pat, we had Elk burgers, Emu jerky, steaks, steaks and more steaks!!:lol: We had enough Jack to get the US Navy wasted. Most of all we fished like crazy people!! The niceset part was to watch 2 families who had never met, "click" and develop a relationship. My fishing trip to Michigan in the spring is one thing....a bunch of guys hard-core fishing for 4 days, this was family AND fishing AND add to that, Mac and I were the only ones in the house to......ahem......"lift the lid", and there could have been some fireworks!!:lol::lol: Kudos to both Jamie and Julie for putting up with my daughter (11 is a VERY strange age) and to Kathy for keeping my wife busy so I could fish!!:lol::lol:



TOXIC

 

[Bill McElroy]

LOL..thanks Tox,..the girls and wives had a blast together,....Kathy told me she felt like she'd known Deanna for YEARS and she still talks about her cooking...you are a lucky dude!! J & J enjoyed Lauren too...they felt like they had a little sister for a week and they both enjoyed that!! (Plus, she was GREAT company for Levi,..you KNOW what he can do to a man's nerves,..especially MINE!!..sometimes he can be the human equivalant of a cheese grater to your scalp!!) :blink: (He's the 11 yr old son of my Brother in Law who lives up there and is ALWAYS working....so he's at Grandma and Grandpa's a LOT unless one of the "Aunt's" are up there,..and then he gets to spend time with his cousins....but he's a handfull...and I'll just leave it at that!!) LOL BTW Tox,..did you notice that K & D never once complained about our desire to empty those Jack bottles?? But, they did a pretty good job themselves throwing their stash back!! Tues was a blast at the Baseball game...you should've seen Kathy trying to get a pix of Menards (another inside joke!!) Thank God for auto focus 'cuz she couldn't see the hood of the car!! When I talked to my father-in-law before we left Saturday, I asked him how he was feeling after Friday's bash,..and he said he felt fine, but his liver and frontal lobe are still not talking to eachother!!! LMAO!! I haven't seen him get that uneven in 20+yrs!! I think he really liked hanging out w/us!! ahahahaahaha



I'll post more pix's as they come in.....I still can't get over how awesome the weather was all week.....unbelievable!!!:wub:

 

[Texas Transplant]

Very nice, all the way around.



Tex

 

[Bill McElroy]

OOOOP's,...almost forgot....the local baitshop owner up there told us that it took 25lbs to win a "club" tournament on Crystal, opening weekend, and several guys weighed in over 20lbs.....ALL smallies!! (The intel on the map I bought says that it's one of the BEST, most underfished, underrated smallmouth fisheries in MI.....and there are plenty of 4-5lb fish and an excellent chance at 6's and BIGGER!!) Based on a couple of the followers I had on a jerkbait...no doubt in my mind they're in there...we saw groups of 2-3 that were 5lbs+ follow our baits........!@#$%!@#%!$% stupid FISH!!!:wacko::blink:

 

[Greg Meyer]

........!@#$%!@#%!$% stupid FISH!!!



Don't you mean "FISHERMEN".....



Seems to me the FISH were the sharp crayons...

 

[Bill McElroy]

NOBODY is going to make those fish bite when they spook from 20ft away because they can easily see you from that far..............I've seen bottled water that isn't as clear as that lake!! Only drop shot's and yammie's in 16-20ft would trigger them.



Hey Greg,....How bout that PWT?!...Maybe you should take up bass fishin' now!!

 

[Carlos Hathcock III]

dude's!!



Looks like a great time for sure!!!! grand even!!!!!



Water sure does look nice and also some very good family pics for tehscrapbook too!!!!



Nothing better then time spent with good friends and family...then add the fishing to boot, and it is nothing better!!!

 

[Greg Meyer]

The business side of the PWT was "euthanized" by Intermedia. The last two owners, after the sale of In-Fish by the Linders, never understood the concept of "synergy" between everything at In-Fish.



They demanded that the PWT "stand on it's own" financially. Then add into that mix the downturn in the boat business, and the loss of sponsorship money. Finally, stir in the competitor dissatisfaction that grew from the constant format changes, every year. Now, you have a dead PWT.



I don't think I could go back to bass fishing except as a diversion. But, on Sunday my son and I were out with a Professional Catfishing Guide. Thirty pounds of channel cat is a tussle. This guy routinely catches 40-65lb flatheads from the Rock River that runs through downtown Rockford, Illinois. We had a blast. Used 5-6inch bluegills, 4-5 inch Shad and cut up shad for bait...

 

[TOMMY RICH]

You beotches make me sick!

I wasn't there!:angry::lol:

 

[William H. (Bill) Barham]

Boy am I jealous!!! Nice pictures of two beautiful families! You can just tell all of you had a great time. I might have missed it but just where did you guys go? Toxic, that daughter of yours is growing to beat the band.. Of course I think the last picture I saw of her was two or three years ago.:huh::lol:



Uncle Billy

 

[Bill McElroy]

Unc...we were in NW Michigan,.....looking at the back of your left hand...we were just south of your pinky fingernail!! LOL (Hands make GREAT maps of MI!)



Love it up there...Kathy grew up up there....beautiful part of MI. for sure!!

 

[Carlos Hathcock III]

Nice this time of year for the three weeks of summer you mean! Next come s that HARD water stuff man!! HAHAHAHAHAH



You are a hearty bunch to live up there in the winter!

 

[Bill McElroy]

C,..you're gettin' SOFT!!..LOL

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

Everybody knows CIII doesn't like the cold!!:lol: 100mph suit on 50 degree days!! At least he isn't wearing the potatoe sack anymore!! Believe me, my 100mph suit was with me during the trip!! I coulda used it on the car ferry 5 hour trip across the lake if we hadn't gotten a stateroom. High 40's - low 50's and people were sleeping in lounge chairs on the forward deck. They bring sleeping bags and pillows for the night time crossing. I found out real quick why you don't sleep on the aft deck....coal dust or diesel soot was about 1/2 inch thick back there. I went back to watch them load the NITRO and see if she acted up backing in. Thank heavens she didn't!!



TOXIC

 

[Carlos Hathcock III]

HA Mac, you are too funny man! But, kinda right..I do not HAVE to be cold anymore so I am not HAHAHAHAH



Plus the cold WX gear that is available now is hands down 1000% better then what I had when I was in the adriatic Sea in January........



Hammer, you are right, I LEARNED from that mistake and now have good gear to keep me comfortable!! You samw my pics from St Clair this year! You Northern guys were in tank tops and shorts (especially Neeley) and me in long johns and guidewear HAHAHAHAH



But, I was fishing last year on the potomac when we had......ice floating...... :huh: