New Fishing Car Appreciated

I've been completely happy with my Subaru Outback since I got it in June and have traveled enough to give its ride and useful space a solid test. I was extra happy to have it on Wednesday, though, because of the unexpected 6 inches or so of snow that I wrote about yesterday.

I don't know whether I needed the all-wheel-drive. My friend Tim Mead didn't have to put his Silverado into 4-wheel-drive. However, that was the very sort of circumstance that prompted me to buy the Subaru, despite having been very happy with the Ford Fiesta that was my fishing car before this one and took me all over the country. Between the twisty mountain highways and the rough Forest Service road up Big Wilson Creek, both covered in quite a bit of snow in places, I wouldn't have attempted the trip in the Fiesta, but the Outback handled everything nicely.

In truth, I was just glad to get my fishing car dirty and get it off the highway - even before the snow arrived. Now it looks like it has been much farther north, with an ugly coating of salt and mud. Better clean it off so I can go get it dirty again!

New Travel Companion

If you happen to see me during upcoming fishing travels, chances are good that I'll be toting extra equipment. My new Old Town Vapor 10 Angler fishing kayak is apt to top my Outback during a lot of future adventures because it will open so many opportunities for fishing and photos.

Weighing in at less than 50 pounds, this boat is easy to tote, and I can comfortably load it solo atop my little wagon. It's also only 10 feet long, which makes it a nice fit on the car and will make it easy to maneuver in tight places.

The new boat will accompany me on the road officially for the first time next week, when I'm Santee Cooper bound to spend a couple of days at Black's Camp. Beyond exploring the margins of Lake Moultrie or Marion, I might spend a little time in the Congaree Swamp. Seeing it atop the car, though (I tied it up there just to see how it would ride) I might not be able to stand waiting till next week! I might have to slide it into some local waters this week. Either way, I'll report back on the inaugural run.

New (to me) Fishing Car

I'm so excited about my new fishing car that I almost wish I was driving it to Maine this morning. "Almost" is a fairly important word in that sentence, though. In truth, driving it to the Greenville/Spartanburg airport and flying the rest of the way will be just fine!

New, of course, only means new to me. It's an '08 that has already traveled just shy of 100 K miles. It seems to have been nicely cared for, though, and is in great condition.

Car is a Subaru Outback, which should be awfully perfect those rainy and snowy days when I still want to fishing and for those times when I want to go a little farther off the pavement but also comfortable for the many highway miles I log. It doesn't quite get the crazy good mileage of my Ford Fiesta, which served me mighty well for three years, but it still gets a pretty good 27 MPG on the highway.

I'm also glad to say that the Fiesta isn't going away. My 19-year-old son Nathaniel needed something that gets a little better mileage than his '95 F150 for a season.

Enough writing now. I'd better hop in the new car and drive to the airport. Smallmouths, pike, largemouths and beautiful Maine brookies are waiting at the other end.