This is not just your ordinary fish story..........cast your line and wait no longer.

One especially pretty day I was paddling on Lake Buchanan enjoying the blue sky, sunshine, 85 degree heat in November. The birds are migrating to their winter homes, the leaves are changing and soon the eagles will be arriving at Canyon of the Eagles up on the north end of the lake.  I'm floating and soaking up the sun rays in my kayak eating sunflower seeds, when all of a sudden I see a fishing bobber floating in the water. I'll just paddle on over and pick up that trash keeping the lake free of hazards for swimmers and marine life.

As I approached I could see the fishing line pulled taunt at an angle. The hook is probably caught on the bottom so the wind and waves would blow it in that direction. I paddled past it the first time because it drifted a little too far to lean out of my kayak. No rush, it's just floating there. I came back around but then noticed the line was angled the other direction. Hmmm, that's a funny current.

I grabbed the bobber and to my surprise it started to fight back. "FISH ON" I yelled. There's one thing you will need to understand about being in a sit-in kayak. They are not that stable and can sometimes be tipsy. On the other hand this is my first catch on Lake Buchanan and I'm not about to let this one go without a fight. So I summon up my courage and get my balancing act going and start pulling in the 10 feet of line. Actually I think the fish pulled me in but that's not the point. Soon there it is coming out of the darkness of the lake, at least a 20" striped bass. Very nice fish. Too pretty to eat, so I admired it's size and shimmering colors then removed the two hooks from it's mouth, said goodbye, and thanks for the great fish story. - paki

There have been many ocasions that I have thought that it may not be worth the effort to pack up all the camera equipment in the dry bag and haul it along in the kayak. On this day I said to my partner that I had better take the camera because if I don't I'm sure there will be something that I will miss. So remember to at least take the camera. Better to get the shot than wished you had. -Genoa

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