Fishing Fever

Posted on by by Posted in Ron's Fishing Tips & Stories

Fat Catfish Need Not Imply Fat Catfishermen[Editor: this article first appeared on www.ronsfishingblog and may only be used by permission of Ron Speed]

Most of my life–at least from the age of 4 yrs–I have had fishing fever. My granddad, Bunk Layfield, introduced me to fishing at the age of 4 and between my father and my granddad they sunk the hook into me really deep.

My granddad loved to trotline for big yellow catfish in a power plant lake at Trinidad, Texas and he would fish throw lines in the nearby Trinity river, which was loaded with big yellows. His favorite bait was perch or brim put on the hook live. My granddad had a great reputation for catching the big yellow catfish and crappie.

To get the brim for the lines he would take a cane pole and some hand-dug worms and fish around the bridges at Trinidad Lake. This is where I got my start fishing. He would take me with him to help catch the brim, as 2 poles were faster than just one. He was killing 2 birds with one stone; he was taking a kid fishing even before kindergarten age and he was getting some help with his trotline bait. I LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Texas Power & Light lake at Trinidad did not allow boats, but you could use an inner tube to fish near the shore. He would use the inner tube to set out the trotline from #3 bridge over to the point at the tabernacle.

If he had multiple big fish, he would call little Tommy Philips (6ft 6in, 270lbs) to come and help him. Tommy had a great reputation for manhandling big yellow cats. Well, our best catch that I can remember was when I was about 8 years old. We drove from Kerens, Texas to Trinidad early one morning. My granddad aired up the inner tube, grabbed the line, and started pulling himself across the neck of water. Somewhere around the 5th hook, he hollered to me that he had a really big fish and about that time, water splashed very high and jerked the line out of his hand. He returned to the bank paddling his feet.

We left the lake and called little Tommy to come and help us. Tommy called Charlie Baker and some more friends telling them that Bunk had a really big fish and to meet us at #3 bridge. When Tommy arrived to the lake there was a caravan of maybe 6 or 7 cars with him, all from Kerens about 6 miles away. Now we had a big group of maybe 12 to 15 guys who came to see the show.

Tommy unloaded his tube and started across the bay to where the big fish had been an hour earlier. We all held our breath and hoped the fish was still hooked. Tommy felt the big fish make a run and hollered it was still on the line. He eased very slowly up close to the fish when it exploded, throwing water all over Tommy, soaking him. Tommy took his time and finally wore out the big fish. He slipped a rope into its jaw and then he cut the staging from the line and started foot paddling back to the bank. When he got to the bank Charlie Baker jumped in the water and helped him get it onto the bank. The big fish weighed 78lbs. Tommy told us that he thought there was another fish on the line so he returned to check the line once again.

In a matter of minutes, Tommy hollered that another fish was on the line and he was going after it. He got up close to the fish and down went the line splashing water 3 feet in the air. Tommy hollered that this was a monster fish bigger than he had ever seen. He tried a couple of times more and then said something we never thought we would hear from him. He proclaimed that the fish was just too big and powerful for him and he returned to the bank.

After a lot of discussing and planning Tommy decided that the only way to land this fish was to take the tube and go to the other side and cut the trotline and all of the men would pull Tommy and the line and the fish across to the other side.

Tommy went to the other side, Charlie and my granddad cut the line, and everyone started pulling. When we finally got the line across, we not only had the monster fish but 2 more big yellow cats. The monster fish weighed 104lbs, the next fish weighed 64lbs and the last fish weighed 82lbs. We had over 300lbs of yellow catfish on that one line and everyone there said that was the best catch they had ever seen. As far as I know this is still a lake record for that particular lake.

This all happened about 1947 when I was 8 years old, which is a very impressionable age. I was so very excited and as proud as I could be of my granddad and what we had done. I already had the fishing fever even before this happened but now I was really hooked.

Next week I am going to fast-forward to 1963 when I graduated from Texas A&M and took a job coaching in Hereford, Texas. The story I am going to tell you will be totally unbelievable and will top all fishing trips you have ever heard about. Stay tuned.

I wish every one out there has a great New Year and that all things turn out better for you in the coming year.

GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR FISHING AND WEAR THAT LIFEJACKET!!!!


Safe Winter Fishing

Posted on by by Posted in Fishing Stories, Fishing Tips, Ron's Fishing Tips & Stories

Dangers of winter bass fishing in the USA[Editor: this article first appeared on www.ronsfishingblog and may only be used by permission of Ron Speed]

Today let’s talk about wintertime fishing, cold water, wind chill, and the safety measures required to keep you safe to fish another day. Without a doubt, wintertime fishing presents some real dangers for the fisherman. Unlike the warm months, the cold water of winter can mean a really dangerous thing if you happen to enter the water unexpectedly. This can happen very quickly from being thrown from the boat by hitting a big wave wrong, to simply losing your balance and falling overboard.

When I started guiding on Toledo Bend Lake back in the late 60’s I had to go to a guide school in Port Arthur, Texas to be certified by the US Coast Guard to obtain a professional guide license. I attended several classes over a few weeks’ time. One of the main things I learned from that school was how quickly hypothermia sets in when the water temps are cold. The colder the water the more quickly the hypothermia sets in.

Of course the real danger–and the real killer–is hypothermia and the stages you go through as your body cools down and shock begins to take over your body until you can’t move, you can’t think, and finally you can’t hold on to the boat.

Here are a few things to remember if you are going to fish here in the cold states of the USA in wintertime.

1. Don’t go fishing in cold water by yourself; always take a buddy.
2. Always assume that your boat may break down. Take some matches or a lighter, some paper, a flair of some kind, a flashlight, and in today’s world a cell phone with a fully charged battery. If you have room, take a heavy blanket and take some snacks. You must assume that you will be stranded for several hours.
3. Depending upon your particular situation you should never leave the boat. Let’s say your outboard won’t start and your troller battery is dead, and you don’t have a paddle. At this point you are in pretty serious trouble, especially if you are alone and no cell phone. Whatever you do, don’t get in the water and try to swim to safety. STAY WITH THE BOAT UNTIL SOMEONE COMES LOOKING FOR YOU.
4.If you are thrown from the boat, or just fall overboard don’t leave the boat. Go to the back of the boat and try to climb back into the boat using the fins on the outboard for a foothold to get into the boat. If you can’t get into the boat, then be very very still and don’t wave you arms around like you would swimming. This is one time exercise is your enemy, not your friend. The more you move around the quicker you will lose body heat and hypothermia will set in. Whatever distance you think you can swim in this cold water you should divide that by 1/2. In this situation you probably are dependent upon someone finding you.
5. You should always tell someone where you are going to fish and what time you will return to home or at least to the boat ramp. ALWAYS!!!!!!!!!
6. Make sure and dress for the temps and weather conditions you will encounter while fishing. You actually can dress for the worst kinds of weather and stay warm. When I was fishing tournaments in all kinds of weather on the worst days with temps below freezing and strong north winds I would stay warm. Of course I put on long johns, then I would put on 3 layers of warm shirts. Sometime I used both top and bottom of a sweat suit. I bought one of the Alaska dog sled suits from Cabellas that served as both a transit and a blizzard suit. I bought the suit in solid red so I could be seen easier if I was in the water. Be prepared to pay about $500 for this suit. Next, I would put on a head covering used by firemen under their helmets for warmth. I used a very good insulated motorcycle helmet with a clear waterproof visor. I used the very best socks and boots made in those days using thinsolate. Probably better material now days. And last I wore very thick gloves that kept my hands warm as toast even running down the lake at 75 mph. When I stopped to fish I changed to a type of rubber gloves used by divers. Believe me, I stayed warm and comfortable regardless of the weather. DONT TRY THIS UNLESS YOU ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO FISH, FOR EXAMPLE IN A TOURNAMENT.

Lastly I would advise you to try and learn more about fishing safety in cold weather as there are people that know so much more than I do about this subject. Hopefully I have given you some ideas that may help you. Best advice is to wait until spring and warmer weather to fish or go with us to warm, sunny Mexico.

GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR FISHING AND REMEMBER TO WEAR THAT LIFE JACKET!!


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