Hey, Thanks for the suggestion! We decided to head up north this weekend… try to get out of the heatwave. Not sure if it’ll be better up north or not. I may venture over there after we get back since I live pretty close and could make a daytrip out of it.
I am SO hoping to catch some fish this weekend (heat or not!!!) 
Not yet… because, as I was trying to get this MONSTER sheepie off my hook without actually TOUCHING the fish, 
so I could lift it up for hubby to take my picture with it… the sheepie made a last ditch attempt at getting free and succeeded while I was trying to get a good hold on him. So, no picture. 
(And yes, I know… I need to get over my squeamishness over handling fish I’m unfamiliar with!) 
What is the size of a normal sheepie anyway?
We fished near Maiden Rock today (actually this evening by the time we got out there). I caught 3 sheepies (at least I think that’s what they were) and 1 crappie. The weather was warm, the scenery spectacular, and I caught fish. What could be better?! (Well, a walleye would have been nice… or a BUNCH of crappies)
And now, hubby and I are seriously talking about buying a boat 
when we lifted our middle-aged bodies out of our kayaks after sitting for 3 hours. 
So, there’s ANOTHER good thing about the day!
Thanks again for all your help guys (and gals)! 
Quote:
Enjoyed watching some turtles playing on the logs and saw a couple different types of butterflies I have never seen before.
Great way to look at it! I agree… it’s always nice just being outside on these warm spring days. 
Thanks for your suggestions! We’re going out today. I’ll let you know what we find. 
Thanks for the info. I forgot to mention that I want to fish for bluegills or crappies. I realized last night (at about 3 a.m.) that I’m making things more difficult for myself because I’m not targeting one particular kind of fish. I’ll be kayaking along, trolling for walleyes or northerns until I hit upon a good panfish spot, so I switch rods and go for those, until I spot a good stand of lilypads and think to myself, I wonder if there are any bass in there? So I then I want to fish for bass! And now, I’m realizing that there may be MUSKIES lurking around there too! So I want to fish for THOSE! I’ve GOT to narrow my options, or I’m going to end up more of a nutcase than I already am. Or I’ll just have to carry rods/tackle for ALL possible fishing options.
Talked hubby into going kayak fishing with me tomorrow afternoon on the backwaters somewhere, so if any of you see two red kayaks, please stop by and say “hi”… but slow down first so you don’t dump us.
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…uffda vertinsnikle…
What’s THAT!?!? I LOVE it!
Hey, I only say that I FISH from a kayak… never actually CAUGHT anything tho! 
(Well, that’s not true. I’ve caught sunfish and rock bass.) My kayak is a stable, sit-in type so it’s much less tippy than a canoe. (There’s a story about why I have a kayak rather than a canoe… Hubby and I were using a canoe and I was in the back. Hubby gets ready to launch us out from shore, but as he is shoving us off, he wobbles around to sit down and DUMPS the canoe. 
He got his feet wet. I was dumped into 4 feet of water in mid-May. I bought individual kayaks the next week!! )
OK so back to my point…
I have yet to experience a strong hook set… 
so, I guess I don’t know what will happen if I’m catching pigs. (but I’d sure love to find out!!! )
Hubby and I frequently camp at Perrot State Park… I’ll let you know the next time we’ll be in your area! Thanks!
Congratulations on your marriage! Hey, thanks for the offer. Fun and fishing are what I’m looking for. Please pm me when you’re planning on going out on the river. I’d love to join you!
See, that’s why I don’t want to own another thing with a MOTOR! They break down. Neither me, nor my hubby knows a thing about machinery. That’s why the hubby and me are going to demo a new Hobie Outback fishing kayak this weekend… then I’ll be OUT FISHING ON THE WATER, so LOOK OUT all you guys in your fancy fishing boats! 
Actually, I’ll probably just be out on the water getting used to my new kayak. I’ve still only caught one smallie while kayaking the Miss. backwaters and that was almost by accident! But that’s when I thought that the river only contained catfish and slimey river monsters. I’m looking forward to spending more time getting to know the river this year. Unfortunately, I’ll be gone for a month (leaving 5/25) so will miss out on some of the good fishing, right?
(Have I told you guys the story of when a fish actually JUMPED into my kayak last year?!) Seriously!
But I’m impatiently waiting to be able to fish the river and really CATCH a fish so I can change my avatar to one of me holding my catch.
Ooh, I forgot to put my next to my previous posting. Darn internet… 
ya can’t tell if someone is laughing or screaming without the emoticon. 
You GO girls! 
You boys are just too funny!
So, what I need to know is… who are the trustworthy BOY SCOUT types with whom I will feel SAFE while spending a day in a boat together?!
Yeah, I figured that out. I guess I worded it wrong in the posting, but what I was actually asking was to be able to join someone who was in the 5/7 event when they PRE-fished. I’ve gotten a couple of responses so I just might be able to get out on the water next week! – thanks guys!
Now THIS is what I’m talking about! You guys ROCK! It does my heart good to read about how much you value your wives and all the “behind the scenes” things they do for you. I love it when my husband recognizes what I do around the home to keep his life “hassle-free.”
It reminds me of a story my mom told me… One day she came into their bedroom to find my dad sitting on the edge of the bed in tears. When she asked what was wrong, he said that he FINALLY realized that every day he finds clean socks in his drawer and has NEVER once thanked her for doing his laundry. (My mom must have thought that an ALIEN had taken over my dad’s body )
I’m telling ya… it’s that kind of stuff that just melts a girl’s heart. Apparently it does something for the guys too… last week I looked into my husband’s eyes and told him how much I appreciated all the hard work he does earning a living for our family. 
(I think I detectd a slight tear in the corner of his eye.)
Hey THANKS! I’ll check it out. If anyone is looking for boat company, please feel free to pm me. (of course, you’ll have to go through an intense screening process by the Hubby and submit to a criminal background check.)
NINETY!!!
(or until tomorrow… what if some crippled, half-blind senior citizen accidentally puts his/her foot on the gas rather than the brake…and runs into me while I’m crossing the street to go workout at the Y?)
About Briank’s avatar…
When I first saw it, I seriously thought he was wearing some sort of “glow-in-the-dark” shriners hat!
And about the camera… 
(That was just my excuse for not being able to post any pics.)
And thanks for the tip about wearing gloves while handling various bottom feeders, but I prefer to just cut the line.
Since, I’m new to this site, I really don’t know anyone here, but I just have to say…
I am so impressed with everything I’ve read on this posting. We are each sitting at home in front of our computers – ALONE – yet, here we are CONNECTING with each other. We really aren’t alone, are we?
It took so much courage for you ALL of you to post your feelings. I admire that. From reading the MANY postings, it looks like others have similar experiences. I consider this to be one of the BEST uses of the internet… building COMMUNITY! We are all made of the same stuff. We are believing lies when we think we are all alone, but it’s easy to do. Many of us do not have the kind of close friendships or family ties that we desire. Don’t we all have a need to “belong” somewhere? And when will it just come up in conversation that we are hurting, angry, confused, or hopeless? It makes more sense to just go fishing to get away from everything.
Yet, here we are… finding fellowship and help for all kinds of problems on a fishing forum. (I just LOVE how God can meet our EVERY need!)
I have cried and smiled while reading this thread and have been able to give thanks to God. Thankfully, I SURVIVED my attempt at ending things (over 20 years ago), and through therapy/meds I’ve been able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. That is my prayer for you, too!
Keep talking and posting! It’s the silent isolation that is deadly.
I’m using this avatar because it captures my personality and my gender.
Also because I have NO pics of me holding any trophy fish or fish of ANY kind…
And I SWEAR that it’s not because I haven’t caught TONS of fish worth capturing on film – I just never had the camera along!
Really.
Honest.
No kidding.
Hi, I LOVE walleyes, so I’d like to fish for those; however, there are times when I’d be just as happy catching bass, crappies, or bluegills. All of my fishing (until recently) has been for walleyes, bass, and bluegills on lakes, not rivers. I never knew there was any fish worth eating in the Mississippi or that were SAFE to eat. Go figure! So… river fishing is NEW to me. I’m just trying to figure out fishing the current, etc. and presentation on the river. The stuff I’ve been reading on these forums has been very helpful, but I realize that I can read ALL kinds of stuff then get out to the water, suddenly developing amnesia! It just gets all too confusing! (Especially about plastics and lures) I’d be better with a bobber, worm and a cold beer. (but that seems too boring) Plus it’s NO fun fishing alone all the time.
When the weather warms up a bit, I’ll be able to get out in the backwaters in my kayak. I’m looking into getting some kind of depth finder for my kayak so that should help. Finding the fish is HALF the battle, huh? Then it’s live bait or plastics, what weight jig, what color, what type… Argh!!?!?! I’m used to fishing whatever the guy who is driving the boat is doing (and making sure that I don’t out-fish him, so I get invited back)
WOW! I am sure GLAD I stumbled upon this site! I actually found it while doing a search for Pool 4 fishing tips (or something like that.) So, DD, are you the stay-at-home dad on the other forum?
Thanks SO MUCH for your welcomes and replies. I can’t tell you how many days I am walking at Bay Point Park and see guys launching their boats ALONE and I was trying to figure out a way to get myself invited, without giving the wrong impression. So, this forum will hopefully work out well for that. My initial concern was how to deal with the “when nature calls” issues 
of spending a WHOLE day on a boat together. But I think I’ve got that part figured out now. So, that’s the LEAST of my concerns.
So, let me just say… other guys who have fished with me found me very willing to learn and easy to share a boat with. PLEASE don’t be shy about taking along a female angler. As I have posted in another forum, I can bake some TASTY goodies, and am happy to provide them for anyone willing to take me fishing.
Hubby is a teacher, so will soon have more time available to join me, if there is anyone else available during weekdays in the summer. I’m nearing the end of my stay-at-home-mom career, and trying to figure out what path to take next. I’ve decided that I just might spend all of my time fishing!
I just bought a Pool 4 map yesterday, so I’ll plan on studying that and taking the suggestions posted here. Looking forward to new AWESOME fishing friendships.
Thanks! I am HOPING I’ll be able to get some time on the water. I just came back from shore fishing and that produced my usual results… ZIPPO. I’ve take the advice from some of the guys who fish Pool 4 and have tried to catch fish from shore, but no luck so far. I have managed to lose at least 15 jigs though and I’m getting better at recovering snags, so all is not lost.
Hubby would love to go along too, if the weather is nice and the fish are biting. Whereas, I will stay out all day in all kinds of weather. So, just think of us as a “role-reversal” of the typical male/female fishing relationship. Except my husband is VERY supportive of me going out fishing and is O.K. with the money I spend on fishing stuff!
Seriously, he would also like to learn how to navigate Pool 4… but his time is limited. He’s a busy guy. But I have the luxury of arranging my schedule around fishing! (It’s a tough life, but SOMEBODY has got to live it…) I just need to figure out HOW to live it!
Hey Muskygirl! Nice fish! Thanks for the welcome! Where’s Ferryville?
