Blue Raider Bob

I really hope that if reincarnation is real.....I come back as Captain Phil!

I was about to give up on the Whopper Plopper but then I caught five one day and seven the next. Now I have the confidence to keep throwing.

Bait Pup just convinced me to buy some Snagless Sally's. Too late to re-consider, already hit send! Looking forward to the pictures that are sure to come from new little pup going fishing with Katie and drenching the two of you! We know you demand stealth Katie, but.......puppy gets to go sometimes, and stealth stays behind! I've watched this fail GIF so many times my body aches. Three very bad oversights, one, loosing control of high dribble, two, wet concrete, three, he's in sandals! Ouch!

I didn't have a camera with me but they were a blast on the Whopper Plopper. I caught five Thursday with one three pounder and six Sunday with one just shy of three. This pond is so shallow and weed choked, that top water is the only way to fish. I can see the bottom in the middle from the bank, that said, it harbors fish. One of the smaller bass had a tail fin sticking out of it's throat and still hit the plopper. The two biggest now live in my pond. Top water can be terrifying. Once I was daydreaming and about to lift the plopper from the water when one stuck at bankside! That was a jolt! I cross a field that is covered with White Tails. There was a bachelor group of eight plus two moms and fawn nearby. Funny how the Bucks scatter and the Does hang around.

Woody was shaving at 8? No way!

Katie, if I caught a dozen bass on a spinnerbait, I wouldn't junk it......I'd frame it!

Please send me the Pickerel Rush Picture! I can't wait to show my daughter. The ones I planted this springs are beginning to bloom. Yours are putting on quite a show. Mine....well not the effect of yours but beats an empty flower pot. Don't laugh, Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither was Katie's Bog!

Thank you for taking us!

Thanks! Thant's what I thought. I have planted three in large pots in my pond. They won't spread but the turtles eat them. Don't think there's enough turtles to help you with yours.

What kind of water plants are those? They have water lily shaped leaves that grow above the water like Lotus, but Lotus leaves are not split like the ones in the pictures?

That is beautiful scenery. Looks like you guys fish in God's country.

Ha! Just re-read my post and feel the biggest hypocrite. I get mad as hell when the critters eat my cantaloupes! Happens every year. My garden is surrounded by forest so there is no protection from exposure. The little devils feel safe and really enjoy my effort. If I get any melons, it is a victory! When I gardened on a big scale with a 1/4 acre garden in a pasture, the critters stayed away. Now they move in! 🐰

I get that! Great job on the garden. It has the look of care and effort! As a lifelong gardener, I can really appreciate the work. That is the goal of most veteran gardeners. When we are young and just starting out, it seemed we had to defend our plot from all comers. Gradually we come to the conclusion that that effort and stress can be prevented by just accepting the fact that we have created a food plot where the once was none, and the forest creatures are just doing what they do. I overplant and always reap rewards. Not just the physical rewards of a basket of veggies, but the emotional awards of providing a garden of plenty for all comers.

👍

This makes all the difference! I use my front end loader to clean out the goat barn every summer. The soiled hay and manure are left in a tall pile for a full year to break down. When its time for the new cleanout, I move the old cleanout to the garden and plow it in. What used to be brown, rock hard clay in the middle of a cedar forest, is now dark, pliable soil. Where once it was hard to grow weeds, now overwhelms me with produce.

Did somebody mention Blueberries? I've got 45 plants. Also I do squash and tomatoes. Used to garden on a really big scale when I was young and energetic. Had a 1/4 acre full of everything. Put up a couple hundred Broccolli and gobs of green beans. Lasted us all year.

I've got that book!!!! Katie, I build things and garden, but I don't keep a great lawn. Gimruis is the lawn guru and I will be more than happy to share a canoe bow with him!

I second that! Had a triple canopy caught a huge, sudden squall on the Cumberland river. Broke the pole and sent the umbrella into the drink. Now it's structure. I love this! Took his gear to volleyball games and waded the river between games. All the people in the stands were wondering, "Who is that nut"? All the BR crew is thinking, "Yep, one of us"!

Katie, you are so kind! You make us all better!

You continue to secure your moniker! 🤣 Just kidding. You outfish me everytime. By the way, it's our job to hold our ladies fish. There has to be some value to us!

Very special! Thanks for sharing. They grow up so fast.

Well it's time for a pond update. I am losing around 3/4" of water level daily to evaporation, and multiple small holes in liner caused by gremlins. According to info on the net, you can expect 1/4" loss daily from evaporation. I stapled a score of the quarter sized holes this spring when I nearly drained pond, but now I have resigned myself to the reality of extreme water loss that just needs to be overcome. Here is the plan so far. I have a 4" Solar well pump that gains 1/4" daily on seepage. This cuts down my loss to a little over 1/2" daily. I have gone on top of the solar pump with a 3" 110V submersible and tied the plumbing together so now I gain 1-1/2" every 24 hours. This gives me a net gain of 3/4" daily. The pump runs continuously on household current obtained from a new pole and barn wire. At this rate I will be at full pool by this weekend and can go on a timing system to maintain level. Never thought the pond maintenance would be this tough. Thought the digging was the hard part. Anyway, the aquatic plants are doing well in spite of the nightly turtle attacks. I am in the process of making a homemade humane turtle trap from you tube videos. My goal is to create a Maine Bog in middle Tennessee. Katie's pictures she posts made me crazy enough to try. Anyway, it's another excuse to play in the water. I will be filling more pots this weekend. The fish love the plants. Every pot is claimed by bluegills. I have over 25 and growing. Another thing that Katie mentioned in an article she posted a while back, was the relationship we can secure with the aquatic life we enjoy if we slow down long enough to try. When I'm wading in the pond, I am surrounded by fish almost at once as long as I move slowly with no sudden movement. The BG bite at my pants, legs, feet, anything submerged. Bass swim by looking me right in the eye. When the feeder sprays food, I can stand in the middle of it and enjoy the frenzy with the critters, including Molly, the Red-eared Slider who is back for her fifth year. Anyway, pond live is good.

Believe you caught 10 Bass with no camera? Yeah right!

Katie, I've finally stopped laughing enough to write back. That was funny and I owe you one! Yes I try to keep busy, but I can do some loafin' too!

Boat umbrellas are not used here at all....except me. Post a picture when you get yours set up. Here are a couple of mine. First is my Duck River Boat. Then My larger rig. Last picture is a triple canopy. Best 200.00 I've ever spent.