Recce

 

After a hearty and delicious men's breakfast at Mission #2 I drove 'round the corner to Lake Whitney's dam spillway for a recce. What would the fish be doing? Answer. Nothing at all because the water had turned into a kind of murky, algae bloom disaster.

Fair play, there  were a couple of turtles, but the whole thing looked like a fishing eschaton, so I turned the rig 'round and headed for home, for the Compound. So, that was that and seriously, I've never seen the water look this way over the past 15 years.

clean the dam floor, LSP

Clearly someone's forgotten to pay their Weather Tax.

Ad Solem,

LSP

A Constitutional

Leftist heads are exploding across the universe at the prospect of a new Supreme Court Justice to replace Ginsburg. But the mighty Brazos flows on, oblivious to the dying wish of America's iconic  expert on the South African constitution.

Still, the bluffs at the lake stood strong, though the water was high. Higher still and higher until the dam lets out. Not dissimilar, when you think about it, to the pent up fury of the Democrats who stand to see their revolution thwarted by yet another SCOTUS pick.

But that's the point of it all, elections have consequences and there's nothing in the Constitution which says a President can't nominate someone to fill a Supreme Court vacancy in an election year. Rage, froth, and foam all you like while your head explodes, it just isn't there.

So who's the candidate, Amy Barrett? Ted Cruz? Let's see how the deal goes down, but we don't know yet, and neither did the ducks who happily fought for food along the bank. In a few months they might be targets, but not now, right now our target's the Supreme Court and flattening the Marxist curve for decades.

Yes, decades. In the meanwhile, all hail Texas.

Come and take it,

LSP

Fishing The Pandemic

So what's it like to fish in the scyfy dystopia that is our new normal? Good question, and rather than rely on some kind of "news" channel I went to the lake to find out for myself.

First up, Soldiers Bluff wasn't an option, "Park Closed," said the sign. Undaunted, I made my way to the other side of the dam. Another fail, you could get there but the pier was shut, blocked off by police tape. 

You Can't Fish Here. Thanks, China.

Thanks a lot, China, I was looking forward to fishing the pool, but no. I stared out at the mighty Brazos, streaming its way towards Waco, Houston and the sea under a big Texan sky. Would the ChiCom Plague, this Pandemic, defeat the expedition? 

Wytche Way?

No, it would not, so I drove to the marina, which wasn't blocked off by police tape and threatening signs. Boating's still allowed you see, at least here, and I set up on the pier and fished away. It was slow going and then, just as I was getting ready to pack it in for a bad game of soldiers something took the hook.

Get A Haircut Hippy. Oh, You Can't. Good Work, China

Bam! Rod double, line out action as a monster, maybe a shark, took the bait and ran with it, and run it did, right around the cleaning station. Diving, pulling, thrashing action and I was hoping for a big cat but up came a Leviathan Carp Buffalo. 

China Eats Carp  Buffalo. I Don't. Back You Go

A passing fish head helped me pull the beast out. "Well lookit that," exclaimed my gap-toothed new pal as we looked in wonder at the Carp Buffalo, "They'd be all over that in Russia. On a light little rod too. I reckon I'll just fish this here pier for a few minutes."

The Compound

The prehistorically scaled Carp Buffalo went back to fight again another day and I went back to the Compound in the sun, mission accomplished. So what's it like to fish the Pandemic? Not bad at all.

Tight Lines,

LSP

Age Of Aquarius

So, how do you celebrate the Feast of St. Nicholas of Myra? Simple, load up the rig with a couple of light rods and head out to the mighty Brazos.

Boom. Pretty much every cast a fish, it was like... like the Age of Aquarius. No kidding, I lost count.

Mostly perch but also drum, a couple of cats and curiously, baby striper. Ferocious little fish, all of them, but especially the striper. Big fun to catch when they're big and not bad when they're small. And here's the thing.

My friend Pedro was fishing silver spinners, slabs, the live perch which I gave him, and caught exactly nothing. He was going after big fish and failed. 

By contrast, I was pulling the aquarian adversary out of the water every few minutes or so on a worm, small hook, two split-shot rig on a light rod. Big success, "You're rippin' 'em up, man!"

Moral? No libs, fish smart,

LSP

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

Obsession

It's official, I'm obsessed with catching these ferocious fighters.

See you on the other side.

LSP

Behold The Great Leviathan

We went in search of Bass. Well not really, we went in search of any fish that'd get on the hook like a Trumptrain express on full loco or like anything at all, we're not fussy. And, to be sure, I wanted my kid to catch.

He did, pulling out Black Drum like a good 'un. We raced for a while, which was fun, but then lost count and finished, I think, pretty much even. I brought up the last fish, a mighty Leviathan Drum and I tell you, it put up a fight.

But here's a thought which makes me want to refigure the calculus. Another fisherman tipped up on the spillway pier and caught a good sized Catfish, a Gar and a decent Drum, all on a circle hook baited with live shad and weighted below the leader, a catfish rig. 

Now, we outfished him with barely weighted small hooks and worms but, and it's a big but, he caught fewer but larger fish, we just caught Drum. What does this mean?

Firstly, larger fish are going after live shad right now, so match the hatch. Secondly, larger fish will go after larger bait, it appeals to them. Translate all of the above into action and add a rod to the mix, baited for bigger fish, and cast off with the worm rigs for opportunistic fun.

That way you should catch more fish. A focused setup for the monsters and a catch-all for everything else.

Next stop? Go after Stripers, Drum are great but we need a change.

God bless you all,

LSP

Fish 1 LSP 0

The air was clear, bright and for Texas at the end of August, pleasantly cool. So why not head over to the dam after visiting the sick and see if the fish were biting. Good plan, eh?

No, bad plan because of the War on Weather, which stopped the dam letting water out of Lake Whitney into the Brazos and further inundating an already flooded Houston.  That meant there weren't any fish in the channel apart from a few lazy Gar and lots of turtles.

So I didn't catch anything. Still, it was good to unwind for an hour or so overlooking the water and, to be honest, I was more in it for the country air and relaxation than anything else. Mind you, there's no escaping the fact that the fish won this round.

Good luck next time, fish. This isn't over.

Fish on,

LSP

Fish

Fish On

I wouldn't want anyone to think I was some kind of stereotype, or something, so I eagerly took up a friend's offer to go Kayak Fishing on the Brazos, on the outskirts of Waco, off I35.

We stopped at Walmart to pick up some spinners and lures and I seized the opportunity to spray my legs with insect repellent, or sunscreen, which I found open at the sporting goods counter. I got into a fight about that with a Walmart person. but don't worry, it wasn't a real fight, just a verbal.

some guy facing off a bear with a hatchet

Fleeing Walmart we stopped at a Starbucks because I wanted a Latte, and spied a senior philosophy prof (?) from Baylor. I resisted the urge to hurl unkind taunts about "old bald head" and reminded my friend about Elijah and the bears.

fish

Then a whole lot of fun kayaking along the river -- the fish (Bass) were jumping and I was catching nothing until we pulled into some shallows and cast from there. Caught a baby Bass and a Drum(?) and as always felt inordinately pleased at the catch. Put the fish back and progressed upstream to home.

Fish Rising

Great fun. Message? Fish more often, get a boat.

Fish on,

LSP