No Fishing Report But I Still Have Tips and Tricks...

 I have not been on the lake like I would like to be this month but there have been some projects that were time well spent. There was Cathy's hip replacement, grandkid babysitting, playing a couple of musical events, attending a couple of musical events, getting all signed up for Medicare supplements that I'll need in a few of months, the high winds of the last couple of days and updating my will just in case all this kills me. This does not keep me from sharing my time honored fishing tips and tricks with you. 

Lake Sam Rayburn is a made made lake. When it filled there were some areas around the boat ramps cleared for water sports, a few boat lanes cut for safe navigation and there were old, open farm fields but much of the forest was left standing in the valleys of the Angelina and Attoyac Rivers as well as all the big creek and slough drains.  

When the lake first filled this timber was great fish habitat but occasionally people got lost because even though you were in a boat it was still like a walk in the woods. It's been at least 35 years since I found someone lost on the lake. Since then some much of the flooded timber has rotted away it's easy to get a visual on you location and see landmarks miles away.

If the lake is dropping and it probably is now that timber that rotted away at the the water line or just below gets reveled and becomes a hazard to boating because it's been gone so long there is a whole generation of fishermen that have come along since it has been gone. Let the lake come on down 10' or 15' and you will see what the flooded forest looked like.  

I often see people speeding through areas that were once various hazardous because of stumps just under the water. Lucky for the newer generation on the lake much of this is gone but then boating is different. There are computer chip navigation guides that load on to your depthfinder/GPS and it is also possible to save a path on the GPS so you can go the same, safe way every time.   

   

 There are still some good stumps sticking up as you see in these photos. These are some big tall trees in 40' of water. That's a lot of tree. I don't think there is a tree in Big Sam that does not have a string tied to it. These strings may have been the remains of some one's fish baiting or artificial reef building project, a trotline or a strange abandoned fishing getting plan that never quite came to fruition.  

So here's the tip, I never tine up and fish at trees like this. I figure that everyone else is doing that already and if it's been fished all the good fish are caught and there are nothing but undersized bait stealers left. In this day and age I have also heard of instances of lake rage when one man finds another man fishing his spot. I don't want any of that.     

Not sure about this one. Do I fish or fly a kite?

 

Here's another tip, tie up to the stump that is the hardest to tie up to. I'm talking about a a stump barely showing out of the water or if you are near shore where there is vegetation find a sprig or a flooded stick bush hardly sticking out of the water all by itself. Places like these will hold fish because they are different from all else around and because they don't look as fishy as something that seems obvious other fishermen pass them by.  

By the way, one more tip. I never buy rope. Once plastic rope is manufactured it's always plastic rope. I have plastic ropes I found floating in the lake or washed up on the beach that I have been using for decades.  

Cathy don't care about any of this though. She just knows if you cast, a fish bites. 

Stone Wall Studio Fall Jam...

 Back in 1969 I was 12 years old. I had an avocado green transistor radio. It was roughly the same height and width as the average cell phone is today but to pack in the  nine volt silicon technology that was required to tune in the three local AM radio stations it had to be about four times as thick. 

One of those local stations, KRBA played country music all day long but at three o'clock, conveniently the same hour as school let out they switched over to the pop hits of the day. One of the hits that year was by the Beatles and called the Ballad of John and Yoko. It peaked at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the content of the song was a description of the couple's wedding. 

I remember well that when Lennon sang the line, "the news people said say what you doing in bed, I said we're only trying to get us some piece..." that the local radio bleeped out the word "peace" to save those local innocents who might get the wrong idea. 

This past weekend Cathy and I performed as Goat Rodeo or maybe it was Skindog depending who you asked at the annual Stone Wall Studio Fall Jamfest/M.D. Anderson Cancer Benefit to raise money to sponsor Thanksgiving dinner for the Children's Hospital. We opened our set with the ballad of John and Yoko. We could tell by the smile on the guy in the audience with the John Lennon t shirt it was a good pick and afterwards East Texas singer songwriter Chris Edwards, a dear sensitive old soul says to us, "man it takes some balls to open with the Ballad of John and Yoko deep in East Texas..." I say he's a sensitive old soul because he must have caught that bleep out vibe somehow. No one bleeped out the word peace on us and it seems at least two people listening caught a bit of that nine volt silicon charge. 

If you don't know the jam fest it takes place at Stone Wall Studios in Groveton, Tx and involves a varied cast of characters that play music, contribute auction items, sound equipment, cook food and hang out for an evening coming together to make something bigger than themselves. It can get loud and since it was my first semi post pandemic electric guitar experience in about a year and a half my tinnitus is still cutting up this morning. 

I don't have any pictures of us playing. Maybe some will surface. A video is promised but they can bleep out words on that. Here's a run down of the other bands. 

The Brick Street Blues Band. I vote best band there. I think they are out of Nacogdoches and you should check them out. 

Mark, the MC. This guy can sell fish plates. Plays guitar also. 

The Don May Project. Local band out of Livingston 

Roger Karber of Roger and the Karburators. He's got new music out on all the platforms. 

This years version of the Stone Wall Rockers. 

Couple of the Brazos River Rats. The Rats are a group of guys that have been playing together since the days of 9 bolt silicon. Thanks for letting me join the band this year.  

Mark and the host and musical misdirectior of this affair on bass, Travis. 

The Brazos River Rats in all their glory. They are only trying to get em some peace.  

I think I covered everyone. If you would like to contribute to a good cause or just be in contact with good people check out Stone Wall Studio. 

Peace. 

      

The Gatlin Brothers in Concert...

One time I was sitting out in the hot New Orleans spring sun at Jazz Fest watching the great blues/swing/cajun guitarist Gatemouth Brown. He went to play one of his signature tunes "Pressure Cooker" and he said "All you would be guitar pickers sitting out there in the sun drinking beer, slick this." Last night I sat in a cool comfortable seat and saw the Gatlin Brothers at the Temple Theater as part of the Angelina Arts Alliance concert series. They were a replacement act for the Steep Canyon Rangers and while they were not my first choice to see I would not want to have to stand up by these brothers and "slick this." 

The Gatlin Brothers have more awards that you can imagine. Larry Gatlin had Elvis record his tunes, they sang at June Carters funeral, were pallbearers for Johnny Cash and had the hang chops to carouse with Roger Miller. The are celebrating their 65th year of performance and touring and the voices and tunes have held up well. 

Cathy admits to seeing Larry Gatlin as a solo act in the mid 70s. He was opening for Willie Nelson to an auditorium of rank teen agers that smelled of hippie. There was some heckling that went back and forth between the crowd that seemed to think Willie and Larry were an unusual paring. Larry gave as good as he got but his show never got off the ground that evening. He was pretty mouthy last night as is expected of a man with gold records and sky high success in the music business. All it would have taken to see an exchange would have been a smart remark by a witty concert goer that felt picked on. Those, like Larry that do the best in a cutthroat field like music think, "me, me, me, me, me, me,... you."  

Brother Steve certainly gets cool points for playing a Fender Mustang bass guitar and other brother Rudy still has fine pipes for the high part. 

Word on the street was that the Steep Canyon Rangers canceled because the venue could not ensure that all were vaccinated or recently tested for Covid. These requirements are becoming more common in the concert industry and I hope they do not hamper our ability to bring good shows to Lufkin at a time when we are starting to attract the hot acts. There were not a lot of masks in evidence last night. I wore mine and I hope all in in attendance stay happy and healthy and that old acts like the Gatlins continue to rack up the hits. 

 

Brave Combo at Octoberfest...

 Cross another thing off the retired man bucket list. Every year for some time now the Pineywoods Fine Arts Association in Crockett Texas has hosted an Octoberfest and the Grammy award winning polka/rock/worldbeat Brave Combo from Denton, Tx has played. I have never been as I was always working, had a gig of my own, the fish were biting or some other such distraction. We went this year as did our friends John, Janet, Ross and Beverly.    

I have seen Brave Combo. They have been on the Texas music scene for close to 40 years. You might say to self "I'm not a polka fan" but it's the great American song book from polka to Dike Ellington to blues, the twist, cumbia, the chicken dance, a conga line and the hokey poky. As they say, "this will be your last chance to dance the chicken dance, this set." Be sure to bring the kids. You can't do that at every concert. I mean I have but you might not or I might not should have. 

What most folks don't realize is that Octoberfest is not really much in October. I mean I'm glad around here it goes on all month because I am busy selling this band I'm in that plays polkas and it gives more opportunity for gigs but the real Munich, Germany Octoberfest takes place from mid September to the first Sunday in October.  

October Fest began around since 1810 and soon became important in promoting Bavarian culture. It's estimated that about 7.7 million liters of beer is consumed at Octoberfest. For USA readers a liter is 33.184 ounces or not as much as I had with my morning 40 to get the day started.  

They had some German beers available at this fest and I'm pretty sure that the people sitting at the table beside us all went off and swam in the river after the show. 

Just to give you an idea the band did a great rendition of Santo and Johnny's "Sleep Walk."  

Be sure to check out Brave Combo. It is after all, still October. 

When I Named This Blog I Did Not Know...

 When I named this blog I did not know I would get older and that there would be things associated with that which you would do. I don't know about your life but I guess I'm not always thinking all that much about mine. I'm just doing my stuff and and I don't know where there is but when I arrive I have become smart enough to act like I hit what I was aiming at. This week I took advantage of senior discounts I qualified for, found something I had forgot where I put it and had a wellness check at the doctor. 

The senior discount was a on a lifetime U.S. Forest Service day pass. I need to live two and one half more years to get my money out of it when compared to the non senior yearly pass I had been buying. It qualifies me for some nation wide benefits and discounts for government lands but my favorite thing is that I get free entrance to Hanks Creek boat ramp, Ratcliff Lake and Boykin Springs. I go to those places enough each year to justify the cost. Of course buying this pass online at the government website may be a bit of a caution for the conspiracy types. First you create an online account and it takes a bit more of a complicated password that the sexytubaman that I have been using for all accounts and then you scan your drivers license to verify age. Like I say, I only need to make two and one half years. 

One thing I did not mention because it's her thing is that when you get older you need joint replacements. Cathy is doing well recovering from hip replacement surgery. She barely stayed in the hospital 24 hours. For that short stay we needed to bring a few things, overnight bag, a rolling walker and a cane. Now the cane was not for walking right away but it's handy after a joint replacement to use the hook part of it to lift the affected leg into bed. When Cathy was discharged we headed for the parking lot. She was in a wheel chair because of the distance and me carrying all belongings including cane. I met a physical therapist friend in the hall and of course she acted like it was me that needed the cane. 

I don't need a cane and I know I had the cane at that time but in about a week when Cathy was ready to transition to a less restrictive device the cane could not be found. Lucky she had a snake head cane which she preferred because of some mojo voodoo business but the house was turned upside down in search. This past weekend on a fishing trip we found it literally under our noses.

I have been driving around town since Sept. 22nd with the cane on the hood. My brother did offer a cane for use that had been our Uncle Doug's. It was carved polished wood that I would guess of Mexican origin. He brought it out during an Astros game. They lost. More voodoo of some type. Keep that thing put up till after the play offs.  

I went to the doc for a wellness check and all is ok. I received an influenza shot. Next year it will be time for the pneumonia shot. I asked about the booster for Covid. He said not necessary right now. Doc said politicians often send mixed messages but when the medical people say it's time he will have it and give it. He said since I was alright for now but I might still get Covid but it will not be devastating to me. He words were "it's the unvaccinated that are dying." That's good news but common sense, not internet research tells me I should wear a mask so if I do have it I don't kill a poor person that won't get vaxxed. 

The doc told me he liked my long hair and would grow his out if he did not have to doctor every day. I said I had not had a haircut since I retired. He asked what I did everyday in retirement. I said, "fish, babysit grandkids, and play tuba in a polka band. 

You know, the older you will get...  

   

She's Back on the Lake With a New Hip Joint...

After a hip replacement on Sept 21st Cathy clambers up the ladder yesterday attached to the front of the boat trailer and lifts her skinny fist like antenna to heaven in thanks as I back the trailer down and she powers off for our first fishing trip since her surgery.  

We spotted this dead catfish floating in the lake. It confirmed our theories that in her absence catfish were dying of old age. That's what happens if you are not there to get them out of the water.  

I might not have caught the most but I did catch the biggest. 

Cathy broke in a new Zebco 808 fishing reel. So many of our spin cast reels, from the heavy use have become grinders. When someone hooks a fish a loud screeching and crying of the abused moving reel parts sings out to pierce the quiet of nature and everyone knows you are fighting a fish in. With the smooth action of this reel I never heard when she had a fish on.

Note the snake head cane in the rod holder. It's positioned to look down into the water to be visible to any catfish looking up and it serves the same purpose of as the gargoyles on the towers of the medieval churches of Europe. It convinces the fish that if you get past that thing scaring you it's all safe and warm in the boat. 

Actually Cathy still needs the cane as assistance and support. Turns out her femur is narrow at the top and wider at the bottom and the bone needs to grow some more to attach to the prothesis in the wide part. She needs to use the cane for support so the bone cells, which grow slowly are trying to hit a moving target which is what would  happen to all this apparatus without the support of the cane.      

While our fishing areas were uncrowded there were a lot of people out enjoying the fall weather. We spotted this large boat in the back of the Hanks Creek cove. It's the biggest one I have seen on the lake lately. 

The boat ramp was quiet the comedy of errors. There were people in boats blocking the ramp by water, others that just pulled up after loading to the top of the ramp to secure their rig for towing all the while blocking room for others to maneuver their trailers, one guy whose boat came untied from the dock and drifted away (he swam for it and I rescued one of his flip flops that floated by) and the lady who paddled up in a canoe to Cathy as she was waiting in our boat for me to back the trailer down and asked if she had anything to drink. She declined an offer of water.    

 

By the way if you have this murderers row of catfish eaters over it takes and least 22 catfish to feed them all. We were lucky that was how many we caught. 

I did not measure how much ketchup was used but I have heard rumors of a shortage of that condiment in stores.  

 

Rhonda Vincent and the Rage at the Pines Theater...

Another great show at the Pines Theater in Downtown Lufkin is in the books. Rhonda Vincent and the Rage performed to a sold out crowd and this was on a night when there was a home field high school football game too. 

Rhonda has a career spanning four decades in bluegrass music. She's a member of the Grand Ol Opry, 7 time Grammy nominee winning in 2017 for best bluegrass album.  

Her backing band was super with great players who also sang the high lonesome harmonies as well as leads on their own tunes. 

This guitar player was out of this world. I saw a great player a few years ago at Railbird festival Billy Strings. Billy does bluegrass but it's with a modern twist. This guy was old time and lightening fast. 

I suggest you check out Rhonda Vincent and the Rage. I like bluegrass but I would not call myself hip to the festivals, the nitty gritty history and the life but I can say this was a world class great show.