“A fly rod works great, but it’s a little too tight for a back cast,” said Kyle Easley as he lifted the tip of his 12-foot fiberglass crappie pole just high enough for the cork and eighteen inches of leader to clear the water.

Attached to the business end was a one-eighth ounce chartreuse curly tail jig tipped with a tiny piece of a scented Magic Fish Bite slipped on the hook. “I cut them in half,” said Easley, “and a piece usually lasts about fifteen fish if a grinnel or bass doesn’t get it.”

His small torpedo shaped cork landed beside the partially submerged cypress knee and instantly plunged beneath the surface as if the tiny lure was much too heavy.The fight was brief, but successful as he deftly swung another hand sized goggle-eye over the side of his aluminum boat.

“Not a bad Plan B when you are worried about the weather and nothing else is biting,” said the retired pipe line welder.“Do you think it is more fun to catch them yourself or just wait for me to bring you another bag of fillets?”

It was a question that he already knew the answer to prior to even asking.Between the two of us we would drop our jigs five more times in the small clump of cypress knees and boat four more fish before moving on.

“I found this little aluminum boat after Ike, welded up a hole or two and it works just perfect for this kind of fishing.”It was obvious that he had missed a hole or two, thus the reason for the Folgers coffee can floating in the bottom of the boat.The boat was powered by a 1985 9.8 Mercury and our troll motor was a paddle with a cut off handle.

We were well back into an isolated cut off the Sabine River that necessitated the smaller craft.A scorching sun wasn’t even a consideration under the canopy of stately cypress trees, but the trip would have been a short one had we forgotten the mosquito spray.Keeping an eye out for red wasp nests hidden beneath the overhanging palmettos was a good idea as well.

While the accommodations may sound a little crude, the reward was well worth the minimal discomfort.When we slid the boat back in the bed of his truck just before noon, his styrofoam cooler was half full of chunky big mouth bream.

The best part of the trip took place that night as we shared stories and ate our way through fried fillets, onion rings and homemade hushpuppies.They tasted even better knowing that I had four more bags of fillets in the freezer!

Easley’s technique for capturing these delightful fish is simple, but effective.No fancy equipment, no casting and for his needs, no reel.“I know that I am going to need no more than six or seven feet of line, so I just tie the end of the mono below the fourth eye on the rod.”It doesn’t get much simpler or more effective than that.

“Everyone is just crazy about how well our bass fishing has rebounded, but I was much happier to see these little critters show up again as well,” remarked Easley.“My granddaughter fishes with me every Sundayafter church if it isn’t raining and she just loves catching them.She’s not old enough for boyfriends yet, but they won’t last long if they don’t like to fish.”

Outside of a funeral, I can’t think of any good reasons for a parent or guardian not to take a youngster fishing for half a day on October 13^th .The S.A.L.T. Club is hosting their fourth annual Kids tournament for youngsters ages 3 to 16.There will be three different age divisions and the first five places in each division will be rewarded.

There is no entry fee and you can fish anywhere you want as long as you are at the weigh-in before 11:00.While prizes are being handed out they will be serving hotdogs and cokes, so lunch is taken care of as well!

The most coveted prize of all is a drawing for a Lifetime Fishing License provided by Dawn Jones at ReMax 1.Every youngster that enters a catch will be eligible to win. First place winners in each division will receive a $50 check and rod and reel courtesy of Shell. Ancelet’s Marina is providing the food.

The weigh-in will take place at the S.A.L,T. Clubhouse on Pleasure Island.Fishing and winning with the kids doesn’t get much easier than this!

“A fly rod works great, but it’s a little too tight for a back cast,” said Kyle Easley as he lifted the tip of his 12-foot fiberglass crappie pole just high enough for the cork and eighteen inches of leader to clear the water.

Attached to the business end was a one-eighth ounce chartreuse curly tail jig tipped with a tiny piece of a scented Magic Fish Bite slipped on the hook. “I cut them in half,” said Easley, “and a piece usually lasts about fifteen fish if a grinnel or bass doesn’t get it.”

His small torpedo shaped cork landed beside the partially submerged cypress knee and instantly plunged beneath the surface as if the tiny lure was much too heavy.The fight was brief, but successful as he deftly swung another hand sized goggle-eye over the side of his aluminum boat.

“Not a bad Plan B when you are worried about the weather and nothing else is biting,” said the retired pipe line welder.“Do you think it is more fun to catch them yourself or just wait for me to bring you another bag of fillets?”

It was a question that he already knew the answer to prior to even asking.Between the two of us we would drop our jigs five more times in the small clump of cypress knees and boat four more fish before moving on.

“I found this little aluminum boat after Ike, welded up a hole or two and it works just perfect for this kind of fishing.”It was obvious that he had missed a hole or two, thus the reason for the Folgers coffee can floating in the bottom of the boat.The boat was powered by a 1985 9.8 Mercury and our troll motor was a paddle with a cut off handle.

We were well back into an isolated cut off the Sabine River that necessitated the smaller craft.A scorching sun wasn’t even a consideration under the canopy of stately cypress trees, but the trip would have been a short one had we forgotten the mosquito spray.Keeping an eye out for red wasp nests hidden beneath the overhanging palmettos was a good idea as well.

While the accommodations may sound a little crude, the reward was well worth the minimal discomfort.When we slid the boat back in the bed of his truck just before noon, his styrofoam cooler was half full of chunky big mouth bream.

The best part of the trip took place that night as we shared stories and ate our way through fried fillets, onion rings and homemade hushpuppies.They tasted even better knowing that I had four more bags of fillets in the freezer!

Easley’s technique for capturing these delightful fish is simple, but effective.No fancy equipment, no casting and for his needs, no reel.“I know that I am going to need no more than six or seven feet of line, so I just tie the end of the mono below the fourth eye on the rod.”It doesn’t get much simpler or more effective than that.

“Everyone is just crazy about how well our bass fishing has rebounded, but I was much happier to see these little critters show up again as well,” remarked Easley.“My granddaughter fishes with me every Sundayafter church if it isn’t raining and she just loves catching them.She’s not old enough for boyfriends yet, but they won’t last long if they don’t like to fish.”

Outside of a funeral, I can’t think of any good reasons for a parent or guardian not to take a youngster fishing for half a day on October 13^th .The S.A.L.T. Club is hosting their fourth annual Kids tournament for youngsters ages 3 to 16.There will be three different age divisions and the first five places in each division will be rewarded.

There is no entry fee and you can fish anywhere you want as long as you are at the weigh-in before 11:00.While prizes are being handed out they will be serving hotdogs and cokes, so lunch is taken care of as well!

The most coveted prize of all is a drawing for a Lifetime Fishing License provided by Dawn Jones at ReMax 1.Every youngster that enters a catch will be eligible to win. First place winners in each division will receive a $50 check and rod and reel courtesy of Shell. Ancelet’s Marina is providing the food.

The weigh-in will take place at the S.A.L,T. Clubhouse on Pleasure Island.Fishing and winning with the kids doesn’t get much easier than this!