As you all have noticed I do not fish much anymore with the new baby and way to many jobs but I did finally get out this Saturday. I have been promising to take my best friend since childhood rockfishing for three years now and we finally made it happen. I planned the trip for two weeks, went over all my old notes about where to fish and of course talked in great detail to Mike about the plan and his recomendations.
We started the day at 4:30AM and hit the water before 6AM. We fished 12 miles of the Cumberland and several in the Caney between 6 AM and 3 PM. In that time we caught 1 small rockfish and missed 3 others. I was suprised how many boats were on the river that day. We actually got the last parking spot at the ramp when we arrived at 6AM!
By 3PM my friend whos largest fish in his life is a 3lb bass from a farm pond was still in good spirts but was beginning to wonder if he was going to see a fish like the ones I had showed him from catches a few years back. We had tried everything in the plan with little success but we had faired better than the other boats we talked to.
Not willing to give up we loaded up the boat and drove to a different ramp on the Cumberland to try some areas that had produced in the past. We went right to the first spot on the GPS and started fishing. within five minutes my friend had his first rockfish in the boat. It was only 15lbs but a 15lb fish is still alot of fun and he now has the picture to rember his catch. I had forgotten how fun it is to see someone catch a rockfish for the first time. They really do not anticipate the strength or size of the fish.
We fished for another hour at a couple more spots and caught a 20lb rockfish and lost one other that broke my cheap rod.
The cost of the trip: $70 in gas, a broken rod, and a net to mend. The reward a day in God's creation with a great friend instead of behind a keyboard! Not a bad deal at all!
Jay
