Musings on a Double Header

studying Towne Lake after sunrise

I am a bit short on photos but hope to add more as I acquire them from other photographers at the derby.

We had a fishing derby in McKinney yesterday! McKinney Parks Dept. bought two thousand channel cats and dropped them in the lagoon on the east end of the lake. The plan was to let the children come out and enjoy catching catfish that morning. However, as plans re wont to do, there wound up being a grand total of five fish brought to hand the entire four hours. I'll post photos of the trophy winners as I get them.

I was called an expert! This was due in no small part to the lanyard I wore with nippers, forceps and other fly fishing paraphernalia. My assigned task was to measure all fish. With only five coming in in four hours I had time to also be chief rigger for the less experienced. It was surprising to see how many parents had no clue as to the most fundamental points of angling. It was also gratifying to see that they made the effort to bring their children out to learn to fish. That was the part that I regretted the most, that the lockjawed fish weren't giving a more inspired performance for the kiddos.

Evan and John's Set

Double Header Part Deux

John Baits Up (in background can be seen the array of prizes for youthful anglers)


stinkbait in sunlight - a study


Christian invited me to go fishing. We float tubed a pond in Prosper. I'd not had a double header of fishing in a long time so was keen to go. Seeing as it is getting down in the 40's at night I opted o go with my neoprene waders.
Now neoprene waders are great. But if you sit so far back in the tube that water runs down your back they are not all that much help. I need to get a tube with more weight capacity.

This pond is full of elodea (or something quite similar). The bass I landed were not very large but quite chunky; little fat boys. That is a good sign. I wore out my Walmart popper, down to the nub. Don't know if I want to tie on more feathers or just toss it out. Quality is low on the totem pole of importances in the Walmart heirarchy. But $1.50 for six little poppers gets one fishing.

We started fishing in the very early evening, 6:30. It got dark, we kept after it. Once the moon rose I was treated to a show that no cinematographer has matched in my experience. A horse was expressing his feelings somewhere to the east. He neighed and brayed. Dogs barked, children played in the neighborhood over the dam. There was a calm that settled in. Campers were burning a bonfire at the southernmost end of the pond that smelled delicious as a campfire does. Then, the moon popped up over the dam like a hot air balloon. It was a huge, full moon that lit the night. I paddled my way back to the launch beach. The moon shone through trees growing on the dam. Moonlight has a rich quality that escapes my attempts to define in words. I leave to you to go out, float on a pond on a moonlit night and see what I'm talking about.