Best Fishing Memories Of 2011

[fishinSWMO]

Wow Jeremy, what a great couple of kids! Great meeting you, Gavin, Cricket, and Coldwater on the Float and Boat. You have a great 2012 as well!!

Thanks Mitch! Get togethers like that float and boat you set up should be a regular thing on this forum. Its nice to meet up with other people that enjoy fishing as much as we all do.

[Haris122]

I can't say I had great success in 2011, but seeing how it's the first year I really started to learn the intricacies of how to fish, it's still my best year since I learned a lot this year.

Anyways my first most memorable event of 2011 was the first time I ever knewI had a bite. In summer, while still breaking through the basics, I went to the lake in Unger Park. After a couple of hours of no action, I once again cast my line out with some of that "cat blood" on a treble hook, and left it out there for close to nightfall while I messed with the lousier rod I had a rooster tail on. Well, park closes at night, and it was just about time to go. So I reel the rooster tail rod in uneventfully, and start reeling in the one I had left out for a while. And it gets snagged yet again, as that place was full of little shrubs within 8 feet from the lake shore at that part of it. I started to pull harder in hopes of getting the hook off of whatever it got snagged on, the line suddenly starts moving. It's not snagged. That turned out to be one hell of a rush. I fought whatever it was for 4-5 minutes, and it was pulling hard. I tried to let the line loose, to avoid it breaking but the line release button was not releasing anything, and the drag wasn't doing it's job either, even though i was sure the fish was pulling hard enough to activate the drag by then. Eventually, the tension just becomes too much, and the line breaks. Needless to say it was a hell of a mix of emotions. On one hand I was totally pumped that I had not just something, but something strong on my line for my first ever bite. On the other hand I was cursing that reel for not letting the line go like it was supposed to. Overall though, it was an amazing feeling, especially knowing I wasn't a hopeless case, though I never figured out what it was.

My 2nd event of 2011, was the first time I caught a fish. Once again i was at Unger Park during summer but this time I was trying my luck once more on the Meramec. I got there only for ~2 hours before nightfall, and again it was getting close to go. I was using the same 2 rods, but this time the lures were switched over. Anyways once again getting ready for the last few casts while retrieving the rooster tail, when barely 5 feet from the bank something hits the rooster tail and starts struggling in the shallow sand/mud bar near the bank. It wasn't an unbelievable strike, but once again it took me a bit to realize it was a fish and not just a snag. Well, I reel the poor guy in closer, leave the rod at the bank, grab my pliers, and wet my hands, and then reel him in close enough to try to pick him up. After a bit of flopping, I finally get my hand around him and pick him up. I can't be hundred percent certain that it was what i think it was, and I figured I didn't want the poor guy (or girl) to die, so I didn't bother taking a picture, BUT judging from coloration and body shape, I do think it was a tiny (maybe 7") Smallmouth. Anyways, taking out the treble out of it's mouth was harder than I thought and one hook was a bit below it's eye, so I let him back in the water for a little bit, before taking him back out and getting the hook out of its mouth for good. I reeled it in fairly fast without wearing it out too much, and it swam off right away, so I hope it survived, but I can't be sure. I can't imagine the upper lip hook near the eye, being all too pleasant to get removed.

The 3rd time happened pretty soon after getting there for a change. I hooked a fish, it got loose, and I'm guessing the same one got hooked again on the roostertail a few casts later, and this time it got hooked good, and it had to fight and jump like crazy, before unhooking again. Probably the most exciting "fight" I had so far. I still don't know what it was, just remember it appeared silvery (maybe white), and I think it had a thinner profile than a bass (kind of troutlike but again at Meramec by Unger, so...), and maybe 9" long.

Anyways that stuff amped me up, and I stayed another couple hours in hopes of hooking it a 3rd time, but didn't happen. Did accidentally hook a 4-5" gizzard shad on back behind dorsal fin, on my last retrieve, so that was caught fish #2 (even though i got that one through an accidental snagging). Let that one go too, but I'm not sure if that one made it, as it was swimming sideways, before it swam off.

Finally #4 (and I actually got a picture for this one). During late November I went fishing at Lower Meramec Park several times, and I stayed there at least a good 5 hours each day regardless of rain and cold, and there was a lot of both, without any real luck (very few small bites and nothing hooked). I also had someone's big unleashed dog, smell the bag of "cat blood" bait, and take it so I had to go chase after it one day. All of this along with the usual line tangling around itself too often was really beginning to break my morale. Anyways, finally, 5th or 6th time I went, I had a feeling once again nothing was going to happen, when all of a sudden, halfway through the day, bam, a 8" White Bass hit the roostertail about 7' or so from the bank (to my defense i tried other lures too, without results though). I was so thrilled that I yanked the rod too hard while setting the hook and the fish went flying onto the bank, with the rooster tail getting free in midair. I figured if i didn't want the bass to die, I better just grab it and put it back asap, even though the fins were stabbing me, so I didn't take a pic of that one, but i did keep going at it and caught a 2nd, smaller (prob. 6") white bass the same way, and I did manage to take a picture of that one. And here it is.

I let that one go as soon as I took the pic.

So, neverending story over, I got nothing large such as you guys, but at this point getting anything is still pretty good for me.

[stlfisher]

Looks like your getting out and haveing a great time....can't beat that. Congrats on your first fish and it only gets better as you go!

[Wayne SW/MO]

I've had a lot of battles to fight in the last couple of years and the few trips I made with my son and the MFU guys are near and dear to this old heart.

[Trout Commander]

So, neverending story over, I got nothing large such as you guys, but at this point getting anything is still pretty good for me.

Seems to me that no matter how long you have fished, no matter how many, how frequently or how big of fish you have caught it's the days you don't catch and the fish you miss that keep you going back just as much as the ones you do catch.

[FishinCricket]

I've had a lot of battles to fight in the last couple of years and the few trips I made with my son and the MFU guys are near and dear to this old heart.

This photo I took of you fighting that trout in 101 temps on the Niangua, I nominate that as my favorite memory of 2011.

(followed closely by my trip with you and TC down to the NFOW, then the Lil Niangua trip where I caught that monster buffalo on the UL)

[Flysmallie]

That photo I took of you fighting that trout in 101 temps on the Niangua, I nominate that as my favorite memory of 2011.

Here you go Cricket.

[FishinCricket]

Here you go Cricket.

Thanks, I found it on my photobucket, just took me a moment on the iPhone..

[Flysmallie]

Thanks, I found it on my photobucket, just took me a moment on the iPhone..

No problem, just knew I had it. For some reason I have a copy opf all our photos from 2011.

[Flysmallie]

And yes, It is an awesome photo.