The Reality

  I had this vision that I was gonna get this new kayak and the stars were going to align and fish were just going to jump into my boat and I'd go home a hero propped up on my friend's shoulders. OK that was a bit of a stretch. What I had in mind was I was going to go to my "Honey Hole" toss a 68 for a few hours stick one good swimbait fish and brag about how cool I am and feel like a king for a day. That was "The Plan". Here's the reality; I get to my "Honey Hole" there is no clear water to be found, my line guides had ice building up in them and after an hour it felt like my finger tips were on fire and if I bumped them they would fall off. Oh yeah can't forget no bites…. Great.
 Plan B. Wait for it to warm up and go to my favorite flow in the area and fish with traditional bass tackle stick some fish (hopefully not get skunked) and go home write a report and brag my ass off. OK, so I didn't get skunked and my favorite flow didn't let me down. Good because I hate getting skunked, but it's part of the game whether I like it or not.

A little slime to knock the new car smell off.

  The next chance I get to get out I figured I would run down the road to a place I know that the specks stack up during the winter. It would be an epic afternoon I'd big crowned the "Big Fish Daddy" I'd write an awesome report and my buddies would bust my balls for fishing "there" but still love me even though I "cheated" by fishing in an aquarium. NOT QUITE SO FAST SKIPPY! The reality. I get there  the water looks like a latte` and I can't buy a bite. Well I decide "GO BIG or GO HOME"! So that's what I did. I tied on a "real swimbait" and went to work. Now I only caught one fish and I was actually making my way out of that area on my way back to the launch but I'm pretty proud of the fish. It was my first "real swimbait" speck not my best and definitely not my best fish ever but my first speck on a swimbait 6" or larger. So I was pretty pumped up about that.

My first swimbait speck.

  The reality things didn't go as I had fantasied but I had two good afternoons on the water and I got to "break in" my new kayak. More important than the fish and the kayaks is the actual time on the water. That's my "church" it's where I count my blessing and where I talk to God. It's where I'm reminded that I have a wife that supports my pursuit of fishing because it makes me happy. For that I'm truly grateful.