This photograph depicts the first big fish that I ever landed in a “normal” fashion. Prior to this channel cat, the trophies that me, Brent and our buddies had brought home were a handful of carp from the Lake Bracken spillway during a wave of snagging and bowfishing. Other than those, the fish that I’d been catching legitimately usually consisted of a multitude of bluegill, crappie, green sunfish (mistakenly referred to as rock bass for many years) and small largemouth bass that were normally quite receptive to a smorgasbord of ultralight offerings. While ultralight fishing was the way of our world back in those days, the results from April 14, 1985 turned out to be anything but “normal.”

I still have the original story in an old green spiral notebook that served as my fishing log from January 19, 1985 through August 25, 1985. Back then I would record the date, location, time and results along with a brief overview of the day including who I was fishing with and what we were throwing. However, this occasion demanded an extra entry, kind of like one of those “Special Reports” that we are presently bombarded with in our world of twenty four hour news channels. Unlike some of the ridiculous stories that are nowadays passed along as “important breaking news” (fill in your choice of Hollywood knucklehead) this tale was actually worthy. Here are the original submission and the “Special Entry” just as they were documented close to 35 years ago.

Date: April 14, 1985 Time: 7:00-9:00am Temp: 50F Fish Caught: 16
Location: Lake Bracken, followed north shore from Al’s dock down to the levee by holes #11 and 12. Also went along south shore from levee to directly across from West Point.
Summary: Dad, Brent and I got out early to fish for bass, bluegill and crappie. We had a decent day just combing the bank. Around 9:00 I hooked a big catfish just north of Ron Patterson’s dock and fought him for 15 minutes. We finally dipped him in a bucket; he weighed in at 7 pounds 14 ounces.
Bait: Used white crappie jig with a black head and Dad and Brent also tried a Mepps.
Type of Fish Caught: Bass-8 Bluegill-3 Catfish-1 Crappie-2 Rock Bass-2

Special Entry: Catching My Record Catfish (7 lbs. 14 oz.)
April 14, 1985 9:00-9:15am 50F at Lake Bracken
Dad, Brent and I were fishing at Bracken and were going to hit the cove just west of Al’s dock. I threw my white body crappie jig with a black head in just north of Ron Patterson’s dock and got a hit. I set the hook and saw a big catfish come up and then head back under. It tried to go under a dock but we passed my pole around the boat and got him out. He dove under the boat and we could hear the line scraping on the boat. I let him play for about 10 minutes until he got tired and Dad dipped him up in a five gallon bucket. When we weighed him, he came out at 7 lbs. 14 oz.

We called it a day after landing the fish. As I recall, it was then time to brag. We took the fish up to the golf course and showed it off to a co-worker/golfing buddy/friend of Dad’s, Al Dickson. Al lived at Lake Bracken at the time and his dock served as home port for Dad’s rowboat for a number of years. From the golf course we headed into town, hitting both the baitshops that were in business in those days.

First up was Al’s Sporting Goods located on the corner of Henderson Street and Monmouth Boulevard for over thirty years before closing up shop in 2011. Then it was on to Steve’s Bait Shop on the banks of Cedar Fork on Seminary Street. The building is now gone following construction of an overpass but once housed a baitshop and army surplus store into the 90’s if my memory serves me correctly. At each location I got my photo taken, joining the stacks of pictures that rested on the counter and displayed other fortunate anglers (or downright lucky in my case). I remember stopping in each place later just to check them out even when having no money to purchase anything. It just felt cool to be kind of famous. I even got a mention in the Lake Bracken newsletter, all for an unintended catch.

As far as the bucket that was turned into a makeshift dipnet, it was likely taken along to serve as a livewell. In those days, our arsenal mainly consisted of a wide array of grubs, twister tails, puddle jumpers, Gapen Fishies and the like that were quite effective on the multitude of bluegill, crappie and green sunfish that called Lake Bracken home. As such there was no real need to bring along a dipnet and we never did. For one thing, there wasn’t a whole lot of room in an eight foot johnboat carrying three anglers and even our limited tackle. Besides, back in this primitive era, we often succumbed to the superstition that bringing a dipnet was bad luck: something akin to counting your chickens before they hatch. We’ve since evolved and I would have to say that bringing the dipnet has only a positive effect on success. It has come in quite handy on many occasions, surely saving us from losing some nice fish.

Beyond the fish there are also a number of other nostalgic details for me in this photograph. The camper behind me is long gone but served us well over a number of years. The deck to my left is also gone, replaced by a cement patio now decorated with the artwork of grandkids. The blue house has been covered with white siding and now sports central air rather than the single window unit. The large willow tree in the neighbors’ yard has been removed and the tree peeking over the roof has disappeared as well. I still remember when my grandpa planted it in the mid-70s, right in the middle of our baseball field. Speaking of baseball, the spot where I’m standing was a stickball home plate for me and my brothers for a few years. We’d tape up a plastic golf ball and use a broom handle for a bat (in fact it is lying on the ground to my right). It was excellent practice for hand-eye coordination that I can’t even imagine coming close to duplicating these days. Besides, it’s now a gravel driveway.

While much has changed, one thing hasn’t. The fish in the photograph still represents the largest catfish that I’ve ever caught as I’ve been more about scales than whiskers for various reasons. These days I definitely would be satisfied with a simple photograph before releasing the trophy to fight again which makes the accidental catch even more unlucky for the catfish.

Regardless, this particular accident and photo will always remind me of an important part of what fishing means to me: fish stories. In this case, the big one didn’t get away, thanks to a five gallon dipnet. Talk to you later. Troy

Hello, 2020, and let’s keep the blogging rolling with plenty of ideas for another year.

First up, before the regular “Friday Flashback” posts kick into gear next month, I am going with a different series of turn back the clock submissions. For each of the Fridays in January I am delving into the archives for a revisit of some ground that I originally covered beginning back in 2008.

As shown in the snapshot above, I have thousands of outdoor photos contained in albums and baggies or stored on hard drives and devices.

From such a collection how in the world would a guy be able to pick out his five favorite outdoor photos of all-time?

After all, these pictures span the 1970s to present and cover various pursuits including fishing, hunting, trapping, camping, hiking, nature and more. Not only are the hobbies varied but so are subjects as they feature a wide range of family and friends.

Well, back in 2008 I did select my top five favorite photos from the collection on hand after spotting a copy of one of them on the mantle at my sister’s house. The picture (below) immediately brought a smile and inspiration simultaneously struck in that good old cartoonish light bulb fashion. That particular moment, frozen in time by the photo, brought to mind the old adage that “a picture is worth a thousand words.”

Sounded like it was worth a try.

First, I set about mentally selecting my all-time favorite outdoor photos (scattered here throughout the post) which did not prove to be too tough. In fact, I was pretty certain after electing to pursue the project as to what pictures would make the cut. However, when the image of a group of hearty young trappers/coonhunters (below) proved to be more elusive than I anticipated, I found myself combing through decades of family pictures. My search was not in vain as the image in my mind truly did exist on paper. And while the other four photos proved to be much easier to track down, the search for the lost photo was quite rewarding and entertaining. In the end though, I found that my five original selections were still my personal favorites for the series.

What is coming your way are examples of the type of pictures that stay imprinted on your brain, magically transporting you back through time in the mysterious way that memories get stored upstairs. Four of these pictures were originally from my collection while the fifth was borrowed from Mom and Dad and has since been added to my stash. These five photos span nearly 30 years, from the fall of 1976 to the fall of 2004. Coincidentally, or possibly subconsciously, their stories also represent much of what my writing has evolved to encompass since I took up the hobby back in the spring of 2002: fishing, trapping, hunting, camping, family, friends, tunes and sports.

Be warned that you will encounter a decent dose of nostalgic tangents along the way, but in my world that’s all part of the picture. If you’ve been around this blog for any stretch, you are already aware. If not, or if you would like a refresher course on my blog, click on any of these 2017 introductory posts: Who, What, When, Where, How and Why.

This updated version of the “1,000 Words” series did require a few slight edits to make it current. However, the personal thoughts, emotions and memories that each picture brought to mind during the original write up are all intact.

Tune in tomorrow and each following Friday this month for the tales behind the snapshots. For as Rod Stewart crooned, “Every picture tells a story, don’t it?” I’m all about that and I’ll leave it up to the beholder as to whether it rates “1,000 Words.”

But who’s counting? Talk to you later. Troy