Thursday, September 18th, 2008 by Diesel Fueled
Just when I thought I was getting away from the beer gogglin hawg seekin guy trip to Chicago I have decided to do my own hawg seeking of a different flava. Oh yes I am Illinois bound. Only on the south side in a nice lake called Lake Egypt.
But don’t worry I am going to get me some! Yes she will be greesy. She will be slippery and she will require both hands to handle. Some will be brown, some blue, some dirty. Some may may just be down right putrid with smell. Despite that fishy smell, in the end there is always good eating on the inside.
Of course I am talking about a nice weekend of catfishing, drinking some canned beer wearing my Bill Dance polarized sun glasses. What else would I be talking about?
So coming from a primary crappie fisherman I have decided to venture into the world of bloody liver, aged shad, and whupass catfish bait. Yes it is called “whupass” because that’s what I am going to do.
So let’s start with the fisherman. I would think the equipment to purchase is based on the type of fisherman. Well I am a lazy son of bitch when it comes to catfishing so I had to set up my gear for such.
Catfish Rod / Reel.
I was strolling through Bass Pro looking for things I don’t need and as I made my way through the Bill Dance Polarized sunglass section and turned the corner on the Wally Marshall Crappie rigs the feeling of shock and awww hit me. Rays of light streamed through the clouds and was in heaven. Well close to heaven. I was heading straight towards possibly the best redneck catfishin rod / reel ever made, The Zebco Hawg Seeker on an ugly stick. Oh yes. What makes this so special? It’s battery operated and a red beeping alarm goes off every time there is line tension. So now no more interruptions with me and my bud light in a can.
Floats
What makes a fisherman like me better? Luck and a ton of lines in the water. For just $3.49 a piece you can buy you a nice piece of styrofoam (like the ones you see in the swimming pool) and hook 20 pound test line, weight or bomb, and hook. If your a bigin like me you may need to tie you two styrofoams to make sure it floats. Then sit back and watch the little yellow things float all over the lake. Get er done hawgs!
Bait
Got me some bloody liver and chicken mix. “Great Scott” is the brand and I truly believe it’s fate. Also picked up some bloody shad, and some miracle bait. Kind of looks like mom’s dried up red beans, but supposed to work well.
Outside of that you have to have a cooler stocked with some nice cold Bud Light in a can. Budweiser if they are on sale or Natty Light if your on a budget.
When I return from my trip I will follow-up with a review of the equipment and the lake.
FISH ON!
Posted in Editorials, Humor, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008 by Diesel Fueled
I have always believed that a true fisherman doesn’t need the extras to lure in quality fish. The real fisherman relies on instincts and technique and a general feel for the fish. Give me a wal-mart rod / reel combo, dirt cheap line, and any size hook and I will catch as much as the next guy. You know this might be true. You might be that good or lucky. You could have a good day and everything work out for you while these gear heads and decked out in their Bass Pro 100mph Gore-Tex® Rain Gear sporting their quality Pflueger reels on a nice St. Croix or Sams ultra light rod with top of the line high visibility line are not necessarily slaying you. Their jig kits sporting 300 color combinations, hook and weights sorted by size and weight, freshly oiled and cleaned reels, and polarized glasses will soon have them sitting right next to Lou Mansfield filming the next crappie video right? In the end it lies in the fisherman.
So why buy the quality stuff? Why put in all the time to sort and categorize all of your gear in your “crappie purse”? When it all comes down to it is just a line with a hook right?
Well the obvious answer is it is a hobby. We all know that. It’s something to collect.
The other answer is what I have realized this last weekend. By having everything prepared, organized and in good quality condition you eliminate many intangibles that create frustration and take away from good fishing time and relaxation. While I spent a big chunk of time wrestling with my equipment and looking for tackle, those “gear heads” spent more time in the water going after the king slab. I want to point out some situations I ran into that point this out.
Purchase quality gloves for windy and cold temperatures: While my friends are sporting their new waterproof / windproof gloves I am showcasing gardener gloves trying not to lose a finger to frostbite as we cruise the lake in 20 degree wind chill conditions. Once I had feeling back I was 20 minutes behind on the chase for the whopper slab.
Have quality rain gear: How many times do you go out and buy that $10 rain coat thinking you will never need it? Chances are you have done this 4 or 5 times at least over the years. Why not spend the money to purchase a quality set that will last you multiple years? You spend less time messing with being dry and more time fishing.
Do inventory check on equipment prior to the night before: Of course the marina has some things. Yes you can mooch off you friends as long as they aren’t “fresh out”. Well I had more costs buying things I was missing and spent fishing time searching for things I had, but were not easily found. How much time did I spent digging through unopened packages and unorganized fishing gear?
Reels really are important: The better reel and line the less times you will spend messing with tangles and issues with casting. Having a shady reel made it tough to cast accurately hanging me up in trees more and losing fishing time. Not to mention all of the tangles from using dirt cheap line.
There are many others. You may not see me looking like a Bass Pro or Cabela’s spokesman like Gill Slayer, but I am definitely sold on the idea that you get what you pay for and it is time to upgrade this fisherman!
Posted in Editorials | 3 Comments »
Hawg Seekin’ and Good Eatin!
