Friday, December 21, 2012

Week two of transplant eval

Hello everyone

I am back in Orlando now after completing week 2 of 4 weeks being evaluated for a double lung transplant. This week was fairly easy, no major procedures but a lot of consults. The biggest one was our last consult for the week. I met with the GI doctor, mainly to discuss issues with my GI track. Other then changing some meds and other stuff to start gaining the weight I need to have the surgery, the main topic was my liver.
What was really discovered from several tests last week, is my liver is very enlarged and damaged. It's not from drinking...I don't drink. The damaged is because mucus has blocked many veins going into the liver, and inflammation from lung infections have caused major scarring to the liver. Although there is a lot of tests to be completed, there is a very good chance I will need a double lung and liver transplant.

We also learned that I will need someone with me 24 hours a day for at least 2 months after the surgery. The strong combination of meds and their side effects could cause several scenarios to happen, and if something does occur, my doctor needs to be notified immediately. Then they will make changes to my meds, and/or have me go to the ER.

Also learned many other things...like always sitting in back seat of the car for the first 3 months. Zero raw foods, like sushi or oyster, can't share food or utensils, separate towels, etc. Just a lot of little thinks the average person would never believe.

As for fishing...same remains, it's day to day if I can do a charter, and I really can't book to far in advance since I don't know when I will get listed.

So that was a little of this week...off for Christmas but back on my B-day for two more days next week.

Saturday, December 8, 2012

Very important guiding info / the beginning of my transplant journey

Please read if your looking to book a charter....

I have not done a blog for almost a month. A lot has been occurring this past month. My friend and one of the founders of my foundation, Erin Taylor returned home for the first time, just three months after her double lung transplant. She is doing so amazing...go Erin. I am also pleased to announce that another board member to my foundation, her son had his double lung transplant 36 hrs ago and Is recovering at a unreal rate.

Next week I begin my transplant evaluation in Jacksonville, FL at the Mayo Clinic. I can tell you how much I am freaking out but that still would only cover half of my anxiety and flat out being scared. We hope to have the eval competed by Christmas. The evaluation is extremely packed all day for close to 2 weeks as a outpatient. So the expenses of hotels and gas, food will begin next week. We have to stay in a hotel because Jacksonville is 2 hrs -3 hrs each way. I am will feel better once this eval is done.

Once the eval is complete a review panel will look at the results to see if I am eligible to receive them, and they will see how long I can go with the lungs I have before the do the surgery. Longer the better.

Just because I am having the major surgery, it is NOT, repeat NOT a cure. In fact, i currently take over 17 medications per day, several times a day. Plus have a feeding tube to assist with eating and taking in over 6,000 calories a day to maintain my weight. Now transplants lead to major followups, pain meds, anti rejection meds...so I will probably be in the 20 pill mark after the surgery.

As for fishing, I have not been out lately because of this eval coming up and me fighting another lung infection. Now that the eval starts next week, I am hoping to fit a charter or two in before the New Year. The weather had been above seasonally warm, and the big fish are already in per-spawn patterns. So if this continues the major portion of the spawn will be end December and January, just like last year.

I am trying to get better enough to do some charters...those that I have already contact about late December and January charters, my deal is still on. So once I get a schedule from the hospital I can give you all some dates. Those that are looking for charters, please contact me anyway, so we can discuss your details, and I will tell you if it's possible.

I really hope everyone has great holidays and again please email or call if you have a rough idea of when you here I Orlando.

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Felt good to be back out 11/7/12

Today was the first time fishing since early August. My lungs are slowly improving but now where near what they where at 3 years ago. I will be stating the lung transplant evaluation on Dec11. It is a 10-15 day out patient study that involves several invasive procedures. That means this will finishe Christmas Eve or after, wont know until our first day. But it's a 3 hour drive to Jacksonville so we will have to pay for a hotel for a week or so.

Having not been on the lake in so long was such a wake up call for me. I love fishing but love seeing people catch fish is better. The hydrilla in the lake has exploded and is starting to over take it, so they will be doing some spraying and adding 900 grass carbs this week. This forced me to fish deeper then normally, but it paid off with Kathy from Ontario as she landed this 7 lbs 5 oz bass mid morning. Not bad for not being on the lake more .

Also on a very sad note, I learned of the sudden, unexpected death of a friend on the lake Biff. Biff was one of the few that did not sell their private property to hotel owners. He was already wealthy from his boat repair business he sold years ago, and retired in his early forties. I spoke to him October 16... He died possibly that night or right after in his bed while he was sleeping. Very sad to see him gone, he did a lot to help me with my boat and business.

I hope do get a few more trips before thanksgiving but I need to try and take day by day.

Below is Kathy from Ontario and her trophy bass

Monday, October 15, 2012

Still not fishing

Well I had hoped that this month I would be back on the water at least part time doing some charters, but not so. I am however starting to feel better a little bit each day. Currently I am starting week 2 of being on insulin for my newly developed Cystic Fibrosis Related Diabetes (CFRD) diagnosis last month. I have noticed a difference in how I feel, but it is taking longer for my body and my blood sugars to adjust. My blood sugars are still on the high end despite taking the insulin. This will take a few months to get regulated. As for my lung infection; I was placed on a second IV antibiotic last week, and I have noticed a huge difference with having less of a cough, and feeling better in general. The only issue remaining is becoming short of breath very easily with any exertion. Some days are better then others, but I am still not able to do what's necessary to launch and finish an entire charter. My health care team is hoping this will improve once I start respiratory rehab. This is week 3 of trying to get started with the Rehab facility. It took two weeks for them to call my doctor and I back on a start date. So I have my initial evaluation Wednesday, and then hopefully start this Thursday. They are playing games with starting saying there is no room and it may take until December to get me started. This honestly has me and my doctor pissed off because patients being evaluated for a lung transplant are supposed to get priority even if it means bumping someone. So hopefully this therapy starts next week at the latest. This will hopefully give me that boost I need physically to get back to doing charters. So I am sorry to those who have called and I cannot take out, but I hope to those coming this fall, I can make these charters happen.

Friday, October 5, 2012

Orlando transplant doctor appointment results

Some good and bad news from today's appointment with the Florida transplant doctor. Bad news: I need to do the 2 week evaluation process sooner then later. My fev1 which is the main number used to define lung function is at 22%. When this number stays below 30% for a year that number will more then likely not go back up. So I am close to being under the 30% mark for a year. The only shot at increasing this number will be through Pulmonary rehab. This will be critical for me to gain as much function back as possible, and this week was wasted thanks to the rehab facility not calling me or my doctor back after a week a calling them. So because they are only there Tuesdays and Thursdays, the earliest I can start will be a week from now. He also said is that this transplant will have to happen no matter what at some point, we are all hoping later then sooner. Also not having the evaluation done, and one bad infection could land me into the ICU and having to be intubated on a ventilator. At that point, I would not be able to complete the evaluation phase, and would likely die shortly after.

The good news: despite being at 22% he would not list me right now, because I can still do some physical activity and not in need of oxygen full time. That being said, i do need oxygen at night, during longer walks, even doing things like cleaning the house. Pretty much anything I do physical for more then 6 minutes, my oxygen level drops into the low 80's unless i have the oxygen on. By allowing my oxygen to drop this low, it causes more damage to my heart and could mean that at some point I would need a lung and heart transplant. So I always need to have it nearby and use it when I feel short of breath, even if its just for a few minutes.
Another good thing is that while I was admitted three weeks ago, a good majority of the testing needed was completed. So other then some more blood work, some X-rays, the only major procedure is the heart cath test, which is the worst part of the eval. Other then that it is a matter of finding a team and facility I like and I feel I will have the best chance with. Then it's meeting with all of that teams people and working out the financial aspects. Still a lot of work, but the two week eval could only be a weeks worth. I am still waiting to hear from Mayo clinic which should hopefully be next week to schedule the initial visit. Depending how i feel with Mayo, i still might meet with the entire Orlando team. I had a better vibe meeting with Dr. Pelaez today then I did during my admission a few weeks ago. He was very honest and answered everything we asked. The only thing holding me back on going with them is that the team has only done 3 transplants together. They have many many surgeries combined just not together here in Orlando. The doctor also said that I do need to gain some weight, I am hoping to add another 15 lbs plus some muscle mass. He was happy to see my abdominal pain was better and that I also started insulin. My osteoporosis is also severe, and must be addressed, but my endo will do a IV medication next month to help improve that almost immediately once administered. The side effect to that med is usually severe joint pain for several days after the infusion.

So.... I did have some relief after today but overall it is a lot of bad with some good....I am still pretty much depressed, scared, and trying to come to terms with a lot of stuff. Those feelings are not going to ever change, it is only going to get harder as time goes on so I have to learn how to manage all of that stuff. I am eager to start rehab and bust my ass hard to gain as much lung function as possible. I have also realized that rehab is not going to be a short term gig, but something I will and willing to have to do for the rest of my life. I have come to terms with the realization that I can no longer do a million things like I used to; running a business, foundation, and being the best father and husband as possible. I know my limits now, and those limits mean i cannot please everyone all the time like I have over the years. Everything I do from this point needs to be in my best interest so I can be around for Michele and Casey as long as possible. They are what gives my life meaning and purpose. So the foundation will have to stay on the back burner until I can find someone to run it, fishing will have to stay next to it until I can gain some lung function and muscle to be able to load and unload the boat from the trailer. I need to work out, and rest a lot. Just getting Casey ready for school in the morning and getting him there wipes me out. Playing with him for an hour even wipes me out, so until I can do that stuff all day, everything else will have to wait. So thanks for all the help from those that are and for all those prayers. I will still need a lot of both for a long while.

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Endocrinologist day !!!

Today i saw my endocrinologist..Dr. Damon Tanton out of celebration hospital. He is amazing, has a vast knowledge about CF and CF related Diabetets., Such young talent that really knows CF and the benfits insulin, growth hormone, and testosterone gel can have a positive affect with CFtreat diseases aggressively if the patient can handle it. That is a rare find.

Ok so I just administered my first shot of and feel a little odd,. Next I
must test my glucose when i wake every morning and then before bed. Just another medication to the 17 i already take daily.
Before I start my night feedings, I must check my sugar and regardless of the level, I then take 10 units of Lantus SoloStar insulin. Super scared of how I am going to handle the medication itself. My D-stick was just 102. I gave the 10 units and now in bed hooked to my feedings and drinking a can of boost. Hopefully My levels don't tank and I wake up with Fire/rescue looking at me. Once they find out where I worked, they will start recruiting me. Or I don't wake up at all . This is supposed to help build up muscle , lung function, and ass weight. Can't wait to what happens in a few weeks,

Monday, October 1, 2012

Still looking for improvement

Still waiting for return calls on scheduling my first appointment with Mayo clinic in Jacksonville, and for starting respiratory rehab. I expect them to call tomorrow, sitting at home thinking all day is not healthy. Its been a gloomy, rainy day outside, the dark clouds don't help motivate me, especially when i am exhausted..from what i dont know, all I did was cough all morning while getting my little man ready for school.

I am Honestly really ready for the positive motivation that comes from the people I know from Rehab. Two things that suck about rehab is that its a hour away and the first several weeks suck building up and working out next to 70 plus year olds running faster on treadmills and lifting 100 lbs of weight more then i can do..it is pretty pathetic. Once the initial few weeks are done it will be easier, and it will give me a serious boost in strength to get back out on my boat. I miss fishing a lot and I especially miss showing people what fishing techniques I have learned. So hopefully I can start improving here sooner then later.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

So it begins...

Tomorrow is the first of several doctor appointments I am not looking forward to. Tomorrow I see my infectious disease doctor. He is great, but it can be a battle to get the iv antibiotics I need. The ID doctor i see while i am admitted has completely different philosophies on treatment then my outpatient doctor. My hospital ID likes to hit these infections with the strong iv meds and usually more then one at a time, which I prefer. My outpatient tends to use the milder antibiotics, saving the strong stuff for major infections down the road. Once the bacteria becomes resistant you are pretty much screwed. However, this infection has been very bad and lowered my lung function dramatically, so this is a major issue. What also hurts me is that in the middle of my out patient therapy, I was admitted and they changed some things around. Now, 10 days later, I have to go back to the outpatient ID doctor, so they will want to go back to being more conservative. All of these problems stem from my insurance company not accepting my in hospital ID as a outpatient. Now I still could see the in patient doctor but it would be another $2500 out of pocket annually plus the office fee of $80 per appointment they require. Since I see my ID like 30 times a year, that's way to much to pay out of pocket. I have been on antibiotics for 1 month straight and there has been improvement but I still need the hard stuff. I had told my outpatient ID doctor I believed this was a severe infection and that it would be at least 2 months of antibiotics, it once again looks like I am right.
The key here is that patients know their body, and I know what's wrong and how long it takes to recover. In case anyone is keeping score I have been right on every diagnosis I believed I had since this all started. The hard part is getting the doctors to realize this before the results confirm it. Those few extra days of treatments that I know will work before the tests come back always benefit me in the long run. So tomorrow will suck because I will have to plead my case to continue my therapy, but I will get it, and will continue to recover. Thursday will be the tough day, seeing my pulmonologist and figuring out a game plan for this up coming lung transplant. I will continue to fight, and never give up. I just hope my brain can handle all the bad news and stay strong. I just want to live and watch my son grow, and grow old with my wife...giving them both all the love I can in the process. I can't write into words how much my love for them grows day by day, and how much it hurts knowing that one day CF will win. I just hope it's not until I am 80.

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Getting back into the action, slowly.

It has been a long 3 weeks of being sick, getting nothing but bad news, and being off the water. However, I am feeling pretty good and I am hoping I can do at least one charter this week. I will never get back to being able to fish everyday with these beat up lungs, but I would feel a lot better being able to fish at least a few days a week. Next week I have several doctor appointments to get things in place to begin the lung transplant evaluation. I will also be setting up appointments with several lung transplant centers in Florida, starting with Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville. Then possibly in Gainsville at Shands, and if necessary look out of state like Baltimore or North Carolina. Today is the first full day of fall, and I am excited to start seeing some cooler temps. Cooler water temps will get those bass feeding up for the winter months. Although I haven't been on the water, I can tell you from experience the fish will begin schooling on shad in the morning hours. My years of fishing in October and November have brought many of my clients some big fish with top water baits fishing shallower waters 4-7 ft in areas with hydrilla that does not come up to the surface. I am also going to add some additional fish attractors over the coming weeks. The ones I had placed last year should start seeing some action as I placed them in shallower water. I finished adding all the LED lights from Blue Water LED to the boat, so this baby lights up like a Christmas Tree now. I love it !!! Also Next month I am going to have a small fundraiser for a friend that also has CF and is going through the steps to have a lung transplant. More details to follow. So if your coming to Orlando in the next few weeks and want to go fishing, I am back so feel free to call me.

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Getting out of the hospital

Its been a long emotional week for me. Having the abdominal pain, lung infection, and being told it's time to start the evaluation process for a lung transplant. Also was diagnosed today as becoming a type 2 diabetic, which requires to keep track of my sugars and take medication. It will however allow me to gain more weight and could improve lung function. We also discovered a micro tumor in my pituitary gland which is causing my body to produce low testosterone. Once the tumor is shrunk through a medication, I will to see a increase in my energy levels and maybe gain some muscle back.

I am glad to be going home and hopefully have the boost needed to gain more weight and start working out to get some lung function back.

It could be a very tough couple months and we are at probably the most serious time of my life, where I will need a transplant or I could die.

So as of today, I have to take over 20 different medications daily, spend 1- 1/2 daily on breathing treatments, eat at least 5,000 calories daily, plus while on iv antibiotics spend 6 hours a day infusing these meds.

I am just glad to be going home tow my wife and son. I want many more years with them.

Monday, September 10, 2012

The blog that gives me life

I wear my heart on my sleeve and living through these high and lows has really impacted me, flooding my system with unimaginable emotions. This past month I was hit with a bad cold, that quickly became a bad lung infection. For several days I couldn't sit on my couch doing nothing and still i was short of breath. After changing some meds around, I quickly felt better, but after lung function tests, my lungs are at 21%. On top of that I have been battling constant abdominal pain. Yesterday I surrendered to the hospital, for some much needed pain relief. Today, CF has become all to real for me. Today I met with Orlando's lung transplant doctor, and was told now is the time to start the lung transplant evaluation. I knew this day would come, I wished is was 5-10 yrs from now these talks would start, but the time is now. It's staring me in the face, and what I see in the future months and how I feel I can't put into words. I know I need to strictly focus my efforts on me for a change.

I am not sure what tomorrow will bring, but what I do know is that I have the entire support of my friends and family. It has been extremely hard for me to realize that its very possible that I may not be here for the two people that are my reasons for living, the two people that have given me the greatest 10 yrs of my life. My amazing wife, best friend, soulmate Michele, and the little man that has changed the meanings of so many things in my life Casey.

From the moment I first met Michele, 11 years ago, I knew immediately she was the love of my life. Her beauty, intelligence, how she always had a goal in life, and her loyalty to her family and career amazed me. Michele was the type of girl I was always to afraid to ask out. It was during the ambulance corps installation night we danced together for the first time, and during that dance, I was so nervous, but it felt so perfect, after that dance everyone said Kevin you two look like you were made for each other. It took a few more days to gain the courage to call Michele and asked her if she would like to join me and hit a few buckets of golf balls at the enclosed driving range. After that afternoon, things just began to fall into place, but of course CF had to get involved. I became very sick and hospitalized several times during the first months we started dating. I was scared she would break up with me once she learned how serious CF is. I have been dumped before because of CF, but Michele didn't run, she stayed next to my hospital bed, everyday then, and everyday now. I was even more nervous when I asked Michele's parents if I could marry their daughter. I have always known CF eventually would get the best of me, and so did Michele's parents. They knew how much she loved me, and they told me how loyal she would be to me. Like they said, she has been amazing, and really what has kept me going these last 11 yrs.
It has not been a fairy tale life, we had our highs and lows, but my love for Michele has always grown stronger over time. I said then, and still do today everything I can to take care of Michele.

Like I said, I loved Michele immediately because she was so goal driven. We married each other with the hopes of starting a family, we also understood with my health sooner would be better then later. If I was going to become a father, I wanted to get as many years with our baby as possible. Things didn't happen as planned, health reasons on both sides, plus several failed IVF's it delayed our time table. Adoption was really our last shot, and knowing that CF could delay or end our final chance to have a child. I was very unsure about the idea of adopting, plus I didn't know how we would pay for it. Some how Michele knew; she knew someone would pick us, and she knew we would come up with the costs. Less then a month after filing the paperwork, Michele got the call that again would change our lives, and again bring us closer together. In two months, I went from being difficult about the whole idea to holding this little blond hair, blue eyed boy, my son Casey Daniel Przybyl. These 3 years have flown by, but have been the best days of my life, I love my family so much. It's all because of the greatest women in the world, a women that no matter what happens to me she will be by my side, and always their for Casey. Tomorrow is another day, a day that will have ups and downs, but it will end and Michele will be who holds this family together and strong. I love you both more and more ever second passes. If the worst does come, I will always be at Michele and Casey's side.

I am not sure what's next but I will do everything I possibly can to love, laugh, breathe, and live happily ever after with the loves of my life Michele and Casey.

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Bling, because I can

Life is short, so I have to say what made me laugh last night....every once in a great while, I look to see what the competition is doing. I really do not worry what other freshwater guides do, especially since I fish on a private lake, and I never see anyone. I have to say, I got a good chuckle from some of what I saw. Since I started, I have been harrassed by several guides over my low prices, and how I do things. I get harrassed, because I am young, and that I am from the North (as they put it). I havent received any calls or emails in a while. But when I get something, I take it as a badge of honor. I must be doing something right since I am still in business 8 yrs later. Anyway it made me laugh seeing them try and copy what I have been doing since day one.I used that positive energy to help me get through what I expected to be a bad day. I can't express this enough, I share my story about Cystic Fibrosis to educate and make awareness to a horrible uncurable disease, not to get pitty. Just this past month we lost a friend and young man that my foundation was helping to this awful disease, Eric was only 13 yrs old. Today I had to face the music and have lung function tests done to see where I stand. Like I figured my lungs have become worse, very bad actually. In March 2011 my lungs functioned at 35%, today it was 21%. I inhale with both my lungs, less then 1 liter of oxygen. A normal person or even a smoker of 30 yrs takes in 3-4 liters each breath. This would normally set off major alarms with the doctors, it sure did with me. This should have led to hospital admission, 24 hrs a day on oxygen, and a emergent appointment with the lung transplant team. However my doctor came into my room, without seeing the results, and said "you look really good". I chuckled and said you didnt see the tests yet, he then looked and reassured me that yes this is a serious infection, but there is no permanent scaring on the lungs from xrays back in 2011. He believes that with the aggressive treatment plan I am on, I should gain all this lost lung function back. I took this as a sign; I have dedicated most of my life to helping others, today I realized I need to dedicate my time towards my treatments, so I can continue to take care of the two most important people in my life; my wife and son. With this being said, I will take another few weeks to focus on my health, not fishing. I am hopeful I can join my friend this Sunday to fish a tournament, but I am not going to push my recovery.I haven't totally eliminated fishing from daily schedule. These past few weeks I added some Bling to my boat. I didn't get anything free from these guys, and I don't promote businesses unless I think they provide good customer service and a good product. That said, if you are looking for some boat bling then check out the LED kits from Blue Water LED. The kit included lighting for all my cabinets, livewells, deck lights, and even trailer. It will help in the early mornings and when I fish night tournaments, but honestly I did it because they look really cool. There are several photos below, and please check their website www.BlueWaterLED.com Thats the update for now, hopefully I can get back on my feet here soon.

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Holy lung infection Batman!

Wish I knew how the fishing is, but for the last two weeks I have been battling the worst lung infection I have had in 9 yrs. I could not even walk from room to room without being short of breath. This past Thursday my doctor and I decided it was time to pull the trigger and use the strongest iv antibiotic as possible to get rid of the pseudomonas growth causing the infection. As CF patients age and get lung infections, the bacterias that cause these infections become resistant to antibiotics. This particular infection only has two antibiotics it's not resistant to. We were using the intermediate antibiotic Merrum but it wasn't doing a thing. So we called in for the hard stuff. I thankfully am feeling a little better each day, I was actually able to walk around home depot without oxygen and without being short of breath. I am hoping these improvements continue!

We did get a lot of rain from issac but it brought some slightly cooler temps, I mean like from 98 degrees to 94 degrees, but that little change will lower the water temps to where the fishing will get back to normal. I am disappointed that I can't do charters this holiday weekend but hopefully I can resume fishing next weekend.

Sunday, August 5, 2012

First week of August

I have not been on the water this past week, doing some life preserving home projects, and adding more improvements to my boat. I Added stronger livewell pumps to increase the amount of fresh oxygenated water into my livewell, this will keep the bass healthier and less stressed when it comes to weigh in time. Also added some flare with new lighting for all the compartments and on the deck so I can see whats going on when I fish these evening tournaments. Also some lights to the trailer so show off the boat wrap when heading to the lake in the morning. Bought some new rods and reels for my clients to use on charters as well. My stuff takes a beating and prices seem to go up on everything so its almost a constant thing. Thats all I got on the fishing side of things. I love fishing, but I love sharing information about Cystic Fibrosis. I continue to fight my war. Friday I had a new feeding tube put in, and I love it (weird right). The tube I had was leaking, causing skin break downs and a lot of pain. I wasnt doing my night time feedings, which was a 2000 calorie a day loss. That loss is why I am down to 100 lbs from my 120 lbs last year at this time. This new tube is a better fit and doesn't leak, hopefully I can add some much needed weight. I am however having some abdominal discomfort, possibly the start of a partial bowel obstruction. Hopefully this can get resolved tomorrow at the doctors and not make this another hospital admission. My friend Erin continues to improve after her lung transplant last week. She keeps asking her family if she is still breathing because what used to be like a full time job (breathing) is now so easy, she cant believe it. She went from having 500 ml lung volume to 2500 ml. Thats like making $30,000 and waking up to find $3 million in the bank. I am super happy she is doing well, and praying that I can hold off having to get one as long as possible. Hopefully I get some bookings this week and get back on those big fish that our in my lake.

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Praying for a friend and one of my founding board members

Today, all my thoughts and prayers are for a good friend, board member to my foundation, and fellow Cystic Fibrosis patient; Erin Taylor. Erin, like me, has battled CF her entire life, and being in her late 20's the disease has put a huge beating on her lungs. For the last few weeks she has had trouble breathing, and has been coughing up blood. Just a few weeks ago she finished the extremely long process to become eligible to be place on the lung transplant list. The tests require hospital visits, everyday for 2 full weeks. This past weekend, she was again admitted to the hospital for coughing up more blood, and being short of breathe. Last week, they also said she was number 4 on the list, but number 1 in her height requirement. Last night at 1 AM, she received a call to drive up to Jacksonville, FL because they had lungs for her. As I am writing this she is on the operating table for what will be a 8-10 hr long surgery. She is incredibly strong, so I am asking that all your prayers go her way. Besides being a key person for my foundation, she is the first CF patient that I could share (really bitch too) about how much CF sucks, and she understands what I go through because she deals with the same stuff. Erin you are an amazing person, and hopefully this will be a huge success and you can tell me how great it is to Breathe normally for the first time in your life !!!

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Finally, awesome fishing !!!

The past few weeks has been hell on the water. Fishing has been slow, low numbers and nothing with any size. Yesterday Mark only landed a few fish...I was mad as hell and honestly lost sleep last night over the poor fishing. Thankfully today was awesome. I fished the same areas I fish all the time, areas that always hold fish. The conditions were they same as it has been the last three weeks, hot and 10-15 mph winds out of the southeast and southwest. The only change I did was fish the same areas but at completely different times.

The day began slow but Brian from Illinois stayed focus and fished hard, and at 930 he landed a 5 lbs 13oz bass on a Texas rigged sinko, again the same baits I have been using. Brian retied the hook, next cast lands a 4 lbs 10oz bass...2 casts later another fish at 3 lbs 13oz...then the very next cast another 3 lbs 9 oz fish. It was such a rush for both of us....in total Brian landed nearly 12 bass in 4 hrs, plus several that shook of the hook.

Again a awesome day and proof that my lake still has big fish, you just have to fish hard and stay focused when the water temp is 86 degrees.

On a health note, lungs seem to be improving, but I am now on 2 iv meds and 1 oral antibiotic for two separate bacteria infections in my lungs. Plus the 10 other meds I take daily.

Friday, July 20, 2012

The summer truth

For the past two month I have been battling a lung infection, plus tough fishing conditions. As for my lung infection; I have to take all my normal daily meds (12 different ones multiple times during the day) plus a IV medication 3x a day. Normally these infections wipe me out physically to the point that I get tire just by being awake, i have had a few of those days during this infection but I have been forcing myself to do something physical, usually working on or outside the house with various projects. I am also doing as many charters as I physically can do. This activity is helping me physically but more so mentally. I have several friends that are going through the painful evaluation to be added to the lung transplant list. It is a long, painful 2 week evaluation to become a canidate to receive a transplant, it is also tough mentally plus add the incredible financial burden pre and post transplant. Seeing my friends go through has really brought be down mentally. It has made me push harder to keep my lung function from becoming lower then 29%. Hopefully I will finish this run of antibiotics this week and start doing some serious excersing, like swimming and biking. Poor health has kept me from being able to do a lot of things, and I want to get back some lung function so I can do more with my wife and son. Something I haven't done for over 4 years because of health reason is fish a bass tournament, but this week I a night tournament. It starts at 5pm and ends at 9 pm. It's team style tournament, so my friend, a former guide with me at disney, asked me to fish it. My friend Mike is an amazing angler, I consider myself to be very good, but Mike has this special ability to make things happen. After the first 30 mins of fishing, Mike hit the jackpot spot. In five casts he landed 4 fish. The rules are 3 fish limit, no smaller then 14 inches, and only 2 can be over 21 inches. Top weight from 3 fish win. In those casts, Mike landed one that was just short, then one about 2 lbs, then a massive 8 lbs 9oz lunker, and immediatly after that fish, he lands another one about a pound and a half. It happened so fast, I had to catch my breath, and was just blown away by what he had done. We were unable to get a single bite after that, and came in 2nd losing by 5 oz, in a competition against 30 other teams. This has pumped me up so much. Now the tough news about my charters. I tell everyone this time of the year the truth about how my lake fishes. You will catch fish first and for most, but getting fish with size is hit and miss. Currently my lake temp is 87 degress, these temps are usually common mid to late August not early July. These hot temps make the fish sluggish. It doesn't mean they won't bite, but the big fish focus on moving very little and when they do, its for something big, so they don't have to feed as often. Now all my clients have different levels of experience, but I start their charters with me, all the same. I use weightless flukes and sinkos. These baits will allow the angler to get a feel for all the under water hydrilla (grass), and the suddle way the fish bite. Once they get a few fish in the boat, I will change to what baits and techniques they are familiar with, and focus on getting those trophy bass to hit. That has been the tough part of the job this summer. Latley more charters havent been getting that big bite and it really frustrates me. I expect to give my clients the best, that is why I am on this private lake, no one else fishes it. I assure you the lake has plenty of trophies, but the intense water temps plus the unusually strong winds out of the south have made all the fish so sluggish. Even when a big fish bites they are not holding on to the bait long enough for my clients to set the hook, or we get then near the boat and they spit out the tail of the bait. Again it has been frustrating me more then probably most anglers would be.This report might turn away potential clients and I understand that. I am very up front with how the fishing is, because as much as I want you to fish with me; It's more important to me that you have a good time, and that those that fish with me come back again. We have a long way to go before we see cooler temps, but I will continue to make all my booked charters fun for my clients.

Monday, June 18, 2012

Tough start to the summer season

Wow, what can I say about the fishing....I am working way to hard. Most anglers or guides will admit to having a tough time on the water. I am not afraid to say, "yes, the fishing has been tough, and numbers are under the normal for this time of the year." Here is what's happening.

A few weeks ago I had a lung infection that I thought was going to sideline me permanently but with aggressive treatments I bounced back quicker then expected, and these past two weeks I was able to spend a ton of time on the water doing charters. As good as it felt to be out, I have never been so stressed over the bite like these last two weeks.

Over the past month the water dropped 4 ft but went up 3 ft in a week. This sudden change with added northern winds have cooled, muddied, and turned over the water. It has slowed the bite dramatically. Typically this time of the year it's hot, light or no breeze in the morning making the lake like a sheet of glass. The bait fish comes up to the surface and the bass then school up and feed. This makes for great top water action....yeah that's not happening yet. Typically by late morning to early afternoon, we change up to heavier baits and fish deep drop offs usually with Carolina rigged fluke or sinko.....yeah that's not happening.

These conditions over past two weeks has forced me to constantly change baits and techniques each hour of every charter.

What seems to be the only thing working has been Texas rigged cache custom lures 6" green pumpkin candy xtreme stix. Now I say that so specifically because that is truly the only color they are bitting. I have tried sinkos, zoom super flukes, basspro version of the sinko, and tons of hard baits....but the only thing that has consistently worked is the xtreme stix.

Fishing areas extremely slow, and fishing areas at a specific time in the morning is what's getting my clients on fish. It's taking a lot of patience from my clients but they all have been hammering out fish. The numbers are lower then normal and same goes for size. The winds will be dying down and the rains will be letting up in the afternoon so hopefully I will start seeing that normal June pattern this weekend.

Lee from the UK (white shirt) did manage to catch a 4 lbs bass, it was his first time ever bass fishing, his second time ever fishing, and his first fish of the day.

Today Jose from Texas landed this 3 lbs bass late in the morning. Today was probably the toughest day of fishing in the last two weeks.

I am excited to have more charters this week and hopefully the fish will be just as excited and bite like normal.

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Busy weekend ahead

After a short trip to Chicago, I am home ready to fish. How you anglers on lake Michigan handle those 6-8 ft rollers we saw, reminds me how good I have it. Besides charters, I will finally be able to trailer the boat out of the Lakeland install my new hummingbird 898 with side imaging and down scan. Another great tool to catch big fish. Phase 1 completed.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Greatest moment ever

Anyone that follows me or has fished with me knows I love when a parent brings their kids fishing. I have waited 3 long yrs to be able to take my son out fishing and this weekend my wife and I took my son on my boat. He enjoyed the pontoon boat we took him on but he like bass boat more. We caught some fish and he was all about touching them and watching them swim away. I look forward to many more fishing trips with him!

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Mid-week update

It's Wednesday, day 4 of my hospital admission and things are very good. The pain was from a small impaction in my colon which caused inflammation which caused the pain I have had for the past 6 months. Successfully ate solid foods today with no pain. I did however pick up a lung infection while being here so I will have to continue 2 different iv meds for 10 more days at home. They are both 3x a day so that means 6 hrs of infusion time each day. I am working on weening off the pain meds so hopefully I will be able to be discharged from the hospital tomorrow. I will rest.up over the weekend and maybe back on the water next week.

Monday, April 30, 2012

Disappointing weekend

Well like it says, disappointing weekend. Where to start, ended the weekend and weekend with charters, tough conditions, windy, cool early in the week then very hot again. Shook up the bite a bit. Had numbers, 20 plus bass in 4 hrs with artificial baits but nothing big. Everyone I took out had a blast but I am not satisfied unless I get a big one each day.

Then after Sunday's charter I had to be admitted to the hospital for abdominal pain. My pain hit really hard on Thursday and by Sunday I couldn't deal with the pain any further. For the last 6 months these attacks have been happening, I was diagnosed with diverticulitis to know learn its not and no idea what's the cause. So as testing continues, I have been awake for past 36 hrs with 1 hr of sleep and no solid food since saturday. I hate admissions.

This admission also caused me to have to cancel my charter with Larry the cable guy. I am very disappointment but more disappointed over the fact he would not reschedule another day. Sometimes the disease wins the battle. No idea when this admission will end, no idea on if surgery will happen, but hopefully I will be back up and running by next week.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Over 20 fish each charter in 4 hrs

Today my doctor agreed to stop my round of IV antibiotics after two weeks of 5 treatments a day, totaling 6 hrs of infusion time each day. The bacteria I had in my lungs was very serious and a strain that can destroy lung tissue. Thankfully I called the doctor as soon as I felt the infection coming on. Had I not, this could have become very serious and even life threatening. It also marks the first time, in a very long time that I was only on these meds for two weeks. Usually I am on them for 4-8 weeks before I feel slightly better.

I have been pacing myself by only doing 3-4 charters a week. Over doing things will make me sick. So I had charters Monday and Tuesday this week so far. They were really fun mornings. As many anglers know, it's hard to catch fish when you have casual anglers, meaning they fish a fee times a year, or new anglers that have never fished or only fished once or twice before. As a guide I do everything to select the proper baits that are easy to use and produce results. I am proud that during both these charters, the anglers all had double digit numbers. Monday, I took out Mark from the UK, a very experienced Pike and Carp angler. It was his first bass fishing charter, and he did great. He had about 15 bass in the boat, and about 20 bites that mark didn't get them or they shook off the hook right near the boat. I am mad at myself because I didn't retie the line when I should have and this 6 lbs bass broke off right next to the boat.

Tuesday I took out Glenn and Art, both from Montana. They in total landed 30 bass. Most being in the 1-2 lbs ranges Glenn lost a really big fish at the end of the trip, again because of the line breaking. I definitely came across some bad line with the berkley vanish, so new line for all the reels. Art did manage a decent fish near the 5 lbs mark, hopefully I can get this photo off my digital camera to post it.

These fish have been crushing the baits, as soon as they hit the water or during a fast retrieval . Weather continues to be in the 80's and humidity is starting to move in. That means the bite will slow up just a little but the top water bite will be getting stronger.

I have one more slot open this week so hopefully we can book that day.

Below is photo of Mark and glenn, again small fish but catching 20 of these in a few hrs on artificial baits is something to be proud of!

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Great week of good health and fishing

Finally I feel really good health wise. I haven't felt this good in over 7 months. My iv meds end Monday and hopefully I can stay this good for a few weeks at least. But with the good is some bad, the bacteria in my lungs is becoming resistant to the antibiotics. If the bacteria becomes completely resistant to the meds, then I have no alternatives. If I can't stop the infections that can cause the bacteria to take over and destroy my lungs. In other words, it would kill me. It's not a exaggeration !! So hopefully I can stay off this meds for a while and hopefully not become resistant.

Fishing has continued to be great. My last couple charters the clients all caught double digit numbers. I am taking the weekend off to get some major home projects done but back out Monday, and I already know it will be a great charter with Mark from the UK.

The photos are of Rhys age 7 from NC. He caught a lot of fish using a watermelon sinko. He was a great kid that loves fishing, and I am glad he and his dad Keith had a fun morning. I feel bad because Keith lost a big fish. Even after a few days from the day of the trip and I am still upset we lost this fish right at the boat.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Great numbers with a nice way to end the day

Today I fished with Eric and his 14 yr old daughter Sabrina from Wisconsin. It was a perfect day on the water, no wind and hot weather. The numbers caught were extremely good. They caught over 20 fish, and it was very even. Sabrina caught over 10 fish with watermelon fluke, and landed a good 3 lbs bass, but I screwed up the picture so I can post it. We lost a bunch of fish that shook off or just didnt hold the bait long enough. That would have easily made the numbers over 30 fish in 4 hrs. On one of the last casts Eric landed this fish, right around 5 lbs off a bed. Which was shocking because I thought the bass were done spawning but I came across an area with fresh beds and the end of the morning.

Have some charters later this week so hopefully these numbers continue.

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

The perfect day

After a week off the water from having diverticulitis, I am now trying to get past a lung infection. I am on 2 iv antibiotics which I have to administer 5 times a day and it takes 6 hrs of infusion time. That means while i am on the boat I have my iv meds running. It's been really hard to get motivated to do anything let alone charters but the fishing has been so good, it's hard to say no.

Despite feeling crappy this morning I pushed thru it and got to the ramp, I am glad I did. Today I fished with Terry ( who has had three awesome charters with me over past two yrs) and his friend Shawn both from IN.Terry is a cool guy and a very good angler. This was the first time I met Shawn and quickly saw he was also a very good angler and learned he is a marine. My dad served as a marine in Vietnam so the moment I saw Shawn marine corps jacket, I knew he was a great man. I was also blown away when he said his son is in the NFL draft this year so I am really rooting for him in two weeks. I meet really cool people being a guide but this was special. Seeing the pride in Terry's eyes was cool. I already bet his son going to the buffalo bills.

These guys had probably one of the best days I have had on my lake in a long time. The bite was on with a lot of smaller bass but they both had giants. Shawn landed a 8 lb bass with a watermelon seed fluke. It took a good 10 minutes to get her in the boat... I felt instantly cured, it was a big ass fish. The photo doesn't give the fish justice. I was still on my big fish high when Terry landed a 6 lber within 5 mins after Shawn's. The bite slowed dramatically after that but in the last hour we pulled a few more smaller ones in. Hopefully the charters I have the rest of the week produce like today.

Best of luck to Shawn's son, hope he gets that big money and one day a Super Bowl ring.

Terry's fish is the first photo, Shawn's is the second.

Saturday, March 31, 2012

Sidelined again

Well I would like to give you all a great fishing report but unfortunately some continous health issues knocked me off the water all week. I get a bad flare up of diverticulitis about every 5-6 months and this week was its time. Trying to stay out of the hospital was tough, but I did it. Oral antibiotics and pain meds helped but it's a slow process, especially when you still have to eat 5-6,000 calories each day. All that food going through a inflamed intestinal track hurts like hell. if I don't eat these calories I lose weight fast. It took 4 weeks to gain 15 lbs but I literally could lose that in a week with not eating at all or only eating half those calories. Which would have been the case with a hospital admission. That weight lose can cause even more health issues. Plus trying to take care of a 2 yr old being only at 20% wipes me out. But I pushed through it. I hopefully have this out of the way for the summer since i missed out on most of the summer last year because of the diverticulitis and a major blood infection that wasnt diagnosed until late september 2011 snd that kept me off until december. I post this not for sympathy but to educate people about cystic fibrosis and how awful of a disease it is. People and clients that know me, know I hate people feeling sorry for me. I appriate support and encouragement, that's what keeps me going. Now, Tomorrow I am thrilled because I am taking my 2 1/2 year old son fishing in some of the ponds in my development. I have been so excited all day for it. Words can not explain how long I have waiting for this moment. I know he will love it, I just hope these little ponds produce tomorrow. The bad part is once I do this, he will want to go everyday. He hasn't been on my boat yet but he wants to play in it like everyday. He has been running around with his sponge bob fishing pole for the last few months pretending to be fishing. I finally think he is old enough to be patient for at least a hour so I am getting live bait and praying for a few fish. If he's like his mother, he will catch a 6 lbs fish on his second cast and then be done. My wife always catches giants every time she fishes with me. As for charters, I will start again Wednesday and have a few more this week lined up. Fishing will be good. The weather has been hot, in the upper 80's all week so I know these fish are biting. Also looking into upgrading my electronics and maybe adding a power pole. Not a huge fan of them but when I really think about it, a power pole really could benefit my clients with catching more fish. The issues comes with the costs so that will take time since I only pay for things with cash. To those that may have tried calling I am sorry I couldn't answer, again if you knew what I go through each day, you would be shocked that I am even able to do this at all. Thanks again for all the support and to all my clients that keep coming back. I love fishing and really wish I was healthy enough to do this 365 days a year.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

This felt pretty good

The numbers being caught continue to be in the double digits. I rarely fish but today I was helping George from PA learn how to work a Carolina Rig thru the hydrilla and I hooked into this nice fish, using a cache custom lure trigger shad.

Monday, March 19, 2012

Fish on

This was a great past week when I came to fishing. The spawn is over, and the bass are biting like its the middle of summer. My clients catch numbers have been double digits during those 4 hrs of fishing, plus many missed opportunities. Now the majority of the fish being caught are in the 2 lb range but like I said a single angler is catching 15 fish in 4 hrs with artificial baits. Flukes are killing it, but there has been a strong top water bite as well. The anglers that are using top water plugs have been getting some bigger fish 4-6 lb range. Usually I am a month or two out before that summer top water bite is strong on my lake but the 80 degree weather has really moved things up. I have had a blast putting people on fish, so I expect this streak to continue.

Monday, March 12, 2012

One boat, 4 generations

Like I said I love doing father/son or father/daughter charters, but this weekend was the first for me. This past Saturday I had the unique opportunity to take out 4 generations of anglers on one charter. From left to right in the photo: Jeff, Colin, Eugene, Chad from NY
This was pretty cool to have 4 generations on one boat, and catching tons of fish. Despite the heavy winds and thick cloud cover, these four gentlemen caught fish all morning. 7 year old Colin landed this sweet fish all on his own late in the morning, using a bass pro shops watermelon seed sinko. It took him a while to bring it in, but he. The excitement on Dad's, Grandpa's and Great Grandpa's face was priceless. We couldn't get Colin to hold the fish but we'll work on that for next time.

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Great day on the lake

I think the march madness of the spring spawn and tough fishing is coming to a end. Today was one of the best days of fishing in weeks. Last night was a full moon, and in march it usually means the peak off the spawn is here. The bite was great all morning. Jeremy from Utah had a double digit fish count today. The wind was still blowing hard but it was sunny and in the 80's. Jeremy was catching fish all the way to the end of the charter. He landed this beauty around 11am. Hoe this trend continues.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

March madness

I have said it every year since I started guiding, I hate spring and the spawning season. Tournament anglers love this time of year, because the odds of catching big bass are increased dramatically. Especially those skilled with fishing in shallow water, and site fishing. Tournament anglers must make accurate casts, and show a lot of patients and technique to land those trophies. I am a very good sight fisherman. I can spot beds at long distances and in deep water. I can very quickly tell if the fish is holding to the bed, which usually means they're more aggressive towards something coming after the eggs or fry, and they will bite whatever you throw. However to the avarage angler or even begginers, it can be a tough bite. My goal is to put my clients on fish, and many of my clients are begginers and are not as experienced with casting and some of the more skilled techniques. Which is fine by me, I love teaching the young and old what I have learned, but you can only teach so much in 4 short hours. So over the years I've learned where to focus my efforts, so anyone that's comes out to fish, does what they expect...to catch. Weather plays a factor. It's march, we still get cold fronts moving through, and the cold blast of air will slow up the bite. Also with cold fronts usually comes with or follows with wind. Today for example, I started at 730 with John from Australia. The lake was like a sheet of glass, but by 10am the winds came, with gusts in the 30 plus range. Makes it next to impossible to teach someone how to site fish, or to even see the beds with the high winds. So we focus on fish that have not yet spawned or in areas the have beds and just fishing them very slowly. Finally, the bass themselves can be tough to figure out. Some of the bass are about to spawn, some are, and some have finished. Depending which stage they're in will determine how they are biting, and where I must focus on. This week I have been fishing steep drop offs with one technique and then hitting more shallow areas with different lures and techniques. My goal is to put every client on a trophy, and for every client to have fun doing it. I am not afraid to say not all of them caught that trophy bass, but every client had decent numbers. As spring turns to summer the bite will only get better, and when that those 90 degree days return, my job gets much easier. I am ready for summer.

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Father/Son Charters are a blast !!

Having Cystic Fibrosis and being at a point health wise that another bad infection could quickly end my life, I cherish the moments I have with my son even on the days when the terrible twos are in full swing. He is still a little to young to get him on my boat but I hope I can stay healthy enough to take him out in another year. Saying that my favorite charters are father/son(s) or Father/Daughter(s) charters, especially when its their first time bass fishing or when they are just learning. Seeing the fathers watching their child catch a bass on their own for the first time and the pride in the fathers face is priceless. This week I had the honor of taking Chri s, his son Alexander, and Alexander's Grandpa Paul out fishing. I gave Alexander a very quick lesson on casting with a spinning reel, and on his very first cast he lands a fish. It was pretty cool to watch. The fishing was a little tough, had solid numbers but came up short on size. I take my guiding very serious, and work hard to get my clients on big fish but some days it just doesnt happen and it bothers me especially when I can't get the kids on a trophy. Below is a photo of Chris and Alexander when they both caught fish at the same time, this was right at the end of the day and again another cool highlight from the day.
I hope you guys had a great time !! The rest of this week has been tough. High winds most of the week and another cold front this weekend has slowed down the numbers. The water temperature still is stuck at 65 degrees. Finally spotted a few beds, but nothing holding on them. We have some stable and warm weather this coming week, so hopefully it will warm this lake up and get the 2012 spawn moving. Looking forward to my upcoming charters this week, and will have another report mid-week.

Friday, February 17, 2012

Let the weather warm up and the bite.

This day has been one of my worst in many days. Those that know me, know I don't bitch about having CF.i get frustrated at times or just don't have the physical strenghth to get work done but I never say I want to die. In fact it's the opposite I fight harder then anyone just to get another second with my son and wife. This week have brought good news, our federal tax return will pay off our finally large student loan, making us one of Dave Ramsey's debt free followers. We eliminatiated nearly $500k of debt in 18 months with major sacrifices, overtime, selling personal belongings,and eating at home and cupooning at home. Today we only have our house payment, and we are saying up for a second beater car. Life is amazing when you have cash in the bank, and no credit cards or loans. Then I find the rest of the week fighting to stay alive, fighting a pharmaceutical comapany over a medication I need but is short supply. They say I am noncompliant because I ordered it two weeks late. This can cause serious harm to my lungs with out it. I have been compliant on all my meds for over 5 yrs now, my life is too important to lose, and a drug company isn't going to deny me when they clearly have stock. Hopefully they caught the underlined message I said Fishing has been rough. High winds with mix of sun and clouds have these fish all messed up. My spots are holding some fish but not many. Hoping tomorrow will be better day. We will try 16 inch worms and some pesky perch. I continue to take iv antibiotic until next week but may have to upgrade to two different meds totaling 15 medications per day just to be exhausted. If that happens i be spending a few days in the hospital. My quality of life is much poorer then it was 5 yrs ago, but I keep fighting, because I love guiding and I want to leave something for my family when my time comes. I have very limited days left in February and March so if you interested book soon. Price at the pumps goes up and up but mine will not change, and my charter quality is improving after each adventure,,more to come on that special treat. Thanks for following me, please share with you friends Kevin Przybyl Owner Www.orlandotrophybass.com "Live,Fish,Breathe"

Trying to live to fish another day

This day has been one of my worst in many days. Those that know me, know I don't bitch about having CF.i get frustrated at times or just don't have the physical strenghth to get work done but I never say I want to die. In fact it's the opposite I fight harder then anyone just to get another second with my son and wife. This week have brought good news, our federal tax return will pay off our finally large student loan, making us one of Dave Ramsey's debt free followers. We eliminatiated nearly $500k of debt in 18 months with major sacrifices, overtime, selling personal belongings,and eating at home and cupooning at home. Today we only have our house payment, and we are saying up for a second beater car. Life is amazing when you have cash in the bank, and no credit cards or loans. Then I find the rest of the week fighting to stay alive, fighting a pharmaceutical comapany over a medication I need but is short supply. They say I am noncompliant because I ordered it two weeks late. This can cause serious harm to my lungs with out it. I have been compliant on all my meds for over 5 yrs now, my life is too important to lose, and a drug company isn't going to deny me when they clearly have stock. Hopefully they caught the underlined message I said Fishing has been rough. High winds with mix of sun and clouds have these fish all messed up. My spots are holding some fish but not many. Hoping tomorrow will be better day. We will try 16 inch worms and some pesky perch. I continue to take iv antibiotic until next week but may have to upgrade to two different meds totaling 15 medications per day just to be exhausted. If that happens i be spending a few days in the hospital. My quality of life is much poorer then it was 5 yrs ago, but I keep fighting, because I love guiding and I want to leave something for my family when my time comes. I have very limited days left in February and March so if you interested book soon. Price at the pumps goes up and up but mine will not change, and my charter quality is improving after each adventure,,more to come on that special treat. Thanks for following me, please share with you friends Kevin Przybyl Owner Www.orlandotrophybass.com "Live,Fish,Breathe"

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Fishing with Roger from UK--- 2/11/2012

Two days ago marks the 4th straight year that I am fishing with Roger, who has become more of a friend then a client. Roger lives in the UK and comes to Orlando every February with his family. While his family hit all the Orlando Attractions, Roger flys over for one purpose...Bass fishing. Roger is an avid carp angler and for those that are not familiar with fishing in Europe they mainly fish Carp and Pike. Roger is one of my favorite clients because he fishes all over the world. He spent this last Christmas in Kenya and showed me some amazing giant carp, and pictures where he was touch wild elephants and in arms length of a pack of lions. I love taking people out guiding because I love learning about them and their experiences. Having CF and currently only have 29% lung function, it is very difficult for me to travel. Fishing the last two days has really been a struggle. High winds, and cooler temperatures, plus a visitor on the lake that found one of my productive fish attractors fished my area really hard at the beggining of the week, and they have some serious lock jaw. The lack of ediquete some anglers show is disappointing. Roger and I still have three more days on the water, but tonight and tomorrow night Orlando is under freeze warning. Hopefully by Tuesday when the weather warms back up so will the bite. I also dropped the remaing 15 PVC artificial fish attractors into the lake. Hopefully this will allow me to have 6 total locations that will always hold fish. The attractors in the 30ft areas will be very productive in the summer when the water gets into the upper 80's. My war with Cystic Fibrosis is continuing. Each day is a battle and after my recent doctors appointment my current lung infection of MRSA is not going away. I have been on IV antibiotics for over a month straight now, and the MRSA growth has not changed. I have a medport in my chest, like what Cancer patients get. However mine has been in for 6 years. I must do two infusions a day that last a hour and a half each. I am still having long painful, breath taking coughing spurts that last 10 mins minimum. Today after getting up early I have been doing nothing but sleeping on the couch. I also got a new feeding pump which I use to place nutritional formula in a tube that is in my stomach. I am required to consume 6,000 calories a day or I lose weight and can become very sick. These feedings give me 2000 calories each night. Despite feeling as bad as I do, I can't wait to get back in the water Tuesday.

Friday, February 10, 2012

02/10/2012 - Bringing back the blogging

It's been a long time since I have used this blog, but it is now part of my business website. I plan on talking about fioshing, battling Cystic Fibrosis, and any other thought that comes to mind. This year marks my 7th year of being a fishing guide. It's also has been the first year that I am truly excited to be able to take people out. It has taken me 3 years on my lake to really learn what does and doesn't work. Also adding artificial bait attactors over the last few months has proven to be a great idea by me, and is really making my clients happy from the big fish that have been caught off these attractors. The spawn is coming shortly, my water temperature is still below optimal spawning temp but hopefully in the next few weeks and some warmer weather the spawn will be on. I get a lot of questions during my charters but my favorite is why are my rates low. Many Captains will say you get what you pay for, well in a sense you do. You get to be in their $60,000 boat and $40,000 truck. I have taken harrassment from several Orlando/kissimmee Captains threatening me to raise my rates. It will never happen. I am proud to say I drive a 10 year old vehicle, a fully paid 16ft nitro bass boat that I have no intensions of ever getting rid of. Since I have very little overhead, I get to charge less, still make a profit, and gain more business. Plus last I checked the economy still sucks and people can't afford $250+ for 4 hours of fishing. I have been operating my own guide service since I left being a guide at Disney 5 years ago, so I must be doing well if I am still here. The pictures I post are clear evidence of what my clients catch and when they fished with me. Now some of the dates may be spread out, I assure you it has nothing to do with the bite. Having Cystic Fibrosis and having it constantly get worse, I sometimes have to take weeks at a time off from fishing. I also have a 2 year old son, and I never fish on days he has preschool. So with saying that, I am not on the water each day, but no matter the conditions, time of year, or amount of time off the water, I put my clients on fish. I have been back on the water a lot the last two months and below are just a few of the fish my clients caught. These clients caught these fish and I was out sick for nearly 4 months prior to their charters. I love fishing but I love watching my clients catch fish even more !!