Striper!

The sun loomed large and fiery in the rear view mirror and with it the promise of fish, the mighty Striper; and thanks to a friend's generosity we had a guide to put us there. Great result and a morning full of promise. Would it deliver?

It did, though it took a while, perhaps because the thunder, lightning and torrential rain of the night before had stunned the fish. After all, they're not used to Texas paying its weather tax.

Still, within a short blast across the lake we were getting results. Watch that rod go double and double again, as the ferocious predators tore into live shad. Big fun and a taste of things to come.

After an hour of scudding across the water from spot to spot, worth it for the ride alone, we ran into a school of Striper. There we were, waiting, when all of a sudden the bite switched on. 

Brisk action, as rod after rod twitched and was pulled down into the water; it was fish on and make no mistake, right on the stroke of 11 am.

We limited out shortly and headed back to the marina after a friendly chat with a game warden, who floated over to say hi. 

He has his hands full, dealing with lake riff-raff, clowns on speed boats and ne'er do wells up to aquatic skulduggery. Good guy. Then it was time to leave the lake, mission accomplished.

Big thanks to Pat and S.O. for a great day out on the water and a freezer full of Striper.

Fish on,

LSP

RAIN

You know what it's like. Walk out the door and you're in an oven, a preheating oven and there's no respite. Open the door to your rig and a blast of oven-hot air comes out and pounds you in the face. Relentless.

All in all it's like a furnace, so hot it seems the very air itself might ignite. That's probably why there's been a burn ban; wouldn't want any stray sparks catching the air on fire, would we.

And that's Texas in July, hot as Hell's Narthex, which was all too apparent in the parking lot of this asset-stripped rural haven's Walmart. 

There we were, the heat, the rig, the melting asphalt, Madonna singing Rain, it was hard to even move and then there it was. A cloud, a rain cloud.

It pulled in from the East and gathered momentum, thunderheads, and sure enough the heavens started to growl and rumble. Then lightning arced down like Satan falling from power and it began to rain.

Some of you, maybe all, will understand this. But whatever, take it as read that this Climate Change is a sure and certain gift from God.

Chill out,

LSP

Happy 4th! Civil War Special

Here at the Compound we're wishing everyone a happy 4th of July, even as the Second Civil War rages around us. 

Pause for a moment in your celebrations to reflect on the pain, agony and grief of the conflict as revealed in this short selection of letters from the front.

Yes, war is hell. Don't forget to raise a glass to our heroes while BBQ sizzles on the grill.

Cheers,

LSP

Double Up!

OK, fishing's great but you have to shoot too and part of that involves shotguns, yes, double barreled shotguns or "doubles." Thanks to a friend who's moving overseas, I was able to pick one up today, a CZ Bobwhite.

It's a handy side by side 20 gauge, Jeff Quinn calls it "svelte," with double triggers, 3" chambers, extractor-only action, straight English stock, case hardened receiver,  and 28" barrels.

For a budget SxS, I'd say it's attractive and it certainly seems to handle well, coming quickly to shoulder and putting your eye straight down the rib. But does it work?

If my friend's testimony is anything to go by, yes, he's had all kinds of success in the field with this gun. 

Now it's my turn, right in time for predove season warm ups against the clays and then the avian acrobats themselves.

Thanks, TC. God bless your trip to the Emerald Isle.

Gun rights,

LSP

Melania Mondays!

Unlike the rest of the country and normal people everywhere, the Democrat controlled media doesn't like America's popular and glamorous First Lady. The media prefers a different person, and here it is.

This represented the feminine aspect of the country's leadership for 8 years, but not anymore. Melania's in charge now and she's been busy.

Trolling the press.

Giving hope to children.

And hosting Queen Rania of Jordan.

Well done, Melania, for doing your part to make America great again and I think we're all agreed that you deserve every cent you get from photo royalties.

MAGA,

LSP

Do Not Buy Republican!

It's far too hot to think or even write but sometimes a picture's worth a thousand words.

RESIST Do not buy Republican!

Buy only at Democrat shops!

Republicans are Forbidden.

Some call Sabo a genius and you can download these helpful posters at unsavoryagents.com. While you're at it, bets are on for the midterms and the fighting monkey's pounding the Compound's bone dry, compact earth with his makeshift club.

He predicts MAGA.

Happy Canada Day,

LSP 

Check Your Privilege

There was a time when this simple mind blog was all about shooting and riding, fishing hardly ever got a look-in. That's because I hardly ever fished. Then everything changed.

Perhaps it was the cost, cheaper than bullets, perhaps it was making up for lost time or maybe it was the sheer, addictive, primal thrill of the drag playing out as some leviathan hits your line. And hey, they're all monsters when your setup's light.

Leviathan Hybrid

Today was no exception, 100* heat at a mystery lake in North Central Texas, and the temperature's no obstacle. Out goes the line, a perch rig, thank you very much. And sure enough, it caught a few Bluegill, some the size of dinner plates.

Monster

It also caught a monster mudcat, which fought like the force of nature it was. Massive fish on a light hookup, big fight. All of this to say nothing of a largemouth bass and its massive hybrid cousin.

Decent Little Largemouth

Great fun; good work, perch rig. And with yet another encounter with the piscine adversary it was time to head for home and the Compound.

Victory

Did I check my privilege? Oh yes, every step of the way.

Fish on,

LSP

Civil War

The left, in a fit of perpetual fauxtrage is calling for a civil war. At least that's the rhetoric and the reality runs to kicking people out of restaurants in ferocious displays of virtue signalling and bizarre attempts at rabble rousing by octoganerian crones. Risible.

But what if the fauxtragistes had their way and actually started a revolution. You know, a shooting war to make every bathroom trans friendly, all starting with assassinating the president, which is what they're threatening. 

If that happens, Mike Pence will become President, the "religious Terminator." Here's Wictor:

What will Pence, the Religious Terminator, do as President in the face of an insurrection? Perhaps the LA riots are instructional.

According to Wictor, we dodged a bullet.

Take out the trash, there's a lot people in America that voted for that and the left might want to think about how this'd look if it came down to it.

I'll leave you with a video.

Cheers,

LSP

SCOTUS FREAKOUT!

As all the world knows, Justice Anthony Kennedy's resigned from the Supreme Court, leaving the way open for another Trump appointment.

And lib heads are fragmenting into spaceborne shards of enraged impotence at the spectacle of SCOTUS being pushed potentially forever beyond their degenerate culturally Marxist grasp.

Sorry, Frankfort School, you lose this round. And nearly forgot, does anyone remember THE CHILDREN fauxtrage, no? Neither do we.

LSP

Peter Fonda, Adrenochrome Junkie?

Disturbing evidence suggests that legendary film star, millionaire socialist and motorcycle legend, Peter Fonda, may be suffering from Adrenochrome addiction.

Fonda, while allegedly high on Adrenochrome, attacked Barron Trump in a pituitary haze of aggression stating, "rip Barron Trump from his mother's arms and put him in a cage with pedophiles."

Ripped On Adrenochrome

After he'd come down from his Adrenochrome rush, Fonda admitted that he may have gone "too far" by saying that 12 year old Barron Trump should be ripped from the arms of his mother and put in a cage with pedophiles.

Fonda's Adrenochrome fueled rants prompted Barron's mother, America's popular and glamorous First Lady, to call the Secret Service and put the aging film star on a list of "domestic terrorists."

Melania Scorns Adrenochrome Junkies

Medical studies report that Adrenochrome triggers "psychotic reactions such as thought disorder, derealization, and euphoria.

Wigged Out

The elite, sought after drug is harvested in vivo from the adrenal gland of living humans, or by oxidizing epinephrine. Users typically exhibit fits of psychotic, violent, irrational rage.

Get better, Peter!

LSP

Burn Ban Fishing

There's a burn ban in effect because even a spark, just one tiny spark might well be sufficient to set the air itself ablaze. No foolin', it's hot, like an oven.

With that in mind, it made sense to head off to the water where it's marginally cooler. And who knows, maybe even catch some fish if they weren't suffering from heatstroke.

Simon Weisenthal

I cast off into the furnace expecting nothing. Perhaps it's a character flaw; worst case the scenario and be happily surprised as opposed to hideously let down. Whatever, the line was out and there I was, waiting for fish.

"Nothin's biting, man," said the resident gap-toothed fish head, and he'd know. All he does, every day, is fish, right from the spot I was on. I looked him straight in eyes of his neon orange sunglasses and grinned. Out whirred the line.

Perch

Tug, thump, hookset! Out came a small fighting perch. Hey, nothing shabby when you're expecting exactly nothing. Then out came another and another; I started a game, how many Bluegill can you catch with the smallest fraction of worm. Lots, as it turned out.

Then, halfway through this childish exercise, KABOOM, something hit the hook like Simon Weisenthal on the trail of Mengele. Rod double, drag out, I thought I'd caught a cat. But no, after a few minutes of fight I saw a carp, a massive, monster, outrageous carp.

Ye Gods

We fought for ages, huge great fish on a light bass setup and make no mistake, the Leviathan Carp pulled every trick in the book. But, like Strozk's lies, it didn't work, the carp came in and was brought to account.

So what's the verdict? A heckuvva fish to catch, fight and land, no doubt about it, but bass offer more ferocity and so do gar. Carp don't leap, thrash and run with the same hectic frenzy; still, they fight like a force of nature, which in a sense they are.

Gar! Note Line...

Whatever the case, they all went back to fight again another day.

Fish on,

LSP