Fishing Report 10/29-10/30

[vanven]

Sunday 10/29

Fished Saturday evening from 4pm til the generators and cold chased us away at 8pm. Let me rephrase that, the wife got cold, I was still wearing short sleeves. Caught 2 rainbows around 14 inches just after sunset on a size 10 olive mohair leech. We fished mostly around the boat ramp.

Monday 10/30

Day: Tough fishing day. The wind was gusting well over 30 mph at times. Caught 2 rainbows in the 12-16 inch range on a small grey size 16 scud in the morning between outlet 1 and the wire. Saw a couple of really nice browns caught at outlet 1. The wife got upset at the fishermen conduct of the "outlet humpers". Her last straw was seeing a brown that must have been 7+ pounds caught, drug 5 feet up onto the rocks instead of netted, then handled for 10 minutes while the guys took turns taking pictures and measuring their prize. Then they spent 10 minutes hovering over it wondering why it didnt just swim away after being released. Anyway back to the report...

Evening: Wife got tired and flustered about sunset and decided to let me stay a few hours by myself after dark. After sending her on her way to the Coach outlet store I found myself all alone at outlet 1. Only other fisherman was a random red light quite a ways down the opposite side. I caught 2 rainbows in the first few minutes and was very excited. I was using a small green crackleback, as a lot of fish were breaking the surface just before sunset.

Then a couple things happened. I have a couple general rules about fishing alone at night. First, I stay in one spot and my wife comes back at a given time to get me, unless I call her. That will make finding my body easier. Second, I only wade to mid thigh and stick to areas I know. Again to aid the body recovery process. Safety first!

First something touched my leg. I am not talking about the random rainbow that picks something off your waders. This was big and it caught me just above the back of the knee. It caused my leg to buckle and almost dunked me. I have no clue at all what it was, I would guess a couple big browns were playing and lost track of me. It scared me and started that little back of the mind thinking "what if there is a crocodile in here, or something else man-eating, or that's a really angry bigfoot over there in the bushes making a racket". I gathered myself and got back to fishing.

Then the second event, a heron managed to sneak in about 30 feet behind me and squak louder than i have ever heard. It might as well have been a gunshot. I was already on edge, and it scared me badly. I see them out there all the time. I watch them spear the occasional big fish, I like them in general. However, I had never been within 100 feet of one. I had to leave the water and take a break.

I got back about 30 minutes later and was still alone. I changed flies to a size 10 bead headed olive wolly. I made my frist cast and caught a small rainbow. A few minutes later I hooked into what I though was another small rainbow. I kind of muscled him in as he wasnt fighting much and just wanted to get on with fishing. As I reached down in the dark I noticed he was big, really big. I think he also realized what was going on and he took off. I fought him for 30 minutes and twice he got really close to my backing. I still had my 7x tippet attached from the afternoon and was being a little cautious. He wore out and I finally managed to get him within reach. The first 2 attempts to net him werent successful. He was too big for the net unless I got him straight on and head first. On the third swipe I turned my light on and got a really good look at him, I also caught my tippet on the cheap wood and chunky dried glue from a previous repair attempt on my $10 net. It broke and the fish slid into the water. I still had my light on and watched as he slipped to the bottom 6 inches from my feet and rested. He was in the 24-28 inch range and probably in the 6 to 8 pound range. Not an absolute monster but much bigger than my previous high of 4 pounds.

I ended with evening at 9:30pm with a total of 10 fish and a couple good stories. I also retrieved 2 small scud flies from fish that I caught. It is rare that you end an evening with more flies that you started.

Thanks for reading and good luck out there! I am new to the sport and hopefully I have provided a little useful info in the ramblings.

-jerod

[loo10]

I enjoyed your post very much.

It made me feel like I was there with you.

Most of what you shared, I've experienced.

Good reading....it made me laugh.

Thanks.

By the way there are no crocs or gators in Taney.

The giant killer squid got all of them.

[Danoinark]

I'm with Rich. One of the best reports I have seen. And like Rich I have been there done that and you just helped me relive my experiences. Keep em coming Jerod.

That Big Squid lives down toward Phil's place doesn't it...causes them big bubbles to surface..well that is what I heard anyway.

Dano

[Terry Beeson]

Hey... what am I laughing about? I've been there myself...

No, Dano... the little squid lives down by Phil's. The big one lives up by the dam...

Yes, Jerod... great report. I'll give you the big fish since it technically was brought to hand. Only important to you, anyway... you saw it, you know how you fought it, and you know how big it was... (Dano... Don't tell JW I said that... )

I have a couple general rules about fishing alone at night. First, I stay in one spot and my wife comes back at a given time to get me, unless I call her. That will make finding my body easier.

Very considerate of you, Jerod. This will allow her to get all that life insurance money much faster....

(Seriously, good practices on your part. I try to do much the same myself.)

[D.T.]

Great report, I had to laugh I thought I was the only one to get spooked from those no seums. I have been fishing on Taney early in the morning and the fog is thick when one of those birds lets out a loud squawk. I'm glad there was no one around to see me jump and duck like I had been shot at. I'm 6'2" and well over 300lbs and Im amazed at how fast I can turn into a quivering little boy at the sound of something after dark when I'm hunting or fishing.

Thanks again!

[L2RMiller]

Great report! I thought the giant squid died when it ate that guide's boat?

My wife I have a great squawking heron story (I think the thread is morphing). We are both originally from the hills, my wife from Southwest IL and I'm from Missouri but we both live in the flatlands of Central IL but hit MO as much as possible - Taney being one of our favorite destinations. On this trip we were at Bennett and had just read an article about a young male mountain lion being hit on the hiway in MO and we had discussed it all the way down on the trip. We set up camp and went to sleep.

At about 4 in the morning we heard a terrible noise that had us both sitting upright looking at each other. We were in a tent and the only thing we each thought was "MOUNTAIN LION KILLS CENTRAL IL COUPLE" with all of the accompanying quotes from neighbors & friends, "They were such a nice couple". We didn't sleep the rest of the morning, kept looking for eyes in the woods! The next night was a fitful nite's sleep but we didn't hear the noise so we thought maybe some other camper had the misfortune to run into he mountain lion or MoMo or whatever.

Later that week we headed down to Taney for some more fishing and were out on the stream at about 6:30 in the fog when all of the sudden the same sound that woke us up @ Bennett was just a few feet behind us! We both whipped around (my wife almost took my head off with her fly rod) & there were herons fighting on the bank. After the connection was made in our head that we had stayed awake all night being afraid of some herons, we stood in the water and laughed. Not too many people were around but I'm sure they were wondering what was wrong with that odd couple standing in the water.

[Terry Beeson]

OK.... well... let's just "morph" this thread some more...

About #$@% years ago, when I was a young teenager... (OK... 30-35 years... there... I said it... I'm old...) Anyway... I was on my dad's farm on the hill overlooking the watershed lake on the southwest corner of the land. Anyway, he and I were "checking the cows" when I noticed a big flock of mallards on the lake.

So... I grabbed my shotgun and some shells and started down to the lake to sneak in through the woods that lined the south bank of the lake and was where the ducks were headed... (yes, it was duck season...) I had duck and dressing on the brain!

Perfect timing was on my side... The mallards were swimming toward the flooded timber as I was getting to an area to set up on them. I had walked through about 150 yards of 2-3 feet deep freezing water (no waders - just cowboy boots) and just got to a little spot at the edge of an opening standing in a shallow spot behind a nice little bush that would blind me from the ducks as they entered the area.

I waited for them to get within range and I was going to pop up and open fire on them as they took off. Well, I wanted to get in a better position for a better shot, so I moved a little to my right... towards another bush... which, by chance, was precisely where a Heron was wading and fishing....

Well, just before the ducks were in range, the Heron spotted me - before I ever knew he was in the state of Arkansas... and he decided to let the world know of my presence....

"SQUAAAAAWWWWWWWKKKKK" followed by 50-60 mallards lifting off the water followed by three quick shotgun blasts in no particular direction other than straight up!!!! Followed by several words that I won't repeat in front of my mom... One of them describing what my jeans were full of....

Huntin' and fishin'... ain't nuthin' like the stories we can tell....

[Steve Smith]

That’s pretty good Terry. I had a relative that saw some ducks on his pond one day, and snuck down to the bank to pop one for supper. He was successful in sneaking up, but when he jumped up and shot he realized the kids had taken his best wooden decoys to the pond. He got two of them with one shot. The decoys that is… not his kids.

Now, talking about things that go bump in the night. Several years ago, I decided to go bass fishing at Big M one evening. Launching my bass boat, I noticed the water patrol and several rescue boats searching the water. Some poor soul had fallen from his boat, drowned, and they were searching for the body. When I asked if they needed help, the patrolman said the body would probably not surface until after dark. I fished until almost midnight, and decided to call it a night. I was just rounding the bend at the marina when I hit something with the boat thinking “my God was that the guy that drowned that I just hit?” I dropped the trolling motor, got the spot light and saw something very big with an eye looking back at me so I slowly eased up. Within a few feet I leaned over, and the water exploded. I had hit and stunned a big catfish that came back to life just as I leaned over the gunwale. Terry, if you think you can fill your jeans, you should have been with me that night. Oh yea, the guy was found alive and well in a cove after I had left.

[Terry Beeson]

Oh gawd, Steve... That IS a good one...

Follow up to the duck decoy story....

About 10 years or so ago, my ex-wife's sister and family - there were five of them in the car - were on their way to deer camp one afternoon late. It was the Friday night before opening day of gun season. Just about sundown, while you could still just barely see, one of them spotted a HUGE buck stading out in a field just off the highway they were on.

Well, they are not the most scrupulous bunch of hunters in the woods, so they stop and the daughter-in-law is next to the window on that side, so she gets to take the shot... Nobody up the road... nobody down the road... deserted highway... Easy shot...

BAH-WHOOOOM! She nails the big buck in the neck... But they immediately notice two things.... The deer is still standing, headless.... and there are blue lights and spot lights everywhere....

AGFC had set up a "dummy deer" to stake out spot lighters, poachers, and night hunters....

Cost them $1000, five rifles and shotguns, and hunting priveliges for a couple of years....