FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

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One of the things that makes fishing what it is, the highs and lows.  One day perfect weather, the next it is crap.  Sometimes you cannot keep them off, other times you cannot buy a bite.  And that would perfectly describe my trip.

The weather went like this, ugly cold and wind howling out of the north for the first day and a half, then and absolutely beautiful day followed by another cold front blowing through.  And the fishing was just as unpredictable.

One of the 4 crappies we managed to catch.  They were flat pigs.

The main purpose/objective of the trip besides hanging with my buddy Clyde was to fish the Knockin Tails for stripers, and man was that a success.  Of the hundreds and hundreds I have caught in my life on a variety of lures but the way they hit the 5″ Pearl was on another level.  And the big one, who literally crushed it, smashed it, and headed for the hills was the highlight of the trip.  And the interesting, and important point, I caught 7 stripers on the same plastic and only retired it because I could.

Ask yourself –  when was the last time I caught 7 really big fish, as in 50lbs plus on one plastic?  Trust me it does not happen all that much.

I did catch 2 walleyes, we added 3 big crappie, and probably caught around 20 bass in spite of the blow on Saturday.  Sunday morning we found them schooling and laid the serious smack down on the hybrids, stripers, and bass.  They were smoking the A Rig with Pearl Knockin Tails and several on the Honeydew color which is now my favorite.  And listen closely, Clyde was throwing regular plastic without a rattle and of course I was throwing the A Rig with Knockin Tails.  It was not even a contest.  As I have repeatedly said about Knockin Tails, what is the downside of a rattle, absolutely nothing.  The upside, it catches fish.  When I got that comment recently saying I only fished them because I get them my response: that is so stupid it did not deserve a response.  If that fool thinks I am going to spend thousands in fishing and travel, much less the rest of my life, fishing something for that reason he is an idiot.  I may love fishing no matter what, but I do want  to catch them, kind of the point.  But I digress.

We did have one interesting happening.  A bass boat idled towards us and it was the game warden.  He asked if we kept anything and we showed him my big crappie which impressed him.  As he was chatting they came up chasing shad behind us and he said throw which Clyde did and caught one.  He caught a smallmouth, Kentucky, and a largemouth.  Then I caught a nice walleye.  By the way both walleye I caught were on the 4″ Knockin Tail.  He never asked for another thing, guess we looked all kinds of legal.

Then after catching them great 2 nights, the last night when conditions were perfect Clyde caught one small striper and I did not have a bite.  You just never know.  But then something happened that I have never had happen, and it made me sad.

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The Wade Right Fishing Belt and the new Madre Sling.

For all your wading needs.

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The White River

I began fishing the White and North Fork rivers in the mid 70’s.  Guiding, fishing with friends, it was just part of my fishing life, as it was for Clyde and Bob.  So when our buddy Bob said he would be happy to take us in his boat for the day I was thrilled.  Bob is a life long resident and has been fishing it for over 60 years so no newbies on this boat.  We decided to fish Monday so the crowd would be reduced.  The plan was to put in near the damn and fish down.  A front was coming that day, and it did. But that was not the issue, it is something I have been seeing all over the country in the last few years, the outdoors is getting more and more crowded.  But I was stunned by what we saw that day.

Clyde with a nice Brown.  Our buddy Bob.  A couple of old pork rinds.

We were only interested in throwing lures and stuck with it.  With the weather going to crap and 4 generators running we put in and the boat parade began, boat after guide boat.  At any moment there were 20 boats in view.  Many now using jets it was a loud, POC on a holiday experience.  As we floated down not  catching anything we stopped at Gaston’s so Clyde could buy some white jigs.  The dock man told us that this was nothing.  He said it has gotten busier and busier, and in the hole in that area there might be 30 – 50 boats!

Of course as soon as we backed off I had a big brown smoke the new Glass Minnow Knockin Tail and I promptly broke the 4lb line setting the hook.  Little did I know that would be the last bite I would have until we quit at 2:30.  Clyde did catch 2 browns and Bob stuck out.  I have never, let me repeat NEVER not caught fish on the White, and I mean limit out.  If course we were not fishing live, or scented type baits, only lures, but they were just not having it.

The pressure reminded me of Boca Grande tarpon fishing, boats drifting and running everywhere.  But the thing that was most distressing to me, was guides constantly cutting us off.  We would start a drift in a logical place and when the guide boats would end theirs they could come back up and stop in front of us.  It was the worst I have ever seen anywhere, and I have seen some bad stuff.  So like POC with folks just cutting you off, it was just as crowded.  But in this case it was guides and they were flat disrespectful of not only us but everyone.  I have had fun on the water but this was not it.

Around 2:00 the wind was blowing us back up river and the temp dropped like a rock and it started misting so we called it a day.  One thing about getting old is we often refer to the “Good Old Days” and this is what made me sad.  That the fish did not bite was unusual but that is not what made me so sad.  It is not the great float through the Ozark Mountains it was.  It was a full on boat race with folks stacked on top of each other.  And when the dock guy tells us you ain’t seen nothing yet as it will be a lot busier to come.   So I will dwell in my memories of a wild and beautiful river that was, and move on to those that are left.  (It was definitely as my old buddy Carmine said about POC:  There are so many guides they need badges so they do not guide each other.)

Overall the trip was a good time and it had been while since I spent any time with Clyde.  He is having some significant health issues and we wore his ass out.  It is part of his determination to fish more.  As we all will confront the fragile nature of our life it will not be the things we owned, it will be the memories we make because in the end that is the size of it.  It reminds all of us to put things in perspective.  It is in the doing, so get out there and do it!

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The Best Wife in the World – No Freakin’ Kidding

You all know that the Boss is my world, I am thankful every day for just how lucky I am.  33 years have gone by like a blink of an eye and she continues to surprise me.  But this time just takes the cake.  I ordered a hand full of A Rigs on Amazon, which for me was a big deal as I never shop on line.  While I was exploring reels one caught my eye.  So I put a couple in the cart on her on account, just so I would not forget which one it was and not have to do the research again in case I decided to buy some.  While I am fishing she calls me and confirms I want them and went ahead and ordered them.  What wife does that?

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The Rod Box

One of the big issues over the years traveling is rod security.  Whether in the boat or truck I have always been worried about a smash and grab at some random motel.  And I carry lots of rods in case I need a specific application, you never know.  So to settle those travel concerns a couple of years ago I tried to get this box and the appropriate cross bars but during the pandemic it was not available.  Now I have it and I could not be happier.

It holds 8 fully rigged rod and reels up to 8′ or up to 16 with reels removed.  And depending on placement can hold tackle in the bottom.  It will really be useful when heading out west with fly rods and conventional, or to Florida where I need the works.  I added some additional security, now it is as secure as I can get it.  At least they won’t break into the truck and I don’t have to listen to them rattling the whole trip.  Should have done it years ago.

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I give the trip an A.  It was slow, and it was great.  And anytime I can catch fish that size is a success.  One thing the Twin Lakes area of Arkansas is known for is the fishing, and rightly so.  Next spring it will be back again, love catching those big stripers.  In fact next spring will stay at a resort on the lake where I can keep the boat in the water and be fishing in minutes.  I know I have missed some stuff about this trip but suffice to say it was worth the drive.

Tomorrow it is off to the Houston Fishing Show to work the Knockin Tail booth.  Working with Michael as his company has grown has been fun for me.  (Basically I am nothing more than a lurker!)  And when he came up with the Knockin Tail I knew in a minute it was a winner.  He was worked his rear end off, put his money where his mouth is, and it is paying off with one of the hottest lure lines in the country.  It is never just the product but is the folks behind the product.  He and his family are so deserving of their success.

There is one more freshwater thing I want to do next week, fish Travis a day for whites before the spring bite is over and visit my buddy Dave.  Then  it is time to head back to the Gulf.  There are two specific things I want to work on.  First, slow rolling the 5″ for real trout.  There is no doubt it triggers bigger fish, I just saw it, and it should have the same effect on big trout.  (The reports are already coming in on that exact thing.)  Second, I picked up some smaller A Rigs and I can not wait to fish them on trout positioned in deeper water.   One of the side benefits to fishing with Michael is getting to try new things, it keeps my interest up.   So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines