How can Texas be awesome when the very air itself threatens to ignite, like an air bomb? Surely this sounds more like the anteroom of Hell than anywhere good.
Not so fast, team. Yes, it may be hot but there are benefits, such as frontier style bluffs and Patriot Barges. No one's defunding the police here because they're not stupid.
And fish. Lots of fish, even in the heat of a late August afternoon. I know this because, after visiting with the flock, I headed over to the marina for some action, and got it.
A lot of perch, mostly small but pretty much every cast a fish, always good, and few large, ferocious, piranha style keepers, which I didn't keep. Again, wasn't in the mood to clean, beer batter and fry 'em up. Foolish, I know, tomorrow being Friday, but whatever. Next time.
Then, at the very end, something ferocious took the line. Tug! Hookset! drag out, well at least for a bit, and up came a random predator bass. Great result. Bass on, what a lot of fun. And while some say fishing's a kind of therapy for trauma, conscious or otherwise, it's also good in itself. Fast, sometimes furious aquatic action. I find this exciting, like hunting but on the water.
Mission accomplished, I headed back to the safety of the Compound and it began to rain. Yes, rain. Beautiful, and yet another reason to thank God for his glory and Texas for awesomeness.
Your Friend,
LSP
14 comments:
Rain! Envy.
We have mountain showers, lightning and thunder every afternoon with monsoon here at the WWM. It means that you need to cut off fishing early.
Not that every cast lands a fish here. We're not cool enough for that.
WSF, it was all too short.
Very jealous of your monsoon, LL. AND fly fishing opportunity.
Here's to rain, a gentle flock, and tight lines, Padre.
Are you originally from the Lake Whitney area? If so, wondering if you knew any families with the last names, Mooney (Kopperl address) or Owens (Whitney Village address)? John Mooney, and Charly Owens were my room mates when I was in the Navy. John has since passed, Charly's whereabouts are unknown. We had some great times there on the lake.
And to you, Brig! (Thx for the spinners, again. Must try 'em out)
I don't think I know the names, Anon, sadly. But I've only been in the area since '09. But yes, what a lot of fun on the lake! Mostly bank for me, but that's good too. If you're in the area visit Our Lady of the Lake, where I'm pastor. I'd be good to meet and some of the people might know your friends. God bless.
You 'like' rain?!?
I'm currently in Northern England where it's been torrential for the past week (not that worrying/unusual considering if we have two consecutive days without rain a panic ensues, national emergency declared and the immediate hosepipe ban and rationing ... I kid you not).
So I'm quite willing to post you some whenever you wish.
(The souwester is the local regional costume for a reason. I am so tired of being ... soggy)
Not sure why my comment came off as anonymous - sorry. I do feel a bit old though. My experiences on Lake Whitney were back in the 1972 - 75 time window. Charly's father grew up there and knew a lot of the secrets of the lake, having been there before there was a lake. Have you ever heard the song Texas Trilogy, its about Kopperl before the lake? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pS87YWmE4Ps Lyle Lovett did a cover of it as well.
Anon, please send some of your rain our way. No, not ALL of your rain, just some. Maybe once a week or something like that.
Mind you, when it does rain here, which is rare, it often crashes down. I like to stand on the front porch and dare the elements to do their worst. Like Ahab, in a way.
Whoa, Watson, I hadn't heard that and might have to post it. Nice one.
I may be wrong, but I feel the lake was more prosperous in your time and in the '80s. It's pretty mixed now, meth shacks next to lakefront mansions, sort of thing. Still, I enjoy it a lot, if mostly from the bank!
LSP - not sure about prosperity, they were just very different times all around. I remember a lake side bar-b-que with several game wardens and law enforcement types, where we left early cause tempers were getting hot over a craps game in the back of a pickup, using loaves of bread as a backstop for the dice. And another late night pulling catfish out of the commercial fishing drags nets. That one had a bit of cat and mouse in the dark with someone else doing the same thing. In the 70's you could get pretty hefty prison time in Texas for small amounts of drugs, yet at almost any time of the day, in Dallas, you could spot folks smoking weed in their cars. Mostly I remember great meals with John's grandmother, and her stories. As a child she claimed to have met Quanah Parker once.
Ah, Watson, some things haven't changed. Small amounts of pot = big trouble in Hill and Bosque counties. My eldest discovered that and... joined the Army! Well done, boy. Dallas, very different story.
But yes, what different times, though I remember them as a child. Dallas, which we'd visit from England, was rising to the skies. And things seemed far more free, though perhaps I'm imagining it?
Anyway, Lake Whitney's been a blessing to me. Whole lot of fun.
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