May 2012 - HomeTown Neighbors Magazine

dangerous, and anytime I see a child in a
dangerous position, such as letting a three
year old sit in your lap while driving down
I-85 at seventy miles and hour. This is not
a good idea, and if you pass a Georgia State
Trooper while doing this your day will not
be a good one. Well I will get off my soap
box and let you in on a secret.
This article is being written because
today I saw a little kid loading up in a boat
at the marina with a bright orange (adult
size) seven dollar life jacket that she could
have slipped right out of at any time during
their day on the water. Now I make a
habit to keep several extra life jackets in
my boat that are much safer and without
a thought of making anyone mad, I passed
one over to the boaters. Luckily, I was not
told to mind my own business and they
willingly took the life jacket and thanked
me for it. They put it on this child who
thought it was really cool that she had a
new kid size life vest that looked much
nicer on her and would provide her for a
safe day on our beautiful lake. Now I was
able to take my trip out without having to
worry about this little girl.
So this short article is not so much
about fishing, even though the fishing
is great right now. It’s much more about
planning a fun day on Lake Hartwell that
does not turn out tragic because something
as simple as not having a safety
check list or making sure that water safety
gear was in good working order. My boat
has been used on several types of DNR investigations
or searches/rescue attempts
where proper safety rules and laws were
not followed. It is not a good feeling to
pull up in a dark cove to people in the water
and holding onto what’s left of an ice
chest, and yes this is one of those things
that I have tried to forget.
Let’s make this year a fun year on Lake
Hartwell and check and double check our
gear. If you ever need a hand in checking
your gear or have questions about quality
safety gear please call me. I will always
make myself available to help make
this year a safe year on the lake. Yes, I’m a
fishing guide and I love to fish and I love
to take people fishing, but I also want to
spend the day on the water without my
phone ringing about an emergency I need
to rush to on the lake. If this does happen,
I want to pull up and see everyone is safe
because their safety gear on board was in
good working condition.
This year will be an exciting year for
Rick’s Guide Service. We will have many
different events going on this year and
new equipment to fish from. You will not
recognize us on the water this year due
to many changes. The Instructional Trips
and regular guide trips will be much different
as many things have been upgraded
to offer newer classes and upgraded guide
trips. We will still offer the only Instructional
Trips on Lake Hartwell and as always
we will continue to provide Gift
Certificates for that special gift for your
loved ones. Corporate trips are still available
with as many boats that are required
to fish any big groups. Kids 12 and under
still fish free with parents and we still
guarantee fish. With today’s high gas prices
hiring a guide is a good investment for a
fun filled day of fishing on Lake Hartwell.
Log onto www.ricksguideservice.com and
become a face book friend for a chance to
win a free trip this year. To book a guide
trip or get the most up to date fishing report
call Capt. Rick at 864-356-7271. Safe
boating this year.
Come Fish With Rick!
Rick’s
Striper/Hybrid
GUIDE SERVICE
Live and Artificial
Bait and Tackle
Furnished
Lake Hartwell S.C.
Day and Night Trips
Check out our
new website
www.ricksguideservice.com
H (864) 287-2861
C (864) 356-7271
www.hometownneighbors.com
Available and
Convenient to
better serve you.
Walk-Ins Welcome
No need to worry - Routine or Sick Visits
MedAccess is here for you!
Saturday & Sunday from 1:00 pm - 6:00 pm
MedAccess
12192 AUGUSTA ROAD • LAVONIA
706-356-1072
HomeTown Neighbors Magazine May 2012
7