WELCOME TO THE TEXAS FISHING TRUCK PROJECT BLOG

I have another blog called The Fishing Musician. I do fish a lot, every chance I can, for almost every species of fish that I can (except for carp or alligator gar or that sort of fish). I've lived in Texas all of my life, and combine my myoptic view of the world and it's politics with the many cool folks I've known from other countries and cultures over the years. You'd be surprised at just how many folks, whether from Texas or from another country, use and know about various sporting vehicles for hunting, fishing, camping, exploring and other outdoor activities.

I also play music and have for a very long time. I have a real job too, and I've had one of those all of my adult life. A family and all those other responsibilities things that most average working professional folks and parents have in their lives.

I'm no vagabond or rambler. I choose not to blog about my work, as many others in my profession do tend to blog on a bit long about their thought processes and egos and accomplishments, real or perceived. Although I enjoy my career, I like to write about my hobbies and outside interests, like fishing, shooting guns, playing in bands and making music and the adventure trips I have with the family and friends.

Our vacations have recently turned into more planned vacation than adventure, and this Texas Fishing Truck Project (TFT) is a way to get some adventure going back not only in the family outings but on those with friends, particularly those with my son and with my best friends and son's godfather, Billy Ray.

Billy Ray is second Fishing Musician. He and I have been friends for going on 30 years now. He's a guitarist, and I a drummer, and we've both made a lot of music together. Although I've played drums around quite a lot over the years, some of the best music I've ever made has been with Billy Ray and our third longtime songwriting band member Ricky Ray.

Billy Ray and Ricky Ray both met in college, after knowing Billy Ray a decade came to be dear friends with Ricky Ray. Both of them being nicknamed "Ray" in homage to our fellow Texas hero guitarist Stevie Ray, both of them being guitar players. Billy Ray and Ricky Ray are both men of letters behind their name, so don't think they're a bunch of drifters or anything. They are actually responsible people.

So the TFT will also serve as a "jam truck" as well, meaning it will haul my drums and Billy Ray's and Ricky Ray's guitars and amps and a small PA and bass amp to whatever remote cabin or farmhouse or ranch that one of us has been able to hustle up from one of our land owning friends. Over the years, we've had legendary multi-day recording sessions in and around such Texas cities such as Austin, Lane, Yantis, Fairplay, Twin Sisters, Flatonia and other places. We've played in abandoned migrant workers quarters (good sound), deer hunters cabins (very live sound from the old linoleum), a deluxe two story log cabin (excellent sound), a very nice East Texas farm house, several steel warehouse type buildings (dirt floor bad, cement floor live) and actual recording and rehearsal studios in Austin.

So this TFT will play an essential part in these gatherings. I almost always take fishing gear on these trips, as we try to locate these jam sessions on or near a body of water or a river or the like.

The idea of a dedicated fishing truck is not a new one to me. I almost, almost, almost bought a Toyota Landcruiser FJ-60 back in 1998. The wife and I looked at many, and there were so many to choose from and other things going on in our lives and so I opted to get an AWD Suv that would fit the needs of our growing family mo' bettah' than that of expeditions. So I went with a daily driver that could do double duty as a fishing ride, and it did very well. Never got stuck at the beach or in mud around freshwater lakes and rivers and such. But there were places I couldn't go because it wasn't a serious enough vehicle.

So since my fascincation with the FJ-60 in 1998 and near purchase of one of several of them, the thought has always been in my mind but more or less on the backburner. We had a Jeep Wrangler for quite a while, and that was an excellent off road vehicle. Too small to take on vacations and trips once our family grew, it having the soft top. It was a FAST powerful vehicle with an awesome 4x4 setup, but was a leaky beast that was continually beset with problems after 7 years and 70,000 miles, despite dealer maintenance and really light off roading.

We probably should have kept it and dropped 5 grand into repair and adding a hard top and roof rack, but instead we moved on. No telling how much we would have sunk into that beast if we had kept it. It's AWD replacement had total repair costs under $2000 over a 200,000 mile and 10 year life span, all the while getting gas milage in the 20's and continually amazing us as to what it's spacious cargo bay would hold.

So several months ago Billy Ray mentioned how we needed a beach truck to do some fishing. Billy Ray's good friend, Shrimper Dan, bought a great Isuzu early 90's 4x4 Trooper with automatic for like $1,500 from original owner with about 110k miles on it. He spent about $800 to get new hoses and belts and a few other things and it's been running hard and great for the past few years. Dan's Trooper is a solid performer on the deep and difficult to traverse beach at Padre Island National Seashore (PINS) and Matagorda Island, two places we all like to frequent.

So of course triggered my old fishing truck fever in like two seconds, and suddenly visions of various great fishing trucks I've seen, ridden in or seen pictures of began flashing through my head in some sort of Matrix-like program loading sequence. My head probably jerked a little to the left and right like old Max Headroom used to do as data rushed into his head.

I've been awash with thoughts and feelings, both pro and con, about venturing into another used vehicle/restoration/fixing stuff endeavor, and I've decided to do something about it.

Believe it or not, the Mrs. will be estatic if a Texas Fishing Truck actually comes to fruiation in her lifetime. She has long wanted a vehicle to throw the family and dogs into with some groceries to a beach locale. She likes her beach view patio condo (as do I, many nights) with a nice shady balcony overhang, and she has no desire to camp or even be at the beach too far past sunset.

She does, as do I, like to explore the beaches way beyond the crowds, and back when we had the Wrangler we could hit the remote beaches with nary a car, just a shovel, a jack and a few boards in he back in case of trouble. It was actually her car, btw, but I was allowed to use it, and I took it as a main ride when we her a new car that she liked and traded my old car in and kept the Jep. But that Jeep had no problems with deep sand at all. The Wrangler is an excellent fishing and beach vehicle choice, despite our experiences. The leaky bitch that she was, with the mysterious stop and start leaks from various fluids and locations that defied detection. The evidence was on the garage floor and parking lot at times, and in the reservoir, but would cease as suddenly as it would begin.

So moving from the exclusive beach truck idea, it needs to be capable of carrying 2 folks in front and three in back in a bench seat in a pinch, but normally 3 in the vehicle.

Since much of my fishing is freshwater in nature, what I want to have is a vehicle to carry my fishing gear, outdoor supplies, a tent, a small stove, a small folding table and chairs, umbrella or awning, ice chests, etc.

A roof rack that could carry a lockable luggage carrier on one side, and a canoe or sit on top kayak on the other. I've seen more than one outdoors truck with a 10'-12' small v-hulled fishing boat (called "cartoppers" back in the 1970's). A nice used Ted Williams Sears Gamefisher boat from the 70's-80's would fit this bill perfectly.

In short, a truck that could be set up TO GO FISHING RIGHT NOW. When the reds are running in Port A, get in the truck and go. Traveling, with a stop for groceries, water, *what-have-you-spirit-wise* and bait, and you've set up fishing camp and you're fishing in the fastest possible amount of time.

And when I say truck, more than likely, based on my next post, it's going to be an 4x4 SUV. A medium sized 4x4 SUV. Maybe a larger one, but likely medium sized. There is an outside possibility that some sort of 4x4 extended or (preferably) crew cab long bed truck, and there's a plethora of great classic 4x4's for which parts can still be had and folks know how to work on them.

What are these classic 4x4's I speak of, you say? Well my personal favorites are great trucks like the Jeep J-10, various International Scouts, Land Cruisers and the Land Rover Defender series sold in America in the 1990's. The older Mercedes Benz G-Wagons are venerable serious off-roaders in the Land Cruiser catagory, and the newer, more luxury "pimping" models aren't slouchy in the rough, despite their fancy accessories.

The early Bronco's, the pre-1978 kind with the kickass hotrod ford engines that looked like Scouts. Even the venerable Volkswagon Thing was quite a go anywhere vehicle, and the early Subaru wagons and Brats were fairly stout for the horsepower they had. Even the Wrangler enjoys high resale for the most part.

I can't forget one of my personal favorites, the 70's Blazer with the fully removeable top. One of my high school friends had one of these, with both soft top and hard top, with large factory roll cage the rear. I can't recall the year exactly, but it was fetching and in near 100% stock condition.

We actually seriously talked about trading vehicles at one point, he being interested in my restored Mustang and me in the Blazer. But it never came to pass, although parents were consulted and actually discussed the possibles.

There's one of these Blazers, this one a K5, sans top but looking in very good physical condition, under a carport on a backstreet near a store I sometimes go to. I'd like nothing better than to knock on that door with several thousand in hand ready to buy that vehicle, but I'm afraid that what I can pay and what most sellers of that ride would want is a difference of some magnitude.

But you never know. Billy Ray and I may very well amass a larger war chest than we think we can, and catch a willing seller on the right day they need cash now and catch a deal.

And some unforseen deal on a vehicle that is not being primarily considered as the project vehicle but that fits the 4x4 criteria and is a great deal/in great shape/one owner special/trustable local seller could of course alter the vehicle selection.

I'll talk more in the next post about some of my intended uses of The Texas Fishing Truck and the criteria and gear I'm thinking about, in stages. And I'll tell you what Billy Ray and El Fishing Musician Jr. have mentioned as being important to them.

El Fisho
El Fishing Musician