Last weekend was an extremely tough one for me. My Joy was at St. Thomas with her dad, so I was home without her (he is home now! And so is she). I had worked too long a week and was completely exhausted…and the real problem; there was no tournament. Did you hear me…no tournament to fish!….
So what do you do when you have no tournament…after you stop shaking and mourning the fact…you (well I) go to BassPro and get a Ram Mount for the new Hummingbird….order a Hobie mount to attach the Ram Mount to….then drive to Kingsport to pick up a kayak I had won a few weeks ago.
Normally, I would not promote this kayak for a couple of reasons….
- I am on the Caney Fork fishing team.
- I am on the Hobie fishing team and dedicated to the brand.
…but I had won the kayak, a NuCanoe Flint, while attending the Fishing for Soldiers event a few weeks ago. I had bought a few raffle tickets to support the cause – providing custom trained Mobility Assistance Service Dogs from Smokey Mountain Service Dogs. The kayak had been donated by Frontier Outdoors in Kingston, Tennessee (1218 Gallaher Rd, Kingston, Tennessee 37763).
At first, I thought I was in the wrong place…one end of the building is a shooting range…and I could hear gun fire…and I was a Caney Fork guy in a Frontier Outdoors world….but once I talked with John, and we came to an agreement that I was not going to let Joy buy a kayak from them today…and no, he still couldn’t have her number…all was good!
We did stand out front and talk for a long while…long enough to watch an unfortunate soul get pulled over, perform two sets of sobriety tests – still not sure how it turned out, but it couldn’t be good….and I learned that these two are my kinda folks….in a not all good kinda way…but they will treat you right if you get by their shop. They are some pretty awesome dudes, and I love their commitment to the Fishing for Soldiers event and to the kayak community.
My butt will most likely never sit in the kayak, our daughter was going to buy a kayak; now she will not need to look any more….but I want to say thanks to John Miller and Brant Williams for donating the kayak…and for welcoming me to their store even though I was sporting some serious Caney Fork/Hobie vinyl on my truck.
So…if you can’t get by Caney Fork and need a Hobie in the Knoxville area….go see John and Brant at Frontier Outdoors…support those who are willing to support others….
And next year….sign up for the Fishing for Soldiers event….it is a great tournament and you get to give back a little….and maybe just win some cool stuff (also won an H-Crate from Hobie and a cooler from Stanley!).
And thanks again for the kayak guys! I appreciate it…and the conversation. Hope to see you again!
Topwater Moon 