The bait clicker made the sound of the wind turning the boat…a slow steady pull. Just as I was standing up to the first rod, the back rod started making the exact same noise. Picking up the first rod, I couldn’t mistake the feeling of a fairly large fish swimming around positioning the 3” chunk of cut sucker in his mouth as he was getting ready to swallow it. I set the hook with all the force I could muster and gave the reel handle a few fast turns as I placed Bob Moore’s “The Boss” rod back into the rod holder.
The back rod was still clicking away as I picked it up and I set the hook. As I was judging the size of the fish on the end of the line, the unmistakable “whir” sound of Power Pro peeling off the Garcia 7000 and running out the guides of The Boss rod drew my attention.
Back in the rod holder goes the second rod as this was a smaller fish judging by its fight.
Anytime the line is pulled off a 7000 with it’s drag tightened down, you know it’s going to be a good fish. I ask my customers to try to pull line out by hand to help them gauge the power of these fish. It can’t be done without hurting your hand. But yet the line was coming out as if the drag was set too light.
Landing a larger fish by yourself in a boat is always a fun task and it was no different with this guy. It looked like he saw the net coming each time and with a couple wiggles of the massive tail, headed down to the depths…which made me drop the net and hold on to the rod with both hands…again…and again and again. I took a short breather while he was taking his breather in the water held by the net.
Over the side of the boat he came and off to the other rod that was close to touching the water with its tip I went. This one was just a little 9-pound youngster. Side by side this guy could have been the big boys snack!
What a great way to start the evening…and end it considering the flow was down to 4000 feet per second. I promised the Favorite Wife that I would be home early and if I didn’t pack up now…it wasn’t going to be early.
I wish I could take a photo of the river at night…nothing can capture the feeling, smells and sights like being there.
The ride home was fantastic. Half the reason I love fishing at night. Not a boat to be found, no chatter on the VHF radio, no barge traffic….a slight ripple on the water at times and other times it was glass smooth. The motor was purring along just right…you know how a car seems to run better after you wax it or change the oil? It was doing that. A crisp 18 mph breeze blowing in my face and The Hag playing on the CD player.
With the sweetness of the Mississippi last night, it’s really hard to understand how a warm, fuzzy river…so calm and inviting one minute can turn around and be your worst nightmare in a split second.
Labor Day weekend is about here. Be smart, be safe. Watch the joy juice, watch out for the other guy and insist on everyone wearing a PFD.
Mother Nature of the Mississippi can leave a lasting memory in your mind, but in a second can leave a lasting memory of you…for your family. Have a safe Labor Day All!
Awesome report Brian! Did you get a weight on the big girl? What’s the second favorite wife? Was that her?
Spectacular fish
I can totally relate to how you described the river at night. The other night when I went out with Bret, it was a soul cleansing that was desperately needed. The river at night is a very calming experience, until you get a fish on
Awesome report Brian. I’ve read it through a couple times and still can’t find the weight of the biggun. Critter and a half for sure, but throw us mad-catters a number. When you put a 9 lber next to something that thinks 9 lbs would fit nice in it’s maw, a guy gets to wondering.
so did you get a picture of that fish you said was fighting that much?
or were you talkin about that big flat on the floor of your boat!!lol jk she is a pig did you get a weight or have an estimate of that one?
You really know how to make me wish i was there BK. Great report sir!
Is the big girl about 40?
Both caught on cutbait?
Good job my friend!!!
Great report Brian, Thanks!
Sorry guys! She was a 38 and some change. Good guess Wade! Well make a full blown catter out of you yet!
More on cut bait to come…hopefully shortly.
Nice fish Mate!!
Bringing in two in your boat by yourself “at he same time” is quite a feat!! Double…
Thats a lot of excitement.
Great report and story.
I tip my hat.
Is it attitude? Sometimes!
Tonight 8/30/06…it just didn’t look good.
I hurried to finish the above report and out the door I went 1/2 hour later than I wanted to go.
Stopped to get a cup of coffee at the Freedom store..but she just emptied the last pot for the night
Got behind a slow moving car heading down 21.
The car turned off, but then I had to wait for the construction vehicals crossing the road.
Stopped at the Prescot bait shop as I was a little short on bait…all they had were….minnows
Figured I would get coffee there…coffee maker poured water.
Pour the water out and filled with coffee…then I noticed the cup was cracked.
Went to leave and a car blocked me in.
Got to the launch and i was ready to GO! Except the launch was being taken up by two pleasure craft…and I think this was the first time the owners loaded them.
On the water finally…but had to navagate around not one but TWO barges heading up stream.
I had checked the camera earlier and one camera needed the batteries replaced…no AA batteries in the boat.
But! The further I went down river, as Wats said, Pool 3 just soaked up the frustrations and all of those “little” things just didn’t matter. Another outragously beautiful night!
A photo is worth 1000 words, but to discribe the evening on the Mississippi one would need 10,000 words.
And then…the night that couldn’t get better…did!
Bob Moores “The Boss” rod was struck by lightening again!
25lbs of speckled muscle on one of Jimmy’s baits suckers cut in half.
The release.
She said she loved me, before I let her go back home.
Well, I just deleted the pic of my 32 pounder…it’s back to
again! 
Well, I found a second rate photo of the 32. It’s difficult to get good pics from a camera sitting on a boat seat…
Forgot the tripod at home.
Since I caught the 38 on a good size chunk of cut sucker..actully it was the head and about 2 inches of body…I thought I would try both rods with cut sucker…worked out great!
I’ve been steping on the heads to crush them a bit an placing the hook in the belly of the sucker. The bones of the fins help keep it on the hook. As you can see by the photo, the rest is used whole. I’ve sliced up the back on some but it really didn’t seem to make a differance. I’ve hooked the body in the belly and around the fin bones too. This helps hold in the guts of the sucker and will easily pull out when setting the hook.
Sorry about the blood in this photo. It was mostly from the last bass I caught.
KIDDING!
Good report Brian. Nice cut bait flats.
Great report Brian!
You are a CATTIN FOOL 
Love2Fish.
Well if you can handle mighty merle on the CD, then you can relate to ‘if it weren’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all’ – Seems like it kinda summed up the get on the water debacle
You’re right about the majestic quality of the river at times it can soothe the savage…
You certainly had a good night
dave
Nice report Brian. Looks like we will have to have some fresh suckers in the boat Sunday night.
What an awesome read! Nice job Brian! Thanks.
Sweet Brian
Gotta love reports of guys getting good fish on something a little different.
What type of structure were you fishing. Hole, Rocks, Wood, etc?
Thanks
Brent
I never left the spot where your dad landed his pigo.
However I place one cut bait up against the wood snag and the other on down the main channel…it was the main channel where the two 30’s came from.
So to answer your question…wood, deep and shallow water…and very very little current.
Awesome report, pics, and fish
Nothing is better for a good cleansing of the mind than night time on the river
Sweet, I have a spot kinda like that I have been itching to try. Now I just have to get the wife to let me out of the house.
1 Month old babies should spend at least one night a week in the boat, Right
only if you want them to turn out well rounded…
I’ve heard most major criminals never went fishing.
I will print this off and show it to the wife. I have been pushing for a well rounded kid, and as long as he is not a ” MAJOR ” Criminal, I can deal with that.
NIce report Brian
Congrats on the fish
Pug- I’ve got a few spots in mind for Sunday. Are you gonna be back in time to get bait?
Great report, great pictures! And thanks for the awesome picture you painted in my mind about the river at night (truly priceless).
Hmm, big flats on cut bait. Now aint that a horse of another color…
Another nice fish Mate!!
Its getting to be that time of year. When the Suckers seem to be the bait of choice. With the water temps dropping fast. It would seem the Flats are grabbing all they can before it gets to cold.
Glad to hear that your night ended on a positive note.
Brian, thanks for the evening of laughs and the fishing last night!
What a blast!
Time is running out for this year, and Brian is still on big cats! If you need a fix, give him a ring! He should be able to get you in before the sturgeon bite gets going!
No! Thank you Mr. Tuckner! It was nice of you to bring your camera guy along too.
I’m running on generator power as the FW forgot to pay the power bill or our block is without power…not sure which yet.
I’ll have a report up sometime today….if I don’t run out of gas first!
You better hurry up and get a REAL job!