Fishin' sometimes hurts....

The plan Friday evening was to fish from 6:30 until dark to see if we could pick up some crappies. I caught a nice bass right away. Those of you who fish in my boat know that I always have a couple of extra rods and reels set up ready to go. Well, in releasing the bass, I managed to impale a finger on a jig from one of those rods. I looked down and couldn't see the barb. It was totally imbedded in my trigger finger, no less. Glenda helped me pull the trolling motor and we made a dash back to the dock. I got a wire cutters, cut the hook and tried to push it through. That, unfortunately, didn't work. I had to take a pliers and pull it out the way it went in. As I was stopping the blood, Glenda got some band aids and asked "what next"? I told her to mix me a high ball as we were heading back out! Never did get much action afterwards. Caught a few small crappies and more of those ^%%$%^%^ bass.
We were the only boat on the lake and it was a beautiful sunset. Everybody else missed out. I wonder what the poor people were doing dad.....

Goodbye.......

I know this will be tough for some of you. I know how many years you've struggled pulling this albatross out of the water each fall, risking life and limb just so I could save a buck. Well, you won't be doing it any more. I'm having some young bucks pull it out this fall and I have purchased a new aluminum dock. A lot lighter and it comes in two pieces with removable decking. Hey, maybe you guys won't mind pulling that one out?? Maybe??
Had to use all my smarts to find some crappies yesterday. Fished until I could hardly see my rod. The fish were biting right at sundown and thereafter. Caught some nice ones and tossed back one that had to go a pound and a half. Next time I'll bring my headlamp. Guess that will be the plan the rest of the fall until it's time to chase a grouse or two...

Blowin' In The Wind...(And other stuff)

Well, Labor Day weekend was a repeat of the 4th of July weekend. Wind, wind and more wind. Only had the boat out for an hour in three days. You see, my canopy likes to fly and I didn't want to chase it all the way to Dalton. I bought a bunch of nice minnows Friday night. The bucket is still at the end of the dock. Betcha most of those minnows are toast...
I did, however, have one revelation today. I stopped at the liquor store because Tuesday is "Senior Citizens Day" and I get a 10% discount! The girl kinda eyed me and I said that yes, I qualified. She said she hated to ask people as some were offended by the question of age. She said she wasn't sure with me. When I told her how old I was going to be next May, she said"Wow, you sure have nice skin". WHHAAATTT?? How come no one's ever told me THAT before?? Throw me a bone folks! I could use it.
Hey, tomorrow's hump day. Maybe, just maybe, I can go fishin' next weekend.......However, I will wear a hat and sunscreen. Don't want to damage the skin.....

Walking With Giants

Saturday was a beautiful day. Not too warm, not too cool. The sun was shining and there was a nice breeze. People were out everywhere enjoying their day off. These great people spent part of it walking ditches, breathing in exhaust fumes, picking up trash...
To Clay, Blase, Connie, Tommy, Walker, Loretta, Uwe, Stone, Kevin, Kurt and Cathy....Thank you!!

Fishin', Long Lake Style.......

A long time ago, I had a discussion with the man formerly known as "Walleye Mike" about catching big fish. We agreeded that catching big fish are easier than small fish cuz they have bigger mouths. Small fish require a more precise presentation to put the bait just where it has to be, etc., etc., etc., You see where this is going...
At any rate, this morning at dawn I made the perfect presentation to land this beauty! For those of you that don't know my fishing strategy, that's a 2" Twister Tail on a 1/16 oz jig. Ok, now you know my secret.
I managed to hold this in the air with one hand while taking the picture with the other. Pretty good, huh? And, yes since I believe in catch and release, I let this little gem go.
After all the excitement, I trimmed a big old maple, played with my chainsaw and went and visited an old Norwegian carpenter who put up with my ineptness for almost five years.
Next Saturday a bunch of people will walk ditches, rain or shine, picking up all sorts of trash and junk. Those people are my friends.......

"Rockin' In The Free World"

Procured a cubic yard of river rock and spent a good part of the weekend hauling it, one five gallon pail at a time... Upon completion, I felt a beer was in order. I sat on the shore for a long time. It was nice and peaceful, plus I was unable to move anyway...
We took a nice canoe ride Saturday night. Anyone know how to fix a leaky canoe?
Next weekend it's dock shopping, AND it's"Watermelon Days" in Vining. Probably won't make that. Think I'll try and catch a fish instead.

Dewey Bakin' Cookies!

Yeah, I know....what the heck is this about??
Got knocked off the lake last night due to lightning and the fishing this morning was lousy.
I mentioned that I was out of cookies and was informed that if I wanted some, I had to make them. So, with a little assist, I knocked out these beauties! Ok, some are attached to each other and I had an issue with the butter that I won't go into, but all in all, things turned out ok. Hey, "Real Texas Fish", they are much easier to make with propane!
August can be a tough time to fish. A couple more weekends and it's time to walk some ditches.....