![]() ![]() There are also the egrets and great blue herons that stand on their long stilt-like legs waiting for passing fish to stab with their long sharp bills. It then flies to a limb of a nearby tree to enjoy its catch or returns to its nest to feed its young. I often see a kingfisher flapping its wings while hovering over the water, then sweeping its wings back as it dives into the water to emerge with a fish in its mouth. So many kinds of birds, amphibians, reptiles, insects and other creatures thriving in this ecosystem so near my house. What an amazing pleasure to get to see all the wildlife around our small lake here in our neighborhood. I also watched as a muskrat swam by with reeds in its mouth apparently building a nest in the bank under a cottonwood tree on the shore. I guess they take advantage of every opportunity. It’s amazing how much a turtle can consume in a day. It took about twenty minutes for the turtle to eat the whole snake, snapping off pieces and swallowing them down his throat. I had watched in wonder as the snake coiled around the turtle’s body in a vain attempt to escape. Talk about surprises! I was amazed at how quickly he had snapped out and grabbed the snake just behind its head. I remembered how he had grabbed a water snake just last week that was trying to steal the pieces of fish I was feeding him. I pondered all the fish that I had caught that day and the fun of feeding my friend Snappy, the large snapping turtle that often pops up near the shore looking for a chunk of bluegill. I sat back and breathed in the air and thanked God’s for a great day of fishing. When it finally showed life I released it directing it to deeper water watching it slowly move off into the middle of the lake.Īs I returned to my fishing chair I put away my weighing scale and other items. I took a couple pictures with my phone and then hurried back to the lake where I held it in the water while I stroked its sides and pulled it back and forth to get the oxygen flowing through its gills to stimulate movement. I next used my electronic scale to find it weighed in at twenty pounds. I didn’t want to keep it out of the water too long so I quickly pulled out the tape measure and found it to be 32 inches long. Next, I took my fish gripper and inserted it into its mouth so I could remove the hook and walk back away from the shore to measure and weigh it. Finally I got the net far enough under the fish for it to drop below the rim and I was able to hall it to shore. It decided it didn’t want to give up the fight yet and again it ran away from shore. Eventually the fish tired and I brought it near the shore where I could attempt to scoop it up in my large fishing net. I just had to be patient and keep redirecting the tip of the pole in the direction I wanted the fish to go to keep it away from the many hazards that might break the line. As the fish came closer to shore it made another run. When possible I reeled in as much line as I could, but I had to let the fish use up its energy before attempting a landing. My mind reminded me from past experiences to keep the tip up and bring in line whenever it went slack. Today the monster decided a night crawler was to its taste. I usually target the catfish with my larger casting rigs baited up with bluegill. I knew I had to be careful since I only had ten pound test line on this reel. ![]() Once I grabbed the pole I knew it wasn’t a little bluegill or even a large turtle by how the line went zipping off while the drag setting was stripping off line. I most commonly catch the big fish on the pieces of bluegill, but on this day I was surprised to see my small “bluegill pole” and reel whizzing as a huge fish almost pulled it into the lake. I keep a few of the bluegill for cut bait to augment the worms I bring with me. The turtles and most of the fish go back in the lake to catch again. I almost always catch turtles that seem to like the same bait as the fish. Other days I catch shellcrackers and bass. There are always surprises! Some days it is only bluegill. Nine PounderĮach time I go down to the lake I wonder what will take the bait I offer. These big fish are really fun to catch as they take quite awhile to get to shore. Over the years I have lived here in Tennessee I have caught about a dozen large catfish. Have you ever planned things out and then found out God had other plans for your day? Today I caught the second largest catfish of my life-time, but, it was not the way I had planned it! We often plan things out based on our past experiences.Ībout a month ago I caught a twenty-two pounder, ( the largest fish I have caught here at Oak Lake, so far). ![]()
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