Yes
I caught fish…yes I continued “The Streak” (catching fish on 14-consecutive
lakes…now extending 18-months long!)…but in reality I made several
“rookie” mistakes. Not something you
want to do given the goal to keep “The Streak” alive while trying to create a
positive (versus “negative”) learning experience for all the members.
There
are several lessons to be learned from this Blog posting on El Dorado Reservoir…all
are important…one is critical if you want to continue growing as a fisherman.
Lesson #1: I love each
and every one of you; otherwise, I wouldn’t make such a great sacrifice to get
up so early and sacrifice my body. No…not even to go fishing. Watch and see.
Lesson #2: When fishing
any body of water containing Zebra Mussels…
TAKE EVERY
PRECAUTION NOT TO TAKE THEM WITH YOU
WHEN YOU LEAVE THE LAKE…!
WHEN YOU LEAVE THE LAKE…!
Zebra
Mussels are a VERY SERIOUS problem
in many Kansas lakes and across the Midwest.
The KDWP post what waters contain these mussles and I encourage you to
check out their web site for updates.
This link contains a lot of great and helpful
information: http://www.kdwpt.state.ks.us/news/Fishing/Aquatic-Nuisance-Species/Aquatic-Nuisance-Species-List/Zebra-Mussels
In
Kansas they can be found in Melvern,
Kanapolis, Jeffery Energy Make-Up and Auzillary Lakes, Milford, both
Council Grove waters (reservoir and City Lake), John Redmond, Perry, Marion,
Cheney, Winfield City Lake, Lake Afton, Wilson and El Dorado. Plus, all the rivers that flow into and out of
these lakes and reservoirs…!
If you fish any of these waters it is
critical to take precautions against transporting them to other bodies of water. You can do
several things including draining all live wells and washing your boat at the
nearest car wash and then letting it sit for at least 5-days (preferably in the
sun) before using it again in a non-zebra mussel lake.
Personally, I always take three extra
precautions:
First, after loading the boat on the trailer (both the bass boat and small
boat) I always let my motor all the way down and drain all the water from the
lower unit before leaving the launching area.
Second, in both boats I plug the live wells so no water can even get into the
live well areas and get trapped. (Note:
I don’t keep the fish I catch so I don’t need to use the live well. If you plan to keep your fish don’t transport
them to another body of water. If you
plan to eat them…don’t throw the skeleton and/or remains in any local non-zebra
mussel lake/pond/creek.)
Third, on my small boat I plug the live well on the OUTSIDE of the boat…in the back where the water enters the boat…NOT on the inside of the live
well. Why, because that keeps water not
only out of the live well…it keeps it out of the 10-foot of tubing running from
the back of the boat to the front live well also!
Zebra
Mussels are no joke…once they infest a lake or reservoir it becomes almost
impossible to get rid of them. PLEASE DO YOUR PART…! (NOTE:
This is a public service announcement… and, “Yes, I approve this message”!)
Lesson #3: When in Rome
do as the Romans do! Look…this is one time
you should NOT do things as I did
them. (I didn’t really just say that,
did I?) Yes, that’s what I said…ignore
what I did and do what I’m about to tell you to do. It will make you a lot better fisherman.
If
you wanted to catch a crappie would you fish in the Gulf of Mexico? If you wanted to catch a trout would you fish
in your local pond? If you wanted to
catch a walleye would you fish in Florida?
If you wanted to catch a largemouth bass would you fish in El Dorado?
The short answer to each of these
questions is, “NO”…! Yes,
anything is “possible” but trying to catch a fish in a body of water where that
fish is not dominant is like trying to find that needle in a haystack someone
is still looking for. That’s not to say
El Dorado doesn’t have a largemouth population…but clearly there is not a large
population of them. In fact, I learned from one of the
members I recently fished with that the nickname for El Dorado is “The Dead Sea”…! Well, that’s not true regarding some species
of fish…but largemouth bass…probably!
It’s
known for its walleye, smallmouth bass and white/striper/wiper bass fishing…not
its largemouth bass fishing. In fact, it
has a pretty healthy population of smallmouth bass. The picture on the Blog was the first strike
and first fish I caught out of my new bass boat. That smallmouth weighed 4-lbs! No…I’m not guessing…I weighed it on a digital
scale. That’s a big smallmouth no matter
what part of the country you live in.
(Note: The picture was taken in a format that would not load onto this Blog...so I made a short video from it in a different format so I could load it. NO...I don't want any emails from my "friends" making fun of my shirt...real men wear purple...okay! Besides, it shows my "sensitive" side...just one more example (of so many) that my golfing buddies could learn from me...!)
(Note: The picture was taken in a format that would not load onto this Blog...so I made a short video from it in a different format so I could load it. NO...I don't want any emails from my "friends" making fun of my shirt...real men wear purple...okay! Besides, it shows my "sensitive" side...just one more example (of so many) that my golfing buddies could learn from me...!)
(Note:
We have a member who catches a lot of catfish on El Dorado too…in fact; she is
supposed to be inviting me along…but…? You
guessed it. Still waiting…! Hey...you don't think she changed her mind after meeting me do you? Okay...keep your opinions to yourself please!
So
pay attention (Stop laughing…no I’m not kidding…I mean actually pay attention
this one time) here is the lesson that is critical if you want to continue to
progress as a fisherman…
Either fish waters that have a healthy
population of the fish you want to catch…or…learn to fish for whatever is the
dominant fish in that particular water. Period…No Exception…! Why beat your head against the wall? Why spend hours fishing for something that is
not very well populated in that lake? Why
try to catch largemouth bass in El Dorado Reservoir? Why try to find that needle in a
haystack?
In short…why be stubborn like me…! (There I said it…I can be stubborn. Note to self…I think I’m supposed to feel
better about myself right about now.
Still waiting to feel better.
Still waiting. Nope…didn’t
work. Sure wasted $200 on that therapy
session!)
(Note: Just in case my lovely wife of 41-years should ever read this Blog posting...(or my friends or family tell her what I said) for the record...being "stubborn" is not necessarily the same thing as being "wrong"...something my wife says I refuse to ever admit. But I would agree that "stubborn" and "wrong" are "kissing cousins". As one famous person said, "It depends on what 'is' means".
(Note: Just in case my lovely wife of 41-years should ever read this Blog posting...(or my friends or family tell her what I said) for the record...being "stubborn" is not necessarily the same thing as being "wrong"...something my wife says I refuse to ever admit. But I would agree that "stubborn" and "wrong" are "kissing cousins". As one famous person said, "It depends on what 'is' means".
Yes,
I caught fish in spite of myself. I even
caught fish not on the video…once even broke my line on a very large fish…also
not on the video. But…here I was
surrounded by a ton of baitfish and schools of white bass…and what do I
do…continue to look for that needle in a haystack (largemouth bass). All I can say is, “Duh”!
It is true that I didn’t have exactly the right equipment with me to catch the whites…or the crappies that were there too…but “Hello, whose fault was that”! It was totally mine! (Now I feel better about myself. No I don’t….just made that up. Reminder to self…find another therapist!)
Stop
right now…I already know someone is going to email me telling me they catch a
few largemouth bass on El Dorado. Please
do. I seriously would like to hear from
you. For the record…so have I…and I will
again. But that doesn’t really change a
thing.
Mistake #1 was fishing exclusively for largemouth bass on a lake
not known for large populations of bass.
Mistake #2 was fishing way up
in the river when this time of year most largemouth bass (such as they are) are
out in the main lake areas. Mistake #3 was not being prepared to
take the best advantage I could of the best resource available on that
lake…white bass, walleye and crappie.
So…I made several mistakes on many
different levels on this trip. (Now I feel better about myself. No…not kidding this time…I really do feel
better. Not sure if it’s the confessional
release of so much deeply personal information, feelings and inter-honesty about
me to you my fans…or whether it’s the release of my therapist saving me $200 a
week which I can apply to more fishing equipment…? Okay…that’s an easy one to answer…!)
So
to “up your game”…fish where you have the best chance to catch whatever species
of fish you are after and forget about finding that needle because the only way
to find it is you have to first get stuck by it…!
Until
next time…go fishing…catch a lot…keep some to eat…return back the rest.
Clay Dixon
Email: clay@kansasfisherman.comBlog: http://www.kansasfisherman.blogspot.com
Web Site: http://www.kansasfisherman.com
