Three Forks 1/15 - Easy Like Sunday Morning...

Been far too long since Carlos and I had gotten out and “seriously” fished.

Saturday was a looong day for me working on the hoopdie (mini-van). I won’t bore with you the details, let’s just say that Nissan puts their autos together with nuts made with what I can only assume is butter. I sheepishly admit to having a tiring, curse inducing, 4 hour battle with one nemesis of a nut that was, by the end of our battle, more of a roundish, orb-shaped mush. 2 fruitless trips to Sears in a search for an extraction device that actually worked and I end up getting it lose with a pipe wrench that my Dad bought at a yard sale for 2 bucks. Good ol Dads, gotta love em.

Carlos and I were both needing some sunshine and were itching to get out and get our hands smelling fishy. And this time, we actually talked the boss lady in to getting up at the butt-crack of dawn and heading out with us. Left the house at about 530 am to start our journey. Carlos and I were giddy as school kids, boss lady was somewhat less exuberant, but she is excused for being grumpy, a morning person she is not.

Two miles from 3 forks (no joke), the hoopdie dies, just up and shuts off. Steam curling from my ears (and from under the hood), I get ready for a heaven-shattering curse session. I prepare to vent my frustration and throw out some curse words that would make a sailor just off a Singapore shore leave blush. Luckily, I glance in the mirror and lock eyes with my boy. Deep breaths, count to ten. Well, an hour so later, and a couple calls with my mechanic (my Dad) and we are back on the road again. Determined to let nothing stand in the way of catching fish, and fairly certain that the van would get us home (well, 50% sure) we continued our trek.

We finally make it to our spot, though somewhat later than expected. Weather was beautiful, perfect looking day. Carlos starts off with a Strike King KVD crankbait (Christmas present) in sexy shad. I rig my wife up with a senko (keep it simple strategy) in watermelon with black flakes. I throw on a new (to me) zoom baby brush hog that I have been wanting to try. All rods rigged with a 12 lb flouro leader. Carlos heads off to an opposite corner where he has more room to work the crank and I grab my wife’s rod to show her how it’s done. Toss it out, let it sink down, jerk-jerk, let it sink down. Boom! Fish on! Hit like a freight train too. For the briefest of seconds, I’m tempted to fight it myself but the good angel on my right shoulder wins out and I hand the rod to my wife to fight. She brings in this nice bass, her first ever (though she claimed it wasn’t really hers as I hooked it but I argued against that).



Figuring she had had enough instruction, I head off to fish on my own. The next hour or so, the wife commences to fish Carlos and I both under the table. She kept me running to help her land her fish. 6-7 nice bass, nothing huge but all healthy fish.



Carlos and I switched to senkos, lol. I managed several little guys but all Carlos can get are teeny ones.



He’s fuming now lol and decides to fish right next to his momma.




No luck though, she still out-fished him. Shortly after this pic was taken, she sat down on the pipe to rest. She screams in excitement and I turn to see her rod bent over, big fish on! I rush over to help but almost fall over from laughing as she tries to stand and fight the fish at the same time. I get there just as she’s starting to slide off the pipe. Grab her shirt and the rod (in that order I’m proud to say) and help her up. She fights the fish in and I see she’s hooked up to a big ol bowfin. He pulled some serious drag on her and kept fighting to the end. He was so wooped at one point, my wife asked if he was dead. Each time we thought he was done for, he would do a tail stand, swipe a few times, and practically clear the water (soaking me in the process) then slump back down exhausted. Did that 2-3 times before we could get him in. Doesn’t have the stamina of a bass but I was surprised by the fight it put up.




Well, Carlos was able to get a few decent fish landed before we left so all was well in the world. We headed out exhausted, but all smiling and feeling invigorated. Great day fishing all told.

All-in-all, we fished the crank, brush hog, a craw, speed worm and a fluke but the senko was what they were going after that day.

 

This post is hidden to guests.
To view this post, please log in.
If you are not a member, you will need to sign up.
To ShrimpNFishFlorida™ Fishing Forums. Thanks.

 

This post is hidden to guests.
To view this post, please log in.
If you are not a member, you will need to sign up.
To ShrimpNFishFlorida™ Fishing Forums. Thanks.