Fishing Isn't God But I Still Love It

"Man," reminds Archbishop Fulton Sheen, "is engaged in a threefold quest for life, truth and love." Would I find that after Evening Prayer, fishing? Only imperfectly. Fishing, you see, isn't God.

Still, I won't deny that the sport's up there, especially when the watery beasts are switched on, for real and love what you're throwing in the water, which is pretty much the way it was yesterday evening.

The pier was empty, no pressure, and the spillway pool beckoned with submarine life. You could see it gliding about the water in search of prey. Big Gar, Catfish, a few Bass and a lot of Drum, some large; time to cast off.

Out went line #1 into the middle of the pool and stayed there, a stationary rod, then out went line #2 for casting. And sure enough, the fish wern't only live but loving the bait, with both rods popping. And that meant a bit of running around. 

There you are, reeling in a fish when the other rod starts jumping, bends double and off you go. Quick, sort that fish out and get on the other rod!

Big fun, I tell you, and while it's not God it does  make for a better evening than staring in slack-jawed consternation at some computer screen.

So get out and fish. Shoot and ride too, but those would be different stories.

God bless,

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

Go On, Beat The Drum

I know, I know, there's not been many sporting posts on the this fascinating mind blog lately and that's because I've been babysitting. So here's a fishing infovideo to set the record straight.

When my son, the Cadet (potential) saw it,  he said, "You look younger, Guv'nor." Such, readers, is the magic of fishing.

Tight lines,

LSP

Don't Be An Idiot, Go Out And Fish

Don't be an idiot, I thought to myself, go out and catch some fish. So that's what happened, but it took a while.

Scientific Method

I casted, using the scientific method: chuck everything in the water and see if something works. Did the method work? Good question.

Ugly Stick

Not at first.

There is That Leviathan!

Then it lifted off and I was reeling in the mighty Leviathans.

Hey, it's a Fish

Monsters of the deep.

Message to market? Don't be an idiot, get out and fish, you never know, you might even catch something.

Fish on,

LSP

Go Fishing, Fool

In a mad bid to escape the fawning worshipers of Bruce "Caitlyn" Jenner, I drove to Lake Whitney. The Lake's a good 20' high and areas that are usually used for recreation are flooded. I checked some of those out, to see if there was a fishing opportunity.

Sure enough there was, with catfish readily visible in the shallow water, feeding off worms and bugs. Recce over, I went back to the truck, got a rod, and tried to catch a few fish.

Many different lures later, I was empty-handed, though I saw lots of fish and reckon that the right bait would've produced a good result. Maybe I'll try casting with worms and using chicken liver on a couple of stationary rods.

But whatever, it was good to get out on the bank and cast away. I find it peaceful and recollecting as well as exciting. What if the next cast gets a big strike! I always think. Well, we live and hope.

Fish on,

LSP