Fishin Truths......

[elnutsmalljaws]

Bored Stiff trying to recover so I thought I would share several of my days on the water for the past 5 years that I have been fishing. Long and winded so hope you have some time.

May 2003 Got my first boat, my first NEW boat in May of 2003 and after a couple of maiden voyages at Guist Creek it was off to Cumberland for some night fishing. Mind you I had been behind the wheel of a boat less than 8 hours and Rob tells me to put the hammer down as we leave the no wake bouys at the Dam at Cumberland. I have a tinted windshield to boot, no moon and I had never been on Cumberland in my life. He say no worries, hammer down straight towards the red flashing light tower. Scared Crapless, I put the hammer down and thought every boat light in sight was a lot closer than they were. We get down to the bend with Pig Pen wall on our left and up the lake a bit I can see Jamestown marina. I tie on a 1/8 oz black and blue bitsy bug with trailer and on second cast hook a nice 20 inch smallie. Never know exactly how big for my brother in law Rob played batter up with the net and never got her scooped so she bulldogged to the bottom and broke me off. Second cast FIRST Smallie of my life and I have been hooked ever since. About 2 hours later we hear these gigantic splashes in the water next to the pig pen bluff. Rob says that is music to his ears now lets go catch a Striper. Down the wall scraping my new boat all the way and I did not care for about 5 cast into it my line goes from in front of me to 30 years to my left in no time. Nothing I could do with him even with a 7 ft MH rod and 17 lb test. The Sliver had dissappeared and evidently I was not getting it back for a while. I get a little and then takes a little more, I get a litte and he takes a little more back and forth then into the net a 18lb beauty, needless to say my FIRST Striper and I was hooked on them as well. We ended up with 3 keeper stripers and a couple of walleyes that night so the next morning my wife got some photo opportunities with my new found passion.


October 2003 I take a guide trip with Gerald BAtes (Excellent Guide and Gentleman) with my wife for we were at the big C for a few days of fishing. Gerald tried all day long in high blue skies no wind conditions but we only caught 1 that barely kept. Gerald answered more questions that I bet he cared to but I knew what to do when I got off the water. Coincidence, when Gerald took us back to the lauch ramp my dad, uncle, aunt, and step mon were on the bank bluegill fishing. They laughed at me for paying $250 plus tip for a trip that got only 1 fish as they bragged about limiting out in the rainbows below the dam for free. Keep laughing I said as we left and went into town. Striper rods and reels, planer boards, big landing net, big sinkers, bigger hooks and everything else I needed freshly purchased for the next few days of battle. The next day Wednesday, my wife and I put in before daylight and I started pulling boards halfway between the dam and the mouth of Indian creek heading towards Indian. A few minutes had passed when on of the clickers started singing that sweet little tune we all know and love to hear. My wife was in shock and I was too for that fact as I took the rod out of the holder and set the hook, into the boat 22lbs of beautiful Striper caught on our own action. Into the cooler, set the line out again an a few minutes later here comes that song again, my wife sets the hammer and then gets scared and wants to pawn it off to me to which I turned my back, she struggles laughed and grunted her way into a 23 lb beauty. Now we really think we are pros or at least **** LUCKY, lines out again and we troll for what seems line an hour or two past the mouth of Indian going toward Beaver. I am seeing fish on the graph but no takers. Then I stop seeing fish so decide to turn around. I reel in all 4 rods, turn around and put them out at different depths a little deeper. Within a few minutes the band is striking up again and my wife has an 18lb fish then a few minutes later I land one that is just a few ounces shy of 20. 80+ pounds of fish in 4 fish, on our first attempt of trolling for Stripers. Ahead of us there is about 20 boats around the mouth of Indian with all kinds of commotion going on as I am taking in all the rods and getting ready to take out. When we get to the ramp boats from everywhere were there for they all limited out on the school next to Indian. Went down to the campgrounds below the dam to rub it in a little and there is my family sittting around the fire laughing at me for paying that guide. I tell my dad and uncle to come to the boat and help me unload the cooler. They laugh and say a few words like how many bricks did you load it with or who did you pay to catch them if you have any. Understand fellas, I as proud as a new pappa so I get up in the boat and sit the cooler on the edge and tell both of them to grab a side and don't drop my 200000000 quart cooler and crack it. Down to the ground, open up the lid and those 4 beauts just shining in the sunlight, except for my wifes and mine, mouths dropped to the ground by all. Krista fished with me the next day and we only caught 2 but my dad and uncle could not get in the boat fast enough on FRiday and Saturday. They both caught their first Stripers with me and still to this day I kid them that I go after the fish that eats their little rainbows for snacks.

December 9, 2005 Dale Hollow Lake TN, my second winter FNF fishing. I find a spot so sweet that I can never go to the lake without trying it at least once no matter the season. Water temps were just around 50 and it was COLD that morning, 4 degrees and -10 windchill per the tv in the cabin as I left. Long cold ride from Holly Creek to Sulpher creek but more than worth it. Second cast of the morning and the bobbers takes a little dive to a nice Brownie that strikes the scale right between 4 and 5. A few cast later and another that is over 4, then one that is a solid 3, then grandma shows up and she weighed exactly 6-2, then one that went 4-15, in all 9 smallies in about 2 hours all over 3 lbs all within a small front yard area all on Duck Feather and Red FNF jig fished at 10 foot deep. This little spot has given up approximately 40 fish over 3lbs with 2 over 6 and mayber 10 over 5 in the 2 years that I have got to fish it. Woody's Cove marked on my maps and I love it.

Spring 2007, my buddy Cliff and I spent a wonderful week at Ky Lake in his new ride. Fishing was tough for us the first couple of days even though he did land a nice 5 1/2 pound green fish on a DT10 crankbait on a lead in channel. Switched to North Barkley the last 3 days and flat wore them out averaging 40 fish per day with probably 30 of them being keepers. I never beat him in the biggest but think I squeeked out the most even out of the back of the boat. The next Tuesday and Wednesday I go back down by myself. Put in at Poplar Creek and travel no more than 2 miles drop the trolling motor and fish all day. I put 40+ in the boat both days with a few over 4, 2 over 5 and had a monster 8+ pounder break me off in the buck brush making 30lb Braid look like dental floss. Catching them on soft plastics in 4-6, Cranks in 6-10 and Hook Some Bass Green Glimmer spinnerbait ANYTIME the wind picked up and blew across the point or banks.

Went down to KY Lake in late May for a night trip. Planning on moving the following week so wanted one night chasing my smallie pattern on the LBL side of KY. Put in at the back of Sugar Bay and start my normal run, throwing topwater just before sundown and catch one small bronzeback on a buzzbait. Darkness comes and I don't see another boat on the water all night long. Got chilly and good thing I brought extra clothes for I needed it. Made my usual milk run between Sugar, Duncan, Smith and nothing at all on tube or jig. Tied on the big Night Spinnerbait and started at my favorite point ledge in Sugar and second cast a nice 17" Largemouth, within 10 more cast another nice keeper largemouth, I am now running my 5 favorite spots between Sugar, Duncan and Smith and leaving my lighted marker bouys in the water when I left for there was not another boat on the water. Talked to my boy Cliff around 3am telling him about my night and he could not believe all the greenfish. I am clearly targeting Smallies and had never caught hardly any Greenfish on the spinnerbait ever. This night was different. I ended up with 22 fish on the Spinnerbait and all of them were of the Green variety. Several in the 3 1/2 to 4 range and easily could have a 18 - 20 lb bag that night. Put her on the trailer, headed back to Boonville Indiana and started packing the next day. Busted another hernia 3 days later, my wife, mother in law and daughter do all the work on the IN side and a few friends came and helped us move in and my boat has not been we since.

3 more hernias in October, November and December, collapsed lung in January 2008, internal bleeding and infections will keep me on the shelf until about March 2008 but I will fish March thru May very heavily this year somewhere somehow and with anyone that wants to go. No disrespect to anyone but Cliff gets first dibs on trips but he can't go on then all since he has that work thing thru the week. I will be fishing every day all day so anyone wants to go I will be game tell me where and when. Largemouth, Smallies, and Stripers are all I know. Looking for some night Striper action this year especially, never crappie fished and don't have any gear but love to eat them. Willing to do whatever to learn my boat or yours. Let me know if anyone wants to fish. I do want Onemorecast to take me to the river when it is on for a day, Mike to take me to Laurel and show me around, Big GW to take me to Ceder Creek, REdneck to show me the creeks around here, anyone that knows Guist Creek, Taylorsville that would need a partner look me up. Not planning on going back to work until June for now.

Hope you enjoyed them and feel free to add you own, "TRUTHS"

[Cobra190]

It's been rough and rocky travelin' Elwood, but it will be worth it once you get yourself healed up and back up on the deck with rod in hand.

[wishniwasfishn]

Great story, Glad you are feeling well enough to peck at the computer. Hope you catch a ton of fish this spring, you definetly deserve it after all you have been thru.

[saltcraw]

I for one am glad that we still have you and your great story writing abilites here with us. You should publish.

[roadrunner]

Thats what I'm talking about Elnuts post. Sweeeet.

Just don't push the fishing. Make sure you are 100% before the fishing begins.

[jcb]

Thanks for that Elnut. I'll share my favorite fish story, the first keeper bass I ever caught.

I was 7 years old and my brother was playing a ball game at a field a couple blocks from our downtown Frankfort house. This field backed up to the KY River, right where a sewage line ran into the water. It always stunk there and the sand turned to a dark greenish clay.

Wandering the bank, I find a metal orange stake with a rusted-out hole in the top. Hmmm, I think, this could make a fishing pole.

A little more bank wandering, and I find about 5 feet of old fishing line with a rusty 4/0 hook wrapped up in an overhanging branch. Yeah!

A couple rocks get turned over, and a wriggling redworm is now mine.

Orange stake goes in the sand at the water's edge, line goes through the rusted-out hole in the stake, worm goes on the hook, and into the water. Couldn't have been more than a foot deep.

All of a sudden, my line starts moving left and right. I pull up the stake, and a 4" shad has eaten my worm. Success!

Being 7, it now became my goal to squeeze as much entertainment out of that shad as possible. I put it back in the water and watch my line move side to side. Occasionally, the shad would run out of tethered line and come up to the surface.

You can see where this is going, can't you?

All of a sudden: WHAM! A bass inhales that shad. Couldn't have been much more than 11 inches (10 was legal back then), but to me it might as well have been a 9-pounder. The bass starts to swim away, my orange stake starts coming out of the ground, and I pounce on it like a cat on a mouse.

I wonder what those people in the stands thought when I emerged from the brush, holding an orange stake in one hand and an 11" bass in the other? I didn't have time to think, as it was only 4 blocks home and I was at a dead run.

Why? To put the bass in the bathtub, of course.

Turned on the water, not too hot, not too cold, and put 'er in. Enjoyed watching her swim around a little bit, but for some reason after a minute or two she stopped swimming. Guess I was too young to know about chlorine.

Dad came home after my brother's game and filleted it - ate every bit of it myself. Years later, I kick myself for not putting the bass back in the water so I could have caught a 50-lb. catfish. :-)

[mastin03]

Great Posts guys...elnut, glad to hear you're doing better. Never met ya, but hopefully will get the chance in the coming year of fishing.

[goosecreekguy]

Thanks for the stories guys...keep em coming. Glad you're back sharing elnut...sounds like you've had a rough time. hope you get back on the water soon buddy...

[DJD]

I have a few stories of a winning catch or an unreal day on the water but by far one of the best was watching my Daughter catching fish for the first time man the look on her face was priceless. That was very special and will always be one of my favorites along with time on the water with my Dad.

[redneckshadrap]

You caught your first smallie in 03?

Son....

[elnutsmalljaws]

Never had a Dad that would take me fishing even though he had the best Stratos money could buy in 1989. He had a friend of his sale it to him at the end of 1989 for $1 because he was caught somewhere where he should have not been and wanted my Dad to get it before his ex wife took it in the divorce. The deal was he could use it anytime he wanted. Dad bought it and the guy moved 6 months later and never used the boat. My father still has the boat today and it has not been in the water 15 times in its life. I have been in it 2 times both without any fishing gear anywhere in sight. He was wanting to sale it but no way he will get any offer near what he wants. He thinks it is still a new boat with new technology and should get top dollar. I bought my boat in May 2003 and caught my first Smallie shortly thereafter, hooked ever since. My 4 year old Son will NEVER post about me not taking him fishing. He already has his rod and reel and we practise his casting in the living room. He has been in the boat with my wife and I 5 times already and got his first taste, really his first TASTE of Bass slime last spring when I caught a nice 3 pounder at a small lake in Indiana then rubbed the slime all over his face and arms to baptise him. My wife was faster than a hickup (sp) with the baby wipes cleaning him off. He loved every minute of it. He had his first fish hooked at my Dads pond a few months ago, about a 4 pound Greenfish but it broke the line. I was using one of my Dads rods that had line on it no telling how old. I was heartbroken but he was happy as can be. My wife got a great picture of me and him with the fish breaking water in the background right before it got off. That is his first almost fish. There will be many more of those both caught and LDR'd (Long Distanced Released) in his lifetime to come, I hope.

[DJD]

Yeah buddy that's the good stuff for sure.