When Lights Are Low

 When asked about my favorite month for catfishing, I'm not sure I could really offer a concrete answer. As quickly as flathead season goes by, I've caught fish from May to October. That's nearly half the year! Looking at peak fishing times, there's just so many variables to consider - weather, water temperatures, river flow, etc. But, when it comes to the time of day, for me the choice is easy. I love those twilight hours that occur around sunrise and sunset! More often than not, I try to get launched so that I can anchor up on that first spot as close to sunrise or sunset as possible.  

 

In my Making the Day Successful entry, I quoted Tim Scott talking about how catfish go through different periods of activity throughout the day. There's absolutely something to this, how many times have you been fishing and you're out maybe 4-5 hours...but most of the activity occurred within a 60-90 minute window? It's precisely because of experiences like this that old axiom that luck is "being in the right place, with the right bait at the right time" holds true. It's certainly been well documented that catfish activity increases during the low light hours. In the next sections, we'll look at some of the possible reasons for this.


How many times have you been for a drive at sunset or around dusk and seen deer out wandering around along the road or in a cornfield? There's something about those twilight hours, a lot of different animal and fish species seem to be more active. For sight-feeding fish, there's a flurry of activity where they are feeding while they can still see their prey. I also think it's entirely possible that the activity of other species during those twilight hours presents an opportunity that catfish are taking advantage of. Catfish species are very adept at feeding in low light conditions giving them the upper hand in low light situations. For an ambush predator like the flathead catfish, the lower light is an opportunity to roam for food undetected. In low light hours, the flathead has a distinct advantage because it locates prey using other senses like detecting vibration using their lateral line. Channel catfish are going to locate prey using scent as well, which also works day or night.  

Is the night time the right time? Whether you're Ray Charles, or a catfisherman, absolutely!
So, there's a spot that I like to fish fish and a couple times I'm sitting there and at some house along the river the guy is out in his backyard with Ray Charles and other soul music classics just blasting away on the stereo. I don't know who this guy is, but his taste in music is impeccable! Back to the topic, I went with a different focus here because there's been so much written about catfishing at night. And catfishing at night absolutely works, don't get me wrong. For me, if I'm going night fishing which is what I do most of the time, I just try to get out for some of of that twilight action. That way you cover both periods of activity.



Fishing in the morning, I like to get out as early as possible. If you can get the boat launched before sunrise, you'll often have the entire river to yourself. Just to enjoy the calm and peaceful experience of watching rods in the early morning light with some hot coffee is a reward in itself. And when things are going right, hooking up with a few catfish along the way. 

 

Undoubtedly, I've had some great times fishing during daylight hours. Even mid-day, when the water is deep enough to mitigate light penetration, you can get flathead action. And channel cats, well they feed anytime of day. Fishing with more daylight actually offers a number of advantages - navigation is easier, knot tying for sure, you can see where you are casting better, trying to find things in the boat is easier...early or late in the catfish season, there may be some advantages as well. 














Considering all the factors, maybe the best measure of all this is success. Overall, I've just been more successful fishing in lower light situations and have taken bigger fish at night than during the daytime, at least the places I'm fishing. It's also nice when you can get away from that daytime traffic and enjoy the river "after-hours" when it's quieter out there. Which also happens to be a great time to catfish. And for taking pictures. Don't you just love it when a plan comes together?!?

Paying it forward

It seems like most catfish anglers I know had a friend, relative, or other fishing mentor that fueled their interest in catfish to the point where catfish became their primary sport fish. It's only natural when you consider how many anglers get their start fishing for bass, panfish, etc. Indeed, targeting. bass and panfish can be very fun and rewarding. Plus, it's important to keep those bait collection skills sharp! Anyways, I feel indebted to all of my fishing buddies over the years. Because they're the ones who showed me the ropes. Where to fish. Where not to fish. When to fish. And why.


 
In the last several years, I've spent a lot of time fishing alone in the boat. With a small vessel to fish from, flying solo does have advantages. It's a little easier moving from spot-to-spot. You get dibs on ALL the pick-ups. In fact, many of my most successful trips were jaunts where I headed out by myself with a bucket of baits.

Reflecting on my experiences, I'm trying to make more of an effort now to drag a friend along for the ride. Or, at least meet up on the river. To pay it forward. It's always a good time with friends. Because, even if the fish aren't biting, it's never a bad day out on the river...

...And, it's fun to share a boat with a friend!

A Six Pack of Flatheads

Anyone who has spent a good deal of time catfishing or targeting big fish in general knows that it's all about peaks and valleys. You have good nights and then there are not so good nights. Let's face it - not so good nights happen a lot more than we would like. That's just the way it goes sometimes, targeting big fish.

Every once in a while, you have one of those magical nights. If you've fished long enough, you've probably experienced one of these trips when things just fall into place. You make an errant cast, it results in the best fish of the night. Every bite is aggressive and results in a hook-up. You try a new spot and it pays off on the first cast. It's trips like this that make it all worth it...unforgettable nights that keep you coming back for more!

There is no substitute for time on the water. You devoted time to finding the best spots, catching the best baits, locating the biggest fish...you're waiting for an eventual payoff (hopefully). That payoff is fighting and landing a new "personal best". Catching your first flathead of the year (FFOTY) before everyone else. Multiple fish nights. Bragging rights. I was lucky enough to experience just such a night recently.

Before I sold my other boat, I was feeling pretty confident having made several trips in a row with a flathead in the boat. It was a good streak. I even caught a personal best flathead within about a week of boating a 36" sand shark in the Florida keys. I was thinking "I got this fishing thing almost figured out!" Not so much, as demonstrated by a few fishless outings last summer. Much more than channel catfishing, successfully targeting flathead catfish requires attention to detail. Catching the best baits. Scouting the river in the spring to find the best spots to fish come summertime. As others have said many times, you  really have to be willing to catch no fish when you're targeting big fish. 

The week leading up to that Friday night, I wasn't even planning to fish. I had just gotten back from vacation and we had a busy weekend planned. Then I started thinking about just catching a few baits to visit an old bank fishing spot. That day I decided to go "all in" and catch enough baits for a few hours of fishing some favorite spots by boat instead. Spots that had proven themselves over time. Confidence is such a key commodity when it comes to catfishing. You may have located flatheads at many places along the river, but there's always those special spots you have an extra degree of confidence in. Producing fish year after year, that's how a spot proves its worth over time. My game plan was to fish a few of these places and hopefully get multiple flatheads in the boat for the first time this season.

It was such a beautiful night when I launched the boat around 8:20 p.m. There was just enough breeze to keep the mosquitoes away, at least early on. My strategy was to fish a couple spots early then finish up late where I caught my personal best flathead a few years back. On the way up the river, I noticed it was almost dusk already. And no one was anchored in a favorite spot. I made a snap decision to just anchor up and see what happens. I could always come back later on.

I cast a few baits out. A couple
bluegills and one large creek chub. The creek chub was the third bait out. I get everything situated in the boat and start drinking some water and tying up another rig. Then I get a big THUNK on the creek chub rod. It starts to load up slowly and deliberately. Before I know it, I'm reeling down to set the hook on a flathead catfish. And the fight is on. Several times, I'm making progress and the fish surges nearly ripping the rod out of my hands. Serious stuff. Flathead, for sure. Eventually, I tire the fish enough to reach down and get a solid grip to hoist it in the boat. Holy cow. WOOT!!!

I get out some measuring tape and the fish is nearly 38" long, about 37x22. Definitely a new personal best. I got a few pictures and cracked open a celebratory brew to toast my achievement...with the knowledge that any pressure I was feeling was gone. By any measure, the evening will be a success.

My line was a little tore up, so I retied my hook and re-baited. The I cast out in the same general area. Then I rigged up a fourth rod. And cast another bait out to the side. And waited. It didn't take too long and I had another rod loading up under the weight of a flathead catfish making off with his prize. And another. And another. At some point along the way, a nice fish broke me off in a snag. It happens. That's catfiishing for you.

I'm boating a nice small flathead, don't remember which one. As I'm taking a few pictures, another
road starts to load up. I put the fish down and get ready and set the hook into a meaty 32" flathead catfish. The fight is on and I eventually bring it into the boat and start taking some more pictures. Another first - flathead double! My best night ever was four fish and I still have more baits left...and I'm still on my first anchor. So I cast another bait. Surely, I can make it to five.

Eventually, another rod goes down and I boat my fifth flathead. I've only been fishing maybe two hours at this point. And I STILL have a few baits left. I throw another fresh bait out and at this point I'm fishing baits spread around this spot just waiting for one more to go down. And one bait seems extra nervous bouncing the rod repeatedly every minute or so. I'm sure it's going to go. I check my other baits and might have reeled one in that was snagged up. And I'm waiting...

And then it happens. Not the rod I predicted, but 
another one off to the side takes a hit. And starts going down. And I reel down on a small flathead and hooked up with number six. And it's hung up. I holster the rod, as I did with another fish earlier in the night that came free and was eventually boated, waiting for the fish to come free. After a few minutes with no luck, I check. I can feel the fish is still on there, so I let out all the anchor rope. I use the rod to pull myself over to where the fish is hung up and I find it wrapped up in some other angler's line. Like a roast wrapped by the butcher. Someone's braided line that had gotten tied up in the snag I was casting to. Of course. (I'm not the only one fishing here). I get the fish in the boat for a few last pictures and another short video. SIX.

At that point, I decided it was a good time to head home, having sufficiently raised the bar for myself in the future. In terms of numbers, my "six pack of flatheads" with two over thirty inches seems like a hard night to beat. There is still room to improve on that personal best though, as I'm still looking for my first thirty-pounder. Maybe even twenty-five. Who am I kidding? I might NEVER have another six flathead trip. But this one night, out on the Fox river...

(note: the blood all over my shirt isn't from the fish...it's from my chewed up fingers. As always, I catch and release all flathead catfish.)

The Launch Sequence

I lead a busy life, sometimes it's just crazy. Especially during the summertime, because that's when work tends to be very hectic. And trying to fit in family vacation before the fall marching season begins...in August. Guess that's just what it's like having a big family and a lot of interests. In midst of all that, you wouldn't think there's any time left for fishing. Well, not a lot.

Somehow, I make time. Summer is my favorite time of the year. Especially those long days in late June and early July. And those long Memorial and Labor Day weekends. So I'll earmark a few "fishing
dates" on the calendar, maybe schedule a Friday or two off. Of course advance planning is no guarantee, then there's summer weather which is always less than predictable.

It all starts with the forecast. When I'm looking ahead to a fishing trip, I'll start watching the 5 or 10 day  forecast on weather.com. If things are looking good, great! The last couple days I'll switch to the hourly, especially if there's a chance of rain. The hourly forecast is surprisingly accurate once you're within a 24 hours or so. I don't worry too much about scattered, isolated, or less than 50% chance. I have rain gear and I've gotten wet before. Lightning, that's another story. Safety first, always.

Once I'm past the point of no return, the final countdown begins. Time to charge batteries, make sure the boat's ready, take care of any last minute trailer repairs, etc. If I'm checking out someplace new, I might look at a few maps or satellite images. It's a little different each time, but charging the battery is key. My 12v battery powers my aerator, trolling motor, and sonar unit. All important devices. Almost ready!

Before I head out there are a bunch of things I round up at the last minute. Some of the items in my catfish bag and/or boat include bug spray, sunglasses, hat, sunscreen, cameras, phone, terminal tackle, rods, gas, fire extinguisher
...you know stuff. Essential stuff. This is a good time to make sure the navigation and trailer lights are working. Nothing more frustrating that getting ready to hit the road and something needs to be fixed with the trailer lights.









I'll get some water in the cooler, maybe a beer or two, sometimes coffee, and I'm off. What's left?
Right. Bait. A quick stop at the bait shop for some suckers, or maybe a tributary creek or even right off shore at the launch, and I've got baits. There's always the cast net too, at least during daylight hours.








All that's left at the launch is loading gear in the boat. And making sure the drain plug is in before dropping the boat in the water. The car gets parked. The motor's fired up...and you're off!!! In search of summer catfish.

I'll run a ways up or down the river, scope out a promising spot, and then anchor up. A hook is baited, then cast...and splashdown.
The first bait is out and anything is possible...
I love catfishing!!!

Days and nights on the river (Misadventures in catfishing - Part 3)

 

The Great White Buffalo

In the summer of 2002, I started shopping for a new fishing rig. After being a landlubber for a quite a while, I missed the freedom afforded by having my own fishing boat. I wanted a boat with a trailer and hopefully a running outboard, as I had sold mine. I was checking for sale ads at work and several of the regional papers on-line. I saw one somewhat beat up boat near work, but decided to hold out for something that looked a little more seaworthy. 


 

A few weeks later, I found what appeared to be a great deal on a used boat. It was a '61 Smoker Craft with an old Chrysler motor. An electric motor and fishfinder were part of the package as well. Well equipped. And, the price was about what I wanted to spend. Sure, it was old. But the owner (a nice older fellow and veteran) assured me there wasn't a scratch on the hull. The only catch was that it was a long drive to pick it up. I packed up the family and we made a day (and a deal) of it. 

 
My boat became known as the Great White Buffalo (GWB for short) as its two-tone white/aluminum finish reminded me of my old car, that a friend always referred to as the Great White Buffalo. Over time I added some decking, rod holders, and  it made a great little cat-boat! I ended up selling the GWB in 2013, after many fun and memorable trips.    

 

 

Maiden Voyage

We took the GWB to a local river, in search of some catfish. The launch was in a very gravelly, shallow stretch of river. I ended up dragging my boat around with a rope in the rain all morning. It was rarely over knee deep anywhere in this section and I had no oars at the time. Remember the scene from "African Queen"? At least there were no leaches. Just when we started getting some good bites, it starts pouring. Chalk one up to experience.

Later that fall, another friend and I drove about two hours to fish on the Rock river at Dixon in some blustery 20 mph winds and heavy chop. We got launched then I proceeded to break the starter cord! Time for some quick "McGyvering." Luckily, the flywheel had a spool on the top (like old lawnmowers used to have). I was wrap some electric cord on the rotor to pull for easy starting. Now I know why I kept that wire in my toolbox! No fish, but at least it didn't rain. I also marked some great structure out there.
   
Over time, I got comfortable with the launching/trailer routine
and found good places to fish on the nearby Fox river. Maybe the best part of the boat/trailer setup is having some of the gear (motor, gas tank, battery) pre-loaded in the boat. No more
carrying an empty boat down to the water and then spending 20 minutes loading all the gear! After eleven years of active duty, I finally parted with the GWB. I even made a tribute video. What a fine old boat...and it never did leak either!

 

While I took the boat on some longer trips, like driving out to Prophetstown to fish the Rock river, most of my attention was focused on the nearby Fox river. I started fishing more for flathead catfish and the advice everyone gave me was to spend more time getting familiar with local places that held flatheads. So I tried to do just that, at least a few times every summer. As I gained experience over the years, certain trips became etched in my memory.

 

 

  

 

Flathead focus

Around 2002, I started a concerted effort to target flathead catfish in my catch and release trips. Like other catfish anglers, I was fascinated by their size, power, and dogged determination to avoid capture. The first few seasons I tried my hand at fishing for flathead catfish were a bust. Like many pursuits if you've never achieved something, it's a challenge getting that first one under your belt. I quickly learned that timing and confidence are key factors.


In July of 2004, I with the Fox with veteran catman Brent for a few hours of fun. With his boat on a new stretch of river, it was a great change of pace (and venue) for me. I arrived at the launch cranking Born Under A Bad Sign by Cream, ready for some action. Was I trying to tempt fate? I had almost forgot my camera that morning, I only remembered it when I ran back to the house to grab some rain gear just in case. 

We anchored in some deep water near some bridge footings around 9:00 am or so and started fishing. Bridge pilings can be a great, if obvious spot. There's often wood cover hung up on the piers and submerged structure too. I got a nice channel catfish to get things started...a bit later Brent landed the fish of the day - a nice flathead of maybe 15 pounds! My time had not yet come...





 Not too long afterwards, I hooked up with my first flathead, which put up a good fight on my 14 pound test line. To say I was thrilled would be a huge understatement! I also caught a smaller flathead that weighed a few pounds. All the fish were released to fight another day…while it wasn't quite a highlight reel of fish, no mishaps or misadventures. No wonder...we hadn't taken my boat!

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Free pass

My Birthday occurs near Father's Day, so I usually try to use that to my advantage to get out for some holiday weekend catfishing. That's also my favorite time of the year, as I love those long summer nights! One memorable trip was on my 40th Birthday, when I launched early start and scored my first multiple flathead trip fishing solo! It was a fun morning where I anchored on a few different spots and had the river to myself. Good times.  

On an early morning Birthday jaunt in 2009 when I experienced some torrential rains and sudden lightning was way to close for comfort. I beached the boat for a while and with the rising water even tried launching in the shallow area where I was dragging the boat on its maiden voyage several years before. I called it quits early that day, which was probably best as I had to leave on a scout trip that weekend.

I do like to mix things up, so sometimes I'll fish in the morning, sometimes at night. I've never forget one morning I was fishing a spot near the bank and some guy on water skis starts getting a little too close for comfort. He even got me with some water spray. We had a few choice words after that and I ended up moving. That's one major disadvantage to fishing in a suburban area...the boat traffic. And people who think they own the river flying around in speedboats and jet-skis.

Maybe because the Fox tends to be a shallower river, the night time is often the right time for flatheads. Of course fishing in the dark complicates everything. Casting, knot tying, untangling lines. Everything is trickier in the boat at night. Especially after a beer or two, which is why I started a tradition several years back...waiting to crack open the first beverage to toast that first catfish in the boat. Prost!

 

 

 

 

 

Misadventures in EVERYTHING

Another June evening during another year, I hit a new launch on the river a little before dusk for some catfishing. Launching the boat, I managed to whack an already cracked trailer light on the pier. It happens. I fished some promising bridge structure and had few crush-and-kill hits, but had no typical flathead pick-ups. Later another boat nearly drifted into me and also got tangled in one of my lines. I decided to pack it up and finish fishing at another pool on some familiar water. I was in a hurry to take out, and ended up starting motor in some shallow water. I pushed out a little bit, but not far enough I guess, and bounced the bottom a few times, as I wheeled around to get my boat on the trailer to go.


I get to the other launch and after pushing the boat off the trailer managed to slip landing face down in the water at the launch. Miraculously, my cell phone remained dry. That first step was a little further than I thought... I headed up-stream, passing some other boats including angler Frank. On my way to the first spot, my motor started making a new sound. A metallic click, click, click. Never heard that before.

I set-up on the first spot, got positioned right where I wanted and my first bait gets hit. With rod in my hand, I felt the fish surge forward a few times, and I was just waiting for the rod to level and tighten up before attempting a hook-set. The fish stops moving. I waited a bit and tried slamming but the fish had either spit, or the bait popped out. Air-ball. 

I get a call from my friend Marty and picked him up back at the launch. Start the motor again, the sound  intensified somewhat, and now I'm concerned. Not concerned enough apparently, we fished a while then I tried to drive and first the motor hesitates, then we we're going nowhere. I lifted the motor to find I have no propeller. Never seen that happen before. I broke out the oars, and started rowing back to the launch. About halfway, Frank was kind enough to give us a tow, and I gave him my unused bait. What a night. About the only thing that didn't happen was launching the boat without the drain plug in. That was really the night when Misadventures in Catfishing became my running tagline. 

 

Around 2007-2008, Marty spearheaded an effort to organize a local group of catfish anglers which became the Fox Valley Flatheaders. We compared notes about our experiences, talked about fishing pressure on the Fox river, and discussed the importance of these fish as a valuable resource for future generations. Data was collected regarding hours fished and species caught. We ultimately partnered with some DNR biologists who completed the first studies of flathead catfish on the Fox river. Pretty cool stuff! We also planned a few outings, one of which was an overnight trip to the Mississippi river...

 

 

 

Back to the Mississippi

In the summer of 2009, I was excited at the prospect of an overnight trip to the Mississippi in the Quad Cities area. Since this was to an unfamiliar stretch of water, I spent a good deal of time research about that section of the Mississippi. I had also replaced my Chrysler outboard with a "new" vintage motor, a '57 Mercury Mark 10. Boy, could that thing could run up the river!

My first stop was to to launch near Rock Island and check out the upper section of pool 16. I anchored-up at a railroad bridge opposite of the shipping channel, having a bite of my packed lunch. Then, I decided to try just below the bridge pilings adjacent to the shipping channel. Guess I was a little bit too close, when an approaching barge blasts its horn to get out of the way. I cut my lines and fired up the motor. Even running away at full speed the wake behind the passing barge draws me in and the boat drops into the place where the water had been displaced by the passing ship. Luckily I was at a safe distance behind the barge by this time. Good time to pack up and head for the campground!

There was a nice launch at the campground situated on a running side channel off the main river. When I arrived in the early afternoon there was a good bull session going amongst the other other fisherman making the trip, including catfish guide Tim Scott. Since everyone wanted to do a bit of scouting before dinner, we drove over to the launch and then all headed off in different directions. I headed upstream, following Tim's suggestion to look for shoreline wood cover 10-15' deep with current.

At my first stop, I fished a bit and landed a small channel cat. Having avoided the dreaded skunk, I decided it was time to head upriver. Fished a second spot and had the pleasure of watching an eagle flying hunting for lunch. My other baits had no takers, so I high-tailed it upstream to scout some more. Found a perfectly awesome spot, two root balls bookending a ton of lumber, in deep water right off the shoreline. Filed that one under "fish tonight". Time to hurry, must keep scouting. Motoring even further upriver, it suddenly drops from 8' to 2' of water. Then WHACK. Solid rock. #%!~* Great, I've found the wing dam from those maps. Probably ruined the motor. Misadventures in catfishing.


I lifted the motor for an inspection. Actually, the lower unit seemed okay, although my prop was dinged up pretty good. I started back towards the launch very slowly, but something isn't right. The motor isn't pushing the boat the way it should and I'm going nowhere fast. Luckily, I managed a tow from a speedboat about halfway back. I learned later that I had what is known as a "spun prop". A rubber bushing inside the propeller transfers the torque from the motor. If you hit something and the motor is running at high speed, the bushing slips. In my case, the bushing was spent. It had become gooey rubber.

I attempted to repair the prop while I cooked some much needed dinner. Grilled burgers with sliced tomato from my garden. That was good. Spirits were elevated! I did the best repair I could and tried launching again around 8:30 pm. I'm motoring slowly across to about midstream. Then I notice the motor isn't really pushing at all. My repairs were ineffective. The moment of truth was at hand: head back and call it a night or start rowing to fish a few spots close to the launch. 

Of course, I decided to fish the spots. I didn't drive three hours with a boat and camping gear for nothing. I spent a while rowing the rest of the way out and got anchored up on a nice little spot with some wood cover. It wasn't too long before I my live bluegill brought some action. After losing a couple fish in the wood, I get another pick-up. I started burning the reel in the rod holer and hooked up with a catfish. At the end of the fight I reached down to hoist a nice healthy flathead, close to 15 pounds into the boat. It was a new personal best at the time and my first Mississippi river flathead. YES!!!

In between bites, it was such a peaceful, quiet night on the water. In the dark skies I saw all kinds of stars (the milky way was so visible I mistook it for clouds at one point!). One of the other anglers on the trip stopped once and offered me a tow. I actually declined, as I wanted to fish one more spot. It was getting late and Tim stopped by with his crew to see how I was making out. When he offered me a tow (guessing it was sometime after midnight), accepted since it was getting late anyhow.







The next morning I got up early making coffee and breakfast. I removed my outboard and the gas tank from the boat to lose some extra weight and get a bit more fishing in before heading home. I set out under oar power again, boated one small flathead catfish and missed a couple more pick-ups. I ended up heading for home around 11 am.
At some point during the proceedings, I also drifted into one of  the snags I was fishing and broke the transducer arm for my fishfinder (for about the third time in a few years). It happens. All things considered, it was a great trip.

 

 

Four!

Some years are busier than others. Such was the case in 2011. It took a little more time than usual to get everything ready to go for a first trip of the year. I had a new tow vehicle. Trailer lights and wiring had to be fixed and the motor needed a little tweaking.  Finally I had everything ready to go. All I needed were some fresh, lively baits. June is a great time to fish the Fox!

You know it's going to be a good night when you get a fish on the first cast on the first anchor. I've experienced that a number of times, generally a great sign. Actually, that night was a night of firsts. In addition getting a flathead on my first bait/first anchor, it was also the first night I boated four flatheads! Happy Birthday to me. Didn't I mention it...it was also my Birthday!


I had even missed a couple that night...one missed fish was trying to take the rod down in the holder and when I went for the rod it spit my the bait. I should have just started cranking the reel. Same thing happened with the last fish and THAT time I cranked down to get the fish on before taking the rod. I had a new baitfeeder combo that year, it was good to see it get tested a little. That first fish had put up a strong fight!

I got another good season out of that motor, but there were ongoing issues. One misty July evening when I had the motor running I took fellow flathead angler Kevin on the Fox. For my part, I managed a skunk, complete with the scent of actual skunk on the way back to the launch. I did have one good hit that didn't commit. I was fishing tight to cover and had nearly every bait tangled in some kind of branches. After that we went further upriver and Kevin managed to land the biggest flathead I've ever handled. 37x24". Quite impressive. 

Later that night (early in the morning), I was trying to start the motor to head back and then my recoil spring stops working. We were pretty far from the launch, and I took out some old rope, started wrapping it in the teeth on top of the rotor and cranking while trying to get my idle readjusted. Maybe 25 minutes later of CONTINUOUS cranking, I finally got it humming. And to think I was just about to place a 1:00 am rescue call for a tow!

With ongoing outboard issues, I was heading out with just the electric trolling motor on the last several trips before I ultimately sold the GWB. Even with limited mobility, I managed to get on flatheads fairly consistently and even had a no-skunk streak lasting several trips over a two year span. My own personal best flathead (33x24") came during this time on another multiple fish night when I had quietly set out under electric power.

   

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

The latest chapter begins with a new boat

Last spring (April 2015), I decided it was time to get another boat. A great deal was found on Craigslist and another purchase was made, where I became the owner of this '93 Sea Nymph powered by a '61 Mercury. It was christened the She Nymph and even I managed to boat a nice flathead on the first trip out. 
 

It wasn't long before I started planning another Mississippi trip. It was time to go back to Savanna for a long day of fishing with Peter, my old fishing pal from those first two Mississippi trips in the early nineties. We went all over that section of river as I took photos along the way while we fished some amazing looking spots. Sadly, the closest we came to boating a fish was one large northern pike that broke my line boatside trying to land it. 

Maybe we were jinxed because I suspended the rule about getting that first catfish in the boat before toasting. Sometimes it's hard to know what you were doing wrong, especially when you're fishing such great and fishy looking habitat. Maybe next time I fish the Mississippi I'll get back to that side channel area near Rock Island. If I do, I think it will be another overnight trip. Anyhow, the weather was awesome and the scenery, God's country. At least I got some great pictures!

 
I've compiled a lot of pictures on my outdoor excursions over the years. Thinking back to some of the trips from my younger days, I wish I had taken more pictures. I guess that's the only regret that I've ever really had as far as outdoor adventures - I didn't always bring a camera. Of course, maybe I'm glad that all of our escapades weren't documented on film too...