fishing blog – Page 16

Our Elders…the Missing Link?

I was speaking to a friend the other day and he was lamenting the fact that he feels abandoned by his parents. For reference, this guy has a family, has his own home and is doing well. His parents sold everything and moved to Florida unannounced. Personally, I don’t have a problem with their decision per se, but what baffled me is that his folks just disconnected from the family. They want to just enjoy their remaining days and cannot be bothered with anything else.

My point to this blog post is that traditionally we have looked to our elders for wisdom and guidance. If they just disconnect, we lose that. We know they have had rough times in their lives and can give us perspective on said occurrences. Especially now, in these seemingly tumultuous times…we NEED them.

Personally, I have heard the excuses. “I’m too old” or “I’m tired” or “nobody wants to hear what we have to say.” Yet, I think we need to hear their perspective and the wisdom they can share. I know it seems like the current culture wants the adults to sit down and shut up, but we know better. We were taught to respect our elders and should continue to do so. 80 years of life experience is valuable and should be shared to any and all who are struggling. Seriously…would you take marriage advice from someone married twice in 10 years or someone who has been married for 60 years?

The buzzwords of discrimination ( OK Boomer ), inclusivity ( they created the problem ) and diversity ( they’re too old to be relevant ) seem farcical when compared to the actual dialogue going on in todays society. The fact is that we are ALL guilty to some extent and we ALL need some guidance and wisdom.

So the message to our Elders is that we need you and value your experience and to please share what you can. You are still valuable, have purpose and are appreciated.

Happy Holidays and remember your Elders…

Making the Change…

For a long time I have been hoping for a better option to replace the lead bullets I have been using for hunting. Recently, CCI released their Meateater .22 Copper polymer bullets which are lead free. I finally managed to purchase two boxes and plan on using them exclusively from this point forward. I plan to see whether they manufacture similar rounds for other calibers as well.

Currently I am using a CZ 457 .22LR for small game hunting. I absolutely love everything about this rifle, especially the accuracy. You definitely get what you pay for here.

10 Random Quotes…

This is definitely a weird time to be alive. I speak with many people each day and the common denominator seems to be fear and uncertainty. Encompassing the Left, Right and Center. I avoid “echo chambers” at all costs and believe that healthy, rational and logical debate is a means forward. I refuse to be afraid and I refuse to accept things at face value. That being said, I would like to share 10 quotes that I have been pondering over and over as of late…

I generally abhor politics. I blame politicians for most of the ills of the world. I am not a blank check or perpetual ATM where you can spend our money at will, but that’s how it seems these days. It is NOT about facts, it is about CONTROL. I remain steadfast in using logic, deductive reasoning, rational thought and scientific facts that have been thoroughly reviewed and tested and sourced. I question everything. And I refuse to be afraid.

I hope you find these quotes interesting or thought provoking. Continue to be a decent human being and stay safe out there…

Early Morning Hunt…

Fall is my favorite time of year and with a morning temperature of 27F and frost on the ground, I decided to hunt for rabbit. The wife opted to tag along to get some photos. So after hunting through an area I agreed to let her take pics. It felt weird to be honest…I just wanted to hunt, instead it felt like a fashion shoot or something. But seeing as how we are both learning photography and experimenting with light and composition I figured why not.

We saw plenty of Dove and Grey Squirrels but not a single Cottontail. Oh well, I still enjoy getting out on cool fall mornings.

I have a slant towards the nostalgic so I rarely wear camo clothing while hunting. I much prefer wool and cotton duck/canvas. At least for small game or upland species. I remember hearing about my Grandfather hunting rabbits with his single shot 16ga and his Beagles. I still have his J.C. Higgins shotgun! Some things don’t need to change I suppose.

Some people aren’t keen on hunting and I get it. But I much prefer wild game to anything that can be purchased in a store. Also, you will never see me do fist-pumps and jump up and down smiling after a kill. I much prefer to honor the quarry and give thanks to the Creator. Hunting and taking a life is a solemn and humble occasion. I take only what I need and nothing more…

An Early Morning Walk…

The wife and I got up early this morning and took a stroll around our property. We had storms last night and as usual, we like to check the place over to make sure there weren’t any trees that had blown over onto our fencing.

It was a crisp 42F and damp, but the sun was up and it felt really nice outside. I took the camera along to take a few pics since the seasons are changing and fall colors are starting to appear.

I still have much to learn about photography but it has been fun learning so far. And it was nice to sit in the sun and contemplate the seasons and the correlation to the human life span. Until next time…

I’m Not Having a lot of Luck With Boots This Year…

3 years ago I decided to upgrade my wet weather footwear from cheap rubber boots to more expensive Muck boots. I paid $40.00 for my first pair at Academy Sports.

I needed a boot that was easy to put on and take off since we’re constantly doing various chores around the property. These worked well and have actually held up really well…they are 10 years old.

We started wearing them while fishing and noticed that we needed more aggressive tread and a better heel. We opted to try the Muck boot brand since our local Ag and Feed Store carried them. Fast forward 3 years after purchasing these and now the soles are coming apart. To say I was disappointed is an understatement.

To me this is unacceptable and I will definitely not be buying these again. Our friends have been telling us about Le Chameau boots and I have decided to try those. So far they are EXTREMELY comfortable and are a joy to walk in.

I opted for the Chaseur model with neoprene lining and side zips. Time will tell how well they perform and last, but I plan on giving them a good workout in the future.

Outing 5 September 2021…

Due to the heat, we haven’t been doing much fishing lately. Today was the first time in weeks that the temps were below a 100F. The high was slated to be 87F but ended up being 90F. No worries…we’ll take it!

We opted to hit a lake relatively close by and try our luck catching catfish. Spoiler Alert: We didn’t catch any. We each managed to catch a Drum and a White Bass so we still had fun. It was kind of nice to just sit there and watch a rod tip as opposed to wading mile after mile.

For bait we used a cast net to gather shad. It’s hard work and takes both luck and skill to catch them. We cast probably 50 times and ended up with 5, but it was enough to get us started. Later in the day I managed to spot and throw into a bait ball. I could hardly drag the net in because it was so full. We tried using slip bobbers but the wind kept blowing them by us way to fast. Plan B was to fish on the bottom or a little bit off of the bottom. Not ideal because this lake is full of turtles.

Early morning quiet with the sun coming up.

We arrived at about 0815 and left around 1315. Up until 1230 we had the place to ourselves. A nice quiet cove entrance, sunshine, moderate temperatures and a breeze. Then the Jetskiers and Kneeboarders showed up, making waves with their stereos cranked as loud as they would go. Time for us to leave. Besides, we promised our son that we would stop by his house on our way home to help with some carpentry work.

Sure beats working!

MONACHOPSIS: the subtle but persistent feeling of being out of place.

Change is inevitable. That’s a fact and a fundamental law. We are surrounded by change and are a function of that process. Not all change is good and not all change is bad…we know that, we see that, we experience that, but more importantly, we deal with that.

As humans, we are generally disinclined to change unless we are forced to. Yet all around us things are constantly changing and we have to adapt or die. Sometimes we can be overwhelmed and we struggle with it.

I struggle quite often. I try to keep my bearings amidst chaos, amidst responsibilities and balancing my life. Thats where my passion for fishing comes into play. When I step into a stream all of the bullshit fades into the background. Somehow when I’m at the car and gearing up, I do a cursory check of my gear, and consciously decide to leave all of that unnecessary “mental detritus” locked up in the car. I hit the key fob and begin to relax and calm my mind.

I focus on being present and trying to blend into the river. My mind begins the process of focusing on “solving the puzzle.” I try to find my place! Doing what brings me a semblance of joy and happiness. I feel completely out of place surrounded by coworkers or mobs of commuters and being choked by the hustle and bustle of change.

I am not an “escapist” by nature and take my role as parent, husband, co-provider etc. seriously. But not to the point where I feel overwhelmed and lost. I know when to take a break and go somewhere that allows me to recharge my internal batteries. That place where I feel as if I belong. And for me, that is usually a place where I can fish and be away from people. A place where I find happiness. We ALL deserve a chance to not feel Out Of Place. To do something that brings us joy.

Tailwalk Troutia 55L Spinning Rod…

I have been curious about this rod for quite awhile. I like the price ( $137 shipped ) and the hardware. The fact that it has a screw-down handle is a bonus.

We finally had the time to go fishing this morning so I took this rod along to test out. I paired it with the Shimano Stradic FL 1000 and I think they compliment each other quite well. It is a 2-piece rod with 6 eyelets and it casts as expected. The reel seat and handle consist of nice hardware and geometry.

We managed to catch 11 bass but didn’t bother taking pictures since they were only about a pound in weight. The rod performed well and I really liked using it. I am impressed with the Tailwalk quality and might look into some of their other offerings.

The obligatory trash pickup that we always do.

A Casualty of the Trip…

I had wanted to try this pack rod to see how it compared to my MajorCraft pack rods. I had an Abu Garcia Revo MGX Theta 1000S spinning reel that I didn’t have a rod for so I decided to pick one of these up to try.

This is the Abu Garcia Troutin Marquis Nano TMNS-575L-MB spinning rod. It is a 5-piece and fits in the packs that I use currently.

Nylon zippered pouch with integrated sleeves.

I broke it while catching my first smallmouth of the trip while using this rod. The fault lies solely with me. I lifted the fish and put too much bend in the tip section causing it to snap at the joint. I always advise not to high-stick or lift a fish with these JDM rods.

Upon opening the case shortly after receiving this rod, the wife commented that “it seemed thin and fragile.” I didn’t think anything of it but she proved to be right. I wouldn’t say that JDM rods are more fragile per se, but they are less forgiving to user errors. Again…the fault is mine alone.

I am going to see if I can fix it, if not, I might be able to order a new section. Time will tell and I learned my lesson…again.

River View Cabins, Oden Arkansas…

With it being “hell hot,” we opted to rent a cabin on this trip. We had been watching a YouTube channel named Dome Life and they had stayed at these cabins. We were curious about the Ouachita River so took their advice and chose this place to base our exploration forays out of. Included in this blog post are pictures from Cabin #11 which is a 2-person cabin. They have cabins that run the gamut from 2-people up to 16-24 people if I recall correctly. I will include a link to their website for those who are interested.

The jacuzzi was a blessing after a day of canoeing or fishing!

Fire place and entertainment center. We watched movies during the evening hours. I brought 2 thumb drives full of movies so it was plug-and-play.

I’m normally not one for staying in fancy places. I much prefer to rough it and go on the cheap. However, the A/C was REALLY nice and worth it to us. Plus, staying in a cabin means we didn’t have to bring as much gear with us and gave us a comfortable base to explore the area.

River View Cabins and Canoes-Oden Arkansas website: http://www.riverviewcabins-canoes.com

Ed Banks Access and Brushy Creek Access on the Cossatot River 30 July 2021…

We woke up early and packed camp quickly. Our first planned stop was the Ed Banks Access point. We wanted to fish further downstream this time. We drove through a clear cut area along the way and also ran into a work crew who were prepping the area for replanting.

The Ed Banks Access area is one of our favorite spots. There are two primitive campsites, one on each side of the low water bridge. The Ranger told us that they were free to camp in, but we had already set up camp back in Cossatot Falls. Had we known, we probably would’ve camped there.

We ended up catching 50 fish in the 2 hours we were here. About half of them were perch, but they were fun nonetheless.

To reach the Brushy Creek Access Area we had to drive out of the Forest Area and take Highway 246 west a little ways. This is a really nice Day Use Only area that tends to be a major swimming hole during the summer months. We opted to head downstream to avoid the swimmers and also because we had never fished this section of the river.

This section required a lot of wading across slippery rocks and lots of boulder hopping. You WILL get a helluva workout. We fished downstream for about a mile and a half before the heat really kicked in and we decided to head back. The rocks were a killer due to being so slippery. You need to wade this section very carefully. Even the rocks that looked dry were sketchy with wet wading boots. You have to do it to fully understand.

We only caught 10 fish in this section before we decided to call it a day and begin the 3.5 hour drive home. We got home at 1635 and began the process of cleaning gear, doing laundry and getting everything put away. I updated my log book and we started making plans to do another trip. That’s how we roll!

P.S. We apologize for not taking many fish pics. Our cameras were stowed in our packs which made it time consuming to get pics. In this heat we generally release the fish immediately. Also, both of us were constantly leap frogging each other to explore and fish so we weren’t in close enough proximitiy to get pics of each other. Thanks for reading.