It seems getting a day to fish with buddies can be a challenge with life's lists of things to do. The year is almost over and I have not been in the new boat of Doug's nor has he been in mine. Part of this has been due to his busy schedule increasing further with the positive reaction to his entrance into the guide business on Kentucky Lake. He has had several successful trips with satisfied customers. However, last week we connected by phone and decided to get a fishing trip together this week.

We met at Jo Jo's in Benton. On a side note, if you love a rueben sandwich this is the place to go. After drinking coffee with a mixed crew of locals which was supervised by the presence of a deputy sheriff to maintain order, off to the ramp we went. It was a beautiful day breaking supplied by our Creator and I was enjoying it riding in a boat instead of operating one. Doug's new boat and trailer was being utilized today and they are nice. It was the first time being in an Excel boat and I was impressed.

The first stop produced a few keepers and a couple of shorts. After another pass to ensure we were not leaving anything desiring to jump into the boat, we picked up and went to another location. Out went the rods and trolling commenced. Soon it was apparent the decision to relocate was a correct one. Action came regular with a couple of times we were having doubles. Doug had me on the back with him manning the side pushing rods. The pulling rods were my babies and I was locked on them.

The yellows worried the snot out of us but that is the price of pulling cranks. We kept the larger ones but returned the smaller squirts to mess with us on future trips. A catfish was picked up and returned with a sore mouth to teach him to stay off my cranks in the future. The cranks enticed a couple of whites and many crappie. We only had a couple of short crappie and the majority of the keepers were cookie cutters which will provide perfect fillets. We also managed to pull up two saugers. One was long enough to take home to the wife who loves their fillets. The other was short and was sent back to eat some more groceries.

Soon the fellowship, food, and fishing had to come to an end. As the sun dipped downward on the horizon the rods were picked up and stored. However, more than the rods were stored and fish placed into the box. Memories were made and a good day with a buddy that will last far longer than the taste of the fillets will provide.

Before we get busy with holidays and fall hunting seasons, take a day and get one more trip in on the water with a buddy. Hey, if you need someone to guide you to that day, give Doug a holler. MrDux alis is fast becoming MrCrappie.

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