Bass Fishing On Truman Lake- What A Day!

Well Wednesday morning My buddy Greg and I, got up before daylight, hooked up to my bass tracker and headed for Truman lake. By before daylight , I mean about 4:30 am. Now that is like going deer hunting , pretty dag um early in the morning but , the weather was supposed to be clear and sunny , upper 70s and after the last 3 or 4 days it has been in lower 60s and windy, so it sounded promising to us. Now Greg Is a little grumpy and looks like that bear in the 7/11 commercial, till he gets some coffee in him, so we stopped and had a good breakfast and some hot coffee at a little but busy cafe in Lebanon.

We filled up our thermoses and headed to Truman , pedal to the metal, and normally that's OK. Normally! Not this morning about 3 miles before we left hwy 65 we met a state trooper, name withheld of course, because he pulled us over and after we explained why we were in such a hurry, 75 in a 65, he smiled calmly wrote me a warning ticket and wished us luck on our day, after warning us if he caught us speeding again, well you know the rest of the story as Paul Harvey would say.

By the time we backed the boat into the lake at an undisclosed access , for obvious reasons, ;-) We headed back into one of our honey holes. It was back in a creek fed cove, again undisclosed information, in hopes to find Old Bucket Mouth during his or her early morning feed. We fished till about 11:30 only caught 3 line sides and one of them was a 16 inch keeper.

Now this is a big cove, full of log jams and tree tops and the usual rip rap you would find, with a large creek running into the cove . Now the cove was clear and the creek was running in colored or dirty, So I guess they had some rain upstream sometime the day or night before. It wasn't muddy just colored. We stopped and ate a sandwich and drink a soda, lunch or brunch I guess you could say.

I told Greg , we need to fish the cove once again, and because it was sunny and the sun was pretty high, I tried a different approach. Earlier we had tried crank baits and plastic worms and jigs with not much luck. I figured we covered the bottom with the jigs and worms and medium with the crank baits. So I tied on a chartreuse lunker lure. Now some people say that is not a good Idea In the fall, especially October 30th, and Greg laughed at me.

We fished about 15 minutes and Greg caught about a 5 lb bass on a shad rap, and THEN it started happening. I started catching , one throw after the other , Huge white bass and stripers and hybrids on that old lunker lure , WOW! You should have seen Greg , he was so busy netting fish for me that he couldn't,t fish!

I had caught 2 huge stripers around 18 lbs, 1 hybrid about 6 lb and a half a dozen 2-3 lb white bass. WOW! I had to stop and get me a cup of coffee and a cigarette, before I had a heart attack. What an Adrenalin rush!

Greg's eyes, were as big as saucers and he was running from one end of the boat to the other trying to find a lunker lure. I stopped him , gave him a lunker lure of my own to keep him from having a heart attack too! HA! Like a couple of kids we were!

He got tied on and we both smoked some cigarettes and drank some coffee, after about 20 minutes I told Greg, we were gonna go back to bass fishing ;-) He informed me that I was politically incorrect, and then he realized I was pulling his leg. I suggested swinging back around to the creek and hitting all that water again and he eagerly agreed! HA!

Now I know that this is going to sound like a yarn, but as we approached the mouth of the creek , we quietly approached this big old log jam again and proceeded to throw , at the same time, and the lunker lures 20 ft apart and exactly as they started gurgling , got slammed, we had doubled with 2 big stripers, how big we didn't know but the fight was on! After about 15 minutes mine rolled on his side and I netted him, as I lifted him into the boat he came off the lunker lure in the net, I got lucky! Greg was still fighting his and he said mine would weigh about 15 lbs. Hes good at guessing stripers. Finally his came up to the boat and turned up on its side and I netted it for him, and pretended it got off, I actually lifted it up just enough to give him a lot of slack line and start yelling that he got off, I thought he was going to throw me in , until I turned around with a big net full of striper. He guessed him at about 23 lbs.

My Lunker lure was tore up and wouldn't work so I then tied on a shad colored 1/2 oz Rat-L-Trap, wouldn't you know it? That's rather ironic and I even mentioned to Greg that I had posted an article on that very lure just a few days before, and laughed and said Probably wont catch a thing.

Now This keeps sounding like a big fishing yarn for sure, but its the truth! The whites and stripers started SURFACING! We caught one fish after another for about 45 minutes and we limited on stripers and whites and was culling 2 lb whites because they were too small! I never seen anything like it in my life and Greg said the same thing. I finally sat down , exhausted and laughed my @#$ off at Greg, I swear , I thought he was either gonna fall in or have a heart attack, or both. Finally he quit, exhausted, too!

It was time for another coffee break and it was only about 1:30pm. We sat there and contemplated our next move , to finish the day hopefully finishing our limits on some old bucket mouth bass. We cruised about 4 miles to another hot spot of mine, and finished out the day, we only caught 4 more bass making a total of 5 keepers , the 4 we caught at hole number two was 4lb -6 lb.
Even though we came to catch large mouth , and we only caught 5 all day , We both admitted that we had the time of our life.
He and I will always remember this fun day.

I have fished the lakes40 yrs and only been in the Surfacing whites 2 times now. My dad is almost 78 and been there 1x , but I bet not one of us will ever forget it! I hope each and everyone of you get to experience that at least once in your lives, and I bet you will never forget it when it does happen. I have been told its nearly impossible to catch stripers on artificial lures , but I knew that was wrong, because I have caught lots of stripers trolling shad raps.

That day they was on lunker lures, and rat-l-traps , and who knows what else, because we never threw any other lures , once we got bit. So , we drove home and spent most of Wednesday night cleaning fish, when we got home, but it was fun, and it was worth every penny spent, and the time it took to do it. We had truly enjoyed the "Great Outdoors!"

I hope you enjoyed reading about our fantastic fishing adventure, so, until next time, keep your hooks wet, see ya out there! And make sure YOU enjoy the "Great Outdoors!" ;-)

A Few Readers Have Requested This Information

For those of you who follow for the fishing or hunting articles,
stay tuned because I have a hot article coming real soon! I just
got back from Truman lake and had a very successful fishing
trip. So check back here often. If you are new or haven't
subscribed to Kenny's Great Outdoors yet, you can subscribe
either by email or by feed. Just look over in the right column
of this blog and it only takes a minute or two. Then you will be
notified as soon as a new post is posted. Make sure you check
out my archives for some real good articles and fishing tips.

I have had a few emails from fellow bloggers as to how to get
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This post is for anyone that has a blog or an internet
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Stir-Fried Venison Strips

1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tsp. brown sugar
1/8 tsp. ginger
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 Tbs. plus 1 tsp. onions, minced
1-1/4 lbs. venison tenderloin steaks, thinly sliced
1 Tbs. plus 1 tsp. cooking oil

Thoroughly mix the first seven ingredients. Add venison and put in a container with a tight fitting lid. Marinate in refrigerator overnight. Heat oil in a wok or skillet. Drain the venison. Stir fry over high heat for 3 to 4 minutes, or until just done.

Wow , I just tried this recipe, and it is excellent! The next time I am going to add some vegetables, like corn, potatoes ,, etc .. I think the variations to this recipe is unlimited! I want to thank my friend Steve , for submitting this recipe to Kenny's Great Outdoors. Keep the recipes coming and I will try them all , too!

Until next time, see ya! I hope you all try and enjoy this recipe as much as I just did, YUMMY! ;-)

Missouri 2008 Firearms Deer Hunting Coming Soon!

The firearms deer hunting season is made up of multiple portions that provide hunters with many opportunities to take deer while helping to maintain a healthy deer population. Each hunter may take only one antlered deer during the firearms deer season. Because female deer produce next year's deer, the harvest of does regulates both the size and growth rate of the deer herd. Population goals are established for each county, and the use of Firearms Antlerless Deer Hunting Permits is established accordingly.

1 November firearms season is set for November 15-25 statewide.

2 Archery season is set for Sept15 thru November 14 , 2008 and then November 26 thru January 15, 2009, notice the slight recess for firearms season.

3 Muzzle loaders can hunt during the firearms season and then from November 28 - December 7 2008.

Hunters Donated 1.4 Million Pounds of Venison through the Share the Harvest Program

The Share the Harvest program in Missouri provides a way for deer hunters to donate venison to the needy. This program is administered by the Conservation Federation of Missouri and the Missouri Department of Conservation. During the 2007 deer seasons, 5,569 hunters donated 260,908 pounds of venison. As of February 2008, this program has coordinated the donation of more than 1.4 million pounds of venison, which equals more than 5.6 million quarter-pound burgers.

Donating is easy. Hunters who want to participate simply take their deer to an approved meat processor and let the processor know how much venison they wish to donate. The processor will package the meat, which will be picked up by the local sponsoring organization and taken to a participating charitable agency for distribution.

The cost of processing the deer is the responsibility of the hunter. There are, however, funds available to help with processing cost when a whole deer is donated. The entire processing cost is paid by the Conservation Federation of Missouri and local sponsors during the urban counties portion of the firearms season for whole deer donations. During all other portions and seasons, the Conservation Federation of Missouri administers a state-wide program that directly reimburses the processor a pre-determined amount for each whole deer donated. That allows the processor to reduce the processing fee to the hunter at the time of donation. In addition, many processors have local money available that allows the deer to be donated free or at greatly reduced cost. Be sure to contact individual processors to determine what funds are available at that particular location.

State-wide sponsors of the cost-reduction program include Missouri Department of Conservation, Shelter Insurance, Bass Pro Shops, the Conservation Federation of Missouri, J.B. Reynolds Foundation, Missouri Chapter Whitetails Unlimited, Missouri Chapter Safari Club International, Missouri Chapter National Wild Turkey Federation and Drury Hotels. Whole deer donations last year approached 5,000.

To learn more about the program or to find out how your organization can become involved, check out our Share the Harvest information. You can also contact the Conservation Department at (573) 522-4115, ext. 3290, or the Conservation Federation of Missouri at (573) 634-2322.

The information in this article can be found by clicking on the following link below, the article originated on the MDC online all credit is due to the MDC ,

http://mdc.mo.gov/hunt/deer/

There is a lot more information on Missouri deer hunting and regulations on this site, special antlerless bonus tags are available in some counties. Be sure to check out this site and get all the facts before you hunt.

So until next time, see ya out there and hope you get a big trophy buck too. Make sure of your target before you shoot. Just make sure to enjoy the "Great Outdoors!"

Bass Fishing Using Spinner Baits!

Spinner baits are an all around any time of the year bass catching lures, that most fishermen use, but how they use them can make all the difference, in catching more and bigger bass. Below are a few tips on how to use the spinner bait to make your next bass fishing adventure a successful one. Size and color is more times important than not, so you need to experiment with colors and sizes and determine what old "bucket mouth" wants on any given day.

1- Spinner baits can be reeled slowly in or fast depending on water temperatures and time of the year, in other words shallow to deep retrieves.

2- Often more times than not color makes a difference, a lot of things determine this situation, water clarity, and amount of sunlight or lack of sunlight.

3- Slow rolling or dragging the bottom is effective when bass aren't wanting to chase a lure very far, it also induces a reaction strike, because it appears to be an injured shad, making it an easy meal for a hungry bass.

4- Dragging a spinner just over the tops of submersed grass or vegetation, can induce a strike from a hungry bass lying in hiding. If your lure gets caught rip it loose and this can cause a reaction strike from a finicky bass.

5- working a spinner over and around cover , such as logs and stumps, or large rocks, occasionally bumping into these things , can induce a hungry bass bite.

6- Reeling the lure very fast , making the spinners to cause a wake at the surface is killer for big hungry aggressive bass bites, especially when the top water bite is on, usually warmer weather and water.

7- erratic retrieves like slow , stopping , fast, twitching, sideways ripping, all induce a bass feeding frenzy and will improve your success

8- being observant to what works and how it works is extremely important. Don't be afraid to experiment.


So after all is said and done , spinner baits are in fact one of the best bass lures on the market today for catching bass anytime of the year. Some of the biggest bass I have ever caught have been on spinner baits , spring , summer, fall, and even in the winter too!

So once again, I hope you , practice some of these tips , and if you do , I am sure you will catch more bass. Until next time, keep your spinner baits wet! Good luck and hope to see ya out there. Enjoy the "Great Outdoors!"

Bass Fishing Using the Rat-l-Trap!

Rat-L-traps are one of the best bass fishingest lures that ever was made! It may not be the oldest bait in your tackle box, but It very well could be too! I am not sure when they first came out but I remember seeing them around in the early 70s as best as I can remember! Every one that I saw was in the bottom of a tackle box, usually rusted but not too worn. Everybody I knew was giving me rat-l-traps . of every color ,shape, and size. I lost most of them as I didnt know how to fish them and always managed to hang them up and break them off and lose them. Oh , by the way, did you noticed the word " fishingest" in the first sentence. It probably wont be in any dictionary you know of so don't bother looking it up. Not really sure what it means either but it sounded good at the time! :-)

Now back to my story, Rat-l- Traps are a different sort of lure than most, but does what it was designed to do and that is "catches fish!" But have you ever looked at one or fished with one, if you have then your probably laughing. If not then you probably need to read this article for sure. A RAT-L-TRAP throws so easy like a rock so to speak and sinks like a rock too! This makes it really hard to master because it has many techniques to use it successfully. To some , a nightmare to some an old reliable lure, that can hold its own with the best of them, YEAR round! Spring , summer , fall and yes , even winter too!

Here are a few methods that work for me , and comments are welcome as usual , if you can come up with another method or technique that's not mentioned here.

YO-YO

This method can have variations as well but I think most get the idea what that means, or am I so old that I remember the yo-yo of old. Any ways , you can yo yo while your retrieving a long cast , some call it jigging the trap. I have excellent luck with rat-l-traps on a buff in deep water and raise and lower in short or long yo-yo motions , up and down , I guess you could say about the depth the fish are on my fish finder. Usually a foot or so above the depth of the fish. Fish seem to like to come up and get the bait, at least that's what I have found on my own bass fishing adventures.

White bass, Hybrids , stripers, and kentucky bass , love this type of approach. You can fish this method at about any depth you want , just let it sink and count count to 15 or 20 or what ever the depth is. A 1/2 oz Rat-l-trap will fall about 1 foot per second (approximately) Always keep somewhat of some tension on the line during the fall , as most bites come on the fall . One of the biggest mistakes people make is to let the lure fall with all kinds of slack , missing the bite , because you don't feel the lure when they hit.

You can fish them like a crank bait

Slow , medium, fast or choppy , or irregular retrieve , experiment until you find the retrieve that turns the big bass on and you will have more action than you have ever experienced before. You can fish the rat-l-trap as deep or as shallow as you need , to find the fish. Fast or as slow is important sometimes too.

Rat-l-traps come in a floating model now making it a top water or sub surface model what ever your preference and the bass tend to let us know If its just right or not. If you catch the whites surfacing or stripers surfacing throw a Rat-L- Trap in the middle of the school of shad, ripping it , jerking it, reeling it slow and steady and hang on tight cause a Rat-l-trap imitates a shad and you may get it bit, and bit hard! Better yet if its the only trap you got then you better put it in your tackle box so you wont lose it , or even better yet, buy several traps of every color, because they do work .

If you are one of these guys that don't use them cause you cant keep them unhung from the bottom or rocks and sticks, then the way I see it is you only have 2 options- 1- should start using them more, and learn how to use them in all the different ways that you find them to catch fish, this is of course your first option. I did say 2 options didn't I ? Oh yeah your 2 nd option is to package them in a small box and pay the postage on them and ship them to me. Just Kidding! My address is .........OK , enough Kenny!

There will be a request for more on the Rat-l-trap and If there is a request, then we will respond, but for now , that's all folks! So until next time keep your Rat-L- Traps wet! If you do you will catch fish on them, Oh yeah, you can troll with a trap too, they are excellent and you can cover alot of water too! Boat safely and hope to see ya out there. Good luck and catch a bunch, enjoy the "Great Outdoors!"

Bass Fishing On The Gasconade River!

Today was an excellent day for bass fishing! The weather was in the 70s and it was clear with a few over casted cloudy moments and the bass fishing was excellent! I took my Osagian canoe, my tackle and last but least , of course, Myself! You know, sometimes a guy needs to get away, and sometimes , nobody wanted to go , or wasn't able to go. Believe me , I am not complaining. I love to go fishing with my buddies, but when there is no one wanting to go, I take advantage of the quiet time , alone with myself. I see a lot of wildlife and such because I am not talking and making noise.

Now the Gasconade is a beautiful , slow moving river , with a lot of good fishing water, and because its getting into the fall, has lots of beautiful scenery. Dad gummed , I forgot my camera , but I have photographed those scenes of turning leaves, minks, deer , turkeys, and otter in the depths of my memory. Oh yeah, lets get back to the fishing.

I started off , using a jointed rapala , and caught a couple of nice bass right off the bat. Say between 2-3 lbs. I thought they were going to tear it up. Then after an hour of that I realized it was time to change lures. I didn't even get another bite so I tied on a lure called the "Bandit" chrome colored with a black back. This lure runs about 3-5 ft in this particular version, which turned out to be the ticket! I made about 3 casts and then I threw the bandit over a sunken log in about 6 ft of water! Bam! A big lineside bass inhaled it and then thought he was going to go south , and did for about 30 yards. I turned the big ole boy with my garcia 6000 bait casting reel and a medium action "Ugly Stick"! Well , ole iron jaw decided , to run all over the river, dragging me and my canoe with him but after several runs I finally tired him out and got him to the boat. I lipped him and hauled him out of the water. I don't know for sure but I guessed him to be 5 1/2 lbs not bad for a river lineside.

I caught 8 or 10 largemouth bass , and 3 small mouth bass and about 8 goggle eye , by the time I stopped to stretch and eat my lunch, and as usual my wife sent way more food with me than I should need for 2 days on the river , only I was only on the river for one! I had a thermos of coffee and of course I always take my single burner stove and my coffee pot so I can make some fresh coffee when I need It. So I cooked a pot of coffee after I ate and drink a cup and filled up my thermos for later.

I stopped on this gravel bar and had my lunch right by this old Slue of the river. It had a lot of sunken log jams and several Lilly pads , it looked like it should be full of bass, so after I ate, being careful and quiet I slipped back up into the slue and proceed to pursue me a good bass or two. After about 15 minutes I tied on a lunker lure, ( buzz bait) white is my color of preference for the Gasconade because it usually always is dirty or colored water. It proved to be a good choice of lure and color. Again! Wham! This turned out to be bigger than the first bass of the day, And he decided to tail stand and try to throw that old lunker lure out of his mouth, But I had a trailer hook and both hooks were stuck in his mouth good and Kenny Wins Again! YEEHAW!

Now I proceeded to catch tons of bass between 2 and 4 lbs the rest of the day , this river is just full of bass , and goggle eye and lots of huge catfish and crappie. By the days end I had six 3-6 lb bass and fifteen 10 inch or better goggleye and 9 huge crappie. I caught so many fish that my arms were aching and cramping at days end. The fish hit about anything that I threw to them. It is sure fun when you catch the fish biting like that. Didn't have to determine a pattern or a lure or color combination, the only secret today was keep what ever lure I was using WET, in the water. My grandpa always told me this " You can't catch fish with your tackle setting in the boat, the only fishermen that catch fish is the ones that FISH!" I have to agree , only that just seems like common sense to me.

Again what a day on the river! A day full of memories , wildlife and lots of BIG bass and exciting catches all day , practically non stop action all day long! You don't always catch fish that easy but when you do it is extremely fun and makes excellent bass fishing!

I just had to share this fishing adventure with you and I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed it , and as much as I enjoyed sharing it with you!

So until next time, see ya out there, and keep your hooks wet, but most importantly even if the fish aren't biting , just enjoy the
"Great Outdoors!" Love you guys and gals and good luck on your next bass fishing adventure.

Campfire Recipes and/or Camping Ideas!

GRILLED CHEESE---- Sandwiches can be made without a pan--use a buddy burner if you have one or wrap the prepared sandwich in foil and place just above the coals (cooks real fast). To make it a more complete meal add tomatoes, onions and cold cuts or any combination of your choice before
cooking.

KEBOBS--- Of all sorts are easy to make and require no pans. If using wooden skewers, soak them in water to slow down the burning and make sure you can cook without holding by hand over the fire; if using metal ones make sure each person has a good glove to hold it with or there is a proper handle on it.

Make kebobs with wieners, smokies, sausage or meatballs. Pre cook
chicken, turkey, ham or any other meat cubes. Use a variety of veggies such as peppers, canned taters, tomatoes, mushrooms, etc. As it is cooking, brush with bar-b-que sauce or teriyaki sauce if so desired.

RICE--- cooked in a sleeping bag. Take instant rice in 2 heavy duty zip lock bags. Add slightly less than normal amount of boiling water, (it must be at a full boil), add some raisins, nuts or some cinnamon and sugar, or whatever other flavoring you desire. Zip it up tight and place in a sleeping bag. The rice will cook in about 20 minutes. Once the rice is done, you can add cinnamon, nutmeg, raisins and nuts to make it a dessert or snack; or you can use it as a side dish by adding butter, soy sauce or canned gravy.

BREAD--- Add grated cheddar or Parmesan cheese to butter, spread on bread slices (french or Italian loaves sliced thick work best) wrap in foil and put on coals or on a grate above the coals.

HOT DOGS--- are always popular but if you are tired of the usual roasts, try wrapping them in biscuit wraps and cooking them on a stick or wrap very loosely in foil and place on grate above fire for 15 to 30 minutes (time will depend on the heat of the fire and the weather. To make these more fun add cheese, onions, mustard, ketchup, pickles, bacon bits, etc. before wrapping. If using a stick, only add a little bit or the wrap will rip.

SOUPS---- To tomato soup add croutons, bacon bits, cheese cubes, sliced sausage; to vegetable soups ad precooked ground beef, wienies, cheese cubes; to noodle soups add croutons, Parmesan cheese, cubes of precooked beef or chicken. Serve with crackers or cheese bread.

What Ever Happened to Boating And Fishing Etiquette?

How many times have you been on an area lake or river , fishing minding your own business, when all of a sudden boats of every kind , fishing and recreational boats alike started going in all directions , not caring about the safety or concerns of each other , causing a dangerous situation for all involved? Wow I had to stop a second and catch my breath! I may just be a little long winded today. Not me!
Surely , that terminology doesn't reply to me, or does it, anyway!

I know , we have all read an article or two on this particular matter , that is becoming more and more common on our waterways today , due to the fact that more and more people are buying boats today. Some lakes are worse than others and some days are worse than others. Its not just major holiday weekends anymore.

I want to give everyone a dictionary definition of "etiquette" for a better understanding of what we are talking about here today!

Etiquette:

Conventional requirements as to social behavior; proprieties of conduct as established in any class or community or for any occasion.

Now that is a pretty easy to understand , isn't it? I think so! Social behavior is how we are to conduct ourselves in a social atomosphere. Whether it is at a baseball game, a restaurant, school function, or (now listen closely) boating or fishing on our public (social) waterways.

Now the truth is our PUBLIC waterways whether it is a lake or a stream is exactly what it says, PUBLIC! So keeping this in mind , etiquette does have its place in the public or social atmosphere of a lake or stream. End of story. These public waterways have laws in place to enforce our behavior in these circumstances. These laws are in the extreme. Etiquette is not the law, but is an understood thing among people, right? Wrong!

People anymore disrequard or disrespect other peoples space on these public waterways anymore. The results is devastating sometimes,resulting in injury and sometimes to the extreme of a death of someone that has the same right to be on these waterways as you and I do!

If and when we take our boats , whether it is a fishing boat, or a recreational boat , there are laws and (Etiquette) that is in effect and should be observed by all (EVERYONE) >period! I don't know how much more I have to say to get that point across to everyone that reads this article. Each and everyone of our lives is at stake here and we really should be a little, no, a lot more, understanding, so that everyone has a safe and enjoyable adventure on our public waterways!

Now here are a few tips and pointers on fishing and boating etiquette that we all need to read, and put in the back of our minds, start practising these understood rules, if you will, that most are aware of but since the law doesn't enforce, disregard them and thus show disrespect to one another causing , fights, injury , and sometimes even fatalities. Now that is downright ignorant, and / or arrogant!

Etiquette, or common sense,practices of boating and/or fishing.

#1 Respect ALL other boaters: whether fishing or recreational boaters!

2 Speed kills , so slow down when approaching other boaters,
regardless of whether they are fishing or recreational boaters!

3 Observe ALL laws and regulations of boating in our area waterways!
This in itself will put you in compliance of boating etiquette. This
should be enough , all on its own. I guess that's too simple though!

4 When boating, never run too fast for conditions. If the water is
rough, or if many boats are present, slow down. Remember that
your passenger's safety and comfort are your responsibility!

These 4 common sense practises will make it a safer passage and more enjoyable passage of all involved. Again this is too simple.

Here are just a few tips for fishing etiquette, ( Pay Attention now!)

1 Never crowd other fishermen. If you see another angler fishing a bank, anticipate the direction he's moving and do not move to the end of the bank - let him finish fishing it. Never run between a fisherman and the point or bank he's fishing. Give other anglers and boaters wide berth.

2 If someone has shown you the extreme courtesy of taking you to his favorite bass water and requests that you not reveal its location to others, honor that request. It is considered a breach of sportsman's etiquette to return there without asking his permission first, or to reveal the location to another angler.

3 Not every boater or fisherman is a bass fisherman. Crappie fishermen, pan fishermen, trollers and other anglers deserve your respect. Do not invade their territory. Pleasure boaters deserve their fair share of the water, too. Be courteous to all boaters. Whether or not they're bass fishermen. The latter is included of course! ;-)

4 If someone signals for help or assistance, respond immediately. The bass can wait. You, too, may need directional help or a tow someday.This rule of etiquette applies to all boaters too!

5 Never attempt to fish the same structure at the same time as another angler. This is annoying and often ends up in a mess of entangled lines. If your buddy is fishing a structure, wait until he's done. More often than not, if he pulls a fish off it, you'll have a chance too!

Last but certainly not least , quite possible, the Golden Rule!

You should do unto others as you would have them to do unto you. It's a great rule to live by when you're fishing and boating as well. This rule should be applied to all of the areas of social behaviour and activities, whether it be on the waterways, highways, and I guess you could even say on DRY LAND!

People, if we practice the law of the land and the common sense rules of etiquette, Boating, fishing, skiing, and recreational boating will be more enjoyable and a whole lot safer for everyone involved. Respecting one another is the only way to ensure that we can all share and enjoy the "Great Outdoors!"

So until next time , keep your hooks wet , practice catch and release , and boat safely, ensuring that we all have a fun and safe adventure on our oh so public waterways. Remember there is plenty of room and fish on our public waterways for EVERYBODY!

See ya out there and good luck with your boating activities whether it be fishing or plain recreational activities, Everyone has a right to be out there so yield to the right of way of all boaters alike. Oh yeah , I almost forgot, If you catch more than you can eat, stop by my house and I am sure I can save you the trouble of cleaning some of those fish that you don't really need! ;-)

Why Do We Fish? What Is The Reason You Fish?

Why do you fish? For me the reason is , that I am truly passionate about fishing and it helps me to get away from the every day stress that comes my way. I love to eat fish, but I also just enjoy the thrill of the chase and fooling ole wirey mouthed lunker bass into biting a fake lure. Just knowing that I imitated this lunker bass' favorite food entree' gets the adrenalin going.

For some though , its the thrill of competition, and a way to make a living and also away to obtain fame and maybe even a false impression of immortality. The following article is interesting food for thought!

Throughout the evolution of mankind, there are not many things that have remained still facing thousands of years, which have stubbornly refused to change and morph into something else. One of these few things are fishing, an aspect so familiar and common that it is often disregarded by such categorizations.

. What started off as a means of food providing has become over the centuries one of the world’s favorite pastimes, attracting people of any age and from any corners of the planet

. Fishing is a very ancient practice that dates back at least to the Mesolithic period which began about 10,000 years ago. Archaeological features such as shell middens, discarded fish bones and cave paintings show that sea foods were important for survival and consumed in significant quantities. During this period, most people lived a hunter-gather lifestyle and were, of necessity, constantly on the move. However, where there are early examples of permanent settlements (though not necessarily permanently occupied), that are almost always associated with fishing as a major source of food.

The Neolithic culture and technology spread worldwide between 4,000 and 8,000 years ago. With the new technologies of farming and pottery came basic forms of all the main fishing methods that are still used today. In addition, fishing has always been a part of our evolving process, helping our ancestors survive through harsh times and feed their families, thus playing a crucial role in what we are today.

Surprisingly or not, the industrial boom in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries has not managed to shake fishing from the place it occupies in our conscience. So what is it about this practice that makes us enjoy and feel drawn to it even in the twenty-first century, an era of absolute “laziness”, where we can eat fish just by buying it from a local grocery shop?

Scientists believe that we feel the urge to relate to nature, to feel free in it, and that our instincts pull us into trying to communicate with nature once more. And what better way to do this than by going on a fishing trip? Another similar theory tries to demonstrate that man continuously searches to reassure himself that he is in control of nature, and that nature is merely a means, an ally into man’s fight for survival. Clearly the two theories are bold and innovational but do make sense and explain many aspects of the matter, gaining more and more adepts worldwide.

The skeptics however, think that it’s nothing more than an exaggeration and that fishing in the present day has nothing to do with its meaning in the past. They claim that it’s only practiced for relaxation and that people have finally managed to find the entertaining aspect of fishing.

To some extent, this theory could seem more “down to earth” but it also raises some questions. Why haven’t we found modern means of relaxation? Why are we keen on keeping alive a practice of thousands of years? Can it only be our need to relax in a natural decor from time to time? As it is the case with all of mankind’s mysteries, the truth refuses to come out, come clean with us, and it is probably somewhere in between.

What we know for sure is that we love fishing and that it has always played an important role in our becoming. Who cares about the reasons? Let that to the scientists’ concern, grab your angling rod and enjoy fishing. Feel free to comment , and let us all know, Why do YOU fish anyway?

So anyways, whatever your reason for fishing, just enjoy the "Great Outdoors! Keep your hooks wet, See ya out there !

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