I'll "B" At The Park!

Yesterday morning my son Bryan and I or "B" as we like to call him, managed to get out to our local fishing hole with my nephew Tyler to search for some big cats. The weather was hot and sticky, making for good catting weather in my book. The bite was slow however and we waited patiently for almost three hours for something big to happen. Other than a few small pick ups that resulted in empty hooks we were quite disappointed in our results based on the perfect conditions. We set up in three different locations with the same old story until we decided to give it the old college try (very fitting for the first day of the college football season) and moved over to one last spot.

Our presentation is quite simple and easy to use. A 6.5ft Daiwa medium action spinning rod/reel combo with 10lb test Trilene XL line. A Eagle Claw # 2 (red) snelled hook and a 1/2 oz sinker 12 to 18 inches up from the hook. Bring a few comfortable lawn chairs and plenty of water and snacks (we forgot them) and some Oscar Meyer franks for bait!

B decided that it would be more exciting if he went over to the playground to look for his friends from school, rather than sit with his boring old Dad and cousin and fry in the sun like fried chicken on a barbecue grill. He disappeared for an hour or so in the middle of our three hours of zilch, only to return and ask, "Are you getting any?" My response was the usual, "No, but at least we are trying."

I decided to give up on the cats and started searching the nephews tackle bag for a good bass bait, when B's line went slack and I told him that he had a bite. He gave it a few seconds, patiently reeling up the slack line, felt the weight of the fish and set the hook. We knew right away he had hooked into a good fish and the battle was on. The rod was bent over, but he is a strong kid and does a nice job fighting the fish. After a few good pictures we released the monster back into the pond for another tussle for some other kids.

Now this is the second time in the last two weeks that B has managed to catch the big one and Tyler and I have been skunked! I'm not sure what is going on here but the next time we go for the big cats...I'll be at the park!

Thanks for visiting us at Cappy's Pond and The Fishing Headquarters. Check out the videos on YouTube @ Cappy's Pond. Remember you can't catch any fish if your line isn't in the water!

Bryan's Catfish!

There are only three reasons a man should ever be awake at 4:30am. The first one is obvious, for no man would turn that down...well with exception for the other two. Fishing & Hunting could cause me to think otherwise... holding out until after lunch when it's too sunny for Mr Buck and Mr. Muskie and I could use a little help to jump start my afternoon nap.

As I pour this first cup of coffee, I realize that I am not about to partake in any of these things this morning and that doesn't make it any easier to be awake. However, the job beckons me to be there by 8:00 and the visiting puppy woke me up from my fishing dreams at 4:30. So now you know why I am taking these precious minutes to hammer out a few paragraphs to share with my fishing friends.

We've been catching a good amount of bass and catfish from the neighborhood ponds. The cooler nights of the past week or so have helped things wake up a bit...but heat is expected to return just in time to mess things up for the holiday weekend. The bass have been hitting mostly on 7.5 inch Culprit worms in any shade of purple, rigged on a 1/8 oz plain worm head. Stick to the deeper edges of the weed line, but don't stray too far. These fish aren't chasing any thing down with all this sun, so be patient and you will still have a few good tussles with Mr. Bigmouth.

The Catfish really have a taste for good ole Oscar Meyer franks, served up just like you used to make them when we were kids. A wiener (ha, I said wiener) on a hook with a weight about 2 ft up the line is all you need. Fish the deepest holes you can find for best action, and make sure your rod is stiff enough to handle a big Flathead or Channel catfish.

More updates to follow over the weekend as I spend a few quality days fishing the Elgin, IL area with my son Bryan.

                       

From Puddles To Pelicans

Although I am somewhat accustomed to my new job, the thought of going to work on this beautiful Monday morning did nothing to excite me. For I have left my heart in another place, far away from the hustle and bustle of suburban Chicago. It hit me hard, last Friday morning, while walking the city streets, with lightning, thunder and pouring rain. The taxis and buses took their turns in a splash fest, trying to soak me a little bit more than I already was. It seemed to be in far contrast from the playful laughter heard by open fire hydrants, where children cooled themselves from the intense heat, less than twenty four hours before. There, while standing in the puddles of  the concrete rain forest, I realized that this was normally our week to be vacationing in Northern Minnesota.

If you have read any of my posts in the last two years, you know of my deep love for Pelican Lake, in Orr Minnesota's north woods. Our summer trips, although too short, were always filled with fishing memories that I have tried in some capacity to share with all of you. I headed east this morning,  looking into a bright golden sun. The only problem was that I was on the left side of my Chevy Trailblazer, instead of the right side of my seventeen foot Lowe. Oh how I wished to be heading the boat into Saunders bay, maybe to search for hungry small-mouth along the rocky structure on the south shore of the main island. But on this day, I was headed to the office to ramp up my service knowledge of Toshiba's line of products, instead of over to the resort boat ramp. Don't get me wrong. The launching of my new career with Toshiba is a good thing. Two years of unemployment was long enough, but you all know I'd rather be launching my boat.

The deep blue sky overhead today, clouds all but disappeared, reminded me of those mid summer days as a young teenager back on Pelican. Lying down on a wooden boat seat, feet up on the gunnel, while the sounds of the water splashing against the aluminum, lulled my cousins and I off to sleep. The call of the loon swimming near the boat, would wake us from our slumber, then casting Gator spoons for Northern Pike would once again be foremost on our minds. Returning to the docks for supper, the smell of fresh cooked fish and homemade fries would fill the late afternoon air. Cooler evening breezes, like the ones we had today, helped to make conditions perfect for good fishing, great campfires, and some of the best sleeping weather you'll ever find.

I'll make it through this week, although it won't be easy, and I might get caught daydreaming a time or two. Maybe of a large-mouth bass hitting a power craw as it falls off  the side of a log, or an eagle as it swoops down to grab a surfacing crappie at dusk. My mind might be taken back to night time walks on the beach hand in hand with someone special. Whatever it will be...I know the hard work this week and the ones to follow will bring me closer to my next trip back to Pelican Lake and the pristine forests of Northern Minnesota. At the least, it will help me get through a few more of those puddles.

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