The Adventure Continues 6/16/14.

Fish Catching Travel

The lake is coming up fast, the weather was beautiful, and we had a tough day.  We started trolling for walleye with John and Clyde and after an hour we called it quits.  Shoedog and I fished a couple of likely looking smallmouth coves without success.  Then we went to a small cove and what happened next says it all about my last couple of days.  I tossed a swim bait in a small pocket about 1 foot deep and big muskie charged out and smoked it,  I set the hook and it came off.  I reeled in and the hook had stuck in the body and he got off.  Shoedog made a cast and ………

The Shoedog strikes again.

We worked hard the rest of day.  We basically struggled, which means we only caught 30 or so small pike.  To bad none of them were picture fish.  There is no big story on our part.  We finally called it quits at 7:00.

One thing you do need to know, and if you are a hardcore fisherman you already know this, some days you can do no wrong, and some days it just is not happening.  The last couple of days I just can not get the big bite, and it is not for trying.  This is one of the greatest fishing destination on earth for freshwater, but it is no guarantee of success.  So even though we struggled today, our (my) turn will come again.  When we quit we stopped in a big weed bed for one last run and the pike were in there.  I managed to boat one ok fish out of our 6 bites.  We were physically beat.

When we got back John and Clyde had stayed out an hour and half after we did, and to illustrate my point, they caught a couple of the fish.   They also struggled all day, and then it happened.  They we so excited, and when we saw the pictures, so were we.

These are the kind of fish that make the long hours, money spent, and sheer physical effort this type of hardcore fishing trip entails, worth every stinking bit of work.  None of us are getting any younger, or prettier.  I am so tired right now, it is 5:30 am and they are still asleep but I can not sleep due to the anticipation of what the day will bring.  And when you look at these fish you will know why.

John with a huge lake trout.

They ended up running out of trolling motor and so they trolled one of Clyde’s places when John hooked this laker around 20 pounds on a Shad Rap.  He told Clyde it was a big fish and Clyde asked him why do you have so much line out?  He had the usual amount, this big fish was just ripping line off.  What a moose!

As the water temp warmed though out the day I kept throwing that buzzbait.  You all know that is one of my favorite baits, and I love to catch big fish on it.  I knew they would hit it, the water temp is rising fast, but we just did not get in the right place.

Clyde’s Big Brownie.  A massive 21 1/2″.

He tossed that double blade buzzbait in a big tree and this beast flushed it.  Those are the bites we all live for.  In the over 20 years of coming here, and a lifetime of fishing, this is the biggest brownie he has ever caught.  What a stinking fish this is.

But it did not stop there for Clyde  He got another big explosion and it was his biggest pike of the trip.

Clyde’s Biggest Pike Of The Trip.

So even though they struggled all day, they stuck with it, and they got their reward and it could not happen to 2 better friends.  Clyde and I have fished together for over 45 years (Now that is freakin’ scary).  From farm ponds to Belize, fishing has been our bond and this is why we do it.  I have known John for 35 years.  I lived and worked at his boat dock in Arkansas for 10 years.  I guided from the dock, and to live on that hill overlooking the lake was a time in my life when the fishing part of it was all good.  So to see them so excited was a thing of beauty.  All that sappy stuff aside, I intend to beat their a$$ like a yard dog today!

And here is a little practical information for you.  Last time we were here Clyde got a hook in his hand.  And that is easy around here, and I got it out using a method I read about, and boy does it work.  Watch closely, there may come a time when you need it.  Sure beats a trip to the ER or spending your day with a treble stuck in your hand because you just can’t stop fishing.  I am sure if those 2 bozos can make it work so can you

So in spite of the aches and pains, my hands are raw meat, my arms are numb things hanging from my shoulders, here I am awake and wanting those knuckleheads to get the heck up.  We only have 3 1/2 days to fish and time is wasting.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines