Another Cataract Story

With these past few weeks of the summer having below normal temperatures. We have been having a great time on the lake. The Cataract Slab Masters have seen their attendance rise and everyone is out enjoying the weather. Tom and I have been fishing just for the fun of it or at least I am having fun. Tom still struggles sometimes. He tells me that he has come up with some “sure fire” contraption to catch the biggest and the most fish. People if I have heard that once I have heard it a thousand time. Each hair brain, spine tingling, foolproof idea that he comes up with either costs me more money or takes up six square feet of space in my garage. But I must admit he does come up with a good one now and then. Anyway whatever it is, I will let you all know if it is so great, IF it is safe for the general public. I think the last idea involved the fire department. But back to the fishing story at hand. Tom and I went to Cataract today just to play around and have a good time. Our buddy Fred went with us, why he wanted to go with us I will never know? Maybe he just likes to be miserable. But on this fine day we all had a great time.

The lake was as calm as glass as we slid the boat into the water. Turned the key, the motor sounded off on the first try. The motor went through its checklist and all was perfect. This omen told us that we truly were on a special day or trouble was at hand. The weather was nice and the temperature was like an October morning. We all wore a lite jacket and long pants. Doing this for the last day of July just did not seem right, but there we were in the middle of a cold front. We started off fishing in spots that we just haven’t fished in a long time. We headed down by the dam. Our big summer time spots down there: nothing. “Never fear Fred,” I yelled out, “I know a spot just around the corner, guaranteed to produce fish:” nothing here either. That is odd I thought. Not enough fish to ‘stink up a biscuit.’ What is going on?

The thought came to me, to save this trip and let Fred and Tom feel what it is like to catch fish like me, I will just have to take them to some of my honey holes. You know the kind of hole I am talking about, the hole that any one can catch fish from. The spot that you use when “they ain’t biting here, they will always bite there” spot. So off we go, set up, casted, jigged and did a little trolling through the area - nothing. “The fish just ain’t biting today” was all I heard. As long as the other two guys were blaming the fish, I was good with that. We decided it was time to leave. The weather had turned hot, the sun was cooking us, the humidity was rising. One would have thought is was the first of August. On our way from the lake we stopped by Buck and Dumb Bass Outdoors bait and tackle, just off I-70 on SR 243, got us some pop and refreshments, shot the bull a little and headed on down the road. Even though we did not do any good catching fish today I am sure that the new idea that Tom is coming up with will either make or break me.

Hope to see ya all at our Tourney next Thursday morning, Aug 7th, at Cunot ramp 6:45am

it was hard day yesterday at the cat we worked real hard to get them

You guys must have caught them all...... I hope they decide to bite again soon... I was told one time that in order to catch a ton of crappie you have to be cold and miserable...Lol!

They were biting good there on Monday :cool:, but heard they had shut back down on Wednesday :confused:. Like my buddy says, "you'll never know unless you go". There's always the next time...

-T9