Maggie's Farm

Cougars Are Making a Comeback in America

After years of denying that cougar populations were increasing or that cougar sightings were nothing more than misidentified bobcats, the Feds and state DNR's are finally getting their act together and facing facts - cougar populations are rebounding and they are everywhere.

I've related the story of the cougar running around in NE CT for at least five years and the one I saw next to my garage when we lived in CT. The pictures of paw prints that DNR wouldn't even accept as a big cat. Then one was killed down Waterbury way and it's all changed.

We're gonna need afford a bigger boat

We're gonna need a bigger boat is the greatest line of any movie ever made. Just the way the line was delivered was terrific, but the whole scene was perfect.

Million dollar tuna Yeah - a million dollars paid over 50 years - no interest so it works out to $20K per year.

They will certainly get some endorsement monies depending on what line they used, the pole, the reel, the boat - whatever they can find for endorsements. Maybe half a million if they are very very lucky.

And by the time they get to dividing up the money between seven guys (assuming a full share), one share to the boat and one share to the Captain and Mate (even if the Captain and Mate are part of the seven - they would get two shares in that case) $20K isn't a lot of money per year - say ten share payout - $2K per year.

Normally in these big money tournaments, the big prize is sold to an investor at so much on the dollar - say .60¢ on the dollar. In this case where the money is paid out over 50 years instead of the normal 20, it will probably be more in the vicinity of .40¢ on the dollar so the take will be $400K each share being worth $40K. So if they get additional endorsement monies - say another $400K total between all the endorsers, everybody will come out of it with around $80K. Expenses (like entry fee, operating costs, expenses like bait, line, gear, etc.) would take another $10K (those boats are cheap to operate) so call it $70K.

Of course the prize money split could be subject to a different agreement between the seven, but normally that's how it works - fairly standard.

The last tournament I won had a $200,000 pay out over ten years. I sold it to an investor for .60¢ on the dollar - $120K. I received another $10K from Evinrude, $2,500 from Penn, $1,000 from Shakespeare, $1,000 from Ande line and another $1,000 from the lure manufacturer who I can't remember the name of now. $135,500 in real money. Split four ways - Captain (me), Boat (me), and the two fishermen - four full shares, $33, 875.

Strangely, that sounds like a lot - $67,750 for me, but when you stop to consider that the one win was over an entire season where the best previous finish was 4th, gas/oil expense, towing the boat (gas/oil/wear and tear), Dew Drop Inn stays, meals, misc expenses, it really worked out to have "won" roughly $5k - it was probably lower than that.