Thanks y�all. If I may brag on him, Steez, he was! I got all his gear, but my brother got all the trophies and plaques...dozens of 1st, 2nd, & 3rd place finishes in club and regional stuff throughout the 70s & 80s. He came pretty close to qualifying for the Classic through the Federation one year. He had always taken us fishing since before we could walk, but by the time I had really been bitten by the bass bug I guess he was burnt out on it a little bit. We didn�t get in as many trips or tournaments together before he passed as I would�ve liked & it�s a regret I carry. He�s with me in spirit every trip, though.

Great idea.

That�s cool! I have a old one from my grandpa that has his notes hand written on it. I plan to do the same thing in my man cave. Also going to hang up both my granddads fishing poles along with one my dad gave me after the cancer got him to sick to fish..

Where did you have the laminating done?

I originally tried places like Staples and Fed Ex, but they wanted like $12/pc. & when I stressed the importance of the items to me as well as how distressed and delicate some were, their response didn't really inspire confidence in trusting them with the task. I ended up going to some hole-in-the-wall place near Manana and Harry Hines...didn't even have their name on the building. It looked like an abandoned building on the outside, but looked like they'd been there for years on the inside. I spoke with who I assumed to be was the owner, an older gentleman, who assured me they would be well taken care of. They did a great job & charged just a little over half of what the big box chains wanted.

Johnson Laminating & Bindery
2647 Manana Dr.
Dallas, TX 75220
972-406-0909

Great Idea

Really good idea Mark thanks for sharing!

Looks great Mark!

Very cool Mark. Would I have known your father?

Not sure, Ken. Today would've been his 72nd birthday & we share the same first name. At one point he was fishing 3 clubs and a couple circuits in the North Texas area at the same time, much to the chagrin of my mother The main club he fished with, though, was out of Carrollton if I recall correctly...Texas Bass Anglers, I think. You couldn't miss those guys with their blaze orange satin windbreakers (those were the shiznit back then, ha). I remember always wanting to wear his.