Thread: "Mastering" Sardis Slabs

Pam and I haven’t been in a boat for almost exactly two long years. It’s not because we didn’t want to be, but we were distracted with a bit of a project that just came to fruition. Two years ago, I decided that I needed to get my Master’s degree in Healthcare Administration from Colorado State University. I completed that last Sunday and we went fishing with John Beshears at Ree’s Guide Service this week on Sardis, as a way to celebrate our accomplishment. I say “our” accomplishment, because I would not have been able to complete my studies, without Pamela’s support!

We had never fished in Mississippi and wanted to shorten our learning curve, and we sure enjoyed fishing with John. We fished with John two days, and even with the high water conditions, we did well. The first day, we were using 16’ Denali rods and quite honestly, Pam and I both found them challenging in the beginning. We both lost big fish and one of them would have went on the wall. The second day, John had us use 14’ Denali’s and we liked them better. Both the 14’ and 16’ Denali rods are sweet rods. John’s boat is extremely comfortable and I had been wanting to try Millennium seats, and that is what John has in his boat. In our Lund seats, Pam struggles to sit comfortably for any length of time. She was able to sit all day in the Millennium seats. One thing that John does differently than some guides is that he doesn’t fish while guiding. He is there to ensure his clients have a day of fishing and not having to do anything else. He made our days absolutely enjoyable and the “catching” was an added bonus. He taught us about several lakes and several different techniques. We discussed different rigs to use and the pros and cons of each. We discussed many different pole manufactures as well. John helped me figure out what double seat configuration we could use in our Lund and took measurements in his boat to compare to ours. He provided me some guidance on an issue I’ve been having with my Lund and as soon as I returned to Arkansas, I did what he suggested and we are on our way to a resolution. If you want a great day on the water learning to fish the incredible crappie lakes of Mississippi, I strongly recommend that you give John a call.

With regards to our time off the water, we ate at the Como Steakhouse one night and ate at the Thai Hut in Como, on another night. The Como steakhouse serves a better than great steak and potato, but let me tell you about the Thai Hut. The Thai Hut is a little place across the street from the Como Steakhouse, and is run by Larry and Peach. Larry is the out front service and Peach is in the back cooking incredible Thai food. Peach is from Bangkok and can flat out cook! We had Crab Rangoon for an appetizer and Pam had a shrimp entree and I had a pork entree. All were beyond incredible and then Larry talked us into a dessert that was a sticky rice and mango creation that is beyond anything you could even imagine. Now, they serve beer only, but encourage you to bring a bottle of wine along with you, if you’d like that instead. One of the things that stood out to Pam and I is that each dish had distinct flavor and was very dissimilar to the other dishes. I also recommend that you visit the Crappie Depot in Batesville. Ricky has tons of stuff and I was like a kid in a candy store in there! We have officially fallen in love with Mississippi fishing and will definitely be back as frequently as we can!

there is nothing like having a great guide on a new lake. they know their stuff and make the trip so enjoyable. planning on heading down to mississippi with a couple of CDC members this summer and having a go. WTG for you and your wife and congrats on all your hard work and hope the MS makes a difference in your career.