Catchin' Report Crystal River/Ozello, FL

Report Date: November 25, 2002

The other day, I had the privilege of guiding brothers, Donnie and Morris Bode on a half day trip.. Morris is retired and lives in Ocala and Donnie was down from Texas, visiting. Donnie is a hunting guide back in Texas and like a lot of Texans, had a bunch of tall tales and yarns to spin while we fished. Morris wasn?t far behind, either. I don?t think I?ve laughed that much in a long time. Thanks guys.

Oh, we caught a bunch of fish, too. We started after trout and it didn?t take long to find ?em. We caught our limit in no time using Cajun Thunder corks with Cotee jigs and Salt Water Assassins shads in white/pink and rootbeer and Electric Chicken colors. Some we caught on the ol? standby, live shrimp. When the trout bite slowed, we had a little time left, so we decided to try to find a Bubba Redfish for Donnie. He had never tangled with a Red, so we headed to one of our favorite spots. We used a stealth approach to ease into a backwater bayou which usually held some nice size Reds. It was no time that Donnie had a hookup. As the Daiwa Coastal Inshore rod bent double, all you could hear was line screamin? and Donnie?s Texas sized Wahoos as he fought the big Red. He did a masterful job of working the big fish to the boat, under the boat , around the boat and back again. Meanwhile, Morris seemed to be having as much fun just watching the goings on of his brother. After a good battle on light tackle using a Daiwa BG 13 reel and Ande 8 pound test line, he landed the bronze beauty. He weighed a little over 6 pounds and was 26 inches. Not bad for his first Red. But I?ll bet by the time Donnie gets back to Harper, Texas, that red will have grown to over 12 pounds or more.

We took a great picture of two brothers sharing a memory, smiling, holding a fine redfish, with a bright blue sky in the background, framed with backcountry mangrove islands and vast sawgrass flats. This was truly a memory that time will not erase?

Thanks again Morris and Donnie, new found friends?????. And don?t forget???? The acorn on the stump story?.

Until next time?

Take a youngster fishing??cause a child?s smile and good day fishin? is the best medecine for whatever ails ?ya?.

Captain Ed Lewis
Come back real soon?

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