The pressure to catch fish coupled with the amount of time I spent on the water away from my family made life almost miserable for me. I gave up the quest at that point and returned to my saltwater roots.
So, it was with a great deal of anticipation and concern that I headed out this last week for Toledo Bend Reservoir in Texas. A full week of bass fishing was on tap with perhaps the best friend I ever had. We had been planning the trip for almost six months.
I drove 850 miles from Florida and John drove 1700 miles from California. We met at Lowes Creek Park where Terri and Roger Johnson operate a marina, tackle shop, RV park, and cabin rental business. They cater to the fishing crowd, and along with great service, they provide fishing tips and lots of lively conversation around a cup of coffee in the morning.
John and I had last fished together on Lake Okeechobee in south Florida about twelve years ago. A lot of things had happened in his life and in mine over these years, so it was even more special that we were able to make this trip happen.
We fished all day, every day for six straight days. We watched the weekend warriors running and gunning, fishing in one of several tournaments on Saturday and Sunday. We watched the wildlife around us, perhaps as we never had before. We talked about the past, going over all the fishing, hunting and trapping stories we both knew and had gone over a hundred times before. We talked about the good times and the bad times – and we both had some of each. But mostly we just enjoyed being together one more time.
I had never been on this water before. The last time John fished here, coontail moss was abundant, and acres of standing timber in the lake made navigation difficult. But over the years, the moss disappeared. The timber broke off at or just under the water line. All the fishing patterns that had worked for John in the past had changed dramatically.
We caught a few fish; we made some new friends; we ate some of the finest fried catfish I ever ate; and, we had a great time together.
For now, John’s freshwater tackle is with me, put away for safekeeping. I’ll drag it out again next year when we meet again to fish together. I think Lake Okeechobee is on the short list. Wherever we decide, it will be fun. We’ll probably each have a few more aches and a few more pills, and we’ll tell the same stories and catch the same fish one more time. But, for right now Toledo Bend is still on my mind as a great trip with a great friend.
