Venting

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Gary
Gary's picture
Venting
So, I am usually not one to complain when I have had an excellent day of fishing, but today I feel like I need to say something. I went out with a heart full of hope and a bucket full of bait, looking to pad my very tenuous lead in this year's species contest. I ended up catching a TON of fish, lots of very nice fish, actually... I carved my way through a slew of keeper smallmouth bass, at least a dozen chunky channel cats, a bluegill for the ages and more drum than you can shake an ugly stick at. Thing is, as awesome as the day was, when it came to fish that could count for the contest, I was blanked 3 to 0! I sight fished and fed a whole crawler to a huge longnose gar, only to see the hook come free as if he never even swallowed it. He then picked up another worm but dropped it before swimming away, never to be seen again. I then had a pike slash my bait to shreds and somehow completely avoid the hook, and worst of all, the hogsucker I made the trip for stole my worm and flipped me off right at shore. Somehow a great day of fishing turned into a crushing defeat at my hopes of pulling this thing out, knowing all too well I have some world class anglers hot on my heels with one week to go. Hopefully tomorrow my luck will take a turn for the better. I really want this win, but I want to earn it with a stellar run at the end. Good luck to everyone in the race to the finish! I ask for no quarter and will give none either, may the prize go to the angler with the skill and luck to take it on this crazy flooded out year!!!!
TonyS
TonyS's picture
I hear ya... I'm blanking on

I hear ya... I'm blanking on some species that I've come to count on too... Stupid floods - only good for Walleye/Sauger fishing...

 

Oh, sorry about that - I snagged your very tenuous lead and made it my own - even more tenuous lead...

perkinsdonald
perkinsdonald's picture
you got "sticked"
You deserve the stick award!

 

 

The gods do not subtract the alotted span in men's lives the hours spent in fishing.

Gunnar
Gunnar's picture
I know the feeling, Gary! I d

I know the feeling, Gary! I drove 350 miles to hit southern IL spillways fueled up with overconfidence based on the report of your trip down there. In my mind, I already had a dozen more species and everyone was choking on my dust. I even considered the ethics/a-holery aspects of keeping some species un-entered until near the end, deciding it wouldn't be as much fun to spring a bunch at the end.

 

What happens when an angler lets himself think he's about to kick ass? He drives 700 miles and catches 2 contest species. He sees spotted gar and gets hooks into their mouths but can only land shortnoses. He sees bighead carp and catches bluegills. He loses count of the buffalo enjoying leisurely cruises past the hook as little channel cats eat his bait. He watches bowfishers shooting gar and simultaneously catching dozens of crappies, and he really needs a couple crappies, but he gets hung up in rocks. He has to listen for hours as an angry mother on the other side of the woods insults and yells at her kids to shut up so she can fish.

 

In short: he leaves with visions of himself as conquering hero and returns home a bumbling zero.

 

A few species left to catch close to home, and I might still break 30, but any momentum I had is definitely gone and my confidence is shot. Never really believed I could win, but the notion kept intruding in my mind. The moment I let it all the way in, I paid.

 

Redhorse ID cheatsheets, gars, suckers: moxostoma.com


2020: 10 days fishing 11 species 0 lifers. 2019: 34/45/13 2018: 39/40/5

Gary
Gary's picture
Gunnar, man, I feel for you -
Gunnar, man, I feel for you - it's pretty agonizing when you take a trip, to go so far and work so hard only to have your luck go south and leave empty handed. In a way it is nice to know that it happens to all of us, so it makes the triumphs that much sweeter when they do happen. Speaking of which, I knew you would catch me sooner or later if I couldn't keep scoring, Tony, and you did it in style with some seriously awesome fish! But I am not done yet, let the battle continue! This is going to be a really fun week! I don't know about you guys, but even with the conditions out there being less than stellar I am having a great time! It's wierd to be rooting for your competitors at the same time you want to win yourself, but that's just the nature of this contest every year. Good fortune out there guys, and thanks fot the fun this year. Now let's make a run at 40 in this final week!!!

Do not meddle in the affairs of BAGMAN, for thou art crunchy and good with Old Bay seasoning...

 

Hengelaar
Hengelaar's picture
Meanwhile

I showed up at a the only out-of -the-wind spot I could think of this eve, in hopes of nabbing a "guaranteed" species or two, only to find the whole blasted area covered in duck weed!


Well, that sucks too.

 

Good luck to all you fellers there, in the final week. Can't wait to see how it will end...

Fishn sure is neat

TonyS
TonyS's picture
I'm probably on a couple day

I'm probably on a couple day rain (and work and homework) delay.  I'm pulling for ya Gary but just know, come the last few days I'm going to do my damnedest to make you earn it...

Gunnar
Gunnar's picture
After looking back at some ol

After looking back at some old reports, I have a hunch that to really kick butt your first time at Carlyle or Rend spillways, you need Jknuth on hand.

 

In this last week, I'm on parental duty every day. Luckily, Iris is still gunning for her 2nd Kids' Division trophy so I'll get to fish if the weather cooperates. Unfortunately, the places I can reasonably get to with a 7-year-old don't hold that many species I still need. But they do hold species she still needs, so it'll be fun to watch her crank it up as the end approaches.

 

I'm really going to be pissed if I end up without a walleye because I didn't photograph the one I caught (I thought I already had one because I didn't look closely enough and didn't realize it was a sauger until later when I looked at the pics on the computer).

 

Redhorse ID cheatsheets, gars, suckers: moxostoma.com


2020: 10 days fishing 11 species 0 lifers. 2019: 34/45/13 2018: 39/40/5

Hengelaar
Hengelaar's picture
I hear ya there, Gunnar..

I didn't take pics of little Silver Bream and Rudd I caught, ahile fishing for Baitfish. Figured I was bound to get a nicer one to put up...

 

Of course, I haven't seen either of those species since.

Fishn sure is neat

andy
andy's picture
It's gonna be a great run to the finish!

Really looking forward to how this contest ends up working out.  Good luck to all of you guys at the top of the leaderboard - may your hooks be sharp and your line hold up.  Giggity, this is a great contest this year!

Eli
Eli's picture
Yesterday I watched in disbel

Yesterday I watched in disbelief as three guys gutted and scaled six large river redhorse. All females full of spawn. It made me want to hang up the rods for a while. 

Eli

 

 

TonyS
TonyS's picture
yikes! Is that legal there?

yikes! Is that legal there?

andy
andy's picture
It's unfortunate.

But forums and fishermen like us are changing the attitude that people have about cool fish like river redhorse.  Let's all just keep spreading the word!  When I see guys doin things like that I throw walleye heads at them and tell them they suck..  But I'm very childish and do not condode that at all.

Eli
Eli's picture
Yes.But even if it wasn't, i

Tony, yes, sadly it is.

But even if it wasn't, it's Quebec..so laws are really just suggestions.

Eli

 

 

TonyS
TonyS's picture
I hate to say it this way but

I hate to say it this way but if they were gutting and scaling them, I have to assume they were going to eat them.  While I would never keep a River, I'd rather see somebody eat one than let one rot in a 55 gallon barrel...


Still a massive bummer

 

Eli
Eli's picture
Oh they were eaten for sure.

Oh they were eaten for sure. They even kept the eggs to eat. 

Not doing the tiny river red population here any favors. 

Eli

 

 

Gunnar
Gunnar's picture
At least they weren't copper

At least they weren't copper redhorse, not that they'd probably know the difference.

 

Redhorse ID cheatsheets, gars, suckers: moxostoma.com


2020: 10 days fishing 11 species 0 lifers. 2019: 34/45/13 2018: 39/40/5

Gary
Gary's picture
Thanks for the props, Tony, I
Thanks for the props, Tony, I gotta say you are one tough customer, and truthfully with the way things have turned for me other than the sunfish in the last few days, I might not be the guy to be the most concerned about! The top of this contest is the most closely contested I can remember for a long time, Phil is only 3 fish down and look how many more in the high 20s! Work is making it tough for me, we are so busy that im on 12 hour shifts, really ctting in to the time I have each day (no excuses,) but man it has been strange hitting go-to spots and not seeing a single target fish where there should be many... and then whiffing on the few shots I had at them. If I were a better fisherman I would be at 35 right now with the fish I had on and lost... gonna get back out there tomorrow and keep swinging for the fence!

Do not meddle in the affairs of BAGMAN, for thou art crunchy and good with Old Bay seasoning...

 

TonyS
TonyS's picture
I hear ya man, I've been load

I hear ya man, I've been loaded on work too (and summer classes).  And I'm short a few species that I have no good excuse for lacking, even with the weather

Gunnar
Gunnar's picture
insult : injury = vomit : precipitation

Adding insult to injury, we've added vomit to precipitation around here. Iris got sick all week, it rained like crazy a couple times, and neither of us has fished at all. Going to have to scramble to come up with more fish in a short time this weekend.

 

Redhorse ID cheatsheets, gars, suckers: moxostoma.com


2020: 10 days fishing 11 species 0 lifers. 2019: 34/45/13 2018: 39/40/5

garman
garman's picture
contest

Yep, tough season here in the Midwest.  That same storm kept me from fishing more this last evening.  But I love The Contest.   Thanks to the organizers and competitors.