FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

The Wade Right Fishing Belt

Brought to you by

The Best Wading System on the  planet

It would seem counter intuitive it was a struggle when I caught around 20 today, but catching them was not the struggle, but putting the better fish in the boat was the struggle.  Several factors played into that, but using a net would have resolved some of that.

Weather

87/66.  Partly sunny and humid with a 40% chance of a shower.    Wind  N 10 – 20 mph.  (You never can tell how they will react to the first “cool” front with north winds this time of year, but I am really hopeful.)

Lake Level

Thursday    95.37 msl.       Today  95.29 msl.    (At this rate really starting to worry there may be a ramp issue.)

Solunar Periods

Major  8:03 am to 10:03 am.  Minor  3:09 pm to 4:09 pm.

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The Knockin Tail Lure with a built in tail rattle!   Look for it this winter.

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

The wind was blowing out of the north when I put in at the lake and it felt so good!  There were no other trailers at the ramp and I basically had the lake to myself.  (More on that later.)  The water temp was 84 at the ramp, 88 in front of the discharge cove, and basically 86 over most of the rest of the lake.  The water color has deteriorated some and is somewhat off color in some places.  First up was a main lake bank with wind and stumps.

Second cast and one later on spinnerbait.

The fish were there but were all small.  But I will give them credit, the 3 that I hooked up on that pass were jumping it.  So after that pass I headed up lake.  The wind was blowing right along out of the north at a pretty good clip so I stayed with the spinner bait for a while but the only other ones were small, so time to change things up.

A swim jig fish and another on the watermelon red Pit Boss.

With fish shallow I wanted to try the Controlled Descent Pearl Jerk Shad over brush.  And that is where the trouble started, but it wasn’t a lack of bites or any fault of the bait.  The wind was blowing hard enough that it was tough to keep the bow out of my line, so when they ate I had trouble getting a good hook set.  That led to losing several that either pulled off or came off when I tried to hand land them.

For the rest of the day until I quit at 2:30 I alternated between a spinnerbait, Bang O Lure, Pit Boss, Pearl Jerk Shad, and the swim jig, and they all caught fish.  And boy did I do a good job of messing up on the better fish.  A poor hook set, shaking off when I tried to hand land the ones that were to big to boat flip, and a good one even broke me off on a spinnerbait.  Basically all operator error for one reason or another.

One thing that is consistent, wood, end of story.  Work the bait of your choice by a good piece of cover and there is usually one there.  Whether way up either arm, or the main lake, cover is the ticket.  And every bank had one or more on it all morning, and I decided I would stop when I fished 2 banks without a bite, and that did not happen until 2:00.

So a funny day, but a good day.  No matter which bait they all accounted for at least 3 or 4, and the clear winner is still the plastics.  At least for the bigger fish.  But if I had managed to land all the better ones it would have been an ok limit.  And I really think the Controlled Descent Jerk Shad fishing will be pretty good with less wind, but of course the wind helps the fishing so there is a fine line.  But when it is all said and done the numbers are there and this cold front can only help, and with a bigger one coming Friday it should be game on for the bigger fish.  They are talking low in the 50’s and high in the 70’s – Bring it on!

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Those of you who read this regularly know I look at boats for sale almost daily.  From brand new to wrecks, there is a world of them for sale, and if I had any advice for those of you looking for a used boat it would be the following.

With so many high dollar fairly new boats available there are 2 questions that must be asked, and if the owner does not know the answers, Be Afraid.  First – How many hours?  There is no way to guess no matter what they say.  Motors can run hundreds of hours trouble free, but only if the proper maintenance is done on a regular basis.  Second – What is the compression on each and every cylinder?  They need to be within just a couple of pounds of each other.

So why are these 2 questions so important?  If the owner has maintained the engine as he should those are easy answers.  No real marine mechanic service would do the work and not include that in the report of work done, and if yours does not have them include it.  So if the owner can not provide you with that information, or be willing to let you contact the service for the information, run away.  It means the maintenance has not been done no matter what they tell you.

As an example if I was selling my boat my mechanic would be happy to talk to you and confirm the work was done as it should be.  And I can provide a pile of copies.  With the price of used boats actually on the rise due to the cost of a new one, the answer to these questions is critical.  Think about it – Would you rather have a used boat with a little higher hours that is confirmed with regular service, or one that looks great and has not seen a mechanic in a couple of years no matter how little the owners says he used it?  Buyer beware.

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And as long was we are talking boats I am not impressed with the increasing size of engines on flats/bass boats.  The real horsepower race started in the 80’s (I think.) when BASS lifted it’s 150 horsepower limit in response to the manufactures whining and the race was on.  Now I see the clip of the boat doing over 110 mph, and that is just plain nuts.  It is an area in fishing that is not “fishing.”  The old joke “I never caught a fish doing 70mph” is so true.  The boat does not make the angler, that is pure nonsense,  and if you are in that big of a hurry you need to evaluate your fishing priorities.  We all love our boats and if that is what turns you on good for you.  But anytime you want to haul ass and then match you fishing prowess vs. a Larry Dahlberg and his jon boat have a go at it.  A boat is a fishing platform, not a fashion statement.

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When I reported GBRA raising the ramp/day use fee on Coleto to $17 a day my buddy Rusty made the following pertinent comment.  At Fayette the senior ramp fee is $2.  Now I admit that is extremely low but it brings up the following points.  Fishing during the week as I usually do many of the folks fishing Coleto are retired and on a fixed income.  Additionally many of those folks are retired vets who proudly served this country.  In fact, whether working or not, $17 a day is a lot, and for the retired can be prohibitive.  That is just not right on lots of levels.  I also heard rumblings that some clubs may be thinking of writing Coleto off their list.  I always rant on the increasing cost of fishing keeping younger fishermen from entering our sport, and this is a perfect example.

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When I got to the ramp today a couple of interesting things happened.  As I idled to the dock the game warden was sitting there in his truck watching me.  I had my life jacket and kill switch on, like always, and when he saw me take it off he headed on his way.  So you are warned, they are looking for compliance with the new kill switch law, apparently that was all he was interested in checking.  And by me being in compliance it saved that get out the license and registration thing.

Then one of the GBRA workers pulled up and we shot the shit.  I commented on the ramp fee and how there should be a break for seniors.  I told him I was not saying it for me, though I would take it, but for all those folks who can not afford that much for a day trip.  And today other than a few campers there was only one trailer at the ramp.  If the plan is to run folks off it appears to be working.  He told me that when the raise took effect GBRA actually told the office to get out the complaint forms, so they obviously know it is coming.  I am going to send along my two cents worth and if it affects you, do the same.  Maybe it will help, but if no one does anything it will not change.

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That is it for today.  It will be back on the water soon, not sure where.  Spoke with Todd and have set a date for a long POC weekend with the Austin Boys in less than a month.  Always a good time.  (Really I was just checking when they are coming so I can be hundreds of miles from the horrible front that seems to follow those guys every fall.)  And I am trying to get the gumption to take off real early one morning for the Upper Laguna after the coming cold front.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

The Wade Right Fishing Belt

Brought to you by

The Best Wading System on the  planet

New Coleto Day Use Fee.

Since it seemed the fish did not bite all that great early on the 2 prior trips this week I decided to take my time.  When I pulled up to the gate on Coleto I almost fell out of the truck.  As of October 1 it now costs $17 a day!  Are you kidding me!  That is as high a anywhere I have ever put in, and those happen to be some really fabulous places in this country.  Of course I pay the annual, which is now $180, and even that is high.  Not sure what they are trying to accomplish, other than reducing day use, but just wanted any of you who go to know that before you go so there is no big surprise.  But all that aside, a really good day!

Weather

94/72.  (Projected heat index 103)  Partly sunny, very warm and humid with a 20% chance of a shower.    Wind  E 10 – 25 mph.

Lake Level

Today    95.37 msl.       Tuesday  95.42 msl.    (It is still dropping.)

Solunar Periods

Minor 12:28 pm to 1:28 pm.  (Only time when out but that is when I had a good run.)

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

The Knockin Tail Lure with a built in tail rattle!   Look for it this winter.

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That was a bite!  This girl was thick nose to tail.  2cnd big girl this week.

Starting about 8:00 I decided to switch it up a little today so it was up lake to the area with wood where I have been catching them.  But instead of tossing plastics it was the Bang O Lure over the same brush.  And while the water color is still a little murky up lake they did cooperate.

Love it when they have a face full of Bang O Lure!

It was definitely partly cloudy today and the wind was out of the NE with just a tiny little hint of fall.  The main lake had a good chop and up lake it was a little more protected.  It was probably my second or third cast when one rolled on the Bang O Lure and I missed it.  From then on it was a pretty good bite considering how tough it has been.  The same wood produced the same fish.

And like they did Monday they wanted it twitched right on top, small jerks, with pauses.  The closer to the cover the better of course, but the one kind of wood producing the most bites by far was the thicker stuff with branches.   So it was a matter of making a cast and working it right to the cover and stopping it.  I easily missed as many as I boated but the bite was on.  Probably a case of using my favorite Bang O Lure which needs to be retired, or at least new hooks as it has taken a beating.  But I did boat around 10, mostly smalls like I have been catching in that area, but it was good fun.  Then around 11:00 the wind really started to blow some.

Smaller on spinnerbait but they were smoking a buzzed spinnerbait.

Next up was main lake stretch near the dam with heavy wind.  I ran the spinnerbait pretty fast right below the surface making a wake and they were stopping it.  4 hooked up and several more swirled on it without hooking up.  None were all that big but since it is my favorite technique 4 in an hour is not to bad.  But I wanted to fish one more area before I quit.  Good choice.

The next area was a channel bank with a couple of small points where I caught them on Monday.  First up I tried the Bang O Lure but without any shad activity that went by the wayside pretty quickly and so time to throw some plastics.  I ended up missing a couple, they were tearing the stick worm off the hook so time to give them a different look.

Sticking with the watermelon red color I switched to the Pit Boss, a creature style bait, still with a 3/16 tungsten pegged right  above the bait.  Being shorter and more compact, I was hoping they would go ahead and eat it, which they did.  The second bite on it was the big girl above.  Having caught a few big ones in my life, it was one of those that the minute you set the hook it did not move.  I looked like a rookie trying to get her in the boat, don’t generally use a net, but finally got a thumb in her and it was the second one this week.  She was thick and heavy.  From then on until quiting about 1:30 I boated another 4 or 5 on the Pit Boss.  They were hanging on to it much better so the hook up ratio to bites went way up.  Points with a little deep water was the ticket, and most came withing a couple of hops from the bank.  And on that note I called it a day.

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This week it really has seemed like the fish know fall is coming next week.  It may not be all out cool, but I could feel it in the air this morning as the wind was out of the north first thing, and it seems like the fish do too.  After a long period with no real big fish showing up that has obviously changed.  While I do not weigh them the 2 big ones boated this week are the size that made Coleto one of my favorite bass lakes.  So who knows, maybe the bite is on.  And if it is it could get real good real fast.  The front is coming Monday and that will be telling.  The wind is slated to blow out of the north for a few days so we shall see.

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Michael H, a freind on facebook, reported he did ok on the crappies Wednesday.  He caught 10 keepers and put one over 2lbs back to spread those good genetics.  So good day, 10 will make a pretty good fish fry.  And I spoke with Larry at the ramp who is camping and also crappie fishing.  They sure have been consistent this year, or at least more folks are chasing them.  But nice to have them available year round should the fish fry move you.

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I give this week, and the lake, an A.  It really has stoked my passion and I intend to keep it up.  Will be some weather watching the next couple of weeks, looking for a 2 or 3 day window for the Upper Laguna.  Time for a little Controlled Descent over deep grass on the King Ranch shoreline.  The place I stay gets as high as $300 a night during the summer season, and of course I am not having that.  But it goes down to $88 which I can live with so a 2 night stay is in the works when the weather is right.  And of course both Fayette and Falcon are on the watch list.   And I promise to fish POC next week after the front.  Cool that water down some and the mullet run should be on, much less the fall gathering of the redfish.   One thing about fall, so many places with lots of great patterns.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

The Wade Right Fishing Belt

Brought to you by

The Best Wading System on the  planet

Like all plans you have to be flexible, and today my plan crashed and burned.  But a little persistence managed to pull the morning out.

I never get tired of this view.  If this is not worth getting up for I am not sure what is!

Weather

93/75.  (Projected heat index 109)  Sun and clouds, very humid with a 20% chance of a thunderstorm.  Wind  SE 10 – 20 mph.

Lake Level

Yesterday   95.41 msl.       Today  95.42 msl.

Solunar Periods

Minor 9:16 am to 10:16 am.   Major  3:11 pm to 5:11 pm.

*****************The Knockin Tail Lure with a built in tail rattle!   Look for it this winter.

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

I was on the water at first light and headed right back to the area where I caught  them yesterday.  Starting in the sweet spot with the Bang O Lure produced zip.  It was calm and looked great except for one thing, no shad.  So I worked several other places close, catching 1 on plastics, before returning near the same time to give it another go, but not a bite.

This brings me to what I intended to say yesterday, it is hell getting old, there is a chance, I think a great one, that the bass are traveling with the bait.  And today was a perfect example of that.  There were lots of fish on that point yesterday, but they disappeared.  So with that I worked my way up lake mostly fishing the Bang O Lure and only managed one more.  With that clearly not working it was up lake to the wood, and they were there, same old, same old.  For as many as I have caught up there this summer for none to be big is puzzling.

The first one on plastics, just to show you I really went.  Number 2 made it because it was the 3rd one on a spinnerbait.

So pitching to wood up lake was productive as it has been and I caught 7.  I stayed maybe an hour but it wasn’t proving anything so time for a change.  As this point the wind had kicked up so I headed to near the dam where the wind was pounding on the bank to try a spinnerbait.  It might be counter intuitive as the last couple of months it seemed like they just would not chase anything but the wind was blowing.

The first bank was long with isolated stumps and the wind hitting directly on the bank.  It took about 10 minutes and finally one blasted a white/nickel blades spinnerbait run fairly fast right below the surface making a waking.  It is my favorite way to catch bass but is definitely not an “all the time” technique.  You definitely need the wind.  But I love buzzing  a spinnerbait, one of the great bites in freshwater fishing..

On that place it was 6 hits and 3 landed, all looking like the ones above.  So now it is after noon and the wind is blowing just right.  Next up was what I thought was the perfect bank.  Going from real shallow to real deep in a long stretch, it has plenty of cover, a couple of pockets, and the wind was just right.  And guess what?  Not a touch.  So at that point I called it a day.  When I put in there was another boat putting in, and when I took out they were taking out.  Except for a couple of crappie fishing campers I never say another boat all day.

What made this guy noteworthy is he swam right by the boat.  Normally when this close they go down, but he went by the boat and headed to the bank.  Guess I was in the way.

So to the You Never Know.  I fully expected to catch them good on the Bang O Lure but they just were not having it.  I suspect if I stopped in the right place it would have been better, but generally they did not seem a little bit interested.  Or probably they were just not there.  But then the spinnerbait, the last thing I thought would work.  I let the conditions/wind dictate the change to a spinnerbait and it worked, in spite of the fact they have not had the least bit of interest in a fast moving bait.  And then to change to a bank that I thought was even better than the first produced zip.  So there you go – You Just Never Know!

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Joe G sent along a couple of pics from Falcon Lake.  He must be reading my mind as I am headed back there soon.

Had to share 2 pics from falcon.

6.5 and a 6.25 lb bass. Slow going day.

Started the day with 2 small white bass, then 2-3 hours later got the bigger 6, then 2 more later got the other 6.

Nice job!  One thing that can be said about Falcon, even a slow day can work out and it looks like it did for you.  And another thing about those Falcon bass, they fight.  And if a person wanted to catch white bass they are sure there, last time I was there they were pecking the heck out of a slow rolled spinnerbait.   Thanks for the pictures, wets my whistle for a trip.  Falcon Lake may have had it’s heyday, but it is still one of the best lakes in the country.

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While the day did not turn out like I figured, I still boated 11.  The good news – It is only going to get better.  The weather dude made my day last evening, hope he is right.  Apparently there is our first norther of the year on the way Monday,  Along with that he was forecasting some real rain.  Fall will definitely be here, a little late, but it always comes.  With that dropping water temps, not to mention air temps and humidity, comes better fishing.  And I will come out of the fishing doldrums and it will be game on.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

The Wade Right Fishing Belt

Brought to you by

The Best Wading System on the  planet

Another awesome sunrise.

Of course I wanted to catch some fish but the prime reason for the morning was to make sure the plate I re-mounted in the tunnel was going to stay on.  But I followed the fiberglass guy’s directions to a T and it is still on, so hopefully that takes care of that.  So after a month without the Mako, and the electronics, it was on the water at daylight and it turned out to be an fun morning that holds some promise for things to come.

Weather

93/76.   Sun and clouds, very humid with a 40% rain.  Wind  SE 10 – 20 mph.

Lake Level

Today   95.41 msl.       4 days ago  95.47 msl.

Solunar Periods

Minor 8:10 am to 9:10 am.   Major  2:17 pm to 4:17 pm.

*****************The Knockin Tail Lure with a built in tail rattle!   Look for it this winter.

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They Want to Bite

It was dead calm as I headed up lake.  The water temp was 86 everywhere I fished, with good water color from way up both arms to the main lake near the dam.  I started with buzzbait and other than a swirl or two no takers.  So it was back to the stick worm.  And just as it has been they bit right along, but nothing to get excited about.

The run of the mill on plastics and the one that did eat a buzzbait.

After catching 6 or 8 on plastics I put it down around 9:00 and intentionally did not pick it back up.  That pattern is good for numbers right now, pitch it to wood and you will get bit, but for some reason none have been big.   I worked my way down lake giving the buzzbait a go and other than a bite or two, and the one above,  just could not get it going.  So time for a change.  I noticed on a couple of points that there were shad flipping, and that they are really small.  So the next change was a winner.

That is a real one on the Bang O Lure!

First up was a deep point, out of the wind, with shad flipping here and there.  I have been catching a few here and there on the topwater minnow bait but today I learned something, and my results improved dramatically.  Since they have shown no interest in chasing anything it was time to slow down.  Tossing the Bang O Lure right on the bank and letting it just sit there produced a couple of good bites.

A couple more of the 8 or so on the Bang O Lure.

Normally I can “trick” them by fishing it erratically, often catching them when it is pulled under, but that was not the case today.  They wanted it slow, and then slower.  Little twitches, then pausing as long as you could stand it, and they would hit it just sitting there.  A couple even hit the line when it made a “V’ as I pulled it.  The shad are really small.

5 came on one point, 2 or 3 on another.  Though I was fishing the 3 hook the smaller 2 hook on light line just might be even better.  Smaller profile and smaller twitches making that “shad flip” sound could produce more bites.  Can’t wait to do it again.

But no matter what there had to be shad flipping, no shad, no bites.  This is the beginning of the classic fall pattern, find the bait, find the fish.  As fall progresses the shad often move to the creeks as the water temp falls.  If we will just cool off a freakin’ little the fish will get after it.  They are just as anxious for fall as I am.

And as a side note I did re-fish the good place and caught one on a swim jig.  For the morning it was 15, give or take a couple, on 4 different baits, a great sign.  Of course as soon as I figured it out the rain came, and with it a pretty good wind.  I tried a couple of more places but only boated a couple of small ones on the Bang O Lure.  The places I needed to be calm to effectively fish the Bang O Lure all had wind on it, which basically ended the bite, and my morning.  It was good to have the boat back, and boating a big girl was the icing on the  cake.  It has been a long time coming this summer but better days are ahead.

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I was the first boat at the ramp, and the last one out.  The few other folks on the water all called it a day as it rained pretty hard a couple of times and the wind started blowing like the forecast said it would.  Most folks are still crappie fishing and they are catching them, I see them fishing all over the lake, most on deeper hardwoods.  And heading up lake there was a flotilla of jugs with several dancing around, so overall the fishing is good on the lake for whatever is your species of choice.  It often seems that summer will never end, and it was still 91 degrees and humid as a mofo today, but it can’t last forever.

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The forecast for tomorrow will be a repeat of today, so I will be out early.  I want to see if before the wind comes up I can reproduce today’s results.  The Bang O Lure has been good to me over the last almost 40 years, it catches big fish, and I will be throwing it quite a bit as fall finally moves in.  There is just something about a big fish smashing a topwater, I just can not resist.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

The Wade Right Fishing Belt

Brought to you by

The Best Wading System on the  planet

Another great sunrise.

It has been a fishless week until today.  One mid week trip with a friend never happened when we over heated leaving the ramp at Froggie’s and had to find someone to look at it.  Some of my luck the last month or so.

I did manage to get the plate mounted on the Mako tunnel and it is curing nicely, and should be ready to go Monday.  It says a 7 day cure and I am not going to rush it as it is not a job I am interested in doing again.  Then the Boss wanted to go out of town a couple of days so this morning was the first chance I had to fish this week.

Weather

78/92.  Partly sunny and humid with a 40% chance of showers.  Wind SSE 8 – 17mph.

Lake Level

Today  95.47 msl.   10 days ago  95.79 msl.  (It is really dropping fast.)

Solunar Times

No periods when I fished today.

*****************The Knockin Tail Lure with a built in tail rattle!   Look for it this winter.

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

The morning started off perfect, it was really cloudy and raining off and on heading to the lake.  I dropped it in at daylight and unfortunately it did not live up to the forecast.  It immediately completely slicked off and every cloud in the sky evaporated.  The rest of the morning was hot and humid, in fact for a little bit early I could not wear my glasses as they fogged up it was so humid.

Deja Vu all over again.

The catching is ok right now, considering I fished 5 hours and caught 15 – 20.  But like it has been just nothing with any weight to it.  Though I did throw other stuff they were not interested in any of it.  It is real simple right now –  watermelon red stick worm, 3/16th tungeston slip sinker pegged with a 4/0 hook.

Lots of smalls but most are fat and sassy.

Can you say wood?  Whether it was on flatter banks with stickups, or a couple of deeper points with wood, they were there.  Several places 2 or 3 jumped on, and just going down the bank quickly and pitching to visible wood would get a bite.  So the wood is the pattern, but depth does not seem to be particularly important.  Some as shallow as a foot or two, and 3 or 4 in 15 foot.  Today they were hanging on pretty good and swimming with it.  The ones that were harder to stick were right in the thick stuff.  When you would pick up it was hard to tell if it was a branch or a fish, and if you did not stick them right away they were gone.  Wood don’t shake.

They bit fairly consistently up lake not so much down lake.  The water color is a little darker up lake and there is more wood, which is the key.  One thing about the dropping water the flat around the island is really shallow and I managed to run over it, so be advised things are changing fast.  And I am really concerned about the ramp.  If it keeps this up you are going to have to be really careful as there will be lots of wood, flats, and humps coming out.  So just keep that in mind.

Not a bad morning, hate to complain about catching over 15, it is just puzzling why while I have been catching that number most mornings none are big.  Usually when you work through that many on Coleto you can expect a good fish or two.  But I am reserving judgement until we start cooling down.  Hard to not be concerned about the fish.  Where have all the big fish gone?  Only time will tell but I am worried about the lake.  Killing the grass has turned one of the best bass lakes around into a dink fest.

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Thoughts on last weekends football.

1.  Michigan gives over rated a new meaning.  They were pounded by Wisconsin.  (I had a good friend in the old days who went to college with the Wisconsin head basketball coach and we got some great tickets.  Fun place to see a game.) I don’t know how the ratings are actually done but it seems to be a case of rank them because of who they are, not what they are.  They are headed to total melt down and it will be interesting to see who Harbaugh blames now.
2.  A&M.  Definitely over rated after Saturdays performance.  A&M has become living proof you can spend all the money you want (Jimbo and the remodel.) but it still comes down to blocking and tackling.  And they had way to many killer/stupid penalties.  Mond again looked tentative early and out of his league.  To bad the offense only started playing in the 4th quarter, it could have been a different game.  And when your fans start emptying the stadium when you are only 2 scores down it does not say much for the fan base.  (I am no A&M hater, in fact I like watching their games.  And we have enjoyed going to games there, the fans have been nothing but nice and respectful to us as visiting fans wearing our Arkansas stuff.  But facts is facts.)
3.  Arkansas.  Definitely not rated and rightly so.  First half, we get beat up on the line on both sides of the ball, play no pass defense, tackle like girls,  (No offense to girls.) play no pass defense, and have 2 interceptions.  Terrible.  Not much else to say about that.  Second half more of the same.  No offense to San Jose State but we are in the SEC and there is no way we should not make a couple of 4th and ones.  Man for man they should not be pushing us around.  This 10 year pathetic downhill slide is really disheartening.
4.  Dallas.  What is there to say but keep it up.  A slow start Sunday then they beat the Redskins like a drum.  Looks like they are the real deal but only time will tell.  But the haters are out whining like puppies that they have not beaten “anybody.”  To bad, you are supposed to beat certain teams and they are.  So if your complaint is that, probably says more about what your team is doing.

And a last couple of comments on college football.  If I were a head coach and we are down by 20+ and my player makes a play that he is SUPPOSED to make, then jumps around acting a fool, he is taking a seat.  And one other thing, if a player who after making a tackle does the standing over/walking over the downed ball carrier strutting his stuff he is taking a seat.  It is not all about you.  In the final analysis your program either has class or not.  Houston Nutt may not have been the best coach ever but I loved one of his philosophies.  We knock them down, we help them back up, then we knock them down again.

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And SA Joe dropped this comment on the last post.

OH DOUG,

I got to comment on the trespass of the hunt lease. Siding with the guys that paid for that lease. If they didn’t have the trail cam, the owners of that land could get angry because deer were being over harvested and the lease guys wouldn’t even know. Good on them.

Thats one reason why i don’t hunt, would love to, but to pay $2500 each for a lease and got to share. Rather spend that money getting some high end beef for the house.

Couple of comments.  The lease thing has gotten so expensive, squeezes out the common man and keeps me from hunting.  In my case I love to eat them, and does and culls are fine with me, they all look the same on the plate.  But at a couple of G’s for the lease it works out to about $50 a pound, a little stiff as far as I am concerned.   And on the cam, you  can not call yourself a sportsman or outdoors man if you look the other way.  It is incumbent on all of us to report bad activity that we witness.  If you don’t not only are you complicit, you open us all to criticism that we face from the anti’s.  Good to hear from you.

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

The Boss will be out of town most of next week so I will be batching it.  Monday the Mako is back in action and with it I intend to fish a bunch.  All I ask is for it not to be 90 (We hit a 100+ heat index yesterday.)  at 11:30 like it was today when I took out.  So a short trip somewhere is in the works next week, just waiting to see how the weather plays out before I make a plan, but there will be a plan.  And I appreciate you all sticking with me the last month as I took a break, but I am sick of the break and ready to put the hurt on them.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

The Wade Right Fishing Belt

Brought to you by

The Best Wading System on the  planet

Sorry I have gotten nothing up since Monday but several things got in the way.  Tuesday I was headed to New Braunfels to pick up the plate for the tunnel on the Mako.  And as usual it was not quite as advertised.  I love my boat but dealing Mako sure leaves something to be desired.

*****************The Knockin Tail Lure with a built in tail rattle!   Look for it this winter.

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

So after the struggle just to get the part, it went a little crazy.  I get there and the parts guy goes there are 3.  3?  Hell I was just hoping for 1.  I actually wanted 2, but then the surprise.  In spite of the fact I had multiple contacts with the Mako parts manager at the plant the dealer said the plate was $122 each!  Wtf?  It is a fiberglass plate that is basically 15″ x 30″ and barely a 1/4″ thick.  The problem, the Mako parts manager told me they were $50.  And to make it more interesting laying all 3 plates on top of each other they were not exactly the same.  (Very typical of Mako’s quality control.)  I took the 2 best, paid the $50 each, and headed back to Victoria.

Wednesday I had to head to Austin to get the Boss’s car service so there went that day.  But the traffic, how in the world folks could fight that every day is beyond me.  The Boss and I have traveled to many of the big cities in this country, and quite a few in foreign countries, and nothing, and I mean nothing, tops Austin.  I thought Istanbul was nuts.  We lived in Fort Worth and it did not hold a candle to Austin’s traffic.  The guy who checked me in at the dealer said he lives around 15 miles from the shop and it takes him a good hour to get to work every morning.  What a hassle.  Think about it, 2 hours+ travel time everyday, ends up costing folks 400 hours a year going to work.  That works out to over 16 DAYS a year sitting in traffic.  No thanks, just hope it is worth it for those of you who live there.  But I digress.

So at least I have the part, and then Friday the marina called and the Mako was ready to go after the annual.  It now has 700 hours, which means I am averaging about 100 hours a year.  Everything checked out fine, and the compression is 125 on all cylinders, which is always a relief to hear that.  So I hitched it up and headed to the fiberglass shop to see how much it would be to get the plate mounted.

The owner came out and looked at it, and after I said I wasn’t sure what was used to put it on originally he said he did.  They used 3M 5200 and he showed me how.  And then something so unusual these days, he said you can do this,  (I can.)  and gave me a step by step process to do it, which will save me hundreds over his $120 hour labor.  Like all jobs like this prep is the answer.  So I spent yesterday getting everything I need and will do it in the morning as soon as I get a face mask.  Don’t want to lay on my back and sand fiberglass in my face.  So I will prep a couple of things, lay everything out, and hopefully knock it out early tomorrow morning as it needs to be applied at less than 90 degrees.  (Boy am I sick of that.)  According to 3M it takes a week to cure and I will not rush that.  Boat ownership is a blessing and a curse.

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

Several of the boys from Austin fished POC yesterday and here is Robert’s report.

Tough day in port O’Conner with only two tides and winds gusting to near 30mph out of SE. I caught 4 dink trout, 2 rat reds to 19.99” and a lizard fish. water temp is 88 degrees . No topwater action .Multiple bites but no hookups on drift fishing only. Ran from froggies to Pringle to Fish Pond to JHook to Sunday beach to old coast guard station and back to ramp between 8am and 1pm. Water was trout green in Pringle lake area to murky most other places we drifted. Saturday, we are starting earlier and using trolling motor to work area harder along shoreline. I used red sparkle beetles from H&H with 1/4oz jig head and white bass assassin .Others used artificials with no success. Still nice to be on the water.

Sounds like it was a tough day but the boys know how to catch them and I  am sure today will be a better day.  So keep on keeping on and it will happen.

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

I know I might rant to much about posting things on social media when you are breaking the law but there were a couple of prime examples yesterday.  A couple of guys in Florida caught a big Goliath Grouper and ended up putting it in the boat with pictures of the fish and them.  How stupid can you get?  It is illegal, and has been for years, to take one out of the water.  There were immediately comments telling them how stupid they were, and I agree.  Social media played a part in expanding this blog, and also led to meeting lots of great fishermen, but it can come with a price.  So before you hit send stop for just a minute and think about it.  I am sure by now that post has made it’s way to the Florida authorities.

And the other post just chapped my ass.  Someone wanted to know what to do with trespassers on a trail cam illegally hunting on their lease.  I could not believe some of the comments.  Things like if it is just your lease and not your land mind your own business.  Others basically calling them a rat if they shared it with law enforcement.  If that is your opinion you are not a sportsman, you are nothing but complicit.  What is wrong with folks?  It is people like this that give nut cases like PETA and other organizations ammunition to continue their assault on fishing and hunting.  We all have a duty to protect the resource and if you condone this type of behavior you are just as bad, or maybe worse.

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

A little Saturday football is on tap.  Texas v. Oklahoma State, Auburn v. A&M, and Arkansas v. San Jose State, all with the potential to be good games.  The Cowboys have Miami tomorrow and if there was a local sports book I would definitely bet on the Cowboys no matter how big the line is.  Should be a butt whipping.

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

Then Monday back on the water, and hopefully several other days.  Funny how busy one gets when retired.  How in the hell I ever got things done when working full time I do not have a clue.  So while watching football some new line on rods and some reel maintanance will be in order.  So keep stopping in, I promise there is more fishing to come, and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

The Wade Right Fishing Belt

Brought to you by

The Best Wading System on the  planet

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

Red Sky In The Morning…………….

The lake continues to drop and the water color is really nice.  The wind was blowing around 10 – 15 mph out of the NE as I headed up lake.  There was a tiny touch of fall in the air, and I was hoping they were going to bite a little bit, and they did.

Weather

94/76.  Clouds and sunshine with a 40% chance of thunderstorms.  Wind ENE 10 – 15mph.

Lake Level

9/12  95.79 msl.   Today  95.73 msl.  (And the downward trend continues.)

Solunar Times

Minor 8:19 am to 9:19 am.  Major  2:31 pm to 4:31 pm.

*****************The Knockin Tail Lure with a built in tail rattle!   Look for it this winter.

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

I was out before the moon went down, and the sun was not up yet.  So I decided to throw the Whopper Plopper for a little while.  First up was a bank I had not fished lately with lots of stumps and logs which are slowly becoming visible.  Finally after an hour I got 2 bites, boating one and losing the other in one spot.  That would be a theme of sorts today, it was multiple bites when I got them.  But the next 15 or so all came pitching and casting using a 5″ senko style worm in watermelon red, a 1/4oz tonguston slip sinker, and a 3/0 wide gap worm hook.  And I am pegging the slip sinker tight to the head to work it through the cover without getting hung near so much.  I did lose a couple in the brush, but if you do not toss it directly in their mouth right now it can be a little tough.

To make a long story short on numbers, 3 came off one pile, 7 came in another stretch, (That was mayhem for 5 minutes!)  and it went from there.  There were not many stops that when I caught one I did not get a couple of bites.  Deeper banks are definitely the better choice right now.

Fishing is getting better an inch at a time.

The Boss put in an order for a catfish if I caught one.  Of course promising a catfish on lures is generally not going to happen.  But since I brought some ice along I decided to keep a couple of bass for a fish fry, and boy was I glad I did for a different reason.

They have been just picking it up by the tail and I missed quite a few a couple of trips ago so I slowed down on setting the hook.  So of course I did the same today and they were swallowing it.  Again some never “hit” it, they just either started swimming with it or were just on.  So I was lifting it slowly making sure on each twitch there was not one on there, and if there was you could follow them as they swam with it.  And today they were not only swimming with it but a couple I kept for the pan ended up being  bad gut hooked.  They might have made it if released so instead it was release to the grease.

What made it interesting today was that I actually boated a limit of keepers.  Now they would not have weighed all that much, but it was a limit.  It seems like the fish are just like me, they want fall.  Most today were a little skinny with nothing in their bellies.  The bite has gotten a little better each trip and same for the size.  Still haven’t stuck a big girl but that is coming.

When I put in this morning it was just me and a kayaker, and when I took out at 1:00 there was just a guy having trouble with his motor idling.  He crappie fished this morning and caught 20 big keepers.  I saw Mr. Crappie but didn’t get a chance to speak with him but the crappie have been biting all year this year.  With so little folks fishing the lake right now I basically have it to myself.  Makes for a great morning, turkeys doing their thing, a couple of does, and the Whopper Plopper calling in 2 small gators.  Great day to be alive.

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

Excited…..For A Second

My phone let me know I had a text.  I opened it and was immediately in the throes of fishing greatness….but…….  Larry and Kyle, a couple of my Chandeleur Island buddies, are headed back to fish the Southern Belle for 4 days in October.  The minute I read the text I was already packing in my mind, but like all good plans there was a hitch.  That is when we are meeting the grandkids at Great Wolf Lodge in Dallas for a big weekend.  There was only one day of overlap but it just would not work out.  Some things are just that important.  But it sure did pop my bubble as I would have gone in a minute.  One of those trips if you are a saltwater guy you definitely need to add to your bucket list.

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

No Fixin’ Stupid

The TPWD Game Warden notes had another case this month from social media.  They had posted pictures of an alligator in their pool, and when officers arrived they found 5 baby alligators.  Keep posting stupid shit folks, saves our Game Wardens, and maybe the IRS, a lot of work when you tell on yourself.  One thing I learned practicing criminal law, if you do not have anything intelligent to say  (In other words think before you hit post!)  keep your mouth shut.  But I guess when you are stupid enough to break game laws …..………

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

Last Oregon Word

I forgot 2 things I wanted to say about Oregon.  First, it is the cleanest state we have ever visited.  It was noticeable in Bend and especially along the highway.  Guess the littering  fine up to $6200 keeps folks from trashing the place.  Texas not so much.  And last, the beer.  There is a brewery on every corner and I was pleasantly surprised I found a couple I really liked.  In the famous words of Justice Kavanaugh – I Like Beer!

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

Tomorrow looks promising on the lake.  The forecast has a 60% chance of rain tomorrow turning into possible heavy thunderstorms and possible flash flooding later in the evening.  As I am kicked out of the house for the cleaning lady if it will not get to crazy outside it will be back to the lake.  The last time we got this weather I had a pretty good day and I would like a repeat.  Otherwise it will be off to New Braunfuls to pick up the part, other wise it will be Wednesday and by then the Mako should be done and I can get the part mounted and be back in action.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

The Wade Right Fishing Belt

Brought to you by

The Best Wading System on the  planet

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

Bend

Our first stop on the Oregon trip was Bend.  Surrounded by thousands of acres of National Forest and BLM land it has plenty to do if you love the outdoors.  Our primary reason for starting  there was to take a fly fishing lesson, and that worked out just like I thought it would.  (Or hoped it would for the Boss.)

The Boss getting it done!

Of all the choices in fishing in the area I settled on River Borne Outfitters located in Madras.  We met up with the owner at the Deschutes River Fly Shop and Camp for our lesson and for 2 hours he covered all the basics with knots, equipment, and casting.  Then off to the river right down the road for 3 hours of fishing.  They supplied everything needed to fish so other than our lunch nothing else was needed.  Check them out, they did it right.

https://deschutesriverflyshop.com/

Matt, our guide, puts one in the net.

Matt the guide then took us to the Deschutes.  An interesting river it only has the resident wild Rednose rainbow trout, a native whitefish, and summer run steelhead.  The fish are native and no stocking is done to keep the genetics pure.  In an interesting aside, while you can drift or float the river you have to get out of the boat to actually fish.  A pissing match between competing interests, seems we have seen that most places we have fished, resulted in this unusual rule.  But in the long run there are trout in that river who never see a bait.

2 happy fisherpersons – The Deschutes River.

And the fishing went exactly as I figured, the Boss got the hang of it and I sucked.  She managed to get 4 out of the 6 she hooked to the net, though all did not make it in.  I had 4 good bites and hooked 2, but with my well known superior fly fishing skills I managed to screw it up.  There was only one small hitch when the Boss slipped and filled her waders, but she took it like a trooper.

Guess that power fishing I do so much does not lend itself well to barbless hooks smaller than mosquito.  I did not have my readers so I could barely see it but I guess you call that a “hook”.  But the day was a rip roaring success.  The guys were great and I could not recommend them any more highly.  (Nice trip when you hire 2 different guides in 2 different places and both are great.)  Matt was patient trying to help me remove head from rear end, but as far as I was concerned getting the Boss into it was the ulterior motive.  And the Boss took to it immediately and is wanting more,  so another trip to fly water is in the planning stage.

*****************The Knockin Tail Lure with a built in tail rattle!   Look for it this winter.

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

Lava from Crater Lake – 60 miles away!  Muley.

We did some hiking and lots of driving.  As we further explore the mountains in different states I am continually surprised at the amount of available places to fish.  Bass, trout, seaonal salmon, pike, walleye, they are all available somewhere.  I was surprised when we checked the records for Oregon and the largemouth was over 12lbs!  And even though it was the holiday weekend stopping at several lakes most had maybe a couple of boats.  And miles and miles of trout water.  There was also a large area for 4 wheelers to go nuts.  Plenty of room for all.

Cool streams everywhere.  And forest as far as you could see.

These guys were everywhere.  And kids with their spots.

We did not see that many animals other than the pictures but that was just locational on our part.  And the frog thing was crazy.  Of course it is some kind of endangered frog.  The lake where we saw them had some knucklehead put bullheads in the lake which ate all the frogs.  No problem now, the picture does not do them justice, there were millions.  My bigger questions – What would prompt someone to put bullheads in a beautiful mountain lake with bass and trout.  No fixing stupid.

I had no clue they had antelope there.  We were almost a mile away and they hit the road!

The town of Bend was not quite what I was expecting.  The Boss does the planning, I just follow along.  I was expecting a little mountain town, but Bend is a town of 89,000 that is also a big weekend place.  Good eats, walk to most anywhere, the Deschutes running right through the middle of town, it was situated in the middle of untold acres of forest land with plenty of outdoor activities to keep you busy.

Ponderosa Pine – One big ass tree.

There are both lodge pole pine and ponderosa pines.  Most of the areas had been logged over and re-growth, which is still going on, but there were some awesome trees.  Even though we kept after it there are millions of acres open to the public and we only saw a small piece of it.  If you like to do anything outside Bend has plenty to offer.  And when combined with Astoria on the coast and Portland it was a cool trip.

A beautiful lake surrounded by cool mountains.

Folks fishing the tail race.  Sorry this is not clearer but these are frogs, thousands of them.

Of course I have forgotten plenty of stuff, but I have slept since then, but suffice to say a great area.  One interesting thing, the owner of the fly shop is starting to think about a “winter” type place and he has been looking at the Texas coast.  When he reads this the offer is still open, email on the way.

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

Portland

We finished our trip in Portland.  An interesting big city.  We had one of the better Greek meals ever at Eleni’s Philoxenia.  After a couple of visits to Greece we love the food and this place filled the bill.  Authentic food the way it should be, we told out waiter to compliment the Chef who turned out to be the owner.  And surprise, he came to our table and told us exactly how he prepared the food.  He was personable and you could tell he appreciated the comment and was happy to share his love of Greek food.  If you are ever in Portland put it on the menu, you will not be dissapointed.

We did lots of walking downtown and it is as safe as big city can be.  But one thing, the homeless.  Portland is a progressive city and the homeless, there are lots of them, are basically given a free pass.  Of couurse with that comes a few problems, they camp literally anywhere and everywhere.  And with that comes piles of garbage, little huts in doorways, and just a general mess in places.  It was funny how we were never panhandled, unusual considering.  Of course the businesses do not all appreciate them, nothing like finding a couple of dudes setting up camp in your doorway and leaving a mess.  And of course the occasional mentally ill walking down the street screaming.  But like so many places – Welcome to the big city.

But folks ride bikes, run, walk, enjoying a healthy life style.  And the bookstore, oh the book store.  A square block and 4 stories tall, it is a thing of beauty for readers like me.  While I kept it to a dull roar the book I am reading right now on the Bluefin Tuna came from there and it is a good thing I do not live close!

So after a couple of days we packed up, grabbed the salmon and home we went.  It was a good trip that went as well as it could be.  And to see the Boss fly fishing, much less smacking the salmon, put a cherry on top of that sunday.  Oregon is a great state to visit and I would recommend it to anyone.  Next up on the major travel scene, who knows.  (I am lobbying for fly fishing in Colorado.)   But no matter where it is if it goes as smoothly as this trip I can’t wait.

Good Luck and Tight Lines.

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

The Wade Right Fishing Belt

Brought to you by

The Best Wading System on the  planet

Worth getting up for!

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Weather

95/71.  Mostly sunny and hot with a 13% chance of rain.  Wind ENE 8 -14 mph.

Lake Level

Wednesday  95.77 msl.  Today  95.79 msl.   (Just might have gotten a little water after yesterdays rain.)

Solunar Times

No relevant period when I was fishing.

******************The Knockin Tail Lure with a built in tail rattle!   Look for it this winter.

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

I was on the water at daylight and there were several things that were different than they have been.  First, the water did not go down, a plus.  But it was just a little more off color here and there, probably from yesterdays rain.  Second, the wind was out of the East and it had just a little touch of fall in it.  Of course that did not last.  By time I quit it was dead flat calm and humid as heck.

They were eating the Bang O Lure this morning.  The first and last topwater bass.

Today I stuck with the Bang O Lure and the stick worm all morning.  Changing it up a little it was down lake first, then up lake.  Wanted to give the sun time to come out and maybe push the fish to the wood or brush.  And it worked out to an extent.

The first bank, the deepest main lake bank there is gave up 4 on the Bang O Lure.  One thing that is interesting about using a topwater right now is that they are right on the bank, and I mean no later than the second jerk.  Normally I can finesse them to chase the Bang O Lure, but unless it is on their face they are not chasing.  Must be why the buzzbait bite has stopped.  And when you combine the way they are eating the plastic, biting but not eating if that makes sense, they really are not aggressive.

I stuck with deeper banks everywhere today, and like it has been 1 here, 2 there.  And the plastic bite continues to be hinky.  Up lake I stuck with channel banks and that is where most of the bites came.  I used a little more patience today, and boated 7, but you really had to let them have it and I still missed a few.  And like the topwater, all were basically really shallow, even on a ledge leading to really deep water they were in a couple of feet off the drop.  It was a matter of lifting up and if you felt anything, or nothing, holding until you could feel them before setting the hook.  And they were not quite the size, though what is right now, of the topwater fish.

On the other hand 6 were landed on the topwater, and I missed several.  Probably 3 or 4 of them hit it the minute it hit the water, the others on the second jerk.  Topwater is definitely better down lake in the clearer water and I did not have a bite on it up lake.

The plan was to stick it out a while but around 11:00 big clouds with lots of thunder was coming over the hill.  There were only 3 trailers at the ramp and when I hit idle at the buoy and looked back here came the other 2 boats.  Not sure if it got there but looked like it on the radar when I got home.  No matter what not doing that thunder and lightning thing.

When it was all said and done it was 13 boated and I missed at least half that many.  I am starting to see just a slow improvement in the lake.  Numbers are slowly coming up and at least a couple were not flat out dinks.  There are still fish breaking on shad in lots of places, but again putting it right on them is the only way I have gotten any of them to eat.  If we can get at least enough rain to stabilize the fall, then a break in this heat, maybe the fish will get a little more motivated.  I know i will.  But as tough as it has been it is improving.  Hope springs eternal.

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

I am really looking forward to the Controlled Descent Knockin’ Tail lure when it comes out this winter.  it will actually be perfect timing, but not for the reason you might think.  Hopefully we will be seeing it near the end of the year which is perfect Alabama rig time.  Take all those swimming baits on the rig, and add in the rattles, and it has the potential to be a big bass killer.  Seems like winter fishing  will never come.

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

Still waiting on the Mako.  So that is the priority now, and as soon as the tune up is done it will off to the fiberglass dude to get the plate installed and then I am back in “real” action.  The skiff is an awesome fishing boat, but big runs in this sketchy weather are out of the question. But any chance I have to facilitate the Mako getting down will take priority.  But hey, the skiff has had everything from tarpon to bluegill, the Everglades to Arkansas, and it keeps me on the water.

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

So that is it for today.  The fishing will continue and several trips are in the works.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

A Day Of Reflection

My wife and I were both paramedics in our past, and this time of year we pause and remember 9/11.  So many people senselessly murdered, both innocent civilians, and those brave firefighters, police, and medics who responded to the Twin Towers.  Duty called and they answered.

They answered the call!

We actually had a trip scheduled to New York City 2 months after 9/11 but instead of cancelling like so many visitors were doing, we decided to go anyway.  It was one of the best decisions we ever made.  We should never let them win.  This was not: “Somebody did something.”  This was wanton murder done in the name of Allah.  I am not the one saying that, they did.  We should never forget what happened or who did it.

Never ever forget!  This is the “Something somebody did!”

Our trip to Ground Zero is forever etched in my mind.  The buildings were still smoking.  And seeing a large digger against the pile of rubble was like a small Tonka toy next to a mountain.  The size was so massive, beyond what I imagened.  And the smell was something I will never forget.  The walls surrounding the area, if memory serves me correct it was 19 square blocks, were covered with pictures of the missing, flowers, and expressions of grief and remorse.  It was so moving as people stood on the sidewalks clapping as first responders entered and left Ground Zero.  But it was so heartbreaking to see family members walking the streets carrying pictures of their loved ones.

This is what it is all about.  So sad.

As we walked, we came upon a store front that someone rented and was selling pictures of what happened to raise funds for people that suffered that day.  These pictures were donated by anyone who was there.  Walking through that old store, the walls were covered with pictures that left me mad, hurt, but yet so proud. That little store was a shrine to the events of that day and the many others that followed.  It was a moving time and one I will never forget.  So if you get a chance in the next couple of days, if you see a cop, a medic, or a fireman, stop and thank them.  Every day they put on the uniform and head out, willing to lay it all on the line for us, and they deserve our thanks.

God Bless America.

(I comment on this often.  And today going through online pictures I used above really reminded me why we should never forget.  At least the government finally renewed the money for folks who are directly sick from their duty at Ground Zero.  I was appalled when I found out the Taliban was coming to our soil, while still killing our brave soldiers.  Disgusting.  Sad that the world has gone nuts but I for one will never forget and we can not let this happen again.)