Happy New Year
30 Dec 2018
Well that was a bit early but I probably won’t be writing up for Jan 1, 2019 and didn’t want to be late. You know the saying (or maybe it’s mine) if you aren’t 10 minutes early, you are late. Anyway, I hope everyone had a great Christmas in celebrating The Savior’s birth, and that you got a little extra vacation time. I did get to go fish a few times, got a skunk one day, caught a few trout on another, but then went to play with new electronics Sunday afternoon. Let me say that the weather was incredible, I actually got hot in my long sleeve pull over and t shirt.
The objective of the day was to get a bit more familiar with my new electronics. This is a difficult task for me as I start looking and trying to figure out, I see fish on the screen. I get a bit excited and then just start fishing. It’s a lot of fun that way, but the learning curve is somewhat extended. Oh well, time to fish.
I decided to stick with the crappie jigs and started with my black and silver one, it looked good to me. I realized after trying to hold over fish that a new trolling motor may be in my future. I hear they have them with spot lock or anchor mode or something like that. I have in my possession now a wireless motorguide that I bought used a long time ago. I’m coated lines with electrical tape due to the rot that is occurring. This may have been the first model of wireless trolling motor, I have no clue how old it is, but let me say, it has worked like a champ since I’ve had it.
Anyway, after trying the black and silver for a while, I switched over to the glow hot pink with pink body and white tail. Shortly after I got a couple of small bites. I head down a bank I had found many fish on earlier and began tossing it toward the rocks. This was a steep drop off and I was just letting it sink, possibly I was in tightline mode. I felt a hard knock, thought, I missed him, then pulled and fish on, light line, low drag, everything feels good this time of year. This got me going, had been fishing an hour and a half or so with nothing and all the sudden, I’m back in the game.
I continue on with my amateurish method of fishing and another knock, hook set (a little better prepared this time), and the fight commenced. By the way, I have a honey hole with a wildly hot bait now, cause if I catch a fish on it, it must be good (perhaps I should name that one smuckers).
That was it for the day as far as fish goes. I caught two, figured out a little more about my electronics. I still need to figure one thing out but I should be able to discuss this with them at Watson’s Open House, the vendor is usually there. I realized it is time to look for a deal on a new trolling motor, and I am going to go wireless. I got a few crappie jigs to tie up, I will need something to sale at the shows. I will have some rods, but I like the custom rods and building it for the customer. Hard to say that it’s custom if the request to build it wasn’t put in.
I hope everyone had a great 2018 and that 2019 is an awesome year for you. Today is 31 Dec 2018 and I have turned 50 today. AARP has already been sending me stuff in the mail, maybe I can get cheap coffee now, it usually taste cheap. Be careful if you are out tonight, my retired Marine friend used to call this amateur night, folks that don’t party do it tonight and then get on the roads. I personally shall be in bed prior to ball dropping, it’s a tradition with me. Have a good day and God bless.
07 Dec 2018
Before the Storm
Friday rolled around and I had already gotten my boat back from Greg Clark at Countryside Marine, he installed the new Black Friday fishfinder. Nope that is not the name brand, just when I got the “deal”. I say deal cause it was a good price for what I got, but I bet they still made a dollar or two.
Anyway, the storm was coming this weekend and it looked like a chance to go play with electronics and catch some fish. I put in at the ramp, a couple folks were already out there and then I began dealing with the new fishfinder. The ones I have played with in the past were gray scale, a couple of buttons and me clueless about what I have gotten into. I had spent some time at home getting it out of simulation mode and thought I was ready. However, when I hit the sonar, no source is what showed up. After searching the internet, I finally got this thing operational.
My fear with this new touch screen electronic fishfinder was that the fish would see the new transducer on the Sea Ark and just give up and jump in the boat. Well, that fear was quickly eliminated, they were probably laughing at me trying to figure out what I was doing.
I hit up a spot that I like pretty well and caught a largemouth. I was using my crappie jigs but they seem to catch about anything. After fishing a bit further down I hear someone holler. I look up, see a guy on the bank and figure he must be yelling at a dog. I hear him holler again, then I hear help. I headed over that way and the gentlemen had a dead battery, so I gave them a bit of a tow to the ramp and headed to another spot.
I’m liking this fishfinder but I’ve only begun tapping into it. I can’t seem to focus on it as I am on the water and have rods, so why would I not be fishing. I go down another bank and catch one more. This one was not quite the wall hanger I was hoping for, however, it still felt pretty good tugging on the fishing line.
The day was getting late and I began just trolling around looking investigating the capabilities and realizing that I would not be able to escape reading the manual, or at least a portion. I loaded up and thought I didn’t even have to wear my jacket, my what an awesome day out here. I hope to get back out if there is a fairly decent day in the near future, maybe over Christmas week. The generators are rolling on the river (that would make a great song) and fly fishing ain’t happening till they slower down a bit. I did finish a fishing rod for Christmas and working on one more, then I should be able to make some jigs for a show this year. I hope everyone is doing well, and God bless. If I don’t fish before Christmas, Merry Christmas, let us never forget the reason for the celebration, the birth of The Savior.
