8T,
That is a nice rundown on how a local would do it.
You said,"I would take any fishing suggestions that they wanted to offer and would not hesitate to ask for advice." If I recall rightly, that would earn you a DQ on a tournament day in a BASS event. I am not sure if FASS has the same rule.
I hate to say it, but I hope we get a few more finalists this week end.