Tri-State Outdoor News

Phil and Eva Rambo fish 15-20 crappie tournaments a year. The Bloomington couple starts the tournament trail in Florida and work their way north, utilizing their motorhome for lodging.

“We like to sleep in our own bed,” said Eva, a former science and chemistry teacher at Bloomington South. Phil was the principal at Edgewood Middle School before retiring in 1996.

The pair started fishing the tournament trail together in 1998, and have qualified for a number of crappie national classics. “He wanted to fish tournaments, and I wasn’t going to stay home,” explained Eva.

The first year on the trail, the Rambos pulled their crappie boat with a van, which also served as their traveling home. However, it proved too small. It also was minus a kitchen and bath.

Most tournaments are one of two days, however, many of the teams pre-fish several days prior to the actual event, and there often is a day or two of travel each way to the host site.

Phil and Eva Rambo of Bloomington travel to crappie tournaments in their Class B RV, which pulls their boat. The duo fish 15-18 tournaments per year.

When the van proved too small and lacking needed facilities, Phil and Eva purchased a 27-foot Class A, however, it was higher than Phil preferred for pulling a boat and a bit too big for launching their boat in the dark on tournaments boat ramps.

Backing a boat can be a challenge under the best of conditions, let alone with a 27- foot Class A. Parking also was a boat ramp issue.

Several years back, the Rambos made a move to a BT Cruiser, which stands for Class B Touring Cruiser. It is a 23- footer, and has a kitchen area and bathroom. There is a sofa that makes into a bed, plus the kitchen table converts to a bed.

“We just love it,” said Eva about the Cruiser in a recent interview at a tournament on the Harris Chain of Lakes. They camped at a park at nearby Mt. Dora, and launched daily from the Tavares City Park ramp.

“We use quick connects for our water and sewer hookup. That makes it easy and faster to head out early to launch in the morning before the tournament start,” said Phil.

A year ago, Phil and Eva’s children gave them a DirecTV satellite system, so they can keep up with the news and importantly, the weather.

Besides fishing tournaments from Florida and throughout the south to the Midwest, the Rambos represent their sponsors at special events, including the annual Indianapolis Boat, Sport and Travel Show, where they did a crappie seminar at the 2009 event.

Phil and Eva Rambo, retired educators from Bloomington, hold crappie they weighed in at the Crappie Masters Florida State Championship fished on the Harris Chain of Lakes at Tavares.

Included among their sponsors are: Tite-Lok, Southern Pro, Minn Kota, Humminbird, Pure Fishing, Slider Lures, and Hyrdo Glow fish lights. After the Indianapolis Show, Phil and Eva will be on the road fishing tournaments most of March and April.

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ECONOMIC PACKAGE — When President Obama visited Elkhart in his first town hall meeting, he spoke directly to how the nation’s credit crunch is adversely affecting the RV industry.

The President was introduced at the Elkhart town hall meeting by laid-off Monaco Coach factory worker Ed Neufeldt, and acknowledged the RV industry’s troubles: “When we say that this area has lost jobs faster than anywhere else in America, with an unemployment rate over 15 percent; when we talk about layoffs at companies like Monaco Coach, Keystone RV, and Pilgrim International – companies that have sustained this community for years – we’re talking about Ed Neufeldt and people like him across this country.”

Obama went on to speak to the crowd of 1,700 about the reasons for the RV industry’s current difficulties, saying, “People who want to buy an RV now can’t get credit.” He also highlighted opportunities for the industry in the proposed stimulus package, touching on how the program would “help the RV industry move into the next generation” of fuel economy standards.

During his prime-time press conference which followed in Washington, Obama again referred to the RV industry, saying, “You know, I can’t tell you how many businesses that I talk to that are successful businesses but just can’t get credit…You’ve got a bunch of RV companies that have customers who want to purchase RVs, but even though their credit is good, they can’t get the loan.”

The final version of the stimulus bill sent to President Obama for signature included a provision to specifically help the RV industry, according to Kevin Broome, PR director for the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association.

Motorhomes are included in a tax provision that allows a portion of the sales or excise tax paid on the purchase of a new motorhome to be deducted. The deduction is attributable to taxes applying to the first $49,500 of the purchase price. Individuals with an adjusted gross income of up to $125,000 and joint filers with an adjusted gross income of up to $250,000 are eligible for the deduction.

The inclusion in the legislation of a sales or excise tax deduction for motorhomes is a significant accomplishment for the RV industry.

RVIA Vice President of Government Affairs Dianne Farrell said, “the RV industry is especially thankful to Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN), Congressman Joe Donnelly (D-IN), and Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) who, along with their staffs, have worked tirelessly over the past several weeks to ensure that the RV industry is included in the stimulus legislation. Their efforts on behalf of their constituents will make a real difference for the industry.”

In another positive development, RVIA succeeded in having RV consumer loans and dealer floor plan loans added to the Term Asset- Backed Securities Loan Facility (TALF). RVIA argued to policy makers that the lack of credit was reaching a critical stage and note dd that if consumers and dealers can’t borrow money to buy product, manufacturers will plunge into further financial difficulty.

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RESERVATIONS — It’s not too early to be thinking about campground reservations for the coming season, especially for state park Memorial day weekend.

For camping information on the internet, go to: indiana.reserveworld.com, or call 1- 866-622-6746.

writer Phil Junker by email at: junkerp@psci.net