Friday Night Lights - Spring Edition
Crappie fishing has long been a favorite of mine. Crappies were often my target in the spring when I was still part of the bass boat crowd. This was especially true when I had my kids in the boat, since normally if you find one crappie, you will find several. If you have ever been sequestered with kids in a boat, you understand the importance of getting them on fish - and quickly.
I read many articles about where to find crappies, but my most consistent success pursing them came by fishing (fly fishing purists look away) under floating lights using light spin tackle with live minnows beneath a slip float. Note - we did not use bobbers. We were snobby float purists. After all, one must have standards when fishing from a camo Bass Tracker.
My daughter and I had a favorite spot, under a bridge that protected us from occasional inclement weather. The bridge is over a river arm that fed into a Texas hill country lake, and is only a two minute ride from the boat ramp. That was especially comforting to my daughter who wisely questioned my navigational skills on a lake in the dark.
The bridge offered another advantage. At one end is a fishing lodge that includes a bait shop. If conditions warranted, we could motor over and get more minnows. Or a Dr. Pepper. Sometimes one is as important as the other.
The other end of the bridge boasted a boat ramp and convenience store, so if more substantial fare (pop rocks for example) was called for, we could motor the other direction for supplies. In those days, happy wife happy /life didn't apply, but happy daughter/happy life did. It doesn't rhyme, but it did resonate.
Like other single dads, I struggled mightily to find peace with being single again, while trying to protect my kids as much as possible from a situation they didn't cause but had to endure. So on every other weekend in the spring when the kids were with me, and the weather looked right, we escaped to "our" bridge, for an all-night crappie fishing session.
Usually we caught crappie. Occasionally a long-nosed gar or two made an appearance, much to my daughter's horror. Sometimes the fishing was slow, and the night was disturbed only by the gentle sound of waves lapping at the side of the boat. On those nights the lake lullaby rocked my daughter to sleep on the floor of the boat, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
When sunrise came with the promise of renewed mercies, we loaded the boat and stopped at a certain store for cinnamon rolls and chocolate milk to sustain us for the ride home. Nothing but the best.
Now my daughters are themselves mothers, and a new generation of daughters accompanies me on fishing trips from time to time. They think we are just fishin'. But I know better.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IheODRwalEw
I read many articles about where to find crappies, but my most consistent success pursing them came by fishing (fly fishing purists look away) under floating lights using light spin tackle with live minnows beneath a slip float. Note - we did not use bobbers. We were snobby float purists. After all, one must have standards when fishing from a camo Bass Tracker.
My daughter and I had a favorite spot, under a bridge that protected us from occasional inclement weather. The bridge is over a river arm that fed into a Texas hill country lake, and is only a two minute ride from the boat ramp. That was especially comforting to my daughter who wisely questioned my navigational skills on a lake in the dark.
The bridge offered another advantage. At one end is a fishing lodge that includes a bait shop. If conditions warranted, we could motor over and get more minnows. Or a Dr. Pepper. Sometimes one is as important as the other.
The other end of the bridge boasted a boat ramp and convenience store, so if more substantial fare (pop rocks for example) was called for, we could motor the other direction for supplies. In those days, happy wife happy /life didn't apply, but happy daughter/happy life did. It doesn't rhyme, but it did resonate.
Like other single dads, I struggled mightily to find peace with being single again, while trying to protect my kids as much as possible from a situation they didn't cause but had to endure. So on every other weekend in the spring when the kids were with me, and the weather looked right, we escaped to "our" bridge, for an all-night crappie fishing session.
Usually we caught crappie. Occasionally a long-nosed gar or two made an appearance, much to my daughter's horror. Sometimes the fishing was slow, and the night was disturbed only by the gentle sound of waves lapping at the side of the boat. On those nights the lake lullaby rocked my daughter to sleep on the floor of the boat, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
When sunrise came with the promise of renewed mercies, we loaded the boat and stopped at a certain store for cinnamon rolls and chocolate milk to sustain us for the ride home. Nothing but the best.
Now my daughters are themselves mothers, and a new generation of daughters accompanies me on fishing trips from time to time. They think we are just fishin'. But I know better.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IheODRwalEw
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