Scared of Sharks

When I saw Jaws in theaters as a kid, it terrified me. I couldn’t go into any body of water for years; I was always afraid that I’d see a dorsal fin moving towards me and I’d start to hear that music in my head and then I’d be done for. That being said, before Jaws, I used to love the water. I loved boating with my family as a child and I had hoped that someday I’d be able to do it with a family of my own.

Now that I have that family, I’ve had to recognize how irrational my fear of sharks is, so that I can have enjoyable trips out on the water. Considering we typically go out on lakes rather than open ocean, I don’t really have to be afraid of any great whites. But just in case, I load my boat up with Mercury Premium Plus oil, so that if I do see any sharks, I can fly off faster than you can say “Look, there’s a shark!”

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The Search for Nessie

My father’s a fairly superstitious man and on top of that, he’s Scottish. He was always the type to tell tall tales about strange things he’d seen back when he lived in Glasgow. I swear I’d heard him tell the same stories about UFOs landing in his backyard to anyone who was willing to listen to him babble for ten minutes.

Being a Scotsman, his favorite tall tale, of course, was the Loch Ness Monster, or as he liked to call her, ‘Nessie.’ He always had stories to share about ‘the time he saw Nessie.’ He’s always said that when he’s got the money, he’ll take the whole family out to Scotland so that he can show her to us. It might be a long ride, so hopefully he’ll fuel his boat with Mercury oil.

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The Most Beautiful Water

Having lived in New York City my whole life, I had no idea what I was missing by never venturing to Adirondack Park, where Lake George is located. It’s not too far away from the bustle of the city that I’ve grown so accustomed to, but it’s enough of a distance that there were no urban distractions to be found while I was lounging on the boat that we rented out on the lake. Once I heard that Thomas Jefferson once referred to Lake George as “the most beautiful water he had ever seen,” I knew there was no way I could pass up something that was so close to the place I call home.

In my humble opinion, Thomas Jefferson was completely right. I couldn’t have had a better time than I did out on Lake George; I’ve decreed it to be impossible. Hanging out in the marina and taking the boat we rented out on the lake was more exciting than I could have ever imagined. So everything would run perfectly, I made sure to pick up some Mercury 2 Stroke Premium Outboard Motor Oil for the boat we rented.

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Fishing in Colorado

My son lives in Colorado and knowing my love for fishing, he decided to fly me out for my birthday to take me to the Carter Lake Reservoir on his boat. It was a grand old time and I was shocked to see how huge the reservoir was. The Carter Lake Reservoir covers 1,100 acres with water, and we certainly weren’t the only fishermen out by the dam, but with that much space, we were able to keep to ourselves and have a great weekend of father-son bonding.

Out in the Carter Lake Reservoir, there are walleye, salmon, largemouth bass, rainbow trout, and more types of fish than I could have possibly imagined. I know that there were areas nearby – in the massive amount of surrounding land – where people were hunting and hiking and having all sorts of good times. In my case, however, fishing was all I needed and I made sure to supply my son’s boat with Mercury 2 Stroke Oil in order to thank him for taking me on such a great trip.

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Best Boating States

Researching places to boat in Florida got me thinking about boating in other states. Every state can boast a few premium fishing holes, but which states are truly boater friendly. I took a look online at an article reprinted from Boating Life magazine to get some ideas.

For instance, did you know that Michigan has one million registered boats? Every resident is no more than 85 miles from one of the four Great Lakes and no more than six miles from a lake or river. There are 1300 government-run public access sites with indexed maps. Sales on Mercury premium plus must be through the roof with all that access to prime boating water.

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Checklist for Trip

Before I leave for any trip, I always make an extensive packing list. My standard packing list covers clothing, toiletries, and accessories for an extended weekend trip. Then, I have my packing list for outdoor trips, specifically fishing trips.

The detailed list includes: tackle box, tackle, lures, rods, reels, and fishing line, among other items. Then I have another list to cover items I need for my boat. Number one on that list is Mercury outboard oil. Yes, I’m sure I can get engine oil at a tackle shop, but I really don’t want to risk them not carrying my brand. I’m particular in that way.

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Government Cut

Government Cut – what an odd name for a fishing spot. I’ve read that during the winter fishing season Government Cut is tarpon central. Since I’ll be visiting in July I’m wondering if I want to expend my Mercury OptiMax oil there or move on to another hole.

What’s keeping me from making a decision one way or the other is that the Cut is in a great location. The north side of the north jetty extends to 18th Street on Miami Beach, while the south side extends to Fisher Island. The deep channel attracts mangrove snapper, grouper, barracuda, and cobia. Not sure if I’d want to catch a barracuda, but mangrove snapper sounds delectable.

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Haulover Inlet to Government Cut

I nearly started drooling on my keyboard when I read the description for the ocean off Haulover Inlet to Government Cut. Apparently, it’s one of Miami’s best kept fishing secrets. Not just fish, but live shrimp can be caught drifting just 100 yards from the beach.

Along the coast hundreds of tarpon ranging 20 to 180 pounds are caught every winter. I’ll be missing out on the tarpon, but there should be plenty of action with jacks, bluefish, and Spanish mackerel. I just hope my son appreciates this trip as much as I do. Maybe I’ll talk to him about it while we’re dipping into our stock of Mercury oil 55 gallon drum.

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Seven Mile Bridge Rubble

While perusing the local Miami CBS affiliate, I came a cross a list of top places to fish in Florida. At the top of their list was Seven Mile Bridge Rubble. The location is west of Sombrero Light in 105 feet of water. (I’ve been assured that any local tackle shop owner can give me exact coordinates).

Yellowtail, mutton snapper, and amberjack can be caught year round. In July, I’ve been told that permit abound. I cannot wait to change out my Mercury oil, add some fuel, and hit the open water. I can almost taste the yellowtail already.

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Fishing in Florida

I cannot wait for next weekend to roll around. I’m packing up the car and heading to Florida with the family for a July 4th vacation. While my wife and daughter enjoy lounging on the beach, my son and I plan to hit up as many fishing holes as possible.

In preparing for the trip, I have looked at all sorts of top ten lists to find the best fishing holes in Florida. Yellowtail, mutton snapper, grouper, and king mackerel – the list of fish just waiting to be caught is quite tantalizing. Now all I need to do is make sure I have plenty of Mercury engine oil!

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Critical Information

When it comes to the maintenance of my outboard motor, I am meticulous. Every service manual, parts manual, and warranty is carefully stored in a plastic sleeve and then in a filing cabinet. It’s better than keeping the manuals stacked in the shed where they could be easily lost or damaged.

The filing system has worked wonders for me. Whenever I have a maintenance issue or a question about when I should change out the Mercury 2 stroke premium outboard motor oil, I know exactly where to look. Actually, several of my friends who have the same outboard motors have asked to borrow my manuals because they know that mine are intact and fully legible.

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Mercury or Bust

Have you ever played the why game? If you have kids then you know what I’m referring to. It’s when someone repeatedly asks you “why” in response to every explanation you offer up. It frequently ends in exasperation.

I recently got into another version of the why game called the “what if” game. A buddy of mine was trying to get me to budge on my favorite Mercury 2 stroke oil. “What if the local store was out?” “I’d go to another.” “What if they didn’t have it? What would you use?” “I’d go to another store or order it online.” This went on for a while until I eventually blew my top. Not the most mature reaction, but then neither was the game in the first place.

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