Twas the Day Before Christmas........
'Twas the day before Christmas and all over the lake,
not a boat was stirring, not one single wake.
My brush piles were marked on the GPS with care,
in hopes that big slabs would soon be there.
My BnM jig poles were strung with new 6lb thread,
while visions of 3 pounders danced in my head.
Me in my insulated bibs and thick wool cap,
I powered up the GPS and checked out the Hot Spots map,
I hit the key on that old Johnson, oh how it did sputter,
it's a '73 model, she don't run smooth as butter.
Away from the dock I left in a flash,
in my old tri-hull sticksteer that cost $700 cash.
The sun had just begun to rise and the wind she was starting to blow,
I turned on the Hummingbird to see what was below.
When what to my bloodshot eyes should appear,
but a big red boat full of crappie fishing gear.
The driver was a leathery old fellow who was spry and quick,
surely this wasn't old Sac-a-Lait Nick ?
He had 8 poles out with miners and jigs,
looked like they were all in Spider-Lok rigs.
His poles were all different, not one the same,
as he checked each one he called them by name.
"That's Dasher, here's Dancer, there's Prancer and Vixen,
here's Comet, that's Cupid and there's Donner and Blitzen.
He looked up from his poles and smiled at me,
then said " I here y'all got some big ole slabs down here in Mississippi."
I said " Yes sir, in case you didn't know,
we got 'em down here " As Big as They Grow !"
No sooner than I said that his poles began to jerk,
I wish you could have seen that fat man go to work !
First one slab, then another and another,
I grabbed my GPS and marked that cover !
When his cooler was full and minners all gone,
He strapped down his gear for the long ride home.
As he fired off the motor and idled out of sight,
I heard him shout, " Merry Christmas to ya, and may all your slabs put up a fight !"
Merry Christmas to all,
Stick
