Fishing Week - Day 3 (Monday)

6:00am: Andrew and I headed straight to Hot Dog island since it was so productive the night before. Fishing was not as good as the previous evening but Andrew did catch 3 one-pound bass and I caught a 3.75 pound bass as shown below; so all was not lost.

Went back in and had breakfast around 10am. Andrew spent the afternoon on the dock fishing with live shiners, getting a sun tan, and enjoying his music and beer complements of "Lights Out".


That evening I had a dog training class to go to and Andrew came with me. It went well. When we got back home I felt bad that we didn't do any evening fishing so we decided to just go out for a short time around the four poles to fish. It was about 9:15pm, dark and the moon hadn't risen yet. We usually end our fishing at this time so our expectation level was somewhat low.


But then, things got pretty exciting. At 9:35pm I caught a 5.5 pound bass. At 9:50pm Andrew caught a 3.9 pound bass. At 10:15 Andrew caught a 2 pound bass. Then around 10:30 Andrew and I caught 2 bass at the same time. Andrew's fish weight 3.4 pounds and mine weight a whopping 8.7 pounds!!! We were both fighting the fish and each one of us were calling for a net and no one to help. l landed mine first and then helped Andrew get his netted.


The bass were so strong and flipping so much in our hands we both got cuts and scrapings on our thumbs from their tiny teeth. It was painful but FUN!!! Photo's below.

3.9 pounds

5.5 pounds



3.4 pounds

8.7 pounds

8.7 pounds

Don't laugh at my funny headlight. It is a great device when you want to see in the dark and still be able to use both hands to reel in a fish.

In just a little over an hour we caught 5 quality bass by just circling the 4 poles. Each complete circle it seemed a new set of bass moved in. What a night. Now if we had not gone to the dog classes, we probably would have come in around 9pm and missed all the action.

Total fish caught on Monday is 9. Total weight is 30.25 pounds.

Fishing Week Day 2 (Sunday)

Day 2 -- Andrew and I were on the water by 6:30am. We started at 4-poles and Andrew caught a one pounder. Then went to "Hot Dog" island and I caught a one pounder. Then to "Power Line" cove and Andrew caught a 2-3 pounder but it got off at the boat. We went to another area and I picked up a 1.5 pounder. The morning fishing was very slow and we had to do a lot of casting to find the 4 bass we did catch.

Andrew did some dock fishing in the afternoon with no success. It was very hot (90's) but he had a good time anyway with Lights Out nearby playing music and a refrigerator full of BEER.

That evening around 6 pm we headed out to Hot Dog island again and it was HOT and on Fire with bass. Below is 3.5 pound bass Andrew caught there.

He waited a little too long to set the hook and the hook was way down in the mouth; so it took him a little while to get the hook out.

The Bass was release and was OK.

Andrew continued to catch fish at the island and I lost 2 big ones. Later I realized my hook was bent and that was why I wasn't getting a good hook set.

We went back to 4-poles around 7:30pm and Andrew kept catching fish.

Then he hooked up with a 4# 4oz bass.

That Boy is HAPPY!!!

I caught a few small ones and finally hooked into a 3.75 pounder.

It was a very productive day of fishing and our total bag limit for Sunday was 17 bass with a total weight of around 35 pounds of bass. Andrew was the winner today and caught the most and biggest bass. I think it was the colorful swimming trunks he was wearing that attracted all the bass to him.

Fishing Week - Day One (Saturday)

The phone rang at 6:30am on Saturday the 6th. I thought it would be Andrew saying he is now leaving Valdosta, GA for the 6-hour trip to Guntersville. He said "I will be there in 5-minutes"! I said "Your kidding". He said he was so wired up for the trip that he couldn't sleep so he left early.

He met the dogs and Buddy and Max really liked him.

By 9am we were out on the lake fishing. Of course we started at the 4-pole area. Andrew caught a 2 pound bass right off the bat. Before I could get the camera out for a picture he released the bass back in the water.

Next it was my turn and I caught a 3.75 pound bass.

We fished a little longer and then went in so Andrew could take a nap and rest up from the long drive and lack of sleep. We went back out in the evening and tried "Hot dog" Island first. I hooked up with a 4.75 pound bass at 6:20pm.

Then back to the 4-pole area for dusk fishing. We caught 4 more bass ranging from one to 3 pounds.

Our bag for the day was 7 bass with a total weight of 16 pounds. Not bad for a starter day especially right after a cold front.

Stayed tuned for a daily update.

End of May

I'm behind on the blog again.

The most exciting thing that has happened is I have a new grandson. Pamella had her baby on May 28th at 6:15am. His name is Kieran Campbell Brown. He weighed 7# and 10 ounces. You can find out more about him on Pamella's blog.

Last week Max became very ill and stopped eating. I took him in to the vet and he had contracted Coccidiosis. This is an intestinal track infection caused by protozoal parasites. If not treated it can become fatal. He's on medication for 21 days and is feeling much better now and back to himself. I had Buddy tested too and he has a mild case so he is on meds as well.

I pulled the bass boat out on Saturday and spent most of the day cleaning it up as it has been a while since the last cleaning. This is in preparation of Andrew's visit from the 6th through the 12th. We will be fishing day and night for a week!

Last Friday my kitchen sink started leaking, the faucet was leaking and the sprayer didn't work for a long time. I decided to replace the whole works and got a much deeper sink (8.5 inches) and Delta high nozzle faucet. I like it very much. It is kind of weird that a 64 year old man can get excited about a SINK!!

Since my yard is so shaded I cannot grow grass so I usually keep it covered with leaves. But after a few rains the leaves decompose and things are quite mushy. The dogs are real pansies when it comes to walking on wet dirt and when they do their bathroom stuff, they don't walk out to the yard. They stop short and do it in the concrete. So I covered the area with pine-straw. They like that so no more problems with that.

Sunday I needed a break from the dogs and the world so I went fishing and caught 4 bass in about an hour. The biggest was 4 pounds.

That's it for now.

Memorial Day Weekend

Rain, Rain and more Rain. This has been a very wet holiday week end.

Saturday I had a Coast Guard Auxiliary Patrol from 8am to Noon. We patrolled the river down to Guntersville dam and back to be available for any boaters that got into trouble. There weren't any. We also checked buoys and day markers for proper locations and conditions. Here are some photos.

The Crew!!

Buddy out grew his dog house so he got a bigger one and Max got the old one.

Please remember our veterans today who sacrificed their lives to keep us free as well as the heroes and people who perished on 9-11.

Click the link below for a tribute to the American Flag and what it stands for (Turn up your speaker volume).

http://www.chaplin-nest.com/unkarock/flag.htm

Time to Catch Up

I am way behind in posting to the Blog. To all my fans, I'm Sorry (Ha-Ha). I will start with current events and work backwards in time.


First and foremost, I am very disappointed in the 100 million voters at American Idol. The winner was picked last night and it was Kris ...? He so impressed me that I can't remember his last name.


After my favorite (Alexis) was voted off, I thought Allison was the next best choice. She was only 16 but she could really sing.

Then she was voted off. I finally decided Adam was the best vocalist and very creative in his rendition of songs, especially Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire.




It was between Adam and Kris and all the yahoos out in La-La land voted for Kris. What a Bummer!!




A few weeks ago Mary (the original owner of Max) came for a visit with Tyler and Katie. We all (including the dogs) enjoyed the visit. However, when they left Max stood at the door crying. I don't think I will let them visit again because it is upsetting and confusing for Max. After all, they gave him up.

Here is a link to view the pictures. Select Album and then slide show to watch the pictures full size.

http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=510c3bca5178dced&sid=0CbNGzRy3bsWau

Last Saturday I had a Coast Guard Auxiliary public affairs event with Lights Out at the Guntersville City dock. It was for the local folks to meet the people on the water that provide safety and rescue services. Besides the Auxiliary, we had representation from the Alabama Marine Patrol, Rescue Squad, Fire department, Police Department and other services. I took Buddy and Max and also represented Safe Haven No Kill Animal shelter (where I adopted Buddy). Safe Haven is trying to raise funds to help pay for food, medial and shelter for animals they rescue.



Took Buddy and Max to vet to get shots and Buddy weighed in at 77.8 pounds and Max was 59 pounds. The dogs were pretty rowdy at the Vets and they recommended obedience class for them.

I found a place and we are doing sessions every Monday evening for 6-weeks.

HEY, I'm a "South Paw" too.

Buddy and Max are getting along real good now and like to play together. Here are a few photos of them playing.

I guess that's playing!! After play time they rest together.

I have a Coast Guard Auxiliary patrol with Lights Out Saturday morning since it is the kickoff for Memorial Day. We will patrol down to the dam and back as well as check marker buoys for condition and location along the way.

Please take a few minutes Monday to honor our military veterans who have given the ultimate sacrifice.

In Memory of Duke

It has been one year to date that Duke passed away. He was a great loss for me but now I can look at pictures and talk about him. However, at times it still brings tears to my eyes.

I will never forget him.