FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

Knockin Tail Lures by My Coast Outdoors

*************

The Future of our Public Lands

I have been warning this day was coming and it is here.  The bottom line is they want to rape and pillage and, in the end, take our public lands and give them to the rich and connected.  I do not have anything against oil or mining.  As long as it is highly monitored and once done the land is returned as good as it was then no problem with me.  But open it up and then shut down regulatory agencies that keep them in check is asking for disaster.  Maybe you can trust the mining and oil business, but I don’t.  Past history is a great indicator of future behavior.

************

The Struggle is Real

So the struggle to catch the Boss a fish fry continues.

The plan for the morning was to hit the small creek with the flyrod.  While the water is still low it looked great.  As I worked my way up stream it was funny, no bites and I did not see a fish.  After about an hour I found out why, I was following 3 guys.  No wonder it was slow.  To save the morning it was back to the Rio to hopefully catch a keeper or two.  And the struggle continues, see above.  After catching 4 or 5 it was back to the house to watch the NCAA’s.  Hard to complain when catching browns this size so next time will fly fish the river, while I may not fill the Boss’s order the size above are fun on the buggy whip

*************

Blast from the Past

5o+ Years Ago

My brother sent me this picture of the convenance, tackle, and bait store I owned in Mtn Home Arkansas.  I bought the business for $4k and ran it for 2 years before I sold it.  That store was my real introduction to the Twin Lakes area.  For the next 25 years I fished and guided on Norfork, Bull Shoals, the White and North Fork rivers.

It was during what can only be called the bass fishing explosion.  With Ranger, Champion, and Bass Cat I was fortunate to make great friends and the boating world expanded as fast as it could.  My tournament partner Larry was the production manager at Ranger.  John Storey the great boat builder was a friend of mine and our bass club was the power club in Arkansas.   The race was on.  Our bass club had Rayo Breckenridge who was the second Bassmaster Classic Champion.  I was lucky enough to fish the state championship one year but also had the misfortune to lead the club for 11 months only to lose the last tournament.  Too bad, it was a Champion boat to the winner.

And I was so lucky some folks took me under their wing, Dick was the best spinnerbait fisherman on the planet. Tad hired me to make lures and one of our spinnerbaits won a $50k Bassmaster tournament.  Our buddy Lenny ended up the Black Max for Mercury Marine’s new 150hp.  And the ten years after selling the store I lived at a boat dock and guided.  It was the time of the big stripers, 10 – 20lbers coming over the side at night and downrigging in the daytime.  Crappie fishing was off the chain.  And floating the White River was something.

The tackle world expanded at a breakneck speed.  Faster reels and I remember getting the first graphite blanks, we were the shit.  Then Lews came out with the original speed spool, and we quit having to replace gears to get our reels up to speed.  And of course, boats from 40hp cigars to the 16.8 Champ with a Black Max, which ran 72 mph and scared the crap out of the Boss.

While it was the time of my life since then it has not been too shabby.  Puerto Rico, Belize. Costa Rica, the Grat Barrier Reef, the Everglades, Falcon, the Snake, Lake of the Woods, and on and on.  It has all been the time of my life and it really started in that little store in Mtn Home.  I would not have had it any other way.

**************

The Wade Right Fishing Belt and the new Madre Sling.

For all your wading needs.

*************

The Boss and I are big basketball fans and have been binging the NCAA men and women’s tournament.  And being Razorbacks through and through the loss the other night was painful.  But I give them credit, with a 0 – 5 conference start and everyone writing them off they made it to the Sweet 16.  Like all diehard fans I cannot wait until next year.  And speaking of diehard fans the Boss will be headed to Indiana in August to see Caitlin Clark and the Fever play.  The week or so she is gone I am having a Canada kind of feeling

************

After a lovely March it is about to get a little cooler with a random flurry or two but spring is here.  Robins, Stellar Jays and a host of others are migrating through.  The bucks have shed their horns and the turkeys are being turkeys.  Over the next week or so it is time for a couple of game drives as things are changing fast.  And the river will need a little attention.  I hope wherever you are you are getting out of the water.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines