1730 8/19 Out to find Gills and Cats 97° windy 10 mph + 15 gusts

[James and Kathy Acerra]

Howdy Y’all

Well here we go again on the hunt for gills and now cats looking for the spawners and maybe a BMOC that had moved in to take spots that we emptied before at Lake Norfork in Arkansas.

We went out to one of our close cove ends after the boy got home after his first day of Senior year/football practice

(side note: Bomber Fest is Friday 1730 (5:30 pm) come out to cheer on the Mountain Home Bombers and #77 Big AL)

We are using the same style of gear with a few changes in the line up.

The Wife is still using her new Zebco 33 with 10 lb Cajun line (red) but has upgraded with a new Shakespeare 6’ Medium action classed for higher test line and stronger backbone for better hook set and fighting quality as well as a greater casting range.

She’s got the backup Zebco 33 (the one I used after my Shakespeare Mantis reel died) with 10 lb Zebco line, we just respooled it for my reel after the Mantis died (anybody know how to fix a reel with the cover stuck) so we didn’t change line, with heavier weights and a # 6 Eagle Claw Treble hook.

I’ve upgraded with a Zebco 20/20 Pro Staff with 10 lb Cajun line (red) on my Shakespeare 6’ rod Med action rated for heavier line and great backbone., my catfish rig is a veteran Zebco 202 (with metal parts) and 25 lb Zebco line and cheesy Zebco rod well it’s worked so far and I’ll use it till it dies.

Lousy weather for trying new gear but we fought on started out slow with pecker fish and turtles added 1 to my chum pot ( a ring of rocks at waters edge with a few stacked on top ) to bleed out to draw the kitties.

I pulled in a nice 8” ¼ lb M BG and worked the holes in 4’ to 6’ with my cat set out in 5’ of water on the edge of the hole in the channel into the cove this area is rocky shoreline with overhangs across from a shoaling gravel bank we fish from.

The Wife was deeper in the cove working the 2’ to 4’ areas all this area has a rocky shore line on the other bank with overhangs and a weed bed at the 3’ to 5’ level and maybe 15’ wide with our shore shoaling at the bank.

She was hitting pecker fish and found that her pole hooked them faster and better but still they were pecker fish. Her cat set was further down in the cove as she worked the weed bed she called out her line was caught in rocks… but then the rock moved and rolled up with a tail slap and she called out for me to get the net (much bigger one now after losing a few fish due to having only a small trout net) I moved over to wait till she was able to pull the kitty toward shore .

She got her close and tipped up her pole to raise her head and scooped under the kat and brought it to shore.

A nice 21” 3 lb F Channel Cat which ties her with my 3 lb Flathead.

Well not much of a stringer but dandy none the less.

Filleted the kat and cleaned the gill with no wind and hot as heck with the skeeters in abundance.

Well more trips to came and more fish to catch.

Yours in fishing

James and Kathy

You’ll find the photos in our page just match the dates as y’all know

P.S.

Does anyone know how to fix a Shakespeare Mantis closed spin casting reel that won’t un screw, it just rotates around but won’t engage the threads and come off.

Any assistance would be great. Either a trick or link to find out what to do?