Better to Lose the Anchor than the Whole Boat!

WINDY! 

Rick, Sas and I were out on Lake Waco and out of no where the wind kicked up! We had white cap waves hitting the side of our boat that made Sassy a little nervous!

We anchored down the boat the best we could and rode out the waves for about 30 minutes!
The wind died down and the FISH STARTED BITING... we started adding to the record number of keepers for the month of February...

This is a 20 pounder that Rick caught on some of his Super Secret Stink bait at 16 feet.

This is a smaller Blue Cat - 16 pounder.   The water temp is about 53 degrees. 

YEP - we let them go!  We had a group of fishermen come up beside our boat to take a look at the big fish... As they got close to us they noticed that Rick was crying - they asked if everything was OK?  I had to explain to them that our rule is if the Cats are over 15 pounds - we release them - I told them it makes my fishing buddy very sad!!!

It is really amazing how fast the weather changed (kinda like life)- we were worried about flooding out the USS Sassy and WITHIN ONE HOUR - the wind was gone, Sassy guided us to a bunch of Catfish (including two pretty good size ones) and a group of fishermen had a chance to see a grown man cry!

BEST TIME TO FISH....

If fishing is like religion, then CatFishing is high church.

Besides the Rain - it was COLD Sunday morning!
We hooked into 18 keepers - for a total of 39lbs. The ONLY thing these guys would bite on was Ricks SUPER SECRET STINK BAIT... which I will share with you - IF you dare to make it!... Includes a lot of very stinky ingredients: shrimp, liver, worms, vanilla, red dye, corn flakes, corn, cheese spread and dog food ... plastic glove REQUIRED - VERY STINKY!

This is a 6.11 lb Cat that Sas lead us to.

Not sure if you can tell from the pictures or not - but, Lake Waco is DIRTY!  Besides being muddy, it was full of trees limbs and various other items... I am guessing that the ONLY reason the Cats were biting is because they sniffed out the bait.  We chummed for about 30 minutes before they started dining.  Water temp was about 50 degrees - but the wind temp was much cooler!

Rick, Sas and I found out Sunday morning that the BEST time to fish is when it's rainin' and when it ain't!

SNOW IN WACO = Dedication, GREAT FISHING and Pondering!!!!

SUNDAY WAS SO COLD...

IT ACTUALLY SNOWED IN WACO!!!!

On Saturday night I gave Rick the call that he did NOT want to get... I asked if he would be ready to wet a line at about 6:30 Sunday morning - his response is NOT PRINTABLE.  However, ...

 We caught a TON of fish Sunday morning.  We kept 17 Channels and Blues for a total of 34 pounds. We caught them in deep water 18-20 feet deep near the twin bridges on Lake Waco.  Dough bait and cut shad were on the menu for the Catfish and they bought it hook, line and sinkers!

It is not everyday you find someone as CRAZY as you are - to hang out in 34 degree conditions... I started thinking - if it's zero degrees in Waco today and it's supposed to be twice as cold tomorrow, how cold is it going to be? We are still thinking on that one...

PLEASE NOTE: Sassy avoided us this morning and slept in!!! – SMART GIRL!!

With the exception of these thousand or so Lake Gulls - we did have the Lake to ourselves!

Shortly after we pulled into the dock - the snow started falling!

On the way home we discussed what REALLY happens when snow falls in Waco - it was CRAZY - people were driving 40 MPH on the hwy - it was just starting to snow... any amount of snow in Waco 'winterrupts' our traffic. Rick said, "One good thing is that your yard will look as good as Wesley's (he's my next door neighbor)!!

"Fishing is not a matter of life and death - it's much more important than that!"

From time to time - I come up with some weird thoughts and while Harry and I were on the way to the courts to hit tennis balls before school this morning, I related Fishing to Tennis.... in a Kpa way...

Harry and Leni went to Austin this weekend - where Harry won two rounds in his tennis tournament - before coming up short in the Quarter Finals...

Not every time you go out on the lake or on the tennis court will you catch fish or win your match - but, how you participate in the activity determines if you are really successful.  I told him to have fun and learn from each match.  I told Harry that there have been MANY times Sassy and I been out on the water and we did not catch fish (well, not a lot)... and there have been a TON of times I have lost the last point playing tennis! 

But, as I have gotten OLDER (Kpa Status) I have learned that living and learning through defeat is a free program God gives us to - help us for the next fishing trip or tennis match... 

He took my advice and learned that if he runs me just a little more than he use to he would have fun laughing at me while I bend over trying to catch my breath between points!!!!

BIG CATS and Couple of Hybrids...

Lake Belton has been GREAT these past few mornings!  Sassy and I have been fishing these waters with a lot of success.  It is really weird but, Sassy and Success seem to go together!!!!

Here is a mess of 17 CatFish.  These were caught on Hot Dogs in 22 feet of water.  Water temp is 57 degrees.  We have been fishing Lake Beltons deep water near the bend on Cedar Creek.

We caught these two Hybrids on Shad while drifting near Rogers Park on Lake Belton.

BIG FISH VIDEO.....

I will let this video speak for itself!



This 18lb BlueCat was caught on a HOT DOG!!!!!  We were in about 10 feet of water - At this size - we (Sas and I) feel like it is best to let them Play On! So, we release them.  Rick does not feel the same.  Neither did my Grandpa - WOW! I cannot imagine what my Grandpa would have to say if he was with us and we released this fish...

LOL!!!!

So you want to know what LOL means…

What is cool to me is the ability to talk with someone and that someone make an impact on the other person without knowing it! That is exactly what Clifton did today... I met the 77 year-old fisherman a few weeks ago while launching the boat. Clifton told me that he is, "driver license blind" in one eye and has trouble seeing out of the other!!! His wife is ten years younger than him and lives part of the year with their daughter in Tennessee. When he is not fishing on Lake Waco, he is a part-time Wal-Mart security guard! I asked how he was doing and how his job was going he said, “my Lens On Life is Great!” He also said. “I love going into work and seeing the good people.”

When fishing with Clifton – you feel obligated to try his Super Secret Stink Bait… So, I put on some seriously needed rubber gloves and tried it out… I caught this 7 pounder in less than five minutes! After a pretty good early morning of fishing, Sas and I took Clifton back to the dock and we helped him load up his boat. Sas and I drove home and I tried to think of ways to get the incredibly effective fish bait smell off my hands before I had to go into work – I am pretty sure that Sas was a little concerned about the smell too! I also thought about Clifton saying that his “Lens On Life was Great!” – made me think about the LOL abbreviated comment I see when texting and that from now on, when I think about Clifton, I will think of a man that loves the company of others and is happy! My dad always says, the way people see others is usually a reflection of themselves. 

Addelyn Kate Sager

I think I have a new Lens On Life!

BACK TO FISHING....Welcome 2012....

TightLine Fishing hope's that 2012 is the best yet for You - your Family and Friends...

Kevin Krumm and I started out this year with a 10lb 10oz Blue Cat.  We also caught a bunch of smaller ones and 6 other keepers.  All in all it was great early morning.  We had fun as usual...

"Relaxed - New Fishing Pants" Pose

 

"Here's Looking at You - Catfish" Pose 



"Hooked - Please Let Me Off" Pose

I thought that I would do some Abercombie and Fitch Fishing Poses on this last trip and that was quickly Shut Down when Kev told me that A&F went out of business...and ESPECIALLY when Leni saw these picture's....

My Friend Kevin Krumm and other stuff - NOT FOR THE WEAK STOMACH PEOPLE...

Sassy and I met up with my friend - Kevin Krumm - Kevin and I went to school together STARTING IN KINDERGARDEN at WestLake in Austin!  We all have close friends but, would have to say - Kevin is like my brother from another mother (different dad too!).  He is one of the funniest guys I have ever been around and I could not have picked anyone better to grow up with. So when Kev told me that he would go out fishing with me - I knew we would have a great time.  We did.  The Lake is a GREAT place to catch up on old times and talk about stuff in general.  The Bald Eagles were out and the weather was great - except, it got a little cold after about an hour of fishing...  I was checking the water temp on my depth finder and nothing was registering on the screen - it was dead - no signal!   I figured that I would work on the electrical stuff when Sas and I got home...  

Kevin Krumm with the two of the four Cats we caught - we threw them back.

OK - WARNING - if you have a weak stomach or are NOT in the mood to see anything bloody - do NOT SCROLL DOWN ANY MORE... just stop reading and come back another day...

YOU WERE WARNED....

Anyone that knows me - knows that it is very seldom that I work on anything mechanical without ending up in the Doc's office... today was no different... I was stripping the casing off a wire on the USS SASSY (trying to fix the depth/fish finder) when I decided to see how sharp my knife actually was... and how close I could come to cutting off my knuckle...

Last Chance to turn back - very graphic...

This is not a big cut but just deep enough to see the bone and get five stitches...

It was kinda weird - because I was not hurting at all - UNTIL this morning - WOW! 

The following video was taken by Leni in the Doc's Office... pretty intense...

Merry Christmas!!!!

We have so much to be thankful for and most of all it is to God for his gift(s) to you and me.

Before I head back to "fish stuff" with this TightLine Fishing Blog - I wanted to throw in one more KPa picture... (I am POSITIVE there will be more....)

Talk about Christmas Gifts (Addelyn Kate Sager)!!!!!

OK - back to CatFishing stuff....

Here is Sassy and my "TightLine CatFishing" version of the "The Night Before Christmas..."

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the lake,

all the fish were real happy cause TightLine Fishing was taking a break.

The rods were all hung in the Man Cave with care,

in hopes that the catfish soon would be there.

Sassy, Kev and Dad were nestled, all snug in their beds,

while visions of Blue’s and Channel Cats swam in their heads.

The USS Sassy was tied up all tight,

and settled in the garage for a long winter’s night.

When out on the Brazos there arose such a clatter,

I ran to the dock to see what was the matter?

When what to my wandering eyes should appear,

but one giant splash the biggest Catfish this year!!!

The Grand Dad of Catfish I saw in the night,

I just had to know how hard he would fight?

Sassy and I jumped off the dock and ran through the sod,

grabbed a net, grandpas's tackle box, and my favorite old rod.

Dashed back to the dock threw open my box,

tried so many baits – the whole situation put my stomach in knots.

Tried Sivle’s Stink then Brian's different frog's from big ones to small,

put on Rick’s Super Secret bait but, this Catfish would not bite at all.

When down in my box I saw something squirm,

I reached down and grabbed a Killer Worm!

It barely hit water my line got real tight,

I set the hook and then on with the fight.

The rod bent double the drag steady bellowed,

Sassy and I fought it three hours our muscles were jello’d.

Finally landed, Sassy and I looked at the prize,

but just couldn’t keep it you have to realize,

Fishing’s a sport we enjoy most everyday,

so catch and release is the only way.

As we released the fish, believe it you might,

he said to all the TightLine Fishing fans....,

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND

TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!

Fishing 'frog' Story

Slipped in a GREAT - (BUT COLD) - morning to fish and I got to meet up with my old friend Clifton.  He was about to launch his boat - when I said how about we just take out mine.  That was a GREAT idea for me.  I got to know even more about lake Waco and he had a few stories to tell.... including this one:

According to Clifton - his friend Audie went fishing one day. He looked over the side of his boat and saw a snake with a frog in its mouth. Feeling sorry for the frog, Audie reached down, gently took the frog from the snake, and set the frog free. But then he felt sorry for the snake. He looked around the boat, but he had no food. All he had was a Coors Lite. So he opened the can and gave the snake a few swigs. The snake went off happy, the frog was happy, and Audie was happy to have performed such good deeds. He thought everything was great until about ten minutes passed and he heard something knock against the side of the boat. With stunned disbelief, Clifton's friend looked down and saw the snake was back with two frogs!

I found this picture on the web... pretty cool...



We got lucky today - GREAT conversation and six catfish total of 23 pounds!

This one weighed in at 12 pounds.

Sassy is a good judge of Character - she likes Clifton.  I think that he slipped her a few Hot Dog piece while I was not looking!

Anyway - we caught these guys in 6-10 foot of water near the Ridgewood Marina.  We use Hot Dogs and some of Cliftons stink bait... WOW! I am still smelling it as I write this!!