I spent the morning cleaning out the gutters and mowing the back
yard. After lunch, I worked in the north yard, called” The Dogwood Drive Garden
Club”, because it is shared with my neighbors Tom and Martie. It was a
productive morning and after lunch, I went back to the garden to work up some
more ground. I found some nice worms and of course decided to go fishing. It was
supposed to be a quick outing to the nearest fishing hole. The place I decided
to fish for a few bluegills and maybe a bass, is one mile from my home. It is a
small lake stocked and managed by the Missouri Dept. of Conservation and in
partnership with Jefferson City, Parks and Recreation. This is the same place
where Bill McWhorter and I enjoyed the February “Urban Trout Harvest”. I had not
fished the close to home place since the winter trout fishing event with Bill.
Today I was content to catch a bunch of sunfish for dinner. I took the same
ultra-light tackle with 6lb. fluorocarbon line and small gold trout hook, with
one small split shot. I enjoyed the cloudy and cool afternoon. I succeed in
catching some bluegill, and on the east side of the lake moved to the same place
where Bill and I caught the trout. I made a cast, with a gust of wind helping me
get the small bait, and a single split shot out where I thought it would be
picked up by a bass or larger fish. The worm did not settle to the bottom when
my line moved. I opened the bail and allowed more line to go out. After some
line had been taken I flipped the bail closed and loosened the drag some. Then I
tightened the line and set the hook. Wow, the fish was hooked, and the drag
sounded. I held the rod high and let the rod bend to the max and hoped the fish
would swim out into open water rather than into one of the many cedar trees
along the banks (crappie beds). I had broken many lines because of the submerged
dead cedars. I was lucky, and steered the fish to open water. The
fight was no less challenging than a bull shark I once
battled in the Gulf of Mexico. If I could tire this fish I might have a chance
of landing it. I had no net and was ill prepared for such a time. I thought
maybe I had hooked a big carp as they like the small garden worms. After about
twenty minutes I saw a tail. It was a catfish! After at least another fifteen
minutes the big guy was worn out and I just lead him, like a dog on a leash to
the bank. I held the rod and tried to grasp the fish behind the head like the
channel catfish I caught last week on the James River. The trouble was my hand
was not big enough to grasp the big blue catfish! So I managed to slip fingers
behind the outer gill, at the same time dropped the rod and followed quickly
with my left hand on the inside of the head. I had hands behind both gills and
lifted / rolled with the fish up the bank! What a surprise on May 23, fishing
for bluegill with garden worms!
yard. After lunch, I worked in the north yard, called” The Dogwood Drive Garden
Club”, because it is shared with my neighbors Tom and Martie. It was a
productive morning and after lunch, I went back to the garden to work up some
more ground. I found some nice worms and of course decided to go fishing. It was
supposed to be a quick outing to the nearest fishing hole. The place I decided
to fish for a few bluegills and maybe a bass, is one mile from my home. It is a
small lake stocked and managed by the Missouri Dept. of Conservation and in
partnership with Jefferson City, Parks and Recreation. This is the same place
where Bill McWhorter and I enjoyed the February “Urban Trout Harvest”. I had not
fished the close to home place since the winter trout fishing event with Bill.
Today I was content to catch a bunch of sunfish for dinner. I took the same
ultra-light tackle with 6lb. fluorocarbon line and small gold trout hook, with
one small split shot. I enjoyed the cloudy and cool afternoon. I succeed in
catching some bluegill, and on the east side of the lake moved to the same place
where Bill and I caught the trout. I made a cast, with a gust of wind helping me
get the small bait, and a single split shot out where I thought it would be
picked up by a bass or larger fish. The worm did not settle to the bottom when
my line moved. I opened the bail and allowed more line to go out. After some
line had been taken I flipped the bail closed and loosened the drag some. Then I
tightened the line and set the hook. Wow, the fish was hooked, and the drag
sounded. I held the rod high and let the rod bend to the max and hoped the fish
would swim out into open water rather than into one of the many cedar trees
along the banks (crappie beds). I had broken many lines because of the submerged
dead cedars. I was lucky, and steered the fish to open water. The
fight was no less challenging than a bull shark I once
battled in the Gulf of Mexico. If I could tire this fish I might have a chance
of landing it. I had no net and was ill prepared for such a time. I thought
maybe I had hooked a big carp as they like the small garden worms. After about
twenty minutes I saw a tail. It was a catfish! After at least another fifteen
minutes the big guy was worn out and I just lead him, like a dog on a leash to
the bank. I held the rod and tried to grasp the fish behind the head like the
channel catfish I caught last week on the James River. The trouble was my hand
was not big enough to grasp the big blue catfish! So I managed to slip fingers
behind the outer gill, at the same time dropped the rod and followed quickly
with my left hand on the inside of the head. I had hands behind both gills and
lifted / rolled with the fish up the bank! What a surprise on May 23, fishing
for bluegill with garden worms!