Solo Shot...And A Couple More...
Travis Frank
Saturday I spent most of my day in the vehicle driving up to and then back from deer camp. Our annual trip to make sure the hurricanes didn't knock our forest down, and make a few modifications. As I wheeled back into town, I could see the sun about to set, and decided to jump on the lake for a little solo trip. Knowing I only had a half an hour before dark, I didn't make a hard attempt to gather a fishin buddy, and set sail to see how it would go. Since I am not very use to fishing by myself, I started to think about what I was going to do with the fish, and why I would like to catch it right now. So I decided I was going to try to locate some fish for the next outing and put a "tag" on them. I know this sounds foolish, however I just wanted to fish new waters and find some fish that might not be pressured. I decided I would try to pull any lures away from the fish I found and return later with some clients or buddies. I then grabbed my camera and fooled around with the timer to see what I could do if I caught one and wanted a picture. The back butt-seat is almost perfect, and I have 10 to 15 seconds after I press the button to get in place. This all sounds weird, but it was very necessary for what was about to take place.
Within the first 10 casts I found an absolute monster and just barely got the hooks away from her. Minutes later I had another close call with another 50 plus incher, and decided to get out of that spot....I'll be back of course. As I pulled up onto another spot I haven't fished this year, it took only 2 casts before I didn't have a choice. The big fish grabbed the bait so fast that I couldn't have gotten it away if I wanted to. This is where my preparation all came together. I landed the beast. Unhooked her, pushed the button and hoisted her in the air for a quick photo. She was back in the water before I knew what I had, but I got most of the fish in the bottom corner of the pic, and she was a beaut. After that, it was dark and the bite was done!
I returned the next morning with Whorl to see how we would fare. Well, it didn't take long to see that we were rolling yet again. The first fish showed up after about 20 to 25 casts, and gave Mike his first perfect net job of the morning. As the fog rolled in, it just had that feel of something special, and after a quick stop at spot number two, we were headed to a new favorite of mine. This was obviously a good choice, as Mike was again able to put his netting skills to the test. I only write the story this way, because that is how we talked about it all morning, and after each fish, it wasn't good job with that fish, it was good job with that net Mike! Nothing but fun times when fishing with buddies. Gosh has it been another great run this year. I am just amazed every day at what keeps on eating the lures. What a hoot! Until next time, Keep on Livin the Dream!