There is always a starting point for everything you do in life... and this is mine. I never was one for keeping a private diary, but here goes...
I did enjoy the company of a gentleman and his two sons this past weekend. The gentleman was creating memories by fishing with his sons together the last time for a long time. The oldest son, age 20, was headed for boot camp at Great Lakes Naval Training Center. The pride of a father for his Son was overwhelming. Here was an American Hero in waiting. May God bless and protect this young man beneath his wing.
The fishing was not so good, but the pride and love that radiated from this man's soul kept us all warm. It was a rare moment that I was sharing with this man. I was reminded of my own Basic Training and we visited it as the memories came flooding back to me.
The 5 hour nights, the constant exercise and marching on the Grinder and the plain but wholesome meals... all were revisited and shared with the new Recruit. I remembered the gruff countenance of the Drill Instructor and his offer for any six of us to try to take him down. As I remember, I volunteered to be one of the six, figuring that I could whip that short barrel-chested man that loved to scream in my face. The match was over before it really began. No one landed a blow on the DI before all six of us were down on the pavement wondering what bus hit us. I remember swinging a hard left hook at his jaw but the toe of his boot caught me behind the knee and deposited me face up on the ground. I learned that no one should ever take another person for granted... or to challenge the DI.
On the way home from the Sunday fishing trip, the left boat trailer tire blew out in a huge cloud of smoke. I looked for a place to pull off, but the road was built on top of a levee and the shoulder was only a foot or so wide before dropping off to the bottom. The tire was already ruined, but the wheel looked strong enough to take a two mile roll to the garage at home, so off we went at about 5 MPH. The trailer is now sitting in it's usual spot in the garage waiting for me to change the blowout with the spare tire that had been stored in the garage.
I returned a call to George. I won't use his last name in order to preserve his identity. As luck would have it, he was in a meeting. George is working on a project with the ODWC to enhance Oklahoma's Paddlefish harvest. The ODWC earned over $1M in 2008 from the sale of paddlefish caviar. The monies are used for the ODWC budget and the purchase of additional hunting and fishing opportunities in the state. The plan is to build a permanent paddlefish cleaning station at Twin Bridges and to create a new facility at Fort Gibson Lake. Sounds good to me. Soon they may build a paddlefish station here on Kerr or Webbers Falls lake to enable the use of the hundreds of pounds of paddlefish eggs that are wasted or used for bait.
I really enjoy the winter fishing season... the blue catfish are on the prowl in their wintering holes and a lot easier to find the big trophy class fish. The warming waters of spring are already upon us... last month, the surface water temperature was 33 to 34 degrees with areas of thin ice floating on the surface. Sunday, the 15th of February found the surface water temperature at 43 degrees. As the water slowly warms up, the shad will come shallower leading the way for the predatory fish. Now is the time to fish in 5 to 15 feet of water adjacent to a channel or other dropoff into deeper water. The best bait is still cut bait... preferably the same baitfish that had been netted near the fishing place.
I have found a great tool for fishing at night. It is a special green light that attracts bugs, plancton and small fishes to it. Since it does it's job rather well, I have found it to be rather important to use it submerged at least three feet in the water. The one time I used it out of the water for about five minutes, the mosquitos swarmed it and me. This special light attracts shad and minnows from a large area. After a few minutes of turning the light on, a small net is all you need to catch the bait you need to fish with. The shad love the light and will swarm it, creating an artificial lure that catfish and crappie cannot resist.
I did enjoy the company of a gentleman and his two sons this past weekend. The gentleman was creating memories by fishing with his sons together the last time for a long time. The oldest son, age 20, was headed for boot camp at Great Lakes Naval Training Center. The pride of a father for his Son was overwhelming. Here was an American Hero in waiting. May God bless and protect this young man beneath his wing.
The fishing was not so good, but the pride and love that radiated from this man's soul kept us all warm. It was a rare moment that I was sharing with this man. I was reminded of my own Basic Training and we visited it as the memories came flooding back to me.
The 5 hour nights, the constant exercise and marching on the Grinder and the plain but wholesome meals... all were revisited and shared with the new Recruit. I remembered the gruff countenance of the Drill Instructor and his offer for any six of us to try to take him down. As I remember, I volunteered to be one of the six, figuring that I could whip that short barrel-chested man that loved to scream in my face. The match was over before it really began. No one landed a blow on the DI before all six of us were down on the pavement wondering what bus hit us. I remember swinging a hard left hook at his jaw but the toe of his boot caught me behind the knee and deposited me face up on the ground. I learned that no one should ever take another person for granted... or to challenge the DI.
On the way home from the Sunday fishing trip, the left boat trailer tire blew out in a huge cloud of smoke. I looked for a place to pull off, but the road was built on top of a levee and the shoulder was only a foot or so wide before dropping off to the bottom. The tire was already ruined, but the wheel looked strong enough to take a two mile roll to the garage at home, so off we went at about 5 MPH. The trailer is now sitting in it's usual spot in the garage waiting for me to change the blowout with the spare tire that had been stored in the garage.
I returned a call to George. I won't use his last name in order to preserve his identity. As luck would have it, he was in a meeting. George is working on a project with the ODWC to enhance Oklahoma's Paddlefish harvest. The ODWC earned over $1M in 2008 from the sale of paddlefish caviar. The monies are used for the ODWC budget and the purchase of additional hunting and fishing opportunities in the state. The plan is to build a permanent paddlefish cleaning station at Twin Bridges and to create a new facility at Fort Gibson Lake. Sounds good to me. Soon they may build a paddlefish station here on Kerr or Webbers Falls lake to enable the use of the hundreds of pounds of paddlefish eggs that are wasted or used for bait.
I really enjoy the winter fishing season... the blue catfish are on the prowl in their wintering holes and a lot easier to find the big trophy class fish. The warming waters of spring are already upon us... last month, the surface water temperature was 33 to 34 degrees with areas of thin ice floating on the surface. Sunday, the 15th of February found the surface water temperature at 43 degrees. As the water slowly warms up, the shad will come shallower leading the way for the predatory fish. Now is the time to fish in 5 to 15 feet of water adjacent to a channel or other dropoff into deeper water. The best bait is still cut bait... preferably the same baitfish that had been netted near the fishing place.
I have found a great tool for fishing at night. It is a special green light that attracts bugs, plancton and small fishes to it. Since it does it's job rather well, I have found it to be rather important to use it submerged at least three feet in the water. The one time I used it out of the water for about five minutes, the mosquitos swarmed it and me. This special light attracts shad and minnows from a large area. After a few minutes of turning the light on, a small net is all you need to catch the bait you need to fish with. The shad love the light and will swarm it, creating an artificial lure that catfish and crappie cannot resist.
Click here to take the 30-Day trial and see the amazing swarm for yourself!
Urgent Warning: Do not buy another piece of fishing equipment...
...until you have seen this hidden discovery from the 1940's that
has just been revealed!
Urgent Warning: Do not buy another piece of fishing equipment...
...until you have seen this hidden discovery from the 1940's that
has just been revealed!
