Alter Obsessions

[skipper]

Since the Members Lounge has been getting so much attention lately I thought I would start a new topic. You may know me as "skipper". However you might not know that I don't capitalize my username out of respect to those who earned the title through OCS or some other officer training program. I never earned the rank of Skipper (Captain) through the Marines. I was an enlisted Marine who reached the rank of Staff Sergeant (E6) before I got out. The nickname Skipper came from the fact that I have had a lifelong love affair with boats. I even lived on a yacht for 10 years. That's where the moniker Skipper came from.

Another thing I have an enthusiastic obsession with is guitars. I have been playing since I was 12 years old. I'm in a band and I play at church every week. This is the one "hobby" that has never lost it's appeal to me. I can spend all day in my music room playing on my collection of guitars. I must have 25 of them. I even have a music room dedicated to them. One upstairs as well. Here's a picture of my office with a few of my favorite bass guitars.

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The six string guitars are all upstairs separate from my bass guitars. Not enough room for them all in one room. Nowadays the bass guitars get played a lot more often than the six strings. Not sure why but I really like to slap that bass.

Besides guns, what's your alternate obsession???

[jpx2rk]

I used to have an obsession with chasing those temperamental fish, but with them being more moody than the wife, I put them on the back burner and just chase them part time now (good weather days). I chase the elusive crappie but just enough to keep some in freezer for those days when we can't decide on anything else for supper. Baked crappie, mac & cheese and hush puppies are hard to beat.

[Rick in Oregon]

Besides guns, what's your alternate obsession???

Mine? Ocean scuba diving and spearfishing for rock and ling cod, mainly in the San Juan Islands in WA state. Getting down around 60 -80', checking out the caves and overhangs in the wall faces for those huge Lings. Great fun, adventure and very tasty eating to boot. I've had the opportunity to do much diving when in the Navy, I've been diving over half the world, but the San Juans are my favorite, even more than the South Pacific.

My double-band spear gun has two Underwater Kenitcs lights mounted in a custom mount I made in the machine shop for good light down when it gets deep. Great for peering into those underwater caves for the big'un's lurking there.

Not sure about obsession, but it sure is one of my passionate pursuits.

[Tom Kat]

Well Skipper I am starting to see we have a lot in common. We both admire the USMC (I was not in the service), we both love guitar music (I dont play!) and we both love boats. You seem to have excelled past me in all those areas.

I have owned several duck hunting boats and kayaks, and currently own a 2005 17 good crappie fishing boat with a 60 hp 4 stroke Merc. I live 20 mons from 2 lakes so I get to do a lot of fishing.

We also both like guns LOL

[Rick in Oregon]

Well Skipper I am starting to see we have a lot in common. We both admire the USMC (I was not in the service), we both love guitar music (I dont play!) and we both love boats.

Tom, in pure jest I say.....

"If the Marines are there, the NAVY got them there!"

Ask me how I know.....(Keep in mind, the USMC is a division of the Navy....we're all brotherly related. )

And seeing how we're all seemingly 'boat guys', my boat stuff has been a mite different than what you guys enjoy now:



I'll mention that some of my best friends were/are USMC. They have my most honored respect, as my arse and crew were saved by them on two significant occasions in RVN.

And for guitars....don't play, wish I could, but truly admire Clapton, Hendrix, David Gilmore, and Stevie Ray Vaughn, even Keith Richards, among others of the Blues variety. The track by Lou Reed on 'Rock 'n Roll Animal' album with the intro to "Sweet Jane" has to be one of the very best guitar rifts I've ever heard.

Skipper, do you have any tracks loaded to u-tube? You're truly fortunate to have the drive and skill to master the guitar. I played trumpet as a young teenager, always wanted it to be the guitar, but mom wouldn't hear of it.

[skipper]

This is a track on Soundcloud called Devils Daughter. I'm playing the bass. Just a caution that this is just a practice session and not the polished version we usually do at venues. Hope the link works. .

https://soundcloud.com/jdw463/devils-da ... 1-render-1


Here's a picture of me at the House of Blues in downtown Houston in the Foundry Room a few years ago. I'm on the right with the gun club hat. The band is named Urban Rivers. Drummer is out of the picture on the left.

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[Tom Kat]

Rick was in the brown water navy?


I love the old blues sound Skipper-

I like old twangy music of all kinds, old country, delta blues, old rock...

[skipper]

Baked crappie, mac & cheese and hush puppies are hard to beat.

Now there's a man that knows how to eat.

On Lake Livingston, the White Bass will start their run in early spring. They will migrate from the creeks out into the lake and congregate around Pine Island. That's when I will be stalking them. Boats will be thick as theives during that window of opportunity. They are so plentiful that the daily possession limit is 25 over ten inches. You can usually catch that many in about an hour. Then the fish fry is on like Donkey Kong. I'll add a Shiner Bock to jpx2rk's menu for good measures. Only in Texas!

[Tom Kat]

I should mention here I really like fishing, even though I cant stand to eat fish. I have been to Canada fly in fishing, and fished in MN. I will be going to MI next year on a fishing trip.

Here in Kansas I tend to target crappie. I give all of them to my cousin or my father in law, they often go with me. So not to bore you with a lot of fishing pictures I just grabbed a few that were easy for me to post. You can see a little bit of my boat in a few of them-

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[Tom Kat]

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[Tom Kat]

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[Tom Kat]

I caught this smallmouth on my birthday. He fought like crazy and when I got him in the boat he bit the heck out of my thumb right after this picture was taken. I know a local guy who used to be a pro fisherman, he catches big smallies in our lake. I am trying to learn from him as Small mouth are one of my favorite to catch

[Tom Kat]

Last picture. Channel cats are terrific fighters, in my opinion one of the best, lb for lb. This is the biggest one I ever caught, he made my arms sore. HE was released, as was the other catfish in this tread (a blue cat)

[Rick in Oregon]

Rick was in the brown water navy?

Hope that explains that for you, Tom.

[skipper]

I absolutely hate going fishing with my son. He always ends up with the biggest fish. We were fishing the Mississippi delta where he lives. Look at that little rod and coffee grinder reel. Well, can't really see the reel but SERIOUSLY!!!

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