Off to Dale Hollow Wednesday...

I am once again proving that I am the BIGGEST IDIOT FISHERMAN alive come Wednesday. My buddy Hens and I will be shoving off from Gtown heading down to my future retirement community of Celina TN for 2 days of FNF, Silver Buddy, Hoss Fly, Drop Shot, Jig and whatever other artificial bait needed to attempt to catch some beautiful Smalljaws. My first day on the water since May, 3 surgeries, 5 hospital stays totalling 65 days plus just got out of the hospital this morning due to mal-nuritious(sp) and dehydration. Lost so much weight that when I lose 1 more pound probably tomorrow I will weigh 281 which is EXACTLY half of the 562 at my biggest I weighed the day I made the worst decision of my life which was Gastric Bypass Surgery March of 2004. DON'T EVER LET ANYONE HAVE THIS SURGERY FOR I WOULD TAKE THE 281 POUNDS BACK PLUS ANOTHER 100 IF I COULD SINCE I HAVE HAD 15 MAJOR SURGERIES AND SPENT 300+ DAYS IN THE HOSPITAL SINCE. If anyone has any luck with the man upstairs (which I have been working on that relationship extremely hard the past couple of months as well, looking forward to going to church in the morning) say a little prayer for me to get thru 2 days of doing my absolute favorite activity of Floating the Fly at the Hollow with my best buddy on earth Hens ie Chunknwind ie NETBOY. Hoping to fish 2 days and make it back without having to visit the Celina Hospital while down there. Good Luck to you all and hope you catch a big one the next time you are on the water. Thanks for all the prayers and support, phone calls and hospital visits the past few years and months. Hopefully they are all behind me and if I can get my open wound to close up on my stomach (maybe 3-4 more weeks of bandages) then just maybe I can get back to work and get my life back in order.

Bonefish ie Bud ie Roy - Can't thank you enough for all you do for me at UK Hospital in helping me get what I need plus the visits to sit and talk for hours. Look forward to sharing a boat with you soon in January.

Good Luck...bring back a 7lber....

We fished the creek on Fri. Chart/lt gray...chart/white......chart/ltblue/white..... caught fish. And the was the clearest I have ever seen this water.


Billy

elnut you have a pm

Just being out there on DH will do you some good. Probably heal up twice as fast.
See you tomorrow,
Mark

bill taylor said yesterday that they were going down to film a show there today and tomarow cuz there wacken em...id love to go down

Glad to hear you are back on the water, I hope you 2 can catch a 10#. No one deserves it more than you and Hens. Hope this is just a few of many more days to come on the water!!!!!
Rich Young

Elnuts, not sure how the recovery is coming along but if waiting another week or two will help lessen the chances of reinjuring yourself I would wait. The best bite is still 2 weeks off. Lake is still turning over in sections, I mean 3 lbs was leading the smalljaw tourney after the first day I was told. Had some friends down there this weekend fishing some good stuff and never boated a smallie. Me personally, I'm going to give it a couple more weeks before I get fired up, but no fishing since may, and if your healthy, I can understand rolling down that way. Either way, give em hell.

I gotta agree with Buzzking here elnut. Your body is not just trying to heal itself now, but its doing it with a limited "nutritional supply" which takes longer. If you can wait to go out and jar yourself around a week or two longer, it would probably pay you dividends in the long run brother. BUT, given you luck in the past with this, I would TOTALLY understand if you throw caution to the wind and go. Just thought I would try and be a "voice of reason" here also.
I did not know "what" had caused you all the problems, but I have had 4 relatives go through (the surgery part I mean) and many friends and none of them had ANY issues at all. I think you are just one of the "unlucky ones" who is suffering. I feel bad for how it happened and all the hospital stays, time sick, and surgeries, but hey on the bright side you DID lose weight ;). I know it was not the "conventional" way they talked about prior to doing this crud to you, but lets hope the weight stays off and your health is a thing we are talking about in passing 5 years from now while on a boat with you teaching me how the heck to catch those smallies better :))) Good luck with your decision, on fishing so soon or waiting, but I honestly hope you go the "safer" route and wait a week or two. Either way you are in my prayers and thoughts brother.

Rob Appleby
502-689-5528

Elwood, keep thinking positive, move slowly and thoughtfully, eat more possum, and for sure I don't want to see you in here again. I wish you the best on Dale.

Good Luck. Don't push it to much. Have a safe trip down and take a few pictures, I would love to see some smallies.

I appreciate all the thoughts, prayers, post, and pm's very much. I know I am pushing it for this 2 day trip and I will be the first to admit that I probably should not go but I am going. Back in Feb of this year my buddy Hens took me to Dale for 2 days after I had spent several months in the hospital 5 surgeries in 2007 plus all kinds of complications and it was the best thing I ever did. I remember the first time I saw the lake on the road to Holly Creek ramp the next to last curve when you can look thru the woods and see the lake over the marina. The sight was beautiful and I can still remember the view exactly. I sure hope I get the same feeling when we launch at Pleasant Grove Thursday morning. Hens will take EXCELLENT care of me and will not let me carry anything and he is coming over today after work to help me get my boat ready, batteries charged and loaded. Hens in my Best Buddy and I love him to death and he does me as well. My Brother from another Mother is the best way to describe him. Plus he has already had the experience of taking me to the hospital during the middle of a fishing trip when I busted a hernia at Barren River back in March of 2006 so he knows what to do, we just hope he does not have to use this experience on this trip. I will do my best to not get hurt but I just got to go and get out of the house and hospital which has been my home since August. Thanks again for the thoughts and prayers.

Elnutsmalljaws (Elwood) or Woody for my friends, plus I have a current wife and an ex-wife so I have been called a lot worse.

Elwood, you brought up a good thought. I know every ture fisherman on the board knows the feeling of seeing their favorite fish hole after a long delay. If you love to fish, it is hard to explain to others. Fishing, nature and fishing friends just gets in our blood more than others.