Fishing Story?

Time to laugh over the experiences we have had in the whole two times we , Hubby and me have taken the opportunity to go fishing. In order not to be out of tune with what bait or lures that were being successful on the body of waters in the state I keep checking out the Iowa DNR reports.

Red Rock Reservoir Crappie - Good: Crappie fishing is good in the Marina and below bridges. Fish are good sized at 12 to 14 inches

Our second fishing trip took us to the Lake Red Rock area around Knoxville off IA Highway 14. It was time to stop at Wal-Mart and pick-up a bucket to bring home the catch to be cleaned. While Hubby was getting a bucket he ran into a local fisherman...they talked for a while. He asked what we were fishing for - Hubby told him "Crappie" of course. The fisherman was after catfish. The fishing report,the fisherman and proprietor of the bait shop all said that 15" crappie were being caught on single hooks with minnow under a bobber. No need for a boat because both crappie and catfish were spawning. This is one of the submerged roads that was taken out of use when the lake was filled. Our first fishing spot was in a backwater close to a road deck much like the one in the picture. The road deck was empty when we passed it on our way to the bait shop, but the people in front of us at the shop had the same idea as we did. They caught a catfish and three good sized crappies before packing it up. We didn't catch anything because of the shallow water we had decided to try for the first stop. Off to the spot which was suggested to us to try by the fisherman;) We stopped here to spend a couple hours casting and retrieving. Then letting the bobber float for while...Watching the water direction we thought it would go downstream but ended up heading upstream instead. The wind,waves, underwater formations all had their effects on why things ended reacting how they did. Hubby was preparing to cast for the last time before we decided to call it a day. The man fishing around the trees arrived not long after Hubby left that location. We don't know if he saw success because we left shortly after he came. The boat on the far bank had been there well before we arrived. They weren't seeing any bites either. This section of the river was just to the north of the parking place for the cars. I put my pole away and grabbed the camera because I wanted to try to get a picture of my missing fishing equipment. Before I snapped the picture I saw a small mouth bass break the surface after a bug...Ugh, too bad I didn't have a line in the water. Maybe it would have taken a variance on bait and bit my hook. I can dream... My bobber ended up on the far bank when a very strong strike took off. My line broke just above the bobber with a single hook and minnow floating below. I was after Crappie with a 10 lbs line.I believe I would have had a catfish had I been able to reel it in. It was disappointing that I didn't get to see what was behind the attack. ;)

Memorial Day History

I posted this last year but would like to share it with you once again in honor of those who continue to serve to keep our country free. Today is a day to give our men that served in the Armed Services and gave their lives for the safety of our nation some remembrance. Going back to the beginning of the yearly, what we now see as a holiday, began as Decoration Day. Beginning back on 1864, a Mississippi ladies group began decorating graves of the Civil War fallen. On April 25,1866 a ladies group from Columbus,MS decorated the graves of both Confederate and Union soldiers to help begin the healing process of the past war. It wasn't until 1868 that a specific remembrance was declared. (www.suvcw.org/gar.htm)Commander in Chief John A. Logan credited his wife,Mary, with implementing the commemoration. In 1882 the name Memorial Day took the place of the original Decoration Day. May 30th was the day set aside initially . Then in 1971, President Nixon declared that it will be celebrated at the federal level on the last Monday of May, thus our present day off work for some. As time goes on it seems that our interpretation of national holidays in commemoration of lives given by our Fathers, Brothers, Uncles, Cousins and friends are not being observed for its original intent. Maybe unless it touches us directly we don't fathom what it means. Just a few tidbits of information on how our country instituted the Memorial Day holiday. A holiday that still remains as a day set aside for bringing back the memories of lives lost in the protection of the idea of Freedom...