Lighten Up LSP!

Hey, lighten up LSP, said one of the very few people who bother to read this inconsequential kebob stand on the information super highway. I took their advice and went fishing.

Would they bite? Good question. With that in mind I challenged the piscine adversary with topwater lures. Cast, wait, twitch, retrieve. If you're good at it you'll break into the predatory rhythm of the Bass  and catch bucket loads, but I'm impatient.

Still, one voracious Bass couldn't resist the clicking, rattling, twitching, shining lure and surged onto the enemy like a Russian submarine going down the Potomac. BOOM! Great result.

A few more strikes and clouds started rolling in because, despite the best efforts of the Anglican Communion, the climate had changed and it started to rain. 

Random Helpful Infographic

It was time for Mass too, and that's exactly what happened.

Mind how you go,

LSP

Sorry Commies, You Lose

Yesterday was Labor Day and the fish were staging a "go-slow" in solidarity with their Marxist comrades, the Dove. But one battle lost doesn't mean a war over, far from it.

Today we turned the tables on aquatic bolshevism, luring the scaly soviets out of their revolutionary committees with live worms, spinners and topwater lures.

That's right, a Heddon Tiny Torpedo which the voracious little bass couldn't resist. It'd been a while since I used one and they demand a bit of patience, the temptation being to try and set the hook as soon as the fish strikes. Big mistake, you'll snatch the lure out of the piscine communist's mouth.

Instead, let the aggressive revolutionary surge onto the lure, take it down into the proletarian depths, apply pressure and then reel the little commie in. Easy to say, hard to do because it goes against the quick and sudden hookset mentality that goes with a subsurface strike.

Still, I got in the way of it, casting off, letting the lure rest and then twitching it in to various rhythms. Speaking of which, fishing wisdom recommends you do your best to keep the lure as stationary as possible as you twitch it about. This apparently enrages the predatory nihilist bass who then launch themselves at their bourgeois oppressor.

Well it takes a lot of patience, so I emulated the method while changing it up with more aggressive retrieves and caught a lot of fish. They weren't huge but a fish is a fish and even a small bass striking topwater's a lot of fun. Great result.

Market-driven capitalism restored and the Red Menace put back in its box, I blessed a herd of horses and a barn. Then headed back to the Compound.

God bless,

LSP

Open The Gate

Sure, open the gate but to what, hog hunting? That was the plan but it fell apart because we went out to catch Bluegill for dinner and couldn't stop.

First Catch Of The Day

H.E. pulled out the first, big as a dinner plate, thank you very much, and they kept on coming, one enormous, piranhalike predator after another. Outstanding fishing, with more than enough and to spare.

Some Old Fool With A Fish

By the time the beasts were filleted, beer batter deep-fried and eaten, delicious, the pig hunting moment had passed. Not to worry, there's plenty of time to get on the porcuswine  in another evolution.

Keepers, The Rest Went Back

The next day, as the fierce Texan sun rose in the morning sky and the rest of the team slumbered, it seemed right to try the waters again. 

Typical

First off, a few familiar perch and that was fine, good fun, but you feel the need to change it up. So I went topwater with a torpedo in search of Bass and BANG!

Ho, Ho, Ho! A Bass!

After a few minutes of patient, twitching retrieve, Bass were exploding onto the lure with piscine fury. Big fun but word to the wise. It's tempting, in the initial crash of the predator onto your lure, to try and set the hook. 

Fighter

Don't, you'll probably lose the fish. Instead, let the beast take the lure, dive down and the fight's yours.

Ferox

And so it was, I lost a couple and caught a couple. Great sport and I left that compound uplifted in mind, body and spirit. Next time we'll address the hog issue.

The moral of this exciting story? If you miss the hog, get on the fish.

Tight lines,

LSP

I Was Born to Have Adventure

I know what you're like, international readership of this popular mind-blog. There you are, riding big boats and fishing for shark off the flats of Bermuda. But don't scorn me for being a humble bank fisherman on Lake Whitney.

Little Fella

Speaking of which, the lake was up and restless this evening after Mass, with waves crashing against the limestone shore like breakers in the North Sea, or Aberystwyth pier. I didn't have a boat so I cast off from the limestone, with a worm. Who knew what'd turn up? Maybe nothing, that's the way I felt.

Yes Indeed

Wrong. Bass turned up, with the best of four plowing into my hook like Trump on Twitter after midnight. I didn't even have a boat.

Head Home, Fool

Here's the thing. You can sit or stand looking at the news in slack-jawed consternation, or you can get out and catch some fish. 

Be wise, readers, and chose the better option.

LSP

Rod & Gun

It was tranquil on the big pond and large Bass were surging just out of casting range, which got the adrenaline up. Would they come in to the bank, or stay where they were, voraciously feeding off swarms of fry? 

They stayed where they were, wisely, and I didn't catch anything, despite the enticing promise of a 10" Texas rigged red ribbon tail worm. A bird was keeping an eye on the fish too, from the vantage point of a pipe. 

After casting about, I drove off to some hay bales with GWB and we set up in hope of shooting some dove. Like the fish, they wisely stayed away.

Later, back at the Compound, I cooked up some Toad in the Hole and onion gravy and I tell you, it was right tasty.

In other news, Kim Kardashian, who is not a hobbit, has been robbed in Paris. Good work, Team.

Gun rights,

LSP

Mission Accomplished

Farsighted readers of this country life mind blog may remember that today started off with a plan. Viz. Put rod, reel and gun in the rig and head out for action, and that's what happened.

First stop, the Big Pond, hook up for Bass and cast off. I used a pink worm, I don't know why, it just seemed right. Perhaps I thought the sluggish-heat-of-the-afternoon-fish would be stirred up by the shocking pink plastic of the thing.

Whatever the case, it worked, and before too long out came a very decent Bass. Good result, they want the pink worm, so keep it coming. Sure enough, I didn't have to wait long before the hook was set and the line was playing out again. In a big way. 

It felt, in my mind, like a Leviathan Bass or a big Catfish, so imagine my surprise when I finally reeled in a turtle, a big one. Both it and the Bass lived to fight again another day.

Then it was time for dove and I joined some of the team, who were merrily shooting down an avian acrobat the size of a Condor. No kidding, it was a huge dove and that got my hopes up. I've entered the Land of the Giant Dove (LGD), I thought to myself. But it was a false peak, the birds weren't flying, though it was fun to look out on the bucolic paradise of Olde Texas in eager expectation.

After an hour or so of that, everyone fell back to HQ for a grillout and fun and you know what? That's what it was, a lot of fun in the countryside, and there's nothing wrong with that, at all.

Your Old Friend,

LSP

The Sun Sets on The Rule of Law

I'm no expert, but people say that the Law can be pretty opaque at times. For example, how do you work out the Law of Bass (LOB) on the Big Pond when the temperature climbs into triple digits? Team LSP's been putting some effort into that lately and we haven't cracked the Codex yet, but we will, it's not over yet. Then there's the FBI and Hillary. Here's what our East Coast Legal Expert (ECLE) has to say:

The aspect of this whole mess that really gets my goat is that every first year law student is taught about mens rea (intent) for criminal law and the difference in laws between crimes requiring a specific mens rea (intentional murder, rape), lower mens rea (manslaughter - only needs reckless actions) and those that don't (strict liability crimes (ex. statutory rape, speeding, etc.). The statute in this debacle specifically calls for a "gross negligence" standard in order for the statute to be broken. Her extreme carelessness definitely qualifies to meet this standard. Comey's assertion that she didn't have intent and therefore he wasn't recommending charges is completely at odds with the law. Again, any first year law student who was given this question on an exam and didn't prosecute would fail. This is Law 101. Either Comey was bought off or he didn't want to end up like Vince Foster. Or it's just one more nail in the legal/judicial coffin that we've experienced under Obama (Supreme Court decisions uphold Obamacare, gay marriage, etc.).

Thanks, ECLE, perhaps it's a case of all of that. 

Have we reached the point where a rich, corrupt, ruling elite are now operating without even basic regard for the laws everyone else has to follow and feel free to blatantly disregard them? It seems that we have.

Not dissimilar, when you think about it, to predatory Bass, would be tyrants of the Big Pond. 

Fish on,

LSP

Fishing

It was a bit chilly in Texas yesterday, so we decided to get near some water and go in search of the mighty Leviathan Bass.

They were hiding, but the team caught a catfish and a fierce little predator that was lying in ambush off the bank. By some miracle, a leaky old Jon Boat managed to stay afloat. I watched it from the safety of the bank.

Don't Forget The Sunscreen

Word to the wise. If you go fishing in the searing Texan heat of the day, deploy sunscreen, otherwise you might find yourself suffering the next day. Speaking of which, Team Clinton seems to be feeling the heat right about now, with one journalist writing, "Finding a more obvious case of active political conniving than the Bill Clinton-Loretta Lynch Phoenix Airplane Chat (PAC) is pretty darn tough."

The Servant Must Receive Her Orders

This is absurd. Attorney General Loretta Lynch must serve her Masters and she can't do that if she doesn't talk with them. Maybe that's over an encrypted 'phone line, maybe it's on a shielded plane, whatever. And let's not pretend that there's some weird conflict of interest here. 

The Rule of Law is Adrift

The Clintons are above the law, and AG Lynch is there to serve them. So let's not hear anything more about the PAC because there's nothing to hear, just a Master talking to his servant. About Grandkids, right? Or maybe you want an audit, or worse.

Cheers,

LSP

The Sun Sets

As the sun was setting on Brussels and Bob Geldof's New World Order, I looked out across the Big Pond, hoping for a Leviathan Bass. I hoped in vain. Like the people of Sunderland, Tyneside and Basildon, the fish weren't fooled by the empty promise of the enticing lure. They saw through it and decided against the worm.

Except for one fish, who took the bait and started travelling with it. I gazed down at the water in astonishment, gave the line a gentle tug, and the fish swam off. "So you figured the fish was going to set the hook all by itself?" asked GWB. "Er, yeah," I replied, "Sometimes they do that." 

A Typical Millionaire Socialist

My intuition says that GWB wasn't too impressed with this small gem of angling wisdom, but whatever the case, he went on to catch a fish on his fly rod. Well done.

GWB's Fish

Then night fell and it was time to leave the pond and head back to the Compound. Whether Texas will "Texit" and part company with America's ruling DC overlords, is presently unclear. That the Bass are trying to escape the searing summer heat by moving to deeper waters is more certain. 

I've resolved to get in a boat and go after them.

Fish on,

LSP

Super Spook

A lot of people are saying that the Team's gone off-mission. They think that the primary objective of fighting the War on Weather, building an ARK (Advanced Rescue Kraft) and fishing has been forgotten. Forgotten and replaced by theological reflection. I understand, it's a concern, but you can do both. 

Look What The Weather's Done

To prove that, I went Lake Whitney and deployed a Super Spook. No, not a well known member of the Intelligence Community, but a topwater lure. To be honest, I didn't think I'd catch anything, as the lake was choppy and well above its normal water level, all thanks to our enemy, the Weather.

Spook Caught a Fish

Still, I figured the Spook might be large and noisy enough to attract any Bass that were lurking under the waves. So I cast off, and bang, a Hybrid hit the lure like it was going out of style, then another slammed into it. Well done, Spook, you work. 

Those in Peril on The Sea

But so too does our enemy and its not been idle, sending torrential rain down onto the Lone Star State in an apocalyptic display of power. You could see that today on lake Whitney, which resembled a turbulent inland sea.

A Typical Texas Streetscape

Smart Texans are moving to high ground, building ARKs and improving their fishing skills.

Fish on,

LSP

Texas Tranquility

It was peaceful on the lake after Mass but it was also exciting, because the Bass were jumping. Excitingly tranquil, perhaps.

One of the wide-mouthed mariners surged onto my lure, a Tiny Torpedo, and I have to say, well done, Heddon, for making something that actually catches fish. So, what do you do? Set back for an aggressive hookset? 

No, you do not. You follow Fishing Science and allow the fish to take the lure down into the depths as you apply steady pressure. The action of the fish and the twin trebles do the rest. Then you enjoy the fight, and this one was full of it.

Plenty of action and no shortage of the sound every fisherman loves, drag ratcheting out as a fish runs with your hook. But all too soon this one was up on the flooded ledge I was fishing from and I brought him, or was it a she, maybe a zhir?, up to the bank.

A couple of lakeside visitors were impressed by this and took some photos. They were from Fort Worth, looking to get out of the Metrosprawl and into some Texas tranquility. And who can blame them, I hope they found it.

Here's the deal. Take some time out of your busy schedule and fish. It won't do you any harm and might do you a lot of good, unless you hook yourself in the eye, or fall out of your $70k Bass Boat onto an overdraft and break your neck. 

Fish Rising,

LSP

Don't Scorn Bank Fishing

People scorn bank fishing. They say, "Look, loser. Where's your Mercury rig Bass Boat?" and I know what they mean. Having a boat should equal catching more fish, as well as planing about on the lake like the King of Texas. But that's not always the case.

Just the other day, on Lake Whitney's spillway, there I was, casting off into the current from the bank while a boat full of guys anchored opposite me and started fishing. Who caught more? I did; 8 Bass to their 0 Bass. Mind you, they drank 8 beers to my 0 beers. So they won that part of the contest.

I reflected on that and the message was clear. You can have a perfectly good fishing experience from the bank. In fact, you might even do better than some clowns goofing off in a boat, and that's the way it was this evening.

No boat, but plenty of fishing action from the shore of Lake Whitney as the sun was setting. Was it beautiful? Yes. Was it exciting? For sure, especially when a decent Bass smashed into my lure. Was it expensive? Not nearly so expensive as a boat, or a night out in Dallas.

Still, I'm looking forward to one of my rich socialist pals redistributing part of their great wealth to me in the form of a Skiff. For that matter, I'd be happy with a canoe, maybe one with a motor.

And, let the record show, I've resolved to learn fly fishing. I've heard that can even be done from the bank.

Carry on,

LSP