The Jinx Goes On

[JohnF]

I haven’t had any luck at all around here since bass season opened. In fact I’ve been skunked four times straight unless you count a no-account hammerhandle and a carp that died at my feet. My morning tea leaves foretold a wonderful day, with more fish than I’ve ever had the fortune to find before. I’m a big believer in tea leaf prognostication so I was rarin’ to go.

 

Now, Marko & I have been trying to arrange a G2G for a while now so I PMed him around 9:45 to say I was leaving shortly for Shakespeare Pond to try for some pike, and off I went. I had only made two or three casts into the weeds when his car pulled in and we finally met. He had brought a Sherpa name of Trevor along to tote, carry and change baits.

 

We decided to head right back to the pike place, so, after juicing up with deet flavoured cologne, we hiked for the trees, and hopefully the pike. The water was a little silty looking but we ignored that. I started with a spoon that I’d seen other guys haul in nice pike with a week before, but it brought nothing. Changed up to yellow spinner, then a black spinner, then a few different surface minnows, tubes, and just about anything else I'd carried back there but all for naught. It was a sign of things to come.

 

Marko threw a little surface minnow first, and cleaned up on WGSF. I offered to take pics but he was concerned about accusations of photoshopping to make them look the size they were. He sent the Sherpa for their minnows and they fed them to the pike for a while, but no hook-ups – yet. The pike left toothmarks but that was all.

 

This wasn’t working so we packed up and headed over to the bottom end of Wildwood Lake for some of the pike we know are there. First thing we see when we get there, besides a lot of fishermen, are cute little carpy couples spooning around in the water. Marko started to salivate and obviously wiped all thoughts of pike from his carp infested little brain. While I started chucking what was to be a distressing variety of well-washed lures in the lake Marko hiked off across the bridge. We heard scuffling noises and some thumping, and then Marko came back furtively clutching half a corn cob. He mumbled “bait” as he passed me and immediately hunkered down behind a tree to rig his rod for carping. Thumping the little old Italian gentleman turned out to be for naught as the stolen corn garnered nothing in the way of fish, so next he sent the Sherpa off to forage for bait. Trevor, the sherpa, came back shortly with a container of worms that he’d bummed off some gullible soul who actually believed his tale of a poverty stricken upbringing and needing to catch some carp to feed his 16 brothers and sisters.

 

So as not to belabour the story the closest any of us came to catching anything was seeing huge schools of little bitty baby catfish being herded by grownups. Amazing how something so cute can grow into such a homely critter.

 

But the carp lust was fully upon Marko now and equipped with stolen corn and cadged worms, he remembered that there were carp below the dam in St.Marys. I knew the water would be up but we went so he could see for hisself. He looked so despondent at the sight of the flooded swim I suggested we try the bridge at the end of the St.Marys Golf Course. It’s usually good for bass, pike, catfish or carp, sometimes all of ‘em. Sure enough there were carp plowing around in the water and Marko nearly blew a kidney getting his corn into the water in some kind of record time. The closest he came to catching a carp though when he was finally learned to bonk them on the head with a lead weight. Even then he got nothing.

 

Nothing – that’s the word for the day. Marko's two rock bass were the sum total of our haul. But at least the tea leaves were right. They hadn’t said what the fish were that I’d find, just that there would be lots of ‘em. Well, there had to be a few thousand of those little catfish babies right there at our feet. All we needed to catch ‘em was a dip net.

 

 

The day wasn't a complete waste though. I finally got to meet Marko and found him to be a very nice guy. Same goes for his buddy (sherpa) Trevor, but I don't think he's a member here. Hopefully the next time we fish together will be more productive.

 

Thanks for the company guys.

 

JF

[maybe]

Sounds like you had a great day, even if Pepe le Pew was along for the ride. Thanks for the laughs, and the pics of those baby catfish - who knew something so ugly had such great herding skills?

[JohnF]

Sounds like you had a great day, even if Pepe le Pew was along for the ride. Thanks for the laughs, and the pics of those baby catfish - who knew something so ugly had such great herding skills?

 

I watched them for quite a while and it was obvious the bigger ones (8" max) were actually riding herd on the babies. At one point there were at least 5 of the bigger ones with a school, but generally there were only two.

 

And yes, otherwise it was a pretty stinky day. Other than meeting another OFNer , of course.

 

JF

[Marko]

It was great finally meeting you John!

Took couple of tries and the weather cooperated finally, but unfortunately, the fish didn't.

The big fish has alluded me again, there were couple really big carp swimming under that bridge, tried my best to get them to bite to no avail.

That little pond looked promising in Shakespeare, I am pretty sure water being murky had something to do with fish not biting.

We`ll get them next time.

 

I didn't want you to take pics of me and blue gills because I`d hate being only one in the picture with the fish ahaha.

[JohnF]

It was great finally meeting you John!

Took couple of tries and the weather cooperated finally, but unfortunately, the fish didn't.

The big fish has alluded me again, there were couple really big carp swimming under that bridge, tried my best to get them to bite to no avail.

That little pond looked promising in Shakespeare, I am pretty sure water being murky had something to do with fish not biting.

We`ll get them next time.

 

I didn't want you to take pics of me and blue gills because I`d hate being only one in the picture with the fish ahaha.

 

Sorry. I thought they were rock bass, but I was at least 10' away when you held 'em up. Your thumb might have had them pretty well covered too.

 

JF

Edited July 14, 2008 by JohnF