Fall Fishing Trip

My brother received a call last weekend from a cousin that lives on the Trinity river in East Texas.  He said the catfish were still biting, which is rare this time of year.  It is usually cold and rainy by the time November gets here.  We called up another friend and  left Tuesday morning for Liberty, TX.  After a quick stop at Walmart to renew our out of state licenses, we hit the river.  The Fall colors along the Trinity were fantastic.

We got the lines baited up and headed back to town for the evening.  Wednesday morning found us on the river early to see what kind of luck we had.  It was still quite cool, but I finally got a smile from the crew.

Yours truly at the helm.

First one of the day.

Just what we came for.

Some were wanting to get caught so bad, they went to extreme measures to get in the boat.  Struck at the bait, missed, and hooked itself in the tail.

First basket on the hill for cleaning.

After about three hours of hard work, this is what the results were.

A chest full of filets to take home for a family and friends fish fry, and

around four pounds of catfish tenderloins which are about to be cooked up right there on the riverbank.  First came the fries, followed by the fish that was swimming in the river a few hours earlier.

First batch out of the pot.

You just can’t wait for it all to get done before fixing a plate. Don’t want it to get cold is always a great excuse.

Then it was back on the river to bait the lines for another nights fishing.  As you can see, it was hard to stay awake after consuming enough fresh catfish to feed three normal people.

As a cold front had moved through Wednesday, the catch dropped off dramatically Wednesday night.  That wasn’t a bad thing.  We had plenty of fish to take back home, so we picked up the lines and then headed East.  Good Lord willing, we’ll be back on the Trinity next Spring when the fishing is GOOD! 

Overall, a great week, though the Casita is still under the shed and the tires are probably getting flat spots.  That’s what I tell Wanda, anyway.

Wishing everyone a great Thanksgiving week.  Hope all get to spend time with family and friends at this special time of the year…..jc