Posted By: crapicat
Every Once in a While, Everything Comes Together...Part 2 (pic added) - 04/01/16 02:56 PM
As the boat is slowing down, I glance over at the Hummingbird's screen, and notice that DW is working those buttons like a man possessed with getting on target. Hmmm, same unit as mine, I mull, but he is way better at working that thing. Dang, he has those short-cut screens set up better than I do...He kinda reminds me of Chuck Rollins, the way he is going through that screen! About that time a blur and a splash bring me back to reality. The bouy has been set and DW deftly mans the trolling motor then turns front radar unit on and scrolls to the appropriate screen. I glance down at my rods, aww shoot, I forgot my 8ft Rod! Oh well, I see DW grab his 10fter and drop, hook up and bring in a nice fat crappie, won't be a skunk in the boat today, I mention out loud. Are you going to FISH or play with your rods all day, DW asks? Give me a minute here, I have been fishing shallow water for a while, I say, as I am digging through my backpack for something other than a 1/32 oz jighead...Success, I finally find my LAST 1/8th jighead and tie it on, complete with Black Emerald Shiner and down it goes. About that time DW come up with another and I lift the lid on the cooler, then hook up a nice fat crappie myself. Then, next drop I catch a short fish, and start thinking today is gonna be a Ketchen kinda day! Then, I hook the brush pile, and break off...just as DW is bringing another nice crappie to the surface. No more fish down there DW exclaims, we might as well hit the next brushpile, Marker bouys up, and back to deftly working that Hummingbird again, I see. I ain't real good at working these things, he notes, but I can find a pile with them. Better than me DW, I state rather dryly., much better in fact.
I continue digging for another HEAVY jighead, without success, so I tie on a double jig. Little did I know that is when my trouble would start. Brushpile is right there DW, I just caught it, and broke off again, and again, so forth and so on. If I ever get to the pile, I hang it, all the while DW is making me look like a moron...All I use is 1/8th jigs, he notes. Yea, well my backpack gear is for walking the creeks, and I don't have any with me. I got plenty, here let me get you one...He digs into a box and pulls out the oldest two 1/8th jigs on the planet, with collars, but I am more than happy to have them! I tie one one, start worming on a body and the dang hook breaks right at the bend! WHAT?!? Sigh, so I am down to one and as I start to retie, DW throws another fish my way and asks me, are you gonna fish today? My reply, It don't look good right now!!! With a heavy sigh, I finish tying up the jig and dig around in my backpack for the "DW color of the day! Drop and bam, feel the heavy weight of...the marker bouy weight?! Might as well pick it up, DW says Dryly, no more fish on this pile anyway. This event played out over the next six piles, DW catching one or two fish, me catching the marker bouy (and no fish) using DW color of the day.
Not even divine intervention can help me at this point, I think to myself. DW HAS to think I am an idiot, I think...What's WORSE, I am beginning to think so TOO...WELL, this is NOT the way, I planned for this day to work out at ALL. As I looked around and the dark clouds still hung low on the horizon, the wind seemed to be at gale force (but it wasn't) and I just couldn't get a jig down to save my life, if I did, I hung the marker bouy or the brushpile while DW continued to catch fish. I looked down, closed my eyes...Lord, I don't ask for much, but I could really use some help here, Amen. Couldn't hurt, I figured, since everything else had gone wrong. With a heavy heart and a resigned and helpless feeling, I muttered to DW, Well, I have learned patience is a key to fishing, because sometimes you have dry spells, and I am sure having one. You ain't ever fished with me, DW exhorts, in his best John Wayne drawl. Then he says, yea, it happens that way, hey looks like the wind is dying down. I look around and the whitecaps have quit, replaced by lower ripples, almost glass. Hey DW, look over there, the sun is shining through! Hmmm, maybe HE heard my plea and answered my plight!
DW, you got another 1/8th, I ask. DW digs down in the old jig box and can't find one. Then he gives me a real purposeful stare, then grabs a bag full of shiny new lead heads and exclaims, well guess it's time to CONVERT YOU, as the pitches several of the jigheads my way. You got to go brushless, he states, matter of factly. I finish my sandwich and tie one on, then dig around looking for a monster sized bait...hey it's working for him, I think. After a couple minutes digging around, I spied a Thermocline GO TO Greenie in MR. Fry that Todd gave me as I was busy chiding him they were to big for crappie (but that is another story.) I drop it, instant hook-up! Then another, and another, and another. FINALLY, as a smile comes across my face!! Then I look up to see DW trying to loosen up his shoulder, no doubt in my mind the wear and tear of tossing a rope all those years, but I say nothing. Well, you got time for another pile? DW asks. If you do, I'm game. One more pile and a couple more fish to our credit.
To be continued...
I continue digging for another HEAVY jighead, without success, so I tie on a double jig. Little did I know that is when my trouble would start. Brushpile is right there DW, I just caught it, and broke off again, and again, so forth and so on. If I ever get to the pile, I hang it, all the while DW is making me look like a moron...All I use is 1/8th jigs, he notes. Yea, well my backpack gear is for walking the creeks, and I don't have any with me. I got plenty, here let me get you one...He digs into a box and pulls out the oldest two 1/8th jigs on the planet, with collars, but I am more than happy to have them! I tie one one, start worming on a body and the dang hook breaks right at the bend! WHAT?!? Sigh, so I am down to one and as I start to retie, DW throws another fish my way and asks me, are you gonna fish today? My reply, It don't look good right now!!! With a heavy sigh, I finish tying up the jig and dig around in my backpack for the "DW color of the day! Drop and bam, feel the heavy weight of...the marker bouy weight?! Might as well pick it up, DW says Dryly, no more fish on this pile anyway. This event played out over the next six piles, DW catching one or two fish, me catching the marker bouy (and no fish) using DW color of the day.
Not even divine intervention can help me at this point, I think to myself. DW HAS to think I am an idiot, I think...What's WORSE, I am beginning to think so TOO...WELL, this is NOT the way, I planned for this day to work out at ALL. As I looked around and the dark clouds still hung low on the horizon, the wind seemed to be at gale force (but it wasn't) and I just couldn't get a jig down to save my life, if I did, I hung the marker bouy or the brushpile while DW continued to catch fish. I looked down, closed my eyes...Lord, I don't ask for much, but I could really use some help here, Amen. Couldn't hurt, I figured, since everything else had gone wrong. With a heavy heart and a resigned and helpless feeling, I muttered to DW, Well, I have learned patience is a key to fishing, because sometimes you have dry spells, and I am sure having one. You ain't ever fished with me, DW exhorts, in his best John Wayne drawl. Then he says, yea, it happens that way, hey looks like the wind is dying down. I look around and the whitecaps have quit, replaced by lower ripples, almost glass. Hey DW, look over there, the sun is shining through! Hmmm, maybe HE heard my plea and answered my plight!
DW, you got another 1/8th, I ask. DW digs down in the old jig box and can't find one. Then he gives me a real purposeful stare, then grabs a bag full of shiny new lead heads and exclaims, well guess it's time to CONVERT YOU, as the pitches several of the jigheads my way. You got to go brushless, he states, matter of factly. I finish my sandwich and tie one on, then dig around looking for a monster sized bait...hey it's working for him, I think. After a couple minutes digging around, I spied a Thermocline GO TO Greenie in MR. Fry that Todd gave me as I was busy chiding him they were to big for crappie (but that is another story.) I drop it, instant hook-up! Then another, and another, and another. FINALLY, as a smile comes across my face!! Then I look up to see DW trying to loosen up his shoulder, no doubt in my mind the wear and tear of tossing a rope all those years, but I say nothing. Well, you got time for another pile? DW asks. If you do, I'm game. One more pile and a couple more fish to our credit.
To be continued...
Wait till tomorrow before you put part 3 on here, I need to go home and get my hip boots.
