Risky Business Redux

By Bob Zettler

July 8, 2012

Remember that scene in the movie “Risky Business” where Tom Cruise's loses his Dad's car to lake Michigan? And then how he gets involved with a complete stranger in a business venture? Well, if you don't then go watch the movie as its worth it just to watch Rebecca De Mornay! Anyway, now that I have framed what is affectionately titled (in my own mind at least) the Bob and Pat Show, let me tell you the take of this past Friday into Saturday fishing trip.

I like to fish and hunt. No, let me rephrase that I love to hunt and fish. And I like learning new things and experiencing new experiences. I have driven across half the USA just to hunt with people I have never met in person and in all my years there has only been one bad experience. And while I whore myself onto others, over the past 35 years or more I have also taken on others to go hunting and fishing with me. Over the last few weeks I had been communicating with Pat via Crappie.com, text messaging and even over the phone. And when the opportunity to get together and fish came about due to our schedules matching, we decided to try one of my Friday Night Lights fishing expeditions on Lake Shelbyville! This is where I drive over from near Springfield and get on the water anywhere between 8 PM and 1 AM and the fish into Saturday – all after working a full day and not for the fainthearted.

So a week ago we made plans to get together and go fishing either on July 3 or Friday, July 6 - we agreed on Friday. Thursday rolls around and they are forecasting record heat and humidity for BOTH Friday and Saturday – I hate both of them. And then Pat's boat crapped out and that meant that I would have to haul mine over and back in the heat the next day. As I had not been sleeping well the last several months, I decided to try and take a nap after work and we could meet at the Wilborn Ramp around 11 PM or 1 PM – depending on when I woke up. I was able to clear town after loading up with 66 pounds of ice, beverages and my gear shortly after 10 PM and we met for the first time in the parking lot.

Pat had bought the minnows from Pana Bait and that was my first experience with them. He had our 10 dozen (I am an optimist) packed into two large clear plastic bags and I was shocked at how well they were doing since he had bought them hours earlier. We quickly loaded his gear and placed the minnows in my insulated cooler/bucket and headed out to put out my first trot-line. We settled on a cove by Coal Shaft Bridge and Pat did his thing by baiting the hooks and me watching on. Then he remembered he had forgotten the weight to hold the other end! Well, I have plenty of anchors and after taking the rope off one we placed the line in the back of the cove with hopes of Channel and Flathead catfish!

Well it was now 1 AM and we decided to try some of his spots nearby and we hit several with little success. He had done well this past Spring there but this heat must have them in deeper waters or in hiding. So we headed to one of my favorite nighttime spots where there are rocks lining the shore and over the next couple of hours we caught a few. Let me correct that, we both caught them but Pat was having difficulty landing them into the boat. And when he did, they weren’t Crappie but small suckers or Bluegill. We spent some time under some external lights and did a little better but Pat kept having the same issue and began trying different hooks and setups – all to no avail but getting increasingly frustrated.

Around 5 AM we went and checked on the trot line and bring it in; hopefully with big fish on it! Well, we found it intact and that at least a third had been hit on but not one fish! Were we doomed? With the sun coming up and a couple more fishermen appearing on the water, we discussed and decided to hit the open water in the main lake where I had found a brushpile last weekend. Now I am inexperienced at finding a mark from a Fishfinder/GPS and was shocked to be able to find this one in very short order. Placed a couple of marker buoys and began to fish. We used slip-bobbers on one pole set to a depth of 7-9 feet and I used the spider-rig two hook sets on another pole with minnows on all and even a Midsouth tube on a couple of hooks to complement the minnows.

While it had been pleasant when we got there, even though there wasn't even a breeze and the early morning temps had been fairly nice, but by 7 AM it was getting hot! At least I wasn't having to fight the wind...

By 8 AM we needed some respite and I took him to a cove I like south of Fidlay and we were able to catch a few more and Pat even landed a couple! Sorry Pat, I just had to. This was in water anywhere from 12 to 24 foot deep around standing timber and nearer the main lake again using the slip-bobbers and spider-rigged hook-sets. Well, we fished there until Pat had to leave at 9 AM and by then we had caught our unders (and thrown back another 30 of them) but I decided to keep on fishing. As I pulled away from the ramp into the sun I did not see a large flock of Canada geese and almost scored a couple well before the season. Darn!

I headed back to the main lake brush-pile and caught another 21 fish but only one over. And what was amazing was that there were very few boaters on the lake even by Noon. If it hadn't been for the See-Doo'ers seeing how close they could scream past me I might not have left when I did but by 12:30 I was burning up – in more ways than one. Sure I had kept hydrated but there was no shade where I had been since sunup and I was miserable. With nothing but Crappie in the cooler I once again headed to the solace of the shade under the Railroad Bridge to cool off and get my boat together before heading to the ramp. I mean you want to have your boat and gear together before you set out off/on the water and being in the shade and having the time to get your gear stored and secured sure beats the parking lot heat!

As it was now 1 PM, I headed to the ramp where there was one poor father with his family trying to get some relief from the heat by getting on the water. Unfortunately, his engine cowling was off and from his look I could tell their day had ended before it began. I tied up at the end of the ramp as I could see another boat putting in on the other side and trudged up to my Jeep – I wore my Crocs now for I knew the asphalt would be murder! As I crossed the lot another two pleasure boaters pulled up and after the one had pulled his truck out leaving his blonde girlfriend holding the rope I saw the struggling father admit defeat and had his son pull their vehicle to the ramp to remove his stricken boat from the water.

The other two pleasure boaters put their boats in in short order on either side of the cluster ____ happening at the ramp but I had no opening for they were having problems getting the crippled craft on the trailer and the other guy had decided to load his boat AFTER putting it in the water! He was clogging up the ramp while he made trip after trip bringing coolers, noodles and the like to it instead of having it loaded BEFORE he had it in the water. If I had had a gun.....

I went ahead and backed my trailer around him and quickly got my boat on the trailer and then...it happened. No, I didn’t slip into the water but I simply could not get the traction to get it out! I was burning rubber and not going forward but at least I wasn’t going backwards! With no one giving a ____, I kept at it and finally, somehow was able to pull the boat out all the while cursing that idiot who had me off my game while he loaded the boat with his sweetie making disparaging remarks about his capabilities...

All in all, it was good time. We caught some fish, shared stories and both of us made it home – alive! I even found out that the Casey's (or Huck’s) in Mt. Zion/Decatur sells wonderful slushies! It might not be Rebecca but eat your heart out Tom!

R