Recreational Companionship! Fishing with my wife on Wheeler

Every once in awhile, the planets and stars align. Yesterday was one such day. My wife called and asked if I wanted to go fishing with her after work.

Well....YEAH!

I couldn't leave the office fast enough!

Now, even though I know she is only fishing with me for recreational companionship...just as the marriage seminar we attended years ago said she should...sometimes I think that she even enjoys fishing.

We normally put in at the Army recreation area on Redstone Arsenal. But since I picked her up from her job right close to the Triana ramp, I decided that we would try a little change in scenery. Besides, I hadn't fished that area in a couple of years, despite always being able to catch fish there.

Put 6 gallons of gas in the boat (gasp...which was all I could afford), dumped the boat in the water, and ran upriver a piece to the barge tie-ups for NASA. Again, a spot that always has produced fish. The wind was blowing at a pretty good clip and I immediately figured out that, despite having charged the batteries after the last trip...the last trip was a month ago and the juice was running low. So, We didn't fish their long, although I did manage to snag a little bass off of the old submerged rocks on the up river point. I was throwing the Spro Lil John DD

Alyse was throwing the Spro Lil John Original

She bagged one on it as well.

But, the place didn't really produce like I wanted to, so swapped to the lower point. Again, not much action, but as we drifted down the bank, we drifted past an intake valve for the water treatment plant. First cast parallel with it and I caught a decent little largemouth on the DD. Had a hit on the very next cast that came onbuttoned.

But, the wind got the better of Alyse's cast and blew the Lil John into the chain link fence above the intake valve...about 12 feet above our heads. I wasn't going to loose that bait that easy. After all, I have managed to keep this guy for 3 years so far. So, 20 minutes of fighting 2 treble hooks determined to take up permanent residence, I got it loose. I felt like the spot was probably a bust, so we started to drift further down river.

Just out of spite, I picked up the shakey head and made a cast to the intake pipes. After soaking it for a second, I felt something pick it up. I tried to set the hook, but nothing was on the other end. I wasn't dead set on it being a bass, but what the heck. Catching a bream is better than catching nothing at all. I stepped on the gas and gave the dying batteries all it had. We scooted a little closer and I cast again. Again, the fish picked up the worm. Snagged him and worked him aboard. Another little 14 incher. Few casts later, another (though smaller) fish. Ironcially, as soon as I noticed that the intake valve was flowing, it quit. And the fish stopped biting. 

We drifted down the bank a little more and Alyse caught another one on the Lil John.  

We came across a good old party brewing at one of the recreational areas. Apparently, at least one little fish was in on the action as we watched him busting shad on one of the little kayak ramps. I tossed the Lucky Craft Sammy his way and he nailed it as soon as it hit the water, but he managed to miss all 6 of those hooks somehow! In fact, he accomplished the impossible by doing it 3 casts in a row!

After striking out on that one little fish, we picked up and ran down river a piece to another pump house. I had taken shelter under this pump house one time with Josh during a Thursday night wildcat tournament when the weather had gone south on us. That was one of only two times I had fished it, but both times it produced fish.

At first, it seemed to stump us. But, I kept throwing my Spot Remover Pro shakey head backed by a Zoom finesse worm and letting it soak. Pretty soon I was getting hits on every cast. Seemed like there was either a fish every 3 yards, or one fish that liked to eat shakey heads... a lot. Bagged 2 decent fish...but the real story was the one that got away (as usual). I made a cast to a transition between grating and concrete. As I lifted the tip of the rod, it got REAL heavy. Thinking it was a rock...I kept lifting...then it moved. I swung into it. Most of the time, the fish are small enough that I about jerk their lips off. This one jerked back! It was a beast! But...he got the better of me.

Caught another fish or two and moved across the river to Cotaco Creek. Found out real quick that inside the creek was a bust due to the super muddy water. Fished the point of it and didn't catch anything, though there were obviously a ton of little bass there. I would feel them pick up the shakey head. I would swing and miss, speed it back to the boat for another cast...but they would follow it and nail it even though I was burning it back!

We were running out of time, so we motored back to Triana. I stopped on the point to fish and bagged a white bass pretty quick. I figured that was a good a time to stop as any!

We both caught fish, and though I LOVE catching fish, I love seeing my wife catch them more!

We had a blast. Didn't burn much gas. Fished for 3 hours and caught around 12 fish. Not bad at all!