Fishing with a friend

I immediately began tweaking my schedule after accepting a recent invite to go fishing with my friend, Kenny Talbert.

Fortunately, my list of things to do on that particular day did not include others, so rescheduling was not overly difficult. It was simply a matter of putting my nose to the grindstone and possibly working a few extra hours here and there to avoid falling behind.

It was the first time I was to embark upon my favorite outdoor activity in several months. Kenny had not been on the water for a time as well. In fact, his main goal was to run his boat to ensure it was still mechanically sound after sitting idle throughout the winter months.

But we both shared the same sentiments in the sense that it would prove wise to run the craft before that magical time that we refer to as the annual spawn rolled around.

Of course, he will always be welcomed to fish with me, but I’m sure that he and I also share the same thoughts about being at the mercy of others during those windows of time when the fishing is magnificent. Schedules do not always coincide, and the thought of being stuck at home when the fish are biting is on the verge of sickening.

However, we were obviously going to be on the lake, and we were going to be in waters that have proven productive time and time again. So why not make a few casts here and there during the excursion? If nothing else, we could use the excuse of ensuring that our fishing gear was in working order as well.

His boat started with ease, and he pushed the craft down the lake without a hitch. Nearing a point, we decided this would prove the perfect opportunity to ensure his trolling motor and electronics were also in working order.

Coasting to a stop he eased to the front of the boat, pulled the release cord and eased the foot of the trolling motor into the water. Powering up his electronics, he positioned us within casting distance of a school of fish lurking in the depths.

We were obviously on fish. However, finding fish is but one of the requirements of success. It is essential to choose a presentation that they find of interest, and then comes yet another element of fishing of which the angler has little to no control — they have to be willing to bite.

Well, it quickly grew evident that this particular school of fish had no interest in what we had to offer. In fact, it appeared that all of the fish we were finding shared the same sentiments.

We spent the next hour or so testing his trolling motor and electronics, occasionally changing our approach and tactics, but to no avail. In fact, we had tried several lures and techniques without any luck.

Kenny finally managed to tie into a decent largemouth. However, I immediately began trying to convince him that there is an unspoken rule that one is not allowed to brag about fish that were not hooked in the mouth, and it had somehow managed to get hooked atop the head.

But his bragging spree was short lived as we fished for anther hour or so with no success. In fact, we eventually decided to focus back on running his engine, possibly in the direction of yet another location where we like to fish.

As it turned out, we spent another hour or so checking his trolling motor and electronics for any potential failures without getting a single bite. And as the day progressed, we eventually agreed that his boat was mechanically sound and to call it a day.

Although we failed to boat our limits during this particular outing, I was a far cry from disappointed. In fact, I had thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to get out and fellowship in the midst of the wonderful outdoors with a great friend.

And with a little luck, we might actually experience a little better luck in the near future as I too have a boat that must be tested for mechanical soundness in preparation for spring.