YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE THIS.....

Life is just like my tackle box. Just when you think you have everything you could possibly need in your arsenal of catfish poles, baits, and other assorted odds and ends, you find yourself in a situation where you have to run out and get something else. So it is with life. Just when you think you've seen it all, done it all, and heard it all, something new happens. And afterwards, you store it away in the appropriate compartment, or share it with a friend - like now...

6PM November 30 - Rick, Sas and I are on Lake Waco and Rick spots the following...

This a deer swimming across a very wide area of Lake Waco!  And take a look at the sun set in the back ground!!!

 

In all the years I have fished Lake Waco I have never seen a deer cross the lake.

 

MANY will disagree - but, I feel like CatFishing is the greatest sport (and I have played many...). It is a battle of wits (sometimes more, sometimes less) between CatFishermen and a CatFish; and in addition to appreciating the tradition, history and grace of the game, we get to play it with all kinds of Gods creatures and His sun rises and sunsets like this one...

Great Weather and new Friend!!!!

Sas and I were met with some of the BEST fishing conditions this morning.  The water was calm and the air temp was prefect.

There was only one other person in our area of the Lake and he was awesome to talk to... He too comes out to fish and watch the Eagles....

Here is one of the two Lake Waco Eagles. Beautiful!

This morning Sas and I made friends with Clifton, an older fellow fisherman from Waco- we helped him back his boat in the water... And he told us a few of his Lake Waco experiences... Before we left, Clifton gave us some of his homemade “stink bait” and a warning – DO NOT GET THIS ON YOUR HANDS… Nothing beats learning from those that have “been there done that!” I am STILL trying to get this smell out of my nose… Sas and I are sticking to Hot Dogs!

Cats, Cranes and Cuts

Dad and I caught 12.11 pounds this morning on Lake Waco.  Caught them all on Hot Dogs!  The water was about 57 degrees and we have been having luck in about 10 foot of water consistently.  We got out of the water before the wind picked up to about 20+ mph!

I am not sure if this is a Sandhill Crane or not... We named him Bob.  I have a good friend named Bob.  My friend Bob lives in Pasadena and if Bob was to stand on a buoy like this one next to the twin bridges on Lake Waco – he would stand on it just like my new bird friend named Bob.  He (the bird) was awesome to watch he sat there for a LONG time...

Here is Bob flying off... These guys are BIG... the wing span on this one is huge!  He (just like my friend Bob in Pasadena) was graceful but pretty mad that I interferred with his day...

Here is what happens when you catch a Lake Gar that is not ready to get out of the water!!! They must have a hundred or more teeth and they are SHARP!  I have fully recovered.

Here is the pre-historic dude that gave me something to think about!!!!

Thankful Thanksgiving!!!!

This one of the best Thanksgivings...  It started out with my Dad and I hauling in a boat load of Catfish... including this 8.5 BlueCat....

And then it got better

We spent the day with family and friends...

(except Ash and Nick who are in Florida - getting ready to have my Grand-baby!!!!)  

AND THEN IT GOT EVEN BETTER...

 We added on to our family!!!  Alex said "YES" to taking Wilder Chandler's hand in marriage!  

We are blessed and very thankful for our kids....

Ash, Nick, Alex, Harry - and now - Wilder (and his family)!!!

Best Fishing Day is a Long Time!!!

There is nothing better than spending time with your dad on the lake fishing and taking in nature.  I really am thankful and blessed to have a dad that likes a lot of the same stuff I like...  Here are some pictures of a great morning....

Sas inspects a 9 pounder with my Dad!

 Here is dad and a Blue Cat we caught in ten feet of water in Lake Waco.  The water temp is about 57 degrees and the fish are biting on Hot Dogs!!!!

 Two great smiles! This fish had some BIG WHISKERS!

Not really sure if my dad enjoyed catching fish NEARLY as much as he enloyed seeing the Bald Eagles!

Here is the pair of Eagles watching over EVERYTHING we did!  They were much braver today as they allowed us to get a little closer.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

Bald Eagles, Fish and Tongue!!!

Haliaeetus leucocephalus (Sea Eagle White Head) - Seeing these Birds is pretty special. They have been in the same tree for the past week. Each morning, Sas and I go out, they are perched about 200 yards from our latest "catfish honey Hole"...

They are HUGE and very loud.

This is just in front of the old gravel pit - very close to the twin bridges on Lake Waco!
It is really tough to get close to them - they fly off when we get within a hundred yards or so...
BUT, when they take off - they are BEAUTIFUL!!!!

We had nine keepers today.  The Cats are biting on Hot Dogs! 

Our lines are set in about ten feet of water - the water is 57 degrees. 

Here is a three pounder.  This one was caught at 7:30am on a Hot Dog!  #5 hook. 

The best part is Sas sniffed it out right before we headed for the boat ramp!

Here is Captain Sas!  Her sniffer is clean and ready for the next trip!

BIG! BIG! BIG!

Here is a 25pounder Sas and I caught early Monday morning.  This one was released but not before Sassy had a chance to give it a little kiss...

Sas loves to get up close to these fish... she sniff's EVERYONE of them that we bring into the boat

Of course, I am sporting the TightLine Fishing t-shirt and cap that they refuse to sell in the Abercrombie & Fitch Store!

Here are two of the MAIN reasons I love to go out early in the morning... these are Bald Eagles that greet us each morning...

Sassy...

Catfishing may be said to be so like the mathematics that it can never be fully learned.

BUT, Sassy has it down to her own science...

 RARE FORM THIS MORNING... She sniffed out 17 Keepers - one of which was 18.7 pounds! 

Here she is in ACTION

This is the face of a BIG ONE!  You cannot even see the eyes!

Here is a better view. 

We caught this at 7:30am - on a cut Shad in 10 foot of water about a foot off the bottom - 53 degrees! 

Cloudy Days and Big Cats!

Sassy and I snagged two really big cats on cut shad in 10 foot of water. This one was 14.14 pounds!

We were drift fishing - the wind was light out of the southeast and when we crossed over the gravel pit near the west shoreline - we fell into a great group of cats... we caught about 20 and of those about 13 were keepers!  This area is near the twin bridges - in the background.

This one weighed in at 11.10 pounds - I know your not going to believe this, but I am sure that Sassy can sniff out the Cats - when we drifted over this group of cats she started getting excited and ran from the front of the boat to the back... Rick swears that all this means is she wants to use the restroom - but, I am positive she has a Catfish Sonar in her... this one was talking to Sassy when we got it in the USS SASSY. 

My friend Vincent said it best, "If one really loves nature, one can find beauty everywhere."  I am sure that includes Lake Waco or Belton!    My friends last name...Van Gogh