I'm blaming the crayfish......

[moonrunner]

Seems to me that the first half hour at the creek is usually kind of slow, then things start happening. Hit four really nice Smallies, with the 3rd and 4th coming within 5 or so minutes of each other. As I was taking a picture of that 4th fish it regurgitated a crayfish which you can clearly see hanging out of his mouth. So, things are going good, no need to change. Next cast, snag and lose bait. Thinking maybe tie on one that resembles a crayfish. Do so and next cast snag again and another lost bait. Tie on another crayfish lookin bait and can only manage one little Smallie, finally hit a good fish and it's my 6th Sauger and first on this particular stretch of creek. Figure my mojo is back! Net it and notice the bottom half of tail missing and bloody. Removed the bait and was going to take a quick pic when it flopped out of my hand and right back into the creek. It has to be old age. Figure I better quit before anything worse happens. The geese are leaving and so was I. Climbing up the steep bank above the creek and ONLY fall once, right on the same knee that I bruised falling out of bed the night before having a bad dream. Might be old age but I'm gonna blame it on that danged old crayfish. Everything went south after he popped up!