Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Butler County State Fishing Lake


"Miss me"? 

Man do I wish I had just one dollar for every time one of my golfing buddies texts me that question.  He needs counseling (no...seriously he really does!)...but...I have to admit...it seems appropriate here since it seems like forever since I did a Blog posting.   I have done postings to the Website but not to the Blog for awhile.

So...what about it, have you "missed me"?  Okay...never mind.  I forgot Rule #1...Never ask a question unless you know the answer.  But...that said...I missed all of you anyway.

This Blog posting is different than past postings.  NO...not because this is a good one...!  Man...it's hard being the "Hemingway of Fishing Blogs".   It's because I am going to take you on a fishing trip and show you how I analysis a lake I have never fished before... particularly one where I only have a couple of hours to fish and I need to catch fish to keep the "streak" alive.

(NOTE: Yes I managed to keep "The Streak" alive...with a 5lb bass!  That's 20-consecutive fishing trips to 19-different public bodies of water that I had never previously fished over a 3-year period without being "skunked".   Special note to my golfing buddies...not being "skunked" means I have caught at least one fish on 20-consecutive fishing trips.  It does not refer to "you know who". My apologies to everyone else.)

What makes this feat so "awesome" and so "epic" (other than proving I am the "Greatest Unknown Fisherman of All Time") is that it has been done on the most heavily fished lakes in the state under all types of weather and water conditions and throughout different seasons.

Many of these lakes are located in the city limits...!

Did someone say "AMAZING"?  Too late...I heard that...and yes it is.  Thank you so much...I'm flattered...but...I still remain your faithful and humble servant.  Did I mention "humble"?

This trip was a last minute decision.  You see...I had completed 3-other videos for Blog postings but lost them all when my computer "crashed".  Yep...my computer...the one responsible for all those Award Winning Blog postings is now in computer heaven and it took all my videos with it.  I always film Blog videos in advance so I can continue to post throughout the winter months.  I try to keep at least 2-different videos "in the can".  NO...not that type of "can"!  But I suddenly found myself without any Blog postings for the winter.  Did I mention "Award Winning"?

Well, it is time to put my small boat in storage for the winter and, since I lost all my previously taped videos, I had no Blog postings saved for the winter months  What to do...what to do... humm...hummm.

I know...since I store my small boat in Augusta...which is in Butler County...I will just go fish Butler County State Fishing Lake...another lake I have never fished before...and then put the boat in storage on the way home.  As usual...a great idea on my part.  As usual..."Mr. Murphy" wasn't about to make it so simple for me.

By the time I finally arrived at the lake the weather was terrible (the video doesn't begin to show how bad it really was!) and I only had a couple of hours to fish.  So...I thought to myself (I usually do that when I need an intelligent answer...otherwise I just ask my golfing buddies for their opinions.) why not show everyone some simple steps they can take to catch fish when they are short on time.  Or, for that matter, even if they aren't short on time!  So that's what makes this posting so "special".

Trust me when I tell you there is a LOT of very powerful information contained in these two videos.  In fact, I have personally learned so much from them that I have watched them at least 4-5 times myself...so I STRONGLY suggest you do the same.  The guy doing the fishing and audio is incredible...not to mention entertaining, fun, extremely knowledgeable and very handsome.

You will NOT get the full benefit of the information contained in these two videos by watching them just once...!  Did I mention "handsome"?

A couple of points...

1.  The information contained in these videos will work on ANY body of water including large reservoirs.

2.  If you have followed my Blog and Website for very long you know that most of my fishing trips for the Blog postings average less than 4-hours of actual fishing time per trip.  So the "Streak" has actually been based on catching fish VERY quickly...and these two videos reveal 3 of my "secrets" to quickly locate and catch fish for the Blog postings.  Not all of my "secrets"... just 3 of my secrets. 

Oh yeah...I have a lot of "secrets"...some not so much related to fishing...!

Okay...enough about my personal life.

If you use the information contained in these videos you will increase your chances of success on ANY body of water you fish...so...watch them carefully...listen carefully...watch them more than once if you are serious about becoming a better fisherman.   I did.

NOTE:  I did not use my camera that allows use of my wireless microphone...I used the one I normally use so be prepared to hear a lot of wind noise.  Also...at the 1:13 mark in the first video you will hear a terrible "scratching" sound that lasts exactly 1-minute.  Sorry...but I have no idea why this camera does this from time to time (and always at the wrong time) to me. 

So listen carefully because the information in the audio is invaluable!.  Of course you already knew that...!

No Wonder You Missed Me.  Yes you did...You know you did...Admit it...!

Until next time...take a kid fishing...or take me fishing...my wife says it's the same thing.

Clay

 




Thursday, July 11, 2013

Behind the Scenes


More than a year in the making neither I nor my special guest Michael Pearce were willing to postpone our fishing trip to McPherson Lake even though it was cold, windy and totally miserable.

Besides, this was a dream come true for Michael…getting an opportunity to fish with your faithful and humble servant…the “Greatest Unknown Fisherman of all Time”…me…and I wasn’t about to ruin it for him.  (I am pretty sure this is how he looked at it although he didn’t actually say it.  I’m thinking he was probably too “awestruck” at the time to say so directly.)

Michael Pearce, for those members not living in Wichita, KS, is the Outdoor writer for the Wichita Eagle.  What you may not know about Michael is that he was a very accomplished outdoor writer and photographer long before applying his immense talents for the paper.  In fact, he has written outdoor articles for such prestigious publications as the Wall Street Journal and Outdoor Life magazine along with numerous other publications.  

Even if you follow his Wichita Eagle articles every Sunday (as well as his Blog) you may not be aware that he is also an extremely talented and recognized photographer having, as part of his resume’, one of his photographs published on the front cover of Outdoor Life magazine…!

NOTE: If you aren’t currently following his Blog (Michael Pearce’s Kansas Outdoors) you definitely need to…so please go sign-up now at http://www.blogs.kansas.com/outdoors  It is EASILY the best overall outdoor Blog in the state of Kansas where he covers a multitude of topics as only he can…and…it’s the second best Blog in Kansas when he covers fishing in the state of Kansas.  J J J

I have known Michael for probably 25-years…dating back to when he was doing freelance work and I owned one of the largest hunting clubs in the nation.  We often saw each other at sport shows around Kansas…usually him giving presentations and me manning my show booth.   Michael first came to my attention while I was living in Kansas City when he wrote a book on turkey hunting called “Eye on the Turkey”…a book no longer in print. 

Even now…many, many years later I still tell people it is one of the best outdoor books I have ever read.  In short “Eye” is the name of a Missouri turkey hunting legend Ray Eye and the book was about his turkey hunting exploits and techniques.  But…it was SO MUCH MORE than that.  So impressed was I after reading it I took it to a sport show and asked him to autograph it for me, and I still have that book to this day. 

Which begs the question…now that Michael has fished with me (a fishing legend) is a future book in the making about me…you know…the “Greatest Unknown Fisherman of all Time”…the “Hemingway of Fishing Blogs”…?   It could be called, “Clay’s Confessional…the Truth Behind the Legend”.    Hey…I’m just sayin’…!

Footnote: I’m hard at work on my own biography.  I'm calling it, “Dropped Kicked Through the Field Goal of Life”.   For those who don’t know what “dropped kicked” means in football language just “Google it”…it’s not a good thing…at least for the football…!

So that brings us to April of this year.  A day that demanded we fish because Michael had a paper deadline and I was his only subject matter for that week...which probably says something if I was to stop and think about it.   So…I’m not going to.

Now if you have followed this Blog for any length of time you know that “Murphy’s Law” was actually only a footnote in history until I came along.  I am the one personally responsible for popularizing “Mr. Murphy”. 

Well…you guessed it…he decided to ride along again on this trip…as usual.

It’s bad enough that the weather turned incredibly cold…the wind was gusting to 30-mph…water temperatures had dropped…and that a front was moving through.  But when “Mr. Murphy” decided that my entire boat trailer should come off the trailer hitch while traveling halfway up the steep gravel road leading to the lake…well, that just couldn’t be a coincidence.  I knew that this “Murphy” guy was at it again. 

How embarrassing was this…! 

Here I am, “The Greatest Unknown Fisherman of all Time” losing his entire fishing rig (boat/trailer) off the trailer hitch while Michael Pearce, the incomparable outdoor writer for the Wichita Eagle, is in the car with me planning to do an article for next week’s edition.  I just knew this little incident was going to show up in the article.  I just knew it…! But…surprise…it didn’t…! 

I say “surprise” because you also probably don’t know that Michael has a great sense of humor…particularly it seems if it involves me.  He calls me the “The Greatest Unknown Fisherman in My Own Mind”.   Seriously…he really does.  Can you imagine that?  What?  What do you mean, “You can”?  I have noticed that there are a lot of sick people that follow this Blog.

Trust me when I say the pressure was on to catch a fish…the pressure was on.  Michael didn’t care how bad the weather was…he needed me to catch a fish.  I needed me to catch a fish if only to keep the “Streak” alive at 19-consecutive lakes without being skunked. 

But…regardless of how tough the conditions…I felt it was my personal responsibility to insure he caught the first fish.  Hey…that’s just the kind of guy I am.  Besides, this was his “dream trip” remember.  So…using my incredibly well honed fish catching senses (not to mention my well developed fish location skills) I quickly motored us to a nearby bank.  What a coincidence…it just happened to be the only protected bank on the entire lake.  Imagine the good luck…!

This bank not only allowed us to fish but kept me out of most of the strong wind since I had failed to bring a warm jacket.  So…with all the skill I could muster… (And trust me it took a LOT of skill…!) I finally got Michael to catch a fish.  Not just one…but two…both crappie and one of them a nice size crappie (Actually I pretended it was to make him feel good). 

Why did I let him catch those two fish instead of me catching them?  Well, that’s like asking Mother Teresa why she did all the nice things she did for other people…it’s just part of our nature.  In our golfing group I am known as “The Giver”.   Of course I’m also known as “Hit and Hunt”…but that’s not really important for this posting.

But…once I finally got him a couple of fish…it was time to catch me one.  Tapping into the years and years of experience honed during thousands of hours of tournament fishing, personal fishing trips, thousands of hours watching fishing shows on TV, hundreds of hours researching and reading magazines and books and mostly by applying the incredible mental toughness gained from being a great athlete, I managed to catch…….a 14” bass…! 

Michael says it was less than 12”…but this comes from a guy that likes to fly fish!  What?   Are you kidding me?  Seriously?  Fly fish?   Is that really considered “fishing”?

Nope…you didn’t read that wrong…he not only likes to fly fish…he actually PREFERS to fly fish over any other fishing method. (Is fly fishing actually a “method”?)  No…even the “Hemingway of Fishing Blogs” couldn’t make something like that up.   Fly fishing?  Really?  As they say, “The truth is stranger than fiction”.   

Indeed it is…!  ”?   (PS: Apologies to my friend and Blog member Jim H.!)

Anyway back to real fishing…using real fishing equipment…I don’t know who was happier when I landed that fish…me or him.  (Or is it “him or I”?)  I needed it for the “Streak” and he needed it for his article.  Either way we were both happy.  I seem to clearly remember him saying “You’re amazing!”…over and over and over again.   I’m pretty sure that’s what he said.   Okay…maybe that isn’t EXACTLY what he said…but, this is my Blog and his article is already published…so it’s how I remember it.

Once that fish was caught Michael’s real professionalism kicked in.   He took over telling me how to hold the fish while considering angles, light, etc.   Then he decided to take the picture of me in the boat with the lure splashing as it landed in the foreground.  He got on shore and had me go out 30-40 yards and cast a lure directly at him while he crouched down with the camera held only inches from the water.  (NOTE: The video shows only some of this action but the actual picture he used in the article was taken earlier while crouched down at the water’s edge while I made perfect casts...cast after cast after cast…to the target.) 

Did I mention “cast after cast” and “perfect”?

(Stop) He asked me if I could cast the lure and have it land close to his camera lens.  Really?    Land it a foot or so from his camera by casting into a 30-mile per hour wind using a baitcasting reel…without backlashing it…!  Did he actually say, “Could I…”?  Really?

(Rewind)  For the record.  I am the only person in history to have the Worlds of Fun theme park in Kansas City banned (no that is not a misprint…BANNED) from participating in one of their games.  When our kids were young we visited the theme park and at the time there was a casting game where you stood 2-3 stories high on a “boat” platform and cast a practice plug into floating rings of various sizes ranging from a hula hoop size down to dinner plate size.  Each size represented prizes ranging from trinkets to large full size teddy bears.   Keep in mind the equipment wasn’t exactly top of the line and the reel was a closed faced (push button) spinning reel…!    But…at least it qualified as actual “fishing equipment”…it wasn’t a fly rod!

Well…two casts later I had won a full sized teddy bear for each of our two girls.  BAM! Then people behind me asked me to cast for them.  8-10 teddy bears later management came and asked me to stop and forbid me from doing it ever again.   I think everything was okay until I turned around and cast the plug BACKWARDS over my head landing it in the smallest ring winning yet another teddy bear for someone.  That little move didn’t seem to settle very well with management.!

(Fast forward) Now Michael wants to know (not “WOULD I”) but “COULD I” cast a lure and make it splash within inches of his camera…while asking me to be careful not to hit him since it was a real lure with real hooks.  “Could I”?   ”Don’t hit him”…!   REALLY…?

So…that’s how that really cool picture was taken for the article showing me in the background and the splash from the lure in the foreground.   But in truth I had the easy part.  Thankfully, I was using real fishing equipment not some fly rod.  Piece of cake! 

Note to self…I wonder (since I am saying so many nice things about him in this Blog posting) if Michael would give me that picture?  Maybe even sign it and frame it for me?   I wonder?

In truth this was a GREAT experience to see how a real pro goes about their job…and trust me Michael is a REAL pro.   There is a LOT more involved in putting together his Sunday articles and Blog than the rest of us understand.  What he went through in that incredibly cold windy day to get his pictures and do the article showed me a lot of dedication, commitment and professionalism.  It would have been easy to quit given the terrible conditions…postpone it for another day…or just quit once I caught that fish.  But he didn’t.  In fact, we stayed for other 45-minutes while he got exactly the pictures he wanted and needed.  

A real pro in action.

I know he must feel the same way about me too.  Not just because I caught a fish in impossible conditions, (and let him catch two fish first!) but he asked if someone should ever cancel at the last minute could he call me as an emergency last minute fill-in.    He said people cancel all the time and he needs a “go to” professional kind of guy he can count on in the last minute if necessary.   Naturally, being the “Giver” that I am, I said, “Yes”.

Funny thing though.  Like all the other members I have fished with he has not called me yet either.   Humm.   But, he will because he knows down deep that I really am “The Greatest Unknown Fisherman in My Own Mind of all Time”…!

There is no “What We Learned Today” video because the best thing to know is NOT to go fishing in such terrible conditions.  Unless of course, like in Michael’s case, it’s an opportunity to fish with the “Hemingway of Fishing Blogs”.

The following video is an assortment of video shots taken by me during our trip.  Actually, almost all of the video was shot accidently because I didn’t realize I had left the camera turned on.  DUH…!  In fact, except for a couple of minutes showing the fish and the last closing minute of the video…EVERYTHING in between was captured accidently…!  Note the incredibly strong winds that just happen to be blowing directly into and across the launching ramp.  Thanks “Mr. Murphy”.   But…for the record…I put that boat on the trailer first try…BAM…take that!

What a day…!  Cold, windy and miserable but we caught 3-fish in less than 90-minutes…!  That speaks to the quality of fishing on this lake (one of my favorite lakes!) and a “never give up” attitude regardless of conditions.  So when faced with adverse conditions…make the most of it.   That’s what Michael and I did and it resulted in a great article. 

Thanks Michael for a great day…!

NOTE: I accidently left the camera running for more than 20-minutes without knowing it…and most of the video and audio was Michael praising me over and over and over again about my fishing abilities.  Honestly, it got kind of embarrassing for a guy as humble as me.

Unfortunately you will have to take my word for it.   I would gladly post that part of the video so you can see it for yourself but unfortunately it seems that exact portion of the video was accidently deleted…permanently…!  What a coincidence…it just happened to be the only segment deleted from the entire video.  Imagine that.   What bad luck to have that happen.  I’m certain it was that “Mr. Murphy” at work again…!   JJJ

Fly fishing?  Really?   What a great sense of humor!

I wonder if he is ever going to call? 

As usual you can access the Blog by going to the Website http://www.KansasFisherman.com or http://www.LearnToBassFish.com and clicking on the “Button” that says, “Click here to go to fishing Blog”.  

Until next time go fishing…catch a lot…keep some to eat…release the rest.

Clay Dixon
Email:  clay@KansasFisherman.com
Website/Blog: http://www.KansasFisherman.com

 
 

 

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Night Time Catfishin’

Okay…I’m not exactly sure what to say about this Blog posting.  As you know from the last posting I fished Osage State Fishing Lake just south of Topeka and if it could go wrong…it did.  “Murphy” was at it again.  But…I managed to keep “The Streak” alive at 18-consecutive trips to 18-different lakes (spanning a 2-year period) without being “skunked”…! 

So there “Murphy”…take that…WHAM...!

However, just when I thought things couldn’t get worse…they did.  Seriously…they did.

But before I go any further…first let me clarify one thing…in the videos I mention “The Streak”…but actually this posting doesn’t count for or against it because it’s the same day on the same lake and I had already caught fish on this trip.  So “The Streak” was/is still alive before we ever started fishing for catfish that night.

Thank goodness…!

The last time I fished with a member I had never met before (Jim) I met him in the early morning hours alongside the road in a small dark isolated “park”.   Hummm!  Now I am to meet another member I had never met before (Dan B.) on a small isolated rock jetty to fish for catfish late into the dark night.  Hummm! 

Anybody see a “problem” here?  I know my wife does…!

If you have followed this Blog very long (or if you go back and read the others…which I strongly recommend you do!) you know that had it not been for a successful corporate career I would have been a stand-up comedian.  No seriously…I’m really that funny…and clever…and my timing is amazing…and when I write people confuse me with Hemingway (thus the moniker “Hemingway of Fishing Blogs”.)   Did I mention “humble”?

Anyway…I can’t find a single way to poke fun at Dan…and it’s “killing me”…!  Trust me...!

I mean how do you make fun of a guy that’s a “world class” catfisherman?  A guy that catches them so fast he can only use one rod at a time.    A guy that is so good he will never starve because he can always catch a catfish for dinner any time anywhere on any lake if need be. 

What can you say about a guy like that?  How can you possibly write something “funny” about a “Pros Pro”…!

I guess I could at least tell you that for weeks Dan was telling me about all the catfish he was catching.  I could also tell you that within 5-minutes of meeting Dan his first question was, “Do you want to keep any of the fish we catch tonight”?  His second question was, “How many do you want”?

Now…all of that said…it’s probably not that important to mention that we only caught 2-catfish and both were under 12-inches…!   No…I don’t think that’s important.  So I don’t think I will mention it at all.   I know one thing…Dan doesn’t think it’s important to mention it because he told me so...and...in fairness to him and his “reputation” I just won’t even bring it up.   Wouldn't want his fishing buddies to read about it and I sure wouldn't want all the members in 5-states that follow this Blog to read about it. 

Nope…made up my mind.  I’m going to be nice to Dan and never mention how many fish were caught or their size.  In fact, I am never even going to mention that I didn’t bring any catfish home that night.   I mean…what is there to be gained by letting the world know that Dan failed.   

What value is there in knowing that Dan’s one shot at 15-minutes of fame was a total disaster! 

So…I am simply not going to mention any of that.

Instead I do want to mention this.  Dan is a GREAT guy…both as a person and as a fishing partner.  I had a really, really good time and would certainly fish with him again anytime I get the chance.  That probably won't happen though...he kept mumbling something about "bad luck" and "Murphy's Law".  You don't think he was referring to me do you? 

I will also mention that this Blog is educational thanks to Dan’s willingness to share some of his tips…particularly how he ties on chicken liver to his hook and how he rigs his weight without using knots.   And…I think you will enjoy both videos.

The other thing that came from fishing with both Jim and Dan last fall was an idea on how to make the Blog even better. 
 
STOP...Okay…I admit it...this was my attempt at being "humble" because I (we) realize there is no way to actually make it BETTER…but, at least it's an attempt to make it DIFFERENT.

Over the past few months I have been invited to fish with members from Lawrence, Kansas City and Wichita.  I have been invited to fish at Clinton, Wyandotte County Lake, Cheney, Pottawatomie, and El Dorado.   I have been asked to bass fish, crappie fish and catfish.  (Speaking of catfish…Cindy…you still owe me a catfish trip to El Dorado…!). 

So…my experiences with both Jim and Dan were so good that effective immediately I am open to any and all invitations to fish as long as I can shoot videos and post a Blog on the experience.   I am still going to continue fishing and doing my Blog as always…but…I am now open to include some postings done with fellow members as well. 

I think by doing this it will “open up” the Blog for an even greater learning experience for all members.  (Not really...but that sure sounded good...and "humble" at the same time huh?).   Since members live all over the state of Kansas (and even Missouri, Illinois, Virginia and Florida) this “expansion” of the Blog will make for some interesting and educational postings.

Footnote: This Blog is the largest fishing Blog in the state of Kansas...thanks to each of you...!!!
 
So here is the deal…if you want to fish with me (from the bank, your boat or my boat) send me an email that includes what body of water we would fish and what we would fish for.   Send it even if we have had prior email "conversations" about it so I can put together an "official" 2013 fishing list.

There are a couple of “Rules”…

Rules for Fishing with the "Greatest Unknown Fisherman of All Time"

1.      All bodies of water MUST be open to the public so that any member wanting to fish it can.

2.      Anyone participating agrees to both my video-taping the “event” and the use of any and all materials in a Blog and/or Web Site posting.

3.      All types of fishing will be considered including crappie, bass, walleye, bluegill, wipers, etc.

4.      No first time meetings in any strange dark places…!

5.      You must promise to keep “The Streak” alive. 

 Even if you don’t want to take me fishing send me an email and let me know what you think about “expanding” the Blog to include more trips with more members.   Did you enjoy the two Blog postings with Jim and this one with Dan?  Personally I think this will really be fun for all of us.

Okay…that’s it until next time.

Thanks again Dan for taking me fishing.  It was GREAT…!  We will do it again sometime...!

PS: Did I mention we only caught 2-fish…both under 12-inches long?  Oh yeah Dan…Sorry...I almost forgot…but don't worry...I promise not going to mention that..!

Until next time…go fishing…catch a lot…keep some to eat…turn back the rest.

Clay
Web Site: http://www.KansasFisherman.com
Blog: http://www.KansasFisherman.blogspot.com
Email: clay@kansasfisherman.com

 

 
 

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Osage State Fishing Lake…Murphy’s Law Strikes Again

Okay, if you have followed this Blog very long you know that a “black cloud” hangs over me every time I go fishing or play golf.   Most people call it “Murphy’s Law” but that’s because it only happens to them once in a while.  To me “Murphy’s Law” has become a normal part of everyday living. 

In fact, it’s almost like “Murphy” and I are related…!

Take my golf game.  No matter where I hit the ball, if you can get a bad lie, it will happen to me…every time…no exception.  Won’t happen to anyone else…but it will ALWAYS happen to me.  What?  You say I should hit it in the fairway more often?  Really!  Now you sound like my golfing buddies…one of which calls me “Hit and Hunt”.  I am not really sure…but…I don’t think he means that as a compliment. 

Let me tell you how bad “Murphy’s Law” has affected my golfing.   Any time someone in our group gets a bad lie…it’s called a “Clay Lie”.  No really…I’m serious.  My golfing buddies have named a bad lie after me because “Murphy” has practically become my middle name.   

He is around so much…I’m tellin’ you…I almost feel like we are related.

In our group we have a “Jack Par”…named after my fishing and golfing buddy Jack (clever huh!).  That’s a term of endearment that means someone made a bogey (one over par) on that hole.  We have another saying…”Chuck Bounce”.  That’s when someone gets a lucky bounce (off rocks, trees, etc.) and the ball somehow ends up in the fairway.  That’s named after Chuck because he never gets a bad bounce…EVER…!  (We used to call him “Foot Wedge”…for reasons that need no explanation…but he gets mad when we call him that so…now we only do that when he can’t hear us.)    

We don’t have anything named after Dan because it’s hard to come up with a name for someone that always hits it in the fairway and on the green all the time.  He shot 1-under on the front-nine last time he played. (Actually we do have a name for him too but only when he can’t hear us…!)

So these are all terms of “endearment”…but me…oh no…mine is “Clay Lie”…yes, even on the rare occasions when my ball gets a “Chuck Bounce” and ends up in the fairway…I still get a “Clay Lie”…!

Well…Murphy follows me everywhere…even fishing.  This trip was no exception.  I was scheduled to fish with a member for catfish one evening on Osage State Fishing Lake near Topeka.  (Stay tuned for the next Blog posting where we do some nighttime cat fishing together.) So it just made sense to take my boat and film a Blog video during the day while he was at work.  Right?

Nope…that didn’t work out as planned. 

I wanted to arrive around 10:00am so I would have plenty of time to fish (and a better chance to keep my streak alive)…but…no not me…I get there at 3:00pm…!  Hey…not bad…only 5 hours later than I had planned.  Okay…no problem.  After all, I am the greatest unknown fisherman of all time…so what’s the big deal…just go catch some fish.  Right?

This was a Saturday…something I had not thought much about…until I saw people…not just “people”…a LOT of people.  Some were picnicking, some were fishing from the bank, some were fishing from boats, some were just running around the lake in their boat never stopping to fish, some were throwing rocks in the lake…WHEW…it was exhausting just watching everyone.

Took an hour to get the boat in the water!!!  Why?  Don’t ask!  It is a long story and not one I am proud of.  But…FINALLY…the boat is in by 4:00pm and I’m fishing.  Now I am at home.

Nothing else can go wrong…I am now in my element and all is right with the world…!

A short time later I tried to start my motor…it won’t start!  REALLY?  This motor has never failed to start…usually on the very first pull.  REALLY?

Okay…time to digress…time to be totally honest (Can someone be something other than “totally” honest?  Hum!)  Anyway…the motor did actually start…but then I flooded it.  Yep...me…the greatest unknown fisherman of all time…flooded the motor.  REALLY?

Okay…at least that’s it…there is absolutely-nothing else left that can go wrong.  Let’s just go fish using the trolling motor and keep the streak alive.  It’s a chance to show just how really awesome of a fisherman I really am. 

My cell phone rings.  

It is Dan B. calling to say he was off work sooner than expected and would arrive at the lake a couple hours before our scheduled time.  REALLY?  One look at my watch and I realized I had less than 2-hours to fish before I had to meet him.  That’s less time than it took me to drive to the lake in the first place…!

Murphy started laughing…really…seriously…I heard him.  He has a weird sense of humor.

Anyway…here I am…5 hours later than planned…another hour to launch the boat (don’t ask)… people everywhere, my motor won’t start and I’m down to less than 2-hours of actual fishing time on a lake I never even seen before much less fished. 

I am beginning to think that Murphy and I really are related…!

I will let the video show you what happens.  I will tell you that trying to film and catch a fish at the same time is much more difficult than it looks.  The camera doesn’t stay on all the time.  I have to reach up and push the on button…wait…then push the record button…all while fighting a fish and trying not to lose it. 

If I wasn’t the greatest unknown fisherman of all time (and a great athlete) this would clearly not be possible.  Certainly not something I would recommend to any of my golfing buddies to try while actually on the water where even a “Chuck Bounce” would not help them…unless of course you are Dan…then nothing goes wrong anyway.

Sorry…there is no “What We Learned Today” video this time.  (I say, “Sorry” because I know how much you look forward to watching the Hemmingway of Blogs).  But…I don’t think you want to learn how to deal with “Murphy” in your life.  You are better off not making him feel so much at home as I have apparently done.  You don’t need another relative like him.

You know…it hasn’t always been like this for me.  Come to think about it…my youngest daughter married a guy named “Murphy”…all about the same time that “Murphy’s Law” found me to be such an easy target.   Coincidence?   Maybe. 

Then again…now that I think about it…“Murphy” and I are actually related…!

Until next time…go fishing…catch a lot…keep some to eat…turn back the rest.

Clay
Web Site: http://www.KansasFisherman.com
Blog: http://www.KansasFisherman.blogspot.com
Email: clay@kansasfisherman.com


Saturday, January 19, 2013

Rule #5 of Clay’s “10-Rules of Successful Fishing”

I am getting nervous just writing this Blog posting.  I may be sitting peacefully next to my fireplace while I write it but…just thinking about what happened while fishing Old Moline City Lake makes me shake and break out in a cold sweat.   At times like this I wonder if Hemmingway also felt alone and insecure?  Sometimes it’s just plain hard being the “Hemmingway of Blogs”. 

I’m fishing again with Jim…you know…the guy who I fished with at Howard City Lake…the one that I had to buy his lunch to “bribe” him to fish with me again that same afternoon. 

Hey…leave me alone…my motto is, “Whatever it takes”.

That said…Jim did something that afternoon that made me almost pass out from anxiety.  The problem is…I think he did it on purpose.   Yep…I think it was his way of getting even with me for him having to spend a few more hours sharing a boat together.  That’s it…no doubt about it…Jim saw a chance for pay back…and he took it…!

What did Jim do that almost had me having a heart attack?  What was so dastardly that even today as I write this sentence I need a beverage to help settle my nerves?

He broke Rule #5 of Clay’s “10-Rules of Successful Fishing”…

”Never Leave Fish to Find Fish…EVER…”!

I guarantee that everyone reading this Blog would catch a LOT more fish if they would adopt Rule #5 and follow it.  Except in extreme circumstances…game fish of the same species congregate together.  No…not because they like each other…but because the environmental needs of a particular fish is the same for all the fish of that same species.  Therefore, they “school” because “mother nature” forces them too.  In other words, whatever draws a bass (or walleye, catfish, crappie, etc.) to a particular location will naturally draw other fish of the same species as well.  What draws fish to a particular location is ALWAYS food and cover…except during spawning…and then what draws them together is….okay, never mind…you get the picture. 

So…if the food and cover draws one fish to that location then there are probably more fish like it in the same area.  PLUS, and this is important, if you can find other areas with the same environmental conditions you will catch even more fish.  That’s call “patterning” a fish which has been discussed in other Blog postings.

So here is the deal…when you catch a fish you should assume others are in the area and fish for them.  Most fisherman simply continue walking around the bank and/or moving their boat down the bank without regard to the powerful forces behind the “schooling” nature of fish.  When you catch a fish you should spent time trying to catch others in that area.  That might mean using the same lure (at the same depth and speed used to catch the first fish) or it might mean changing lures and presentations to trigger the other fish.

The top tournament fishermen in the world rarely catch one fish and then quickly move from that spot.  A LOT of tournaments and millions of dollars have been won by fishing the same 100-yard stretch of bank…over and over and over…back and forth…changing lures, changing presentations, changing speeds, etc…one fish now…one fish later…but always one fish at a time.  Where there is one…you should always assume there are more…!

I was leading the B.A.S.S. Kansas Federation Championship (a long time ago!) after day one.  However, I lost that tournament (finished 2nd) because on day two my best friend beat me.  How?  He found a spot where he caught 21 keeper bass (keeper bass means 15” or longer!) on 22 casts…!!!  No that is not a misprint…21 bass 15” or bigger on 22 consecutive casts…!!!   When Melvern Reservoir was built they stocked the lake by building and stocking ponds that flooded when the lake filled up.   Steve found a “school” of fish located on one of those deep submerged pond dams flooded so many years ago.

NOTE: Yes…Steve willingly shared with me where his special pond dam was…yes, I still know exactly where the dam is located…yes I could go straight to it today…NO, I’m not telling you…!  But…nice try…!

Okay…so here we are at Old Moline City Lake and…you guessed it…we found a school of bass.  To make matters even better…then were feeding in shallow water…!  And I mean a LOT of them were “busting” shad up shallow…just like they do on large reservoirs and it was in the middle of the day.  Nothing…and I mean NOTHING is better than that.

Then it happened. 

Since we were fishing from Jim’s boat he was up front running the trolling motor.  I was not the captain of this ship…he was…and he wanted to be sure I got to see the entire lake.  So he did what any person guiding a site seeing boat does…he continued down the bank until eventually we were on the opposite side of the lake of the fish. 

NO…I’m SERIOUS…!  We went to the opposite side of the lake!  Really! 

At first it started slowly…just a little “dry mouth”.  Then came the sweating followed closely by the shakes.  By the time we were on the other side of the lake I was almost hyperventilating.  (For my golfing buddies…hyperventilating means shallow rapid breathing)  For the rest of my “fans”…sorry I had to digress but if you knew my golfing buddies you would understand!

Any way…I kept hoping I was going to wake up…you know…just having a bad dream.  Nope…no such luck…it wasn’t a dream it was a NIGHTMARE…!  So bad did this affect me I was soon forced to return to seeing my therapist.  Me…the “Hemmingway of Blogs” having to see a therapist…again…! 

Well…as you will see in the video…when we finally (and I mean FINALLY) returned to where the fish were…they were (drum roll please)…GONE…! 

So the entire experience has left  me trembling.  You see one thing I learned when fishing tournaments for all those years was, “Never Leave Fish to Find Fish…Ever”.  For me the whole thing is about “catching”…the ”fishing” part can wait…it’s all about the “catching” once you have found them. 

Let me put my feelings in terms everyone can understand.  I have heard hundreds of people say they would rather catch one bass on top water than 10 with any other technique.  You might be one of those people.  I understand as well as anyone the excitement of a top water strike.  But… (Drum roll please)…not me.  

Hello…I would rather catch the 10 fish.  I don’t really care “how”...it’s all about “how many”.

Truth is I had a great time…truth is Jim is a great guy and a really good fisherman…truth is we had a great day…caught a lot of fish…and kept my “streak” alive at 16-consecutive lakes  without being skunked…truth is we will probably do it again someday. 

But…truth is…(drum roll please)…it will be in my boat…! 

Until next time…go fishing…catch a lot…keep some to eat…return back the rest.

Clay Dixon
Email: clay@kansasfisherman.com
Blog:   http://www.kansasfisherman.blogspot.com
Web Site:  http://www.kansasfisherman.com