I was sitting in a nearby diner the other day trying to fill my desire for broasted chicken. Due to the couples megaphone loud conversation with the waitress I could not help but overhear their braggadocios claims. “We picked over 40 quarts of wild blueberries in just a couple of hours”. Had to be a fib! Nobody could pick like that in a cultured, fertilized blueberry patch much less out in the wild. Wild blueberries are much smaller and less abundant than those grown by us humans. They were probably liars. I got to start thinking about lies. Some black, some white, some for the greater good.
We anglers are well versed in the art of weaving un-truths. “We caught a bunch today but we let them all go, we were fun fishin’!”The biggest one was this big (imagine hands thrust forward and wide apart-usually twice the actual size of the fish)”. Expected lie.
“Not catchin’ a thing, it’s slow as torment” is a common response to the ancient question of “They biting?”. Most likely there is a livewell with at least one or two tasty walleye waiting to be filleted on the boat. Common lie.
“Honey, how long will you be gone?”….”oh, not long, I’ll give you a call when I get a signal”. I live in the UP. I only get a signal occasionally at best. Maybe if the fish stop biting and I get bored I will check signal strength and the Intellicast radar. “I musta been in a dead zone on the lake all day”. This is what I call a therapy lie.
You got to admit, sometimes the call of the wild must be satisfied. Natural, organic therapy. A nice relaxing day tempting finned fare is medicinal. The Zen should not be broken by “we need milk, will you stop on the way home?”. This is where texting has helped the serenity of the water remain intact. It’s a beautiful thing. I will bring home milk.
I was introduced to a baby the other day. You know there are cute babies and there are not so cute babies. This particular baby was hideous. Funny shaped head, scrunched up puffy face, eyes moving not unlike a chameleon and patchy fur, I mean hair. I smiled, hiding my gasp. “That’s a good lookin’ kid you got there!” Merciful lie. I started to chuckle on my inside, then it just popped out . “Lucky how we look better when we grow up!” He didn’t find one iota of humor in that. I think he knows.
You see, there are many types of lies. I think the majority are harmless and compassionate. The vicious ones give lies a bad rap. Luckily, most of the specter of fisherman’s fibs are of the playful type. Or the therapy kind.
LOCATION: Port Clinton, Ohio EVENT: Cabela’s Master Walleye Circuit Tournament
I pulled in to the parking lot of the Super 8 motel in Port Clinton. It was about 9pm, but it seemed unusually dark. Then it hit me. Right in the mouth, a flapping bug. Too late, a couple of juicy mayflies apparently caught a reflection off one of my cavities and attacked. I now can attest they DO NOT taste like chicken. The flying buggers were everywhere! I have never seen them so thick. I then had another thought. When the mayflies hatch, the fish gorge themselves. Not good for a fisherman.
LureSecure Pro's - Andrew Oleksiak & Brian Woodard
I was there to fun fish/pre-fish for the tournament with a couple of up and coming Team LureSecure pros, Brian Woodard and Andrew Oleksiak. They were bedding down at the same motel as I. Port Clinton area waters are legendary for walleye. It was my first time there. I checked in at the desk and returned to my truck to find it covered with mayflies.
I fought through them and grabbed my bags and laptop. As soon as I set the bags down I plugged in the computer and went to the NOAA site. NOOO! High winds and 3-5 foot waves predicted for the next day. I was bummed, but hopeful the weather guys were wrong!
Day 1: They weren’t. It was what the pro’s call a blow day. And blow it did, in more ways than one. I guess our duty on a blow day is to eat some Chinese, tie some crawler harnesses and eat some more. I followed their advice.
Day 2: The weather was better on this morning, so we hit the water, even though it was neither nice or comfy. Our plan was to search the Canadian waters around Pelee Island. The waves were down to 2-4 footers, with an occasional 6 footer from Mother Nature just to remind us who’s boss. After a couple of back jarring hours we arrived and set out the planer boards. It didn’t take long. It was a glorious walleye day. We caught ‘eyes all day, all between 2 and 10 pounds (OK, 9 1/2 pounds). The tourney was the next day, and we hoped the big ones would still be hungry and don’t move out.The ride back seemed much shorter.
Day 3: The weather was much better for fishing. Brian and Andrew were stoked with the memory of yesterday’s big ‘eyes. My back felt like somebody cracked me with a baseball bat. I hung out on the bed most of the day, waiting for the guys to get back. When they got in, I could tell by their faces it was a rough day. They weighed 5 ‘eyes for 26.51 pounds. That means they would need to weigh at least 40 pounds the next day to cash a tournament check.
Day 4: Again, I could tell by Brian’s face he wasn’t having a lot of fun. The final weigh-in was at 4PM. The boys weighed 5 fish again – for an amazing 26.51 pounds! Exactly the same as the day before! What are the odds?
My advice? Get to Port Clinton and do some walleye fishing!
Welcome to the new home of LureSecure Lure Wraps. As you can see, we have an all new look! We’ve got a brand, spanking new logo, and more spacious quarters with great new features. We want the time you spend with us here to be fun and informative, enjoyable and helpful.
Whether you spin the “Tagged Fish” ball (careful, it’s addictive), check out our videos, read our posts, take in some Fish Stories, or follow our day ~Read More~
One wonderful benefit of attending a large number of fishing shows every winter for the past two decades is I have made a bunch of friends who have a passion for catching fish. My friends include amateurs and pros, and even a few of the media types. All of the pros, from charter captains to tournament fishermen, have a passion for helping the everyday angler catch more fish, enjoy the fishing experience more and significantly raise ~Read More~
“Want to spend a day fishing for walleye with legend Mark Martin?”
“Just tell me when and where and I’ll be there!”
Mark Martin invited me to spend a day on the waters surrounding Sault Ste. Marie, MI with him and a couple of friends, for a day of pre-tournament fishing for the upcoming 3 day Bay Mills Invitational. I was so excited I hardly slept the night before.
The Bay Mills Invitational is a stop on ~Read More~
I called my friend Jeff Wever of Dry Hands Minnow Buckets the other day to say hello and make plans for attending the Outdoorama show in Novi the last weekend of February. I could tell he was feeling down and asked what was bothering him. He sadly, but proudly, told me his nephew, 24 year old Army Ranger John Reiners, was serving his third tour in Afghanistan. His tour was almost over and his father was ~Read More~
I want an avatar, that mythical carbon copy of myself. It would be great. Just think how cool that would be. “Honey, what chores on my list will you be working on today?” would be answered with what females love to hear “what ever you want!”. While Gary Avatar slaves away cutting the grass, cleaning the basement or painting the sewing room, Gary Fish Finder could be out drowning some worms or makin’ ~Read More~
No matter where you looked this weekend you saw something consistent throughout the show. Regardless of age or gender, or what outdoor activity brought you to the show, or whether you were an exhibitor or attendee, you eventually ended up wearing one, if not many, of these. It didn’t matter the time of day, what you had on, what side of the table you were occupying or whether you were giving or appreciating a ~Read More~
Aimee Argyle | Gary Talarico | Mrs. Mongo | Mike Argyle
Antique Boats & Motors
This post comes to you from the floor of America’s Outdoor Fishing & Hunting Show at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL. Team LureSecure is here in full force – Gary Talarico/Chief Fishfinder, MongoMad & his wife, Mike Argyle of ClearStream Concepts and Aimee Argyle of Northern Shores Realty, made the trip from northern ~Read More~
Chicago, IL – January 27, 2010: AnglerQuest LLC will be showcasing their innovative product, the LureSecure, at the 31st Annual America’s Outdoor Fishing & Hunting Show. AnglerQuest teamed up with Rebuild Resources to produce the LureSecure, a unique item with countless benefits for the angler. LureSecures eliminate the possibility of painful hook wounds in fingers, children or pets, and assist in keeping rods and equipment tangle-free. LureSecures also eliminate the aggravating chore of freeing fish hooks from ~Read More~
“Honey, how long will you be gone?”….”oh, not long, I’ll give you a call when I get a signal”. I live in the UP. I only get a signal occasionally at best. Maybe if the fish stop biting and I get bored I will check signal strength and the Intellicast radar. “I musta been in a dead zone on the lake all day”. This is what I call a therapy lie.
I was introduced to a baby the other day. You know there are cute babies and there are not so cute babies. This particular baby was hideous. Funny shaped head, scrunched up puffy face, eyes moving not unlike a chameleon and patchy fur, I mean hair. I smiled, hiding my gasp. “That’s a good lookin’ kid you got there!” Merciful lie. I started to chuckle on my inside, then it just popped out . “Lucky how we look better when we grow up!” He didn’t find one iota of humor in that. I think he knows.
