week of September 22, 2013

Two short but merry days on Lake Fork this week.  Things were slow.  Very slow.  However we still had fun and caught a few fish.  I fished Tuesday and Wednesday with Dale and we caught 6 on Tuesday and 5 on Wednesday with only a few more bites than fish.  Nothing big, but I did find one around five and ahalf pounds.  Rhandy and I went out Tuesday evening for 3 hours without a single bite between us.  We decided that drinking beer would be more fun so that's what we did.  Rhandy also brought me some of his delicious championship chili.  Weather was nice but a bit warm when the wind slicked off.  I wonder if they are on a night time feeding pattern?  They didn't seem to be eating during the day, that's for sure.

Today we did get to enjoy watching a bald eagle doing his own fishing.  He was successful and we watched him have his lunch on the bank.  I think he was doing better than we were. 

Week of June 23, 2013

Rhandy called me up saying he needed a vacation and invited me out for a few days of "fun fishin".  All I had to do was bring BBQ and beer and he would take us fishing and get some rooms at Wes and Jan's Leafy Branch Lodge.  Sounded like a good deal to me.  My wife even added in two home made peach pies to the deal.  I brought along some Black's brisket, Murphy's Irish Stout, and some North Main BBQ ribs.  Rhandy made some of his famous Armadillo eggs.  We lived well.

Overall the fishing was not great, but it was fishing!  We took it real easy, hitting the water around 8 am every morning then coming in before noon and the real heat of the day.  We found a few every day, but nothing like we usually do.  After a shower, some BBQ, and a good siesta, we headed back out every evening around 6 pm and stayed til an hour or two after dark.  Wes and his next door neighbor Tom took us around to some of their holes, and were rewarded with no fish!  Rhandy and I each caught some but our guests didn't.  I blame Rhandy.

 

My biggest fish was about 4 pounds but Rhandy found one around 7 pounds with help from Wes's net.

 

Week of May 27, 2013

Just back from a great 3 and a half day trip with Dale and Rhandy.  As usual I fished mornings with Dale and afternoons til dark with Rhandy.  I spent 12-13 hours a day on the water and had a blast with both guides.

Overall this trip was a bit more about numbers than size.  We had pretty good numbers every day and I counted a total of 102 bass caught between us.  The main story was THE WIND.  It blew steady 15-25 mph almost the entire time I was out there.  It laid down a bit in the evening on Monday and Tuesday, but that was about it.  We spent our time bouncing from spot to spot, then tying up and fishing.  I enjoy fishing a spot real thoroughly and it seemed to pay off for us most of the time.  We did try sailing down long banks pitching crankbaits a few times, but that didn't seem to produce real well.

Dale had 2 spots that worked well and we totaled 25, 20, 17, and 8 bass through the week.  We started out each morning on a main lake point.  To make sure we got the spot we left very early each morning, well before dawn.  We were always the first boat off the ramp at the Minnow Bucket and that paid off.  I mostly pitched crank baits at the point and every morning I had to wade through a ton of sand bass to find the green fish.  I bet between Dale and I we caught way over 100 sand bass this trip, many of them big 2 pounders.  I had one that I'm sure was well over 3 pounds.  The biggest sand bass I have ever seen.  It was too floppy to take a picture.  Dale actually caught TWO sand bass on one crank bait.  One on the front treble and one on the back.  Again, I didn't get a picture because they were flopping around so much and I was laughing. We could catch 'em darned near every cast, but eventually we got tired of digging out the treble hooks and switched to Carolina rigs.  Even then the sandies pestered the heck out of our flukes.  Thump, thump, thump!!!  Dale caught several great big sand bass on flukes with Carolina rigs.

We moved around and tried a number of deeper water spots but Dale found just one that produced well so we beat the hell out of it for 3 and a half days.  It paid off with lots of decent fish that were fun to catch.  Nothing huge, but lots in the 3-4 pound range.  One of the funniest things occurred on Monday afternoon.  I kept seeing a blob out behind the boat in the water and I thought it was one of those jelly balls we see floating around occasionally.  I got hung up and as Dale prepared to untie so we could retrieve my Carolina rig, Dale noticed it was a turtle.  However it was not your normal aquatic turtle, it was a small Box Turtle, which is pretty much a land creature.  The poor little thing was paddling as fast as it could go, but its domed shell was acting like a sail in the high winds and it was just paddling in place, occasionally sticking its head up and gasping for air.  We headed over to rescue it and as the boat approached, it turned towards us, paddling, and stuck its head up as if to hollar for help.  Dale netted it and we went over to retrieve my rig.  The poor tortoise was exhausted and Dale put it in his special turtle live well til we went in to the ramp.  He released it near his boat storage.  Dale Stokes' tortoise rescue service!

Afternoons were very windy so Rhandy and I put in over at Wes's lodge in Leafy Branch on Monday and Tuesday and we worked some of Rhandy's spots along the west bank of the Northwest arm.  Just as Dale had found, some held fish and others were barren.  We saw a nice bald eagle out on Dale hump.  Tuesday was the only tough day but even that had a bright spot.  At our very first stop, we pulled up to a spot and Rhandy said "Throw that DD-22 between those 2 trees.  I caught a nice one right there last year."  Sure enough, I hung a 6 pound 3 ounce bass on my first cast.  Unfortunately, things got tough after that and we ended up with just 3 fish that afternoon, despite hitting some very good spots that had worked the day before.  That's fishing!  The next day Rhandy had me throw out and reel up my first cast so we would not have that first cast fish jinx again. That made me laugh.

I fished a half morning with Dale on Thursday and we caught sand bass til our arms got sore, then moved to his secret spot we had pounded the last 3 days.  Sure enough things had slowed down, a lot.  Dale caught several but I couldn't get bit.  As the time to go in approached, we moved up shallower and I eventually called "Last cast for bass" and pitched out a rig with a baby creature on it.  About half way back, I got my first bite at that spot and swung to set the hook.  A miss.  Dang it!  Well I started to reel in my bait, since I knew the hook would be exposed, and after just a few turns, wham, a bass hit it.  Too funny and a great way to end a fun trip.

Week of May 20, 2013

Rhandy finally got his greenhouses cleared out of spring plants and invited me out for a couple of days of "fun fishing".  I brought the BBQ and beer and helped out with the gas and Rhandy let me crash at his Siesta Ranch and we went crappie fishing every day.  A pretty good trade-out if you ask me, and even if you don't ask me!

We spent Tuesday morning on lake Bob Sandlin and came home with 22 keeper crappie which Rhandy cleaned up and bagged for me to take home later.  We came in early due to some big thunderstorms building to the west and made it back in just in time to dodge the rain and hail.  I managed to snooze my siesta right through the thunderstorm and didn't hear a thing!  Hey, it is called Siesta Ranch!  After some fabulous BBQ and much beer we called it an early evening and crashed to prepare for Wednesday's festivities. 

 

Wednesday's weather was much calmer so we headed out to Lake Cypress Springs to check out the crappie there.  As we put out from the dock at the ramp Rhandy commented it needed some repair.  We spent about 4 hours catching one here and one there under the bridge and ended up with 29 keepers, including one giant 2.2 pound crappie that was 16 inches long.  Anywhere else they would have mounted that fish.  Rhandy couldn't stand it any longer so despite a fridge full of righteous Q, we dined on fresh fried crappie that evening and, man, were they excellent!  We mounted the 16 incher on a fork and ate it!

 

 

 

 

 

Thursday we spent the morning back at Lake Cypress Springs.  When we went to load in the parks people were there fixing the dock.  Rhandy got his wish.  We caught another 10 crappie including another 2 pounder.  Rhandy kept those and sent me home with 80 crappie filets for my freezer.  I have a very happy freezer.

 

week of April 28, 2013

Another fun couple of days out with Dale and Rhandy on Lake Fork.  The weather was amazing except for Wednesday when the wind slicked off and it got pretty warm.

Rhandy and I started Sunday out at Lake Cypress Springs for some crappie fishing.  We didn't kill them but I came home with enough filets for a few dinners. We caught a few giants, too!

Monday I went out with Dale while my buddy Trey and his son in law went out with Rhandy.  We caught a few but Rhandy put Trey on a 6 and 7 pounder and Rhandy caught one over 8.  We had a decent mexican dinner in Quitman before they had to head back to town.

Tuesday David came out and joined Dale and I and things started out pretty good on a main lake point.  David hooked a good one but it spit the hook.  Later Dale caught one at 9 pounds and 12 ounces.  It was a fat monster.  I was sure it was over 10.  When David netted the fish the hook fell out of its mouth.  We spent the rest of the day catching one here and one there on a variety of techniques.

David had to head back but I went back out with Rhandy around 2:30 pm.  Rhandy caught one that went about 6 pounds and I hooked a big fish that straightened out the hook on my rattle trap.  I never saw the fish but it felt like a good one.

Wednesday Dale and I started before 6 am to get out to his favorite deep water hole before it was camped by other fishermen.  I jumped off about an 8 pounder who spit a crankbait at my head.  I got to see that fish and it was a big heavy fish laying right where Dale said it would be.  Drat.  We did catch a few decent fish before they shut off around 8 am.  We hunted the rest of the day with little success as the wind dropped to zero and temperatures climbed.  It felt more like summer than spring for awhile there.

In our travels we saw a nice immature bald eagle and I snapped a couple of photos.  His white head had not quite developed yet but it was a huge bird.

I ended the day with Dale by hanging a carolina rig in the top of a tree as a christmas ornament. I hate doing that!  The fish are certainly deeper than 30 feet in the air.  We went in to meet up with Rhandy about 2 pm.

Rhandy and I headed straight to his honey hole and things started slow.  After about 40 minutes of no bites, Rhandy finally hooked a 7 pound 2 ounce bass and got it to the boat.  We stayed around his "go to" hump but never got the action we had seen the previous day.  We did get a couple of DD-22 fish pitching around stumps.  Off we went to try several other good spots without success.

 

 Around 6 pm the wind turned around to the northeast and started blowing 15-20 mph.  We went back to the main lake point where I had my hook straightened the day before and at first had no better luck.  Then we saw a single bass, about 3 pounds, chasing a single shad all over the top of the water around the boat.  At that point we had been sitting shallow and throwing out deep as that is where we got the best bite on Tuesday.  That showed us they were up shallow and I started pitching a rattle trap along the shore.  I told Rhandy if the bite didn't pick up by 6:30 we'd just go in and drink beer.  Shortly after that I caught a 3 pounder.  Then, right at 6:30 I hooked an 8 pound 4 ounce "good un'".  It made for deep water but I got it out from under the boat and into the net.  That was a strong fish!  We fished about another 30 minutes and I caught one more bass before we went in to drink much beer.  Photo of that fish is at the top.

I had planned to fish Thursday morning a half day with Dale, but yet another strong cold front made us think better.  I appreciate Dale's flexibility a lot as I don't think either of us would have enjoyed the 30 mph winds and plunging temperatures that were expected.

I'll be back for more soon!

Week of April 21, 2013

More fun in the sun with Rhandy and Dale this week.  No big fish this week.  The biggest we caught was a 6 pound 7 ounce fish Dale hooked.  We had some fun and I caught several around 4 pounds. I also caught one long skinny fish, probably a very old male.  If it had packed the weight on like all the other fish it probably would have gone 7 pounds.  However in its emaciated condition it only went about 3.  Record low temps and a cold rain Tuesday night killed our fun, but I shall be back again soon!

Special mention to Rhandy for the outstanding Armadillo eggs.  Huge jalapenos stuffed with cheese, wrapped in bacon, and coated in BBQ sauce.  More please!

week of April 14, 2013

Another fun few days with Dale and Rhandy on beautiful Lake Fork. I fished Sunday afternoon with Rhandy, then mornings with Dale and evenings with Rhandy the next 3 days.  Plans for another half day with Dale on Thursday were derailed by a howling cold front that dropped temperatures 30 degrees and 3 hours of heavy rain and high winds.  We made a good decision canceling Thursday morning.  Temperatures were mid to upper 80's during most of the days and mid 60's to lower 70's in the evenings. Nice fishin' weather except for a stiff south south wind that got ridiculous on Wednesday.

Sunday evening was tough with just a few fish caught and no size.  We hit some good spots with just a few dinks to show for it.  We figured the fish still were not back from the last cold front and planned to hit the same spots again later in the week.  Monday was no easier as we tried to find spots out of the wind to tie up and fish shakey heads.  Later in the day we got back in a good pocket and caught a few on Texas rigs.  Dale and I had 11 but I think I only caught 2.  After switching to Rhandy's boat we headed back to some of the same spots we hit Sunday, fished the same techniques, but this time it paid off.  We had 12 fish and I had one that went 4 and another around 6 pounds.

Tuesday my buddy David came out and joined us once again.  This time we did a bit better.  In the morning we fished a high spot near deep water and caught a few small bass and a couple of sandbass.  I decided to pitch out in deep water and hooked a 7 pound 5 inch fish that put up a good fight.  I think he was eating some sandbass out there.  She liked my excaliber crankbait.  The fish's stomach was huge and there was a big tail sticking out of her gullet.

After we wore out our welcome at that spot we moved back in the pocket where we had success the day before.  This time the wind was down enough we could fish wacky worms and they worked well. We got a lot of bites but only hooked a few of the fish.  I had one lane I went down 8 or 9 times and got bit every single time, but only boated 2 small bass and hung up 2 hooks.  David got the nicest one at about 5 pounds.

We started out the only boat in that pocket but before long it got crowded with other boats so we went elsewhere.  I think we ended up with 11 fish total.  David had to head back but I headed out again with Rhandy about 3 pm.  We went back to our successful spots from the day before but the fish were gone once again.  After moving around a bit I finally got two bites, then hooked up with a nice 7 pound 6 ounce fish.  How Rhandy managed to beat Dale's fish I'll never know, but he is sneaky like that!  Even missing part of its tail.  Hooked her with a Carolina rig with a fluke.

Rhandy caught a couple of more decent fish but I never had another bite.  We bagged it early around 7 pm and went in to drink much beer.  Two 7 pounders in one day is not too shabby.

Wednesday was tough and was mainly spent battling the wind.  I caught some big ol' sandbass early and couple of small bass late but mostly we were just trying to feel our bait as the wind picked up and got stupid.  The ride back was a bone pounder as the wind seemed to be blowing a steady 20-30 mph.  Rhandy tried to get us out on the main lake after Dale dropped me off but it was just unfishable.  We spent several hours up in Leafy Branch without much success and even had to chase down Rhandy's hat while we were back in there.  It was just too windy.  Back for more soon!