4/18-4/20 - Calamity of Errors but Learning Nonetheless
Apr 21, 2015 13:31:20 GMT -5
widgeon3 likes this
Post by Deleted on Apr 21, 2015 13:31:20 GMT -5
My wife and son planned to join me on Saturday and Sunday morning. I arrived early Saturday to catch bait.. I wanted mongos but settled for ales and some money makers. My goal was to take the family to the peaceful place I have been hiding out and just pull the bait while we enjoyed nature. A canoe trip of sorts without the paddles... right? And hey...since the family was not there yet, I ran down to clear water to do some filming.
The water down there is so gorgeous especially when you desire to film what goes on beneath! These shots were taken at the state park...thus..the water has to be even clearer down by the dam.
Is it me or do bass look mad and very capable of kicking a@@!
Here is a cool shot of a striper and two bass lined up behind waiting for a taste. In this video, there are actually several stripers and bass that come in for a sniff. It seems to me that striper have first access.
Anyway..the family arrived around noon and we went to the beach. While at the beach, I discussed our need for more bait and my wife sent me on my merry way. However I felt a bit rushed and kind of guilty for leaving. I then returned with two more money makers and a crushed heart! BigT lost to a log and moreover to my rushing about! And that heat? ICK! But I will fix him up as soon as I get the chance.
So now I was forced to use my 1/2 inch net for the rest of this trip! Throw and throw and more throw. Finally we went fishing! That heat coupled with empty net after empty net gets a man discombobulated.
By 6.30 pm I had my biggest shad in the water with the underwater camera. By 6:32, I was lifting my motor and trying to reach out to get the line untangled from the prop. After cutting the line and re tying, I was back in the water with my camera. 5 minutes later I was getting the line out of my trolling motor prop. Sweaty... Kid asking question after question.... Wife telling me to answer....Thoughts of BigT all mangled.. Trying to just get the lines in the water! Uhhhgggh!
My wife then commented, "Is this what happens all the time? I'm not sure I understand your passion. Seems to me that you are more worried than happy"... as she and my son were gleefully eating their bananas!!
HUH! They were stowed on the boat the whole time??? BANANAS!!!
After quickly removing the fruit and all yellow remnants, I was able to deploy a full spread and my family and I pulled boards until we could pull no more into the night. Several interested takers.. but no fish! It ended wonderfully as the owl made his call and my son peacefully slept on the bow. I so wanted him to see a big fish.... Nada.
The next morning (4/19) I got up early to catch bait. I had been watching my videos and really took note that I was throwing too high which made more of an oval rather than a pancake. My friends told me this but it was the video that made it stick. The prior day I was really throwing good and even. Like a Frisbee.
So there I am..all peaceful..you know..Yam-like...early morning...no distractions...easing up onto a high overhanging light.... heart pumping a bit..excited...winding up for the first even throw of the morning....swing...release....KABLAM!
I threw my net onto the light that was 7 feet above my highest point on the boat and at least 15 feet away! Ughhhhh! I owe someone a new globe but the light still works! Yes...this is a public announcement...YAM TOOK OUT THAT LIGHT! Again, I will gladly pay for my damage.
So....after spending an hour creating some crazy system to get my out-of-reach and tangled net back...I continued on...
Throw and throw and throw and throw....6 decent baits and literally a boatload of dead, crunchy little guys.
As I started to clean the bait out of my boat I thought to myself.."Hey..it would be so nice to get my son out of bed and feed some of this bait to the geese and ducks." A nice and peaceful idea... a family man I am...
And then I looked up and was ...and I'm not exaggerating...heading 3.2 mph straight for the side of a house boat. Not sure how my trolling motor turned on (RABBIT) but turning it would not have saved me. However, I jumped to the console and started the boat, revved and kicked her in reverse in one motion and somehow did not touch that boat! Inches from Plexiglas. I could actually see in the windows at the people sleeping. Another near miss!
So then I just picked up my wife and 3yo son and we fed them ducks. He really enjoyed it until mommy said we had to go. And then he cried all the way to the parking lot!
My mind was torn. I missed them already and nothing was going right... Why didn't I just go home with them?
Then...I decided to get more bait so I could revisit my happy place. I was on some kind of mission that I can't really define. I even passed up jumping fish because I saw a few gizzard blips in the back of a creek I had never been to.
I saw Brian along the way and met Greg as well. My conversation with both was rather short and I apologize for seeming consumed. I needed big bait and that 1/2 inch made it real hard!
Finally I went fishing in the rain and caught a few 26 inchers but the rain and wind started to get fierce. Thus, I decided to get back closer to my hotel. And of course, I had to fish a few creeks close to the hotel before calling it a night. Right? And as I shivered from cold, a ferocious attack occurred on my biggest bait while making a crazy cove turn. And as soon as I grabbed the pole, the line was broke? HUH??? No tension what so ever, the planer disappeared and then came back up like a jaws film. This was not a snag because I saw the bait get rolled on.
Off to bed... from heat exhaustion to mild hypothermia...
So... Monday I simply got some monster ales and a few gizzards and went down south again. I saw many giant fish feeding, splashing and wallowing but they were not hooking up with me. And I didn't really care...I was just simply concentrating on breathing. I did catch some smaller fish on my smaller ales and had many pull backs on my bigger gizzards, but the monster ales never even got looked at.
I called it a day once I saw lightening and quickly weaved my way through the debris field and decaying matter just praying I could get home safe. The Hardy ramp was a pleasant site for once. Normally, I am bummed to leave...not this time...
I need a break.
But that clean water and those glowing eyes are running through my brain.....
The water down there is so gorgeous especially when you desire to film what goes on beneath! These shots were taken at the state park...thus..the water has to be even clearer down by the dam.
Is it me or do bass look mad and very capable of kicking a@@!
Here is a cool shot of a striper and two bass lined up behind waiting for a taste. In this video, there are actually several stripers and bass that come in for a sniff. It seems to me that striper have first access.
Anyway..the family arrived around noon and we went to the beach. While at the beach, I discussed our need for more bait and my wife sent me on my merry way. However I felt a bit rushed and kind of guilty for leaving. I then returned with two more money makers and a crushed heart! BigT lost to a log and moreover to my rushing about! And that heat? ICK! But I will fix him up as soon as I get the chance.
So now I was forced to use my 1/2 inch net for the rest of this trip! Throw and throw and more throw. Finally we went fishing! That heat coupled with empty net after empty net gets a man discombobulated.
By 6.30 pm I had my biggest shad in the water with the underwater camera. By 6:32, I was lifting my motor and trying to reach out to get the line untangled from the prop. After cutting the line and re tying, I was back in the water with my camera. 5 minutes later I was getting the line out of my trolling motor prop. Sweaty... Kid asking question after question.... Wife telling me to answer....Thoughts of BigT all mangled.. Trying to just get the lines in the water! Uhhhgggh!
My wife then commented, "Is this what happens all the time? I'm not sure I understand your passion. Seems to me that you are more worried than happy"... as she and my son were gleefully eating their bananas!!
HUH! They were stowed on the boat the whole time??? BANANAS!!!
After quickly removing the fruit and all yellow remnants, I was able to deploy a full spread and my family and I pulled boards until we could pull no more into the night. Several interested takers.. but no fish! It ended wonderfully as the owl made his call and my son peacefully slept on the bow. I so wanted him to see a big fish.... Nada.
The next morning (4/19) I got up early to catch bait. I had been watching my videos and really took note that I was throwing too high which made more of an oval rather than a pancake. My friends told me this but it was the video that made it stick. The prior day I was really throwing good and even. Like a Frisbee.
So there I am..all peaceful..you know..Yam-like...early morning...no distractions...easing up onto a high overhanging light.... heart pumping a bit..excited...winding up for the first even throw of the morning....swing...release....KABLAM!
I threw my net onto the light that was 7 feet above my highest point on the boat and at least 15 feet away! Ughhhhh! I owe someone a new globe but the light still works! Yes...this is a public announcement...YAM TOOK OUT THAT LIGHT! Again, I will gladly pay for my damage.
So....after spending an hour creating some crazy system to get my out-of-reach and tangled net back...I continued on...
Throw and throw and throw and throw....6 decent baits and literally a boatload of dead, crunchy little guys.
As I started to clean the bait out of my boat I thought to myself.."Hey..it would be so nice to get my son out of bed and feed some of this bait to the geese and ducks." A nice and peaceful idea... a family man I am...
And then I looked up and was ...and I'm not exaggerating...heading 3.2 mph straight for the side of a house boat. Not sure how my trolling motor turned on (RABBIT) but turning it would not have saved me. However, I jumped to the console and started the boat, revved and kicked her in reverse in one motion and somehow did not touch that boat! Inches from Plexiglas. I could actually see in the windows at the people sleeping. Another near miss!
So then I just picked up my wife and 3yo son and we fed them ducks. He really enjoyed it until mommy said we had to go. And then he cried all the way to the parking lot!
My mind was torn. I missed them already and nothing was going right... Why didn't I just go home with them?
Then...I decided to get more bait so I could revisit my happy place. I was on some kind of mission that I can't really define. I even passed up jumping fish because I saw a few gizzard blips in the back of a creek I had never been to.
I saw Brian along the way and met Greg as well. My conversation with both was rather short and I apologize for seeming consumed. I needed big bait and that 1/2 inch made it real hard!
Finally I went fishing in the rain and caught a few 26 inchers but the rain and wind started to get fierce. Thus, I decided to get back closer to my hotel. And of course, I had to fish a few creeks close to the hotel before calling it a night. Right? And as I shivered from cold, a ferocious attack occurred on my biggest bait while making a crazy cove turn. And as soon as I grabbed the pole, the line was broke? HUH??? No tension what so ever, the planer disappeared and then came back up like a jaws film. This was not a snag because I saw the bait get rolled on.
Off to bed... from heat exhaustion to mild hypothermia...
So... Monday I simply got some monster ales and a few gizzards and went down south again. I saw many giant fish feeding, splashing and wallowing but they were not hooking up with me. And I didn't really care...I was just simply concentrating on breathing. I did catch some smaller fish on my smaller ales and had many pull backs on my bigger gizzards, but the monster ales never even got looked at.
I called it a day once I saw lightening and quickly weaved my way through the debris field and decaying matter just praying I could get home safe. The Hardy ramp was a pleasant site for once. Normally, I am bummed to leave...not this time...
I need a break.
But that clean water and those glowing eyes are running through my brain.....