Can't sleep sitting here at the computer looking on CDC and a couple of Fireworks websites looking at new products.
Thinking that it has almost been a year, May 2009. I found this website how I don't know. I signed on one night thinking yeah right these people wont accept me. Asked a question about going down below the dam at Truman. Well up popped OSS, Frosty and several others, I had PM's flying into my in box. Before I knew it I had everything on what color jig to use, what time to get there to beat the rush, drive time and mileage from almost my door to the ramp. You name it I had information coming in from people I didn't even know! I had never fished Truman except a time or two down at Fairfield. Wife and I went up to below the dam and had a ball, granted more catfish than crappie but it was a blast.
Well then after that trip everyone started posting about some sort of Camp at Bucksaw Marina. Look I will stand all day in Cow Potty working cows, hunt deer in rain or snow, run tractors non stop in hay fields when the temperature is 105. But this old boy has never ever spent a night in a tent and at 50 years of age I aint going to change. Wife has her own tent and she has left me once per year to go camping.
Well they were all posting about some Crappie tournment. Well if you seen me fish I am not no tournment fisherman period. But they were all talking about trying to raise money for a fallen friend who was ill. I didn't know any of these people, what did I know, maybe they were brothers of some biker gang. I kept watching the posts everyone helping everyone. Wow could this be real?
Well come the start of camp, storms were coming in with Tornado warnings and everything hitting Springfield and Bucksaw. I am trying to send posts warning these jerks who were online at Bucksaw talking about how much fun they were having that Tornados and heavy rain was headed their way.
Come that Friday night some of those same jerks were online just telling stories about all the nice fish they had been catching. I am sitting here just where I am now reading and looking at all the pictures. Guys I had never met were telling me get off your butt DMW1960. Hook up to that boat and get your lazy butt up here and meet us at the ramp at Bucksaw about 7 am. Nope not me I am not a tournment fisherman and I have never been to Bucksaw before. Well these guys wouldn't let up! Come on up! We will help you! Yeah I have heard that before. Say hello at the ramp then forget you!
Well its getting about 9 pm and I had just about had enough. I told the wife these guys are inviting me up to fish with them and I don't know anyone of them. PW58 says why don't you call your buddy Marcus and see if he will go up with you in the morning and fish with those guys. Ok so I post alright guys old DW will be there in the morning. Here comes all the info I need as far as directions and how to get to Bucksaw. Mileage, drive time, you name it people were sending me PM's posting stuff for me. Ok now is after 9:15 that night better call Marcus and con him into going with me! Get on the phone with him, "Boss we don't fish tournments and no better luck than we have had up on Pomme Terre we will be lucky to catch one limit of fish." "You don't know that part of Truman, and you have seen the Grand Arm under those bridges on Hwy 13." "Bad lumber everywhere boat is going to get killed!" But Marcus I don't care these guys are going to help us. "Yeah right, ok I am game if you are!" Ok I will be in Pleasant Hope at 3 am and pick you up. They are telling me that it's about 90 miles up there.
Well I get finally get to bed about 11 pm. Get up about 1:30 am load everything, go gas the boat. Pickup Marcus get to the ramp water is almost in the parking lot. Pull down towards the marina under the lights get the boat ready. About 6 am start seeing boats lining up to put in, pull over there. Start asking around CDC? Nope Bass Club. Get out of line pull back over towards marina. Looking at each other are we at the right place? Who knows! Getting up towards 6:30 am more boats pulling in to parking lot lining up to unload. Hey those look like Crappie fishermen, pull back over there. Nope another Bass Club. Alright now its just about 6:50 am! Time to try to find this campground that and find everyone. Drive to campground, find all these guys standing around a fire, don't know any of them! Ah there is someone that I think looks like OSS, yep that is Monty! Well I jump out with a bag of Bass Pro caps that I had promised Monty I would bring him. It was payback for his help on my trip below the dam.
You must me DMW1960 I heard a few guys say. OSS introduced me to several of these guys, don't look like any biker gang guys to me, look safe to hang around. I hand the tournment fee to one of the guys, I think I was $5.00 over because I didn't have change. We will get you some change, I heard someone say, I said forget it I am here to help someone out down on their luck.
Well this bunch of guys started walking towards my boat, DMW you have a Truman map? Yep right here in the boat, I get it out. About 3 or 4 of these guys start marking all over this map with locations where to catch fish. Some of the others were asking me if I had such and such color of jigs. Well if you know me by now I don't go fishing half loaded with colors. I have people around me talking in both ears to me, never seen a bunch of guys like this before. I am thinking ok fishing a tournment with these guys and they are doing everything but putting the fish into my boat wow! Is this for real?
Finally everyone heads toward the ramp, closer to 7:30 than 7 am! Get in the water head over to a cove that was marked on the map. Pull up to some trees. No bites, no hits, start trolling on towards the rear of the cove to another tree change color start getting some bits and catching some fish. I hear a yell from a boat that is at the place we just left. Look over and I hear hey DW you left some thank you! These two guys were killing them right where I just left. Ok this isn't going to be easy.
We move around I start catching some fish. Finally get Marcus pulling in a few. (Green Pea, normally fished for bass, never really fished for Crappie until I purchased my Crappie boat). Well we start moving around and catching some fish. Oh no, here comes the Fish Cops! Nicest guys I have ever met, sure alot nicer than one of the guys on Pomme. They check everything and we are good to go. Ok I am sitting on some nice fat 14 inch fish. Hey sir since you guys are here would you mind measuring a couple of these fish. No problem pull them out. Now I am just really just so juiced I pull one of these large crappie out and hand it to one of them. He measures it for me yep 14 inches! Nice fish, but we have already measured several 15 inch fish today. Pop there goes my bubble!
Head back to ramp time for the weigh in at the campground. Two limits of Crappie. Well I walk up to the weigh in looking at what the weights are. Large fish and everything else. Might be close to Big fish but I don't want to crash someone elses party. Walk back towards the boat, here comes this big old boy (Jigging15) I mean this guy is sure someone you don't want to meet up with in a dark alley. So how did you do, as he comes down toward the boat. Oh alright nothing really big. Hey pull out a couple of those big ones let me take a picture. "Nah Nah hold the fish out away from you so they look bigger!" (Jared my friend I will never let you live this down! Nor will I ever trust a picture of any fish you take! You my friend are one class act!)
Walk back up people are cleaning fish, cooking this, cooking that, start talking to a few guys. People are inviting us to stay for dinner. Well I didn't bring anything and mom always said if you don't bring something don't be a leach. Nah guys have to head back home. (Look this is getting towards the middle of May and my wife is about to throw the book at me! New Crappie boat purchased in March and no numbers of Crappie coming home!) Well I get introduced to this crusty old fart sitting in this chair just giving it to everyone. (Beagleman) Ah little did I know what a friend you would turn out to be. And there is this other nut case running around with a cold beer showing me these weird looking 10 foot rod. (Bugman) Yeah sure those darned long cane poles things will catch fish! This guy is cool but he don't knows nothing about Crappie Rods must be the cheap beer! Yep Jamie you proved me wrong my friend. (Remember you still owe me that guided fishing trip on LOZ! I will bring the beer!)
I met so many nice people that day, half their names I can't remember. Ah what memories I have, what friendships I have gained. What a lucky guy I am to find group of people like CDC members.
Now looking forward! I found me a very nice RV trailer thanks to Beagleman and Miss Sharon. Got me some good fishing holes thanks to OSS and others. LOL Even have a couple of those darned long cane poles things! Learned that no matter how bad I drive a boat that Rugs can catch fish, even with me driving!
Folks I am not coming empty going to set down and eat with you all and have one heck of a good time. And looking forward to making more memories!
Thank you all!
