Having worked yesterday and mowed the weeds when I got home, I was ready for a little me time. I dropped in about 7 and went looking for some bedded fish I had smelled a week ago. Didn’t find them and really didn’t look too awful hard, and went back to where I spent last weeks trip. I snuck into the place in front of a guy working his way down the river throwing a spinnerbait. “ Nice boat” I thought to myself as I went by. Idled another hundred yards and set up. After checking the app on the phone for the active times for the fish, I found I was once again in a low spot and it should improve over the next few hours. OK, I can take that. Hadn’t gone far when the guy I had just passed was coming down the way. I apologized for getting in front of him, I thought that he would go on down the river. He said no worries, we chatted a minute as he went by, and we both got back to it. Really nice brand new BPS 19 foot TX model with a 115 four stroke on it.
The Warmouth were the stars today really keeping me busy, and a few others showed up and visited a minute before getting their pass and going back home. One Crappie that was good enough to get to come to dinner was in today’s bag, but he got a pass too. As the app had said, things were slow and even the small fish weren’t committing very much. Never saw a Red Breasted Sunfish today like I usually do. An occasional LMB would cause a big commotion now and then but not often. I spent the down time just listening to all the sounds that a quiet morning on the river has to offer.
A couple of hours goes by and here comes that new boat back the other way on the opposite bank. I hollered over, asking if they were treating him any better than they were me. He said a few small ones and a couple of mud fish and set the hook. Lots of splashing and a rod bent over hard and I saw a fish about 18 inches splashing alongside his boat. He said something I can’t print and said another mudfish. What really caught my eye was the worm he was using.
About 15 years ago on a Saturday morning, I was dragging my Jon boat around on it’s trailer, looking for a lake I had never been to. Knowing I had missed it again and turned around, I saw this guy fishing in a canal. Thinking maybe he might know, I stopped and asked. He looked at the boat, at me, the boat, at me , and said” yeah, but you won’t get there without me”. He was right, and I saw why when we got there. 75 yards down hill from the parking lot to the bank, and no ramp. Off we went and caught large green fish til we ran out of time and both had to go. Now came the bad part. We had to get the rig back to the trailer uphill. He looked up the hill and saw the city guy mowing with a big zero turn. He said” he’s city and I’m county, I bet we talk the same language” and off he went. Headed back with a thumbs up and the mower heading our way, our return trip just got easy. Hooked to the bow rope and uphill it went. We parted ways and promised to see each other soon. I ran into him in his Stratos several times over the next few years and then moved to Tn. I often thought about him and that trip, where he used an unusual banana colored worm and outfished me.
That is the same man who was in this new boat. I asked his name and he said Bob, and you should have seen the look on his face when I said his last name. I motored over and we shook hands and spent another twenty minutes catching up. I still have a smile on my face. Seems he sold the Stratos and hadn’t had this long. Swapped phone numbers, I’ll see him again soon. I thanked the Lord for the mysterious ways he chooses to work in.
So the one Crappie that had ridden the live well went back, no others to clean, and it was just plain getting hot. I headed for home, already thinking about how I would tell y’all about my day. Looking forward to fishing with him once again, and I really can’t wait to find out who’s around the next bend. Thanks for coming along today, and I hope you get a few or find an old friend soon. Til then……Skeet
