HARVEST TIME!

Pumpkingill hybrid...and a biggun'!

Well, October is here! Traditionally, the next two months are the most productive for me and my gang during the whole year. Everything is biting, and usually the toughest job is to just figure out what species to key on. Bass, cats, crappies, big gills and many others put the feed bag on before winter. Here are a few of our latest catches...starting with bass...

Bro-in-law Paul with fine largemouth.

Decent one for me.

Another good, chubby bass!

My best bass in a while was this gorgeous 19 incher.

Nice bunch of fish...and I expect the bass action to get better as the water cools down. Of course, the channel cats had to crash the party...check 'em out...

Paul strikes again with a 6 1/2 pound cattie!

And again...

...and again! He got four from 6 to 8 pounds!

My buddy Ed shows off his personal best cat at almost 7 pounds.

And now, it's time to show some panfish action...bluegills, hybrids, red ears and pumpkinseeds. Most were caught on 1/64th and smaller hair jigs tipped with worms or mealworms. Action was almost as fast as it was during the spawn. Lookie...

Public water hybrid on a tipped shrimp jig.

Another nice hybrid...check out them pecs!

A couple red ears showed up...always fun!

Abby and Elena dig bluegill fishing just like Pappy!

Did a 75-fish day at another hot panfish lake. Worms rule.

Had a higher percentage of pure pumpkinseeds...one of the most beautiful sunfish!

Big pumpkinseed X bluegill hybrid over 9 inches.

Beauty that only God can create.

Lot's of beautiful fish and great times with friends and family. Blessed. If I were to never fish again, I would have to say that I certainly wasn't cheated or kept short of the many pleasures and joys that my fishing life, and my Lord, has given me.

All too often all I hear among people is how much they DON'T have or what they DIDN'T get out of life. Cheated...'not fair' they say. They lie to the government and lie to their employers and lie to the tax preparers. Essentially, they are liars, cheaters and thieves...plain and simple. Yet they have expensive clothes, high-dollar smart phones and drive around in expensive new vehicles. 'I can't make ends meet' they say. Yeah...I guess not.

Consider the wisdom of 2 Chronicles 7: 14 from the Holy Scriptures...

'if my people, who are called by my name,will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.'

Don't know about y'all, but that sounds like pretty good advice to me! If ever there was a time in our nations history where we desperately need to have our land 'healed'... then it is now!

Now is a great time to embrace faith, family and a little bit of fishing...

THE MAGIC HOUR

As the sun began to fall the big girls came out to play. 22-incher pushed six pounds.

There is much to be said about the final hour of the day, the 'magic' or 'golden' hour...the twilight zone. There are some writers who claim this is the very best time to catch the big one, the mystical time when creatures great and small are stirring. New sounds from different critters are now in the mix. Nocturnal things fly about in an effort to capture insects. Bats, snakes, bugs, and more, emerge and welcome the dawning of night.

Cubbyhole at the tree root was home for some hawgs.

Places that seem normal during the day take on a whole new light when the sun is calling it quits. Night sounds take over like the drumming of cicadas. Fish can get active, too.

Day time calmness.

But despite all the lore and mystery surrounding the magic hour, I have found that, on most occassions, fishing has not always been improved or any better than many daytime efforts. Yes, the hatches are coming off and the bullfrogs are groaning, but the fishing is only marginal, sometimes shutting down completely with the falling of the sun. Some species kick it up a notch...crappies, walleyes, catfish...perhaps stripers or hybrids in some waters. Bass, however, don't always come running to the dinner bell at last light. But once in a while, they do...

Nice, late evening bass took a stick worm.

My son Matt with a Twilight Zone bass on a surface frog.

As the sun drops, senses heighten.

All creatures great and small become vulnerable.

But there is a degree of excitement, even charm that comes with fishing at the Magic Hour. It's almost like every living thing is on edge, ready to bolt, even explode, at the chance for a meal or for very survival. Sounds in the distance seem louder and movement in the brush just a little scarier. With amplification of the senses, everything seems more intense. We try to become more aware of what our surroundings are, or could be.

Sundown bass gave me a scrap. Some of the blood is mine.

Stick worm pig...16.5 inches and almost 3.5 pounds. FATSO!

Big-headed bass was gaunt and light, despite pushing 22 inches.

Doesn't look like much, but in the shade of this tree...

What is astounding to me is the fact that a Great and Merciful God created and ordained all the sights and sounds of the Magic Hour according to His hand and great detail. He created the heavens and the earth and all that they contain. His hand painted every cloud, painted all the leaves and air-brushed every blending of the colors in the twilight zone. Those big bass are but mere gifts from a gracious God who loves all of us. I like the way Psalm 19 : 4-6 explains it...

'In the heavens He has pitched a tent for the sun,which is like a bridegroom coming from his pavilion.
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
It rises at one end of the heavens and makes it's circuit to the other.
Nothing is hidden from it's heat.'

Yes, the MAGIC HOUR, is always a gift from the Lord. Catching a fish is just a bonus.

THE UGLY TRUTH

WOUNDED WARRIOR...Matt's sensational cat shows scars from a prior battle.

It has been said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If that is indeed the case, then whatever it is we are beholdin' might just be pretty ugly! Upon closer inspection, things, or fish, may not be as we envision.Take channel catfish, or instance...big, brawny, tough fighters and delicious on the table. In there own weird way, they can be beautiful. Popular in many areas of the country as both a food and sport fish. I love these critters! But many don't...they're ugly...got whiskers...feed on the bottom. Yet the same can be said for many of our politicians.

LIVER SACS...wrap 'em in cheese cloth & hook 'em up!

Lately, we've gotten into the catfish gig and have had fun with some quality fish. You land some and lose some. Cool thing about these fish is that a variety of household, store bought foods can put them on the bank, or in the boat. Simple chicken livers have been a perenial favorite as have been any kind of fresh cut oily fish. We like to wrap our chicken livers in a cheese cloth 'sac' and then run our hooks through the sac and toss 'em out with no weight. The liver stays on the hook, via the mesh of the cheese cloth, and the cats come runnin'.

Head-on shot of the channel catfish. Say...aaahhhh!

Nicer cats have a pretty big mouth, but we like bite-sized baits that they can easily get in their maw and retain a 2/0 or 4/0 circle hook. No weight, 20 pound braid with a 20 pound mono leader to the snelled hook. European bite alarms help, especially at night, as cats can pick a bait up and move around a lot.

TWILIGHT CATTIE...lean and mean at 28 inches.

Most folks think that cats are exclusively nocturnal, but we have done quite well with some mid-day efforts, too. Here are a couple mug shots from a recent catfish line up...

Nice 6.5 pounder hams it up for the camera.

We removed the hook from this 32 incher and let her swim.

Paul with a nice one from last summer.

Clean looking public water catfish.

Matt seems to have a knack for the big girls!

Yes...some think catfish are ugly, but the truth is...they are one of God's creatures and have their very own quality of beauty. Funny how that works, sometimes, where something that is ugly actually is beautiful and some things that appear to be beautiful are very much ugly. In the same way, sin is almost always at least visually appealing and comes across as 'beautiful'. The deceiver, whom we spoke of in the last blog, was the most beautiful of angels, but fell from heaven and continues to fool many who are not aware of the ugly truth.

Bite alarm tells us when to jump.

As sinful humans, we need an indicator of sorts, a guideline, that will show us the difference between true beauty and false beauty...the 'ugly truth'. The Holy Bible and the word of God is the standard by which we can discern what is, and isn't, beautiful. Truth is, many aspects of my life are very ugly...the jealousy, the lust, the self-centeredness...just to name a few. As a broken down, shell of a man who is completely powerless at times, I find the honest, gut-wrenching testimony of the apostle Paul to be comforting...

'What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord!'   Romans 7: 24-25

Yes, it is comforting to know that all my dirt, all my ugliness, will be as far as the east is from the west and my crimson stains will be washed white as snow. Yes, I am ugly, but I have been made whole and beautiful by a loving Savior named Jesus Christ.  That, my friend, is the beautiful truth!

Even the storm clouds can be beautiful!

DECEPTION

Matt with a bonus slab white crappie that just 'had to have' a well-presented worm.

Isn't it funny how so many of us always sweat the little stuff? Day in and day out stuff, things that really don't mean that much. Stuff that, when we think about it, it could bring their grand total to almost nothing, and save a lot of worry. Fishing, like the game of life, is loaded with 'little stuff. And sometimes, it makes a difference.

A tiny morsel for a bull bluegill.

Let's talk about baits for a moment. You see, a 1/200th ounce jig, like the one in the bull bluegills mouth, may seem like really small stuff to us, but to the bluegill, it means a lot. Obviously, the fish are feeding on really small morsels of food, insects or invertebrates and this size profile is just right, at just the right time. Little stuff, but in abundance and it becomes the food of the day. I equate things like popcorn, potato chips and peanuts with 'small stuff' food items.

A cocktail approach for catching crappies.

But sometimes, we want a bigger mouthful than a morsel. Larger crappies like larger baits, even if they look a bit odd or 'busy'. And...we can sweeten the dish with a live minnow or and artificial bait for some added attraction like scent and taste. Essential, at most times, for catching a mess of fish for the pan or just to have fun with the gang or the family. The possibilities are endless, and, as fishermen, it is our job to make something attractive enough to fool the fish into biting....a decision that could possibly lead to the fishs' ultimate death. The art of deception is critical for success. Since we have devoted the bulk of our angling efforts to panfish species this year, here are some of our most recent fish that we were able to 'deceive'....

Matt's trophy 12 inch plus sunfish was lucky we were in 'CPR' mode.

Another giant panfish fooled with a simple worm.

Deceiving the slab crappie!

PJ with a bull gill on a tiny morsel.

Colorful male couldn't resist temptation. Can you?

Eater-sized redears will make a great meal.

This one went back...12.5 inches and 1 pound 14 ounces.

James and Cole get a helping had from Matt on deceiving bass!

Yes...deception is a component that is critical for success in the efforts of a fisherperson. It is also a powerful weapon that the enemy, the serpent and the father of lies, skillfully and seductively uses to pull us away from good and emerse us in evil and false promises. Like the fish that cruises the shallows looking for a meal, 'your enemy, the devil,  prowls around  like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour'. as pointed out in 1Peter, 5:8. The truth of this world is a far, far cry away from the truth of Gods' Word in the Holy Bible. There simply is no comparison. Gods' Word is whole, just and complete and as it says in the old hymn...

                                                 ' ALL OTHER GROUND IS SINKING SAND'

Be aware, be ready and be well-armed, as Ephesians 6: 11 says...'put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devils' schemes'. Settle for truth and refuse the lies of the enemy.

WHEN GIANTS FALL...

A very big fish on a very tiny bait. Lucky catch?

I have always been amazed as to how a very big fish can somehow find such a tiny morsel of food so attractive as to attempt to devour it. Would the tiny morsel even replace the energy it took to consume it? I don't know. But recently, I managed to land a couple of very nice bass on 2-pound test and in environments that weren't good for the light line gig. Basically, I was lucky.

Why would a largemouth eat such a tiny morsel?

Let's face it...the maw of a largemouth bass is certainly big enough to consume a large shiner, big bull frog or even a small bird. An intimidating force to vulnerable prey. So why would a big fish like these take a little teeny worm on a little teeny hook baited up for bluegills? I don't know. The fish probably never even gave it a thought...'I can handle that'...they think.

White crappie...they eat what's small, and large.

Giant white crappies have very large mouths for their proportionate body size, yet they will go after tiny minnows that measure less than an inch long. And, at times, they will pound a spinnerbait intended for a 10 pound bass. Greedy, I guess. Maybe having it all, but wanting more. I don't know. Fish, of course, act on instinct and the instinct to feed and grow is strong.

I don't always get away with not being ready.

I got away with a couple of 'lucky catches ' lately where my 2-pound test line held up as big bass crossed other lines, wrapped me up in the weeds and made me have to go in after them. Fishing for the bluegills enabled me to catch a few that I might not have been able to land. It doesn't always work out that way. More often than I care to admit, I get into trouble by not being ready ( line too light ) or being too impatient (hurry up and land the fish) or maybe, just maybe, I was at the wrong place at the wrong time. Hopefully, I will learn from these mistakes. This happens in my personal life as well...not just out fishing.

'Oh lord, open my lips and my mouth will declare your praise.'

Recently, we had a dear friend and brother in the Lord fall...a very deep and shattering fall...one that will take many years, perhaps decades, to heal and restore. He may have thought that the tiny morsel was small, that he could handle it. I wonder if he even gave it a thought. I don't know. But I do know this...when King David grieved over his actions with Bathsheba he wrote Psalm 51, and pleaded...

'Have mercy on me, O God
according to Your infailing love:
blot out my transgressions
Wash away all my iniquity...

                                               AND CLEANSE ME FROM MY SIN.'

Then King David went on to ask...

                                            'RESTORE TO ME THE JOY OF YOUR SALVATION
                                           AND GRANT ME A WILLING SPIRIT,
                                                             TO SUSTAIN ME.'

My brother, if you are reading this, know this...that you and I will one day walk shoulder to shoulder, fish on this God-given earth with our children, praise and fall on our faces before a Holy God in thanksgiving and mercy. It will take time...but it is my prayer that it will happen. Love never fails.

SMASHING PUMPKINSEEDS

Beautiful female pumpkinseed fell for the Gulp! Redworm.

Okay, I know that this post won't get anybody's blood up too much, but I just wanna give a quick shout-out to the unheralded pumpkinseed sunfish and close kin...the Pumpkingill. The pumpkingill is actually a naturalized hybrid between a pumpkinseed and a bluegill, and some of them can get pretty big. We have been blessed to find a small local public venue that has a abundance of seeds, gills and the PG's. Matt and I have been catching a ton of these the past few weeks...nearly 400, and all have been released. Live worms below bobbers work great, but we have recently switched gears to Berkley Gulp! Redworms impaled on a #8 Aberdeen hook below a bobber fished slowly through the vast spawning areas of these fish. Check out some of these fish...

Plus-sizes male Pumpkingill...great fighters!

Matt with daily double of male bluegill and male pumpkingill.

Matt with a colossal male PG...what a fish!

Spawning PG in superb condition.

Major-league gills are also in the mix.

Ten-inch Pumpkingill on a live worm.

Bona fide pumpkinseed, and a beauty!

These are just a few shots of the many we have taken the last part of May. We found a large spawning area where there are literally hundreds, if not a few thousand, big 8 to 10 inch and larger sunfish like these. It's a small public venue, and thus subject to overharvest and that's why we keep things quiet. Some waters are just too fragile to tell the world, and, BTW, this is the internet! Most folks fishing here, however, seem more concerned about catching the over abundant sub-legal largemouth bass. To each their own.

God's handiwork and detail.

I am often reminded of God's beauty and His incredible attention to detail in all the creatures of the earth that He has made.Most folks would just call them sunfish and go on with it, but to me, these creatures are stunning in their own right. Whether pumpkinseeds, bluegills or pumpkingill hybrids, they were all ordained by His hand and are part of His glorious plan for us to enjoy. As it clearly points out in Genesis 1:22...

AND GOD SAW THAT IT WAS GOOD. GOD BLESSED THEM AND SAID 'BE FRUITFUL
AND INCREASE IN NUMBER, AND FILL THE WATER IN THE SEAS...'

The next time you go fishing, remember who created the fish you so love to catch!