EricM
Well-known member
Two evenings in a row I drove to middle/eastern Tennessee to fish for muskies/striped bass/cherokee bass (hybrids). This is shore fishing shown to me by my east Tennessee friends/cronies. The area remains a secret at their request. Sorry.
On Friday night, I met two of the troublemakers and we fished from just before sunset until about 9:30 pm. The fishing was slow for us and I lost another $15 lure there (not my first). We watched a fellow across the way catch 2 stripers or hybrids, too far to tell which. Friend Gary had a BIG fish roll on his bait 10 feet from shore (a muskie) while I stood there wide-eyed. Just after dark, he hung a GOOD fish and played it to shore, where Roy snapped the Boga Grip on it. A huge hybrid! I thought I'd have some trouble identifying a big hybrid from a striper, but they really do look different and I knew right away. 28" and 10 pounds!!! Back into the water, no worse for wear. Despite the renewed energy, we didn't have another strike.
As it got really dark we changed spots by walking along the rip-rap, gravel, and mud bank. Of course, ol' EricM had to be the one to fall down in the rocks (doddering old fool). As if that were not enough - what with the sound of a water buffalo keeling over, passing gas, and cussing - but my cap light gave away the fact that I just had to look around to see who saw me do it! Wasn't just too much later I decided to hike back to the car before my knee swelled up just too much more. Talk about feeling like a dumb-butt!
Yesterday (Saturday) afternoon, despite Mrs. EricM's unbelieving look, I just had to do it again. I packed up and hit the interstate. There were scattered rain showers and clear sunny spots all the way, and there was a nice rainbow ahead! About 20 minutes later in another rain shower there was another rainbow. Wow!! Two rainbows! What a day!
Another 15 miles or so down the road I was shocked to see a third, really bright rainbow, and this time it was a DOUBLE rainbow!!! This was too much!! This had to be an omen!!! I never realized it before, but the fainter outer rainbow of a double has the colors reversed from the regular one!!! How beautiful. And not only that, but the brighter inner rainbow was positioned perfectly so that I could see it's colors against the car in front of me, as though the end of the rainbow was just a couple of hundred feet in front of me!! The double stayed with me for probably 5 miles or so. It's amazing that I didn't have an accident 'cause I couldn't keep my eyes off of it.
I limped to the water (knee still swollen and hurting) and there were a couple of guys where I wanted to fish, so I walked around the bay to where I saw the fellow catch the fish Friday. I put on a Bomber Long "A" 7/8 oz with a 1/2 oz weight about 18" in front of it so I could cast it a goodly distance (and it wasn't $15). Lots of casts with one good hit that pulled free after 3-4 seconds. Poop! Finally the folks who were live-bait fishing where I wanted to cast got cold and left, so I nursed my injured knee (what was I thinking, walking around - alone - in this mess with a brusied-up knee?) and went to the "spot". Cast, cast, cast, cast. Muskies are too much work! Then, with just a trickle of light still on the western horizon, I bumped bottom.........NO..... it's a NICE fish! HOO-EEEE!!! I finally got it close to the bank and it wasn't a muskie - it was a striper - NO - it's a BIG hybrid!!!!!! Now what??? NO net, NO partner. I had the Boga Grip in my back pocket, but do I try that or do I drag it up on the shore?? I decided I have had good luck with the Grips, so I finally guided the fish up to the shallows and got it the first try! Up to the grass, tape measure on the fish, holy um, poop - 30 1/2", a new TARP species!!! How much luck could I possibly have in one day? Maybe I'd stop on the way home and buy some lottery tickets - can't hurt! OK, get the camera out, turn it on, check the settings, and shoot. What???? Shoot again. And again. No flash, no image. Check the settings again. Shoot. NO flash. Open it up and clean off the batteries. No flash again. The batteries are too weak to flash. No, no, no, no. The fish needs to be back in the water and I can't do anything about the camera, so I put it back in and after a few seconds it shot off into the dark water. OH NO! CRAP!!! I have a cell phone with a camera on my belt! What an idiot! Too late now. Maybe that's why my CFF title is "Senile Old Fart".
Another hour without a hit was all that my useless wreck of a body could stand, so I packed up and once again limped back to the car. Even without pictures for you, it was a terrific day! I even passed gas without having to fall down first.
I haven't checked my lottery numbers yet, I'm not sure my heart could take another thrill so soon................ emoBigsmile emoBigsmile emoBigsmile
On Friday night, I met two of the troublemakers and we fished from just before sunset until about 9:30 pm. The fishing was slow for us and I lost another $15 lure there (not my first). We watched a fellow across the way catch 2 stripers or hybrids, too far to tell which. Friend Gary had a BIG fish roll on his bait 10 feet from shore (a muskie) while I stood there wide-eyed. Just after dark, he hung a GOOD fish and played it to shore, where Roy snapped the Boga Grip on it. A huge hybrid! I thought I'd have some trouble identifying a big hybrid from a striper, but they really do look different and I knew right away. 28" and 10 pounds!!! Back into the water, no worse for wear. Despite the renewed energy, we didn't have another strike.
As it got really dark we changed spots by walking along the rip-rap, gravel, and mud bank. Of course, ol' EricM had to be the one to fall down in the rocks (doddering old fool). As if that were not enough - what with the sound of a water buffalo keeling over, passing gas, and cussing - but my cap light gave away the fact that I just had to look around to see who saw me do it! Wasn't just too much later I decided to hike back to the car before my knee swelled up just too much more. Talk about feeling like a dumb-butt!
Yesterday (Saturday) afternoon, despite Mrs. EricM's unbelieving look, I just had to do it again. I packed up and hit the interstate. There were scattered rain showers and clear sunny spots all the way, and there was a nice rainbow ahead! About 20 minutes later in another rain shower there was another rainbow. Wow!! Two rainbows! What a day!
Another 15 miles or so down the road I was shocked to see a third, really bright rainbow, and this time it was a DOUBLE rainbow!!! This was too much!! This had to be an omen!!! I never realized it before, but the fainter outer rainbow of a double has the colors reversed from the regular one!!! How beautiful. And not only that, but the brighter inner rainbow was positioned perfectly so that I could see it's colors against the car in front of me, as though the end of the rainbow was just a couple of hundred feet in front of me!! The double stayed with me for probably 5 miles or so. It's amazing that I didn't have an accident 'cause I couldn't keep my eyes off of it.
I limped to the water (knee still swollen and hurting) and there were a couple of guys where I wanted to fish, so I walked around the bay to where I saw the fellow catch the fish Friday. I put on a Bomber Long "A" 7/8 oz with a 1/2 oz weight about 18" in front of it so I could cast it a goodly distance (and it wasn't $15). Lots of casts with one good hit that pulled free after 3-4 seconds. Poop! Finally the folks who were live-bait fishing where I wanted to cast got cold and left, so I nursed my injured knee (what was I thinking, walking around - alone - in this mess with a brusied-up knee?) and went to the "spot". Cast, cast, cast, cast. Muskies are too much work! Then, with just a trickle of light still on the western horizon, I bumped bottom.........NO..... it's a NICE fish! HOO-EEEE!!! I finally got it close to the bank and it wasn't a muskie - it was a striper - NO - it's a BIG hybrid!!!!!! Now what??? NO net, NO partner. I had the Boga Grip in my back pocket, but do I try that or do I drag it up on the shore?? I decided I have had good luck with the Grips, so I finally guided the fish up to the shallows and got it the first try! Up to the grass, tape measure on the fish, holy um, poop - 30 1/2", a new TARP species!!! How much luck could I possibly have in one day? Maybe I'd stop on the way home and buy some lottery tickets - can't hurt! OK, get the camera out, turn it on, check the settings, and shoot. What???? Shoot again. And again. No flash, no image. Check the settings again. Shoot. NO flash. Open it up and clean off the batteries. No flash again. The batteries are too weak to flash. No, no, no, no. The fish needs to be back in the water and I can't do anything about the camera, so I put it back in and after a few seconds it shot off into the dark water. OH NO! CRAP!!! I have a cell phone with a camera on my belt! What an idiot! Too late now. Maybe that's why my CFF title is "Senile Old Fart".
Another hour without a hit was all that my useless wreck of a body could stand, so I packed up and once again limped back to the car. Even without pictures for you, it was a terrific day! I even passed gas without having to fall down first.
I haven't checked my lottery numbers yet, I'm not sure my heart could take another thrill so soon................ emoBigsmile emoBigsmile emoBigsmile
