Sunday and The River

My friend Ernie turns 70 tomorrow and the gathering for that occasion was last night. The food, the company and the friendship that spanned many age groups made it a fine evening. I had a few from the bar, not too many, and got home way past my bedtime at 10:30.

Tried to check on the site here when I got home and woke up in my recliner with my laptop on my lap at 1AM. Carried myself off to bed and actually remembered to turn off the alarm so i didn't get up at my normal 4:30 for work. The next thing I heard was the birds singing in the backyard outside my window. I haven't slept that late in a while.

Coffee and a bagel and a check of the weather and let the dogs out and I just couldn't stand it anymore. It's January, temps in the 50's and gonna warm up even more, and the wind in the low single digits. I hooked up and headed out and was at the ramp just after 10. Normally I'm getting ready to go to the house and visit the Wife a while by this time on Sunday Morning.

No traffic at the ramp to speak of and off I went to where someone had told me of a couple of very good days earlier in the week. Dropped the TM and started looking for things fishy, passing several boats along the way.

I was surprised to see how far back in the woods the water was. I didn't look for much success for the day knowing the fish would be back in that stuff bellied up to the newly exposed buffet. Wasn't there 10 minutes and got the bigger fish in the pics below (just 12"), and his younger cousin a few casts later.



I worked anything I could find that appeared to have a little water and some pads nearby but for the next 3 hours I got nothing but a serenade from the Great Blue Heron on the nest above me. Storks, Ibis, Turkey, and all the other normal residents kept me company also so I was never alone. One group of Turkeys came walking by about 30 yards into the woods and they were in water belly deep, and unconcerned. 10 more flew across the river as I was motoring to the ramp later.

To wind this up, I ended the day with 3 legal Crappie in the box and another good Shellcracker like the one I got yesterday. Some folks at the ramp added mine to theirs with a smile and I headed home to put things up and call it a weekend. Not many fish this weekend but I enjoyed the trips though I made them both solo. Hope everyone has a good week and the goobers have a good run at Woodruff tomorrow. Thanks again.......Skeet.