We made our way to Logan Martin Lake Saturday. We stopped for a quick biscuit where I ran into a man driving a marina truck. “No, we do not have any bait. No, we do not have a ramp either. He was helpful though and sent us down to another marina.
“No” was the word of the day around the area.
I’ll be the first to admit that I see retailing and customer service under a critical eye.
We rolled into the marina and it looked nice. However, they had no, ethanol free fuels at their store. The tackle section was poor. The people were nice. One counted the bait as the other ran the register. Their service was fast and friendly.
This lake was new to us so it was a special adventure. The Yamaha outboard purred as it warmed up. Kathy pulled the trailer back to the parking lot. It sure is nice to have such a good-looking fishing partner. 🙂
She boarded the boat and we were on our way. We took in the new sights and watched the chart in split screen. One side was GPS and the other, side imaging. We mapped and charted for nearly two hours. There were points, brush piles, old bridges, and roadbeds. The lee side of the roadbeds held the most fish.
Kathy managed a nice catfish. No crappie though. The thought of a hot shower seemed nice as the wind began to howl. I phoned ahead as we approached the fuel dock. “Sorry, we will not have fuel until next month” was the reply at the other end. There was that “No” word again.
The America’s Best Value Inn was the bright spot of the day. The manager was very helpful and told me where to park and charge the boat. The room was clean. It featured a coffee pot, microwave, and refrigerator. All of that for $60.00 too!
I walked over to the marina next door while my girl got ready for dinner. I figured I would get a cup of coffee. No, they did not have any drinks. There was that “No” again.
I watched a local bass club recover their boats. Only one of the three ramps was open. Recovery wait time was nearly twenty minutes. They completed their weigh-in on a folding table in front of the dumpster. Why would they come back?
Later, we headed out to dinner. The Ark Restaurant was wonderful. We enjoyed huge catfish fillets with all the trimmings. All the food is prepared to order and is a little slow. However, it is well worth the wait!
We headed home after a good night’s sleep. Reflecting on the trip, we thought about the marinas in particular. The people were nice. However, they are leaving a lot of money on the table and disappointing their visitors.
We will be sure to fuel up and bring extra coffee next time.
Blessings, -tj