Fish Catching Travel
Random Thoughts
Sorry I have not posted in the last week. Part of the reason is I have been gone. First it was a visit to my family in Arkansas, and then for a little R & R for my birthday. Plus I was just needing some time off from the site. So before we get to that here is short report on a trip I took last week.
My friend Chris got a hold of me last week and wanted to know if I wanted to fish with him on Wednesday, and since I just went to the Powderhorn we decided on POC.
I am the first to admit that I have just plain lost the trout. I am not sure whether I am not deep enough, my timing is wrong, or someone put a voodoo hex on me. But what ever the problem, it continues to plague me.
The first place I wanted to check was Army Cut. One thing about Army cut, it is definitely a mid-week place. On the weekends the boat traffic through there is to heavy and the trout just don’t like it. We started right after daylight throwing topwater, which is a good pattern there early when the tide is up. They are generally on the shallow side of the cut, in the grass.
We started getting bites right off the bat. Chris stuck the one below, and I missed a good one.
This one jumped a pink Academy topwater.
Over the next hour or so, we made a couple of passes, they hit that topwater, but for me it was nothing but small ones. Chris and I both had several reds chase, and again I was out of luck. Chris finally stuck this one, at least it was working for him.
A nice red headed for the pan.
By time we left I think he caught maybe 5 and I caught about the same. To bad mine laid end to end wouldn’t make a fish sandwich. We both also threw plastics, but that only produced small ones, so it was time to hit the road.
The next stop was just a couple of quick banks in Big Bayou, and I think we only caught a small trout. That was a sign of things to come as we never put another keeper fish in the boat. Next it was Bayucos Point. As we idled in there was a pretty good slick, you could actually smell it, and there was bait jumping everywhere. So over the side we went. Both of us threw plastics, and I think Chris might have caught one, and I did not get a bite. So I switched to a topwater and caught 3 trout pretty quickly. To bad they were small. And then it seemed to die
So by now we are trying to come up with something different, the water was falling and we wanted some shell with a drain emptying out of a back lake. Seemed like a good idea at the time. So off to a drain out of Contee that has a couple of shell bars near the mouth. There are a couple of drains there and Chris took the little one lined with shell and I took the big one.
My luck continued. I could not buy a bite. Chris got a shot at a shark, but he just did not get that topwater. At this point I had all I could take so I called it a day. With a big trip coming up I had some things to do so we headed in.
The day left me with a couple of thoughts. I can still catch plenty of reds, but the trout elude me. So the next couple of trips I will put the redfish stuff down and see if I can change my luck. One thing is clear, this time of year if you are not a live bait fisherman, you have to work a lot harder to put trout in the boat. But being the stubborn guy I can be, I will keep chunking lures.
A Nice Hog
Jeremy was the guy who was kind enough to take me and my daughter’s father-in-law hog hunting a few months ago. He is a dedicated and skilled hog hunter and a good guy. I got this text from him yesterday, and the picture speaks for itself.
That is one big hog!
Now I have no clue how big that beast was, but it is a giant by any standard. So congratulations to Jeremy and Eb for this one. And they got it alive, awesome.
The Visit
If you are here for the fishing report you can save your self some time and skip this.
My lovely wife and I made a trip to North Arkansas to visit family and friends. It was really nice that both of my brothers and sisters made it. It seems as we get older it gets tougher to get the whole bunch of us together. And with both of my folks still living we are a lucky family. To add to the crowd my daughter, her husband, and my granddaughter Mia made the trip from Oklahoma.
What started out as a quick trip turned into my birthday party. I just turned 60 on July 10. Of course a party was the last thing I wanted, but of course we had a great time, and it did not turn into some big production. Fried turkey, my favorite birthday cake, banana pudding, and few adult beverages, and a good time was had by all.
My Family
Mia. My favorite girl!
The Whole Fam Damily.
After the festivities we headed home with a stop at a casino for a couple of days. When my dear wife asked what I wanted for my birthday, a couple of days in the motel with a little adult fun was my answer. We had a great time and made if home without owing the Mob anything, which always makes it a successful trip.
A Few More Random Thoughts
This is a general comment to my readers. I am sorry I have not been able to answer all of you like I want to. Nor have I been able to fish with you, as it has become almost overwhelming. I get hundreds of emails and tons of or requests to fish. It finally did overwhelm me. In fact, I needed last week off from this, time to recharge. I do my best but I never thought in my wildest dreams it would turn out like this. From 69 visits a month to 10,000 a month is a huge jump. So I try to keep up, but sometimes it just does not happen. So keep those cards and letters coming, I read them all, and I really appreciate your comments. And those of you who are spamming the squat out of my email on the site, I hope someone rams that amibien up your (&^%%) nose.
Observations of a 60 Year Old Man
Wow it really happened, I am 60. One of those milestones that as a young man you can not even contemplate. I mean seriously, 60? Hell that happens to old people, not to me. But here it is, and it is sure better than the only other option, besides plastic surgery and out right lying.
Fishing
– I remember the first fish I ever caught. I put him in the old wringer washer until he kicked the bucket.
– Thanks to my dad for making the time to take me fishing, even though it was not his sport of choice.
– Catching a marlin was one of the highlights of my fishing adventure.
– Since I guided my first client in 1974 (almost 40 years ago, scary) things have changed, and they so remain the same.
– The fishing now in most places is better than it ever was, especially in freshwater. And why, because bass fisherman got on board with more restrictive size and bag limits. Maybe us inshore saltwater guys could take something from that?
– It has taken me many years to understand that it is in the doing. The catching is the goal, but it is only the end result. If the number you catch is the only way you measure your success then you are missing out.
– After owning a bass boat or 2 that would blow the hair off your face, and then slowly downsizing over the years, I noticed a couple of interesting things. I never caught a fish at 65mph, and the boat does not catch fish.
– I have finally gotten to where I enjoy watching the folks with me when they catch a fish. I can finally put down the rod and just watch them fish and enjoy the moment. It is not a competition.
– I can never thank the Captain of Team Nancy enough. Not only does she understand and let me indulge my fishing addiction, she loves me for who I am.
– You should always have a bucket list of fish and places. I have been surprised at times that I seem to get stagnant in the places and things I do on a daily basis. Take a chance, go somewhere new, try to catch something you never have before, help someone get started. It will add to your fishing pleasure and make you a better fisherman.
– Next time you read an article by a guide in a fishing magazine, visit his website. It is fun. The biggest shill I found made 32 sponsor references without telling me anything that really would help me catch more fish. It is cool to plug people who help you, I do, but try to at least give us real information we can use.
– The fish do not belong to us hardcores. Bass do not just belong to bassfishermen, the bays do not belong to guides, and the beautiful trout streams in the west do not belong to the well outfitted fly fisherman. Fishing is the most popular sport in America. The license fees paid for that. Those licenses were bought by the old lady with a cane pole, the guy in the jon boat fishing for panfish, and the family fishing from the bank hoping for a bite. Of course all the first group were instrumental in the comeback, we all played a part. But sometimes we need to sit back and remember, the water and the fish belong to us all. Just because we are all that, or were there when it started to change and helped that change, it does no give us any more rights than anyone else. We need to protect everyone’s right to us the resource in any way that is legal. Remember, it could be our turn next.
Personal
– I can never thank my lovely wife Nancy enough.
– I am thankful everyday that all my brothers and sisters are still living, and that my parents are doing well. Same for my wife’s family. Life is short.
– My daughter is a wonderful person, her husband is great, and I am so thankful I have lived long enough to meet my granddaughter Mia.
– Having been a fishing guide, then a paramedic, and then an attorney has been a real trip. Those are all cool things.
– I am looking forward to many more adventures both with a fishing pole in my hand, and traveling and learning new stuff.
– It is getting harder to fish from daylight to dark, but that hasn’t stopped me yet. And when it does I will be thankful for every minute I have a rod in my hand.
– I will try to be a better person. It is never to late to change, and change is good.
So there you have it. My 60th birthday got me thinking about a few things, and these are the highlights. I know this is a fishing blog, but sorry, sometimes I just have to wax poetic. Though I can not sing, dance, or rhyme, occasionally I need to say a couple of things off topic. Plus one of the real advantages to having a web site is you get to spout off all you want about anything you feel like. So now that I have taken care of that, it is back to the point, time to go fishing. Thanks for reading my stuff.
Good Luck and Tight Lines
