Questions

"Well, Sir Jon" said Mike in his deep voice. "To answer your question. Every year about this time I take out all my fishing tackle ans go through every piece. From my extra long fishing rod, to the bottom of my portable tackle store. I clean up each and every piece as i check it for any problems. Things like, bent or broken hooks or maybe a swivel has come loose or even out. These items I set aside until I am done with all the tackle. Then I go back and fix or replace them. If things are ok I place it in the tackle store where it belongs. Daredevils with spoons and each size and style of hook in its own space. When I have done all I can a trip to the Fishermen's Warehouse is next. There I buy whatever I need to replace because I am low on supply or I need it to fix something else. In this manner I always have a full Tackle store when the first day of the fishing season comes around." As quickly as Mike could answer a question Sir Jon would already be forming a new one to ask. Sir Jon picked up a black and silver curved spoon and looked at it carefully as he asked Mike, "what is this one used for?" Mike gave him a list of different fish and weather conditions that it would work for. Then took a deep breath hoping that Sir Jon had run out of questions. But, alass he had not. Question after question kept flying for Sir Jon's mouth and Mike would answer him quickly. The smile on Sir Jon's face revealed not only how he felt at this particular moment but reflected his personality. Always a happy little camper with a thousand questions. Mike was about to put an even bigger smile on Sir Jon's little face. Sir Jon had paused a moment giving Mike the impression he was out of questions. When in fact he was saving the best for last. "Mike," said Sir Jon. Mike sat there wondering what piece of tackle he would have to explain next. It was good practice for him. Mike held his breath slightly waiting on the rest of Sir Jon's question. Sir Jon shifted gears on him and went from fishing tackle to the fish. "Have you ever lost a big ol' catfish. I mean you had him hooked and he just plum got away from you?" Sir Jon paused for a moment thinking he wasn't going to get Adventurer Mike to admit he had lost a fish let alone a big one. Mike was a little stunned at first as he struggled to answer the humbling question. Sir Jon stood there in silence awaiting Adventure Mike's answer. You see Sir Jon thought Mike would never admit to ever loosing a big fish. Especially a Flathead Catfish. However, Mike stood there a moment stroking his mighty beard carefully. Then with a twisted little smile on his face he slowly began to speak. "Yes Sir Jon i have lost a big catfish before. It was one of the biggest, strongest and smartest catfish I had ever laid eyes on. Which I did, briefly as I watched him swim away." Sir Jon smiled a wide toothy smile knowing he had done what he had intended to do when he went to Mikes. He had gotten Mike to tell him a fish tail without to much prodding. He listened carefully as Mike continued his story. "Well Sir Jon, I was fishing on the Mississippi River in the Southern part of Minnesota. I had been in this one spot for nearly an hour catching little fish. You know the ones I am talking about. Those pesky little three to five pound fish that are about the right size to eat. Right in the middle of all my good luck everything quit biting. I tried and tried but nothing was biting. You know what it means Sir Jon when that happens. "Yes, i know" was his reply. "Either a huge preditor fish has moved in for a snack or the entire school was let out of class early and they all left at the same time." Mike laughed as he spoke. "I never heard it put that way but Sir Jon you hit the nail right on the head. I move several feet in both directions to try locating then. First I went down stream thirty yards and worked my way back to where I started then I did the same thing upstream and worked back to my original location. I leaned back opened the bail and let fly with all my might. With those heavy sinkers on my hook took off as if it were headed for outer space. They splashed down a few moments later about a eighty yards or so off shore. The strong current began rolling the sinkers along the bottom so I let out more and more line until it finally came to rest way downstream off a sandbar island that stuck up out of the water. My bobber lay flat across the top of the water the way I lie it to. I had decided this was to be my last cast in this location. So, with the fish not biting or doing so really slow. I figured with the way they were biting I was in for a very long wait. I propped up the rod and opened the bail and settled into a chair next to my fishing rod. I grabbed the material to make a new leader but, just as i was about to start the bobber went under. Before I could get the rod picked up and set the hook, the bobber popped up again only a few feet from where it went under. I waited hoping he would come back and try again, but nothing happened. I slowly reeled up the slack line until it was tight and moved the bobber about four feet. the bobber stood tall in the water. I sat back once again to wait for fish. Nothing, no fish biting and when i pulled the line in. Sure enough the hook had been nibbled clean leaving me with a bare hook. Knowing now that the fish had moved back in I loaded the hook with Nite-Crawlers then tipped each hook with a small square of Cheese and tossed it out as far as i sold. and watched it drop about twenty yards from where it had been just a couple of moments ago. I settled back into my chair and was about to start making leaders. I hadn't even gotten the first one done when my bobber started disappearing quickly then popping right back up. I carefully picked up the rod and closed the bail then reeled in as much slack as i could before the line went tight. I felt him move the hook. I lifted the tip of my 9' Catbuster straight towards the sky. All you hear was,this loud swish followed by the line singing in the wind as they fish was on the run and the battle had begun. The tight line in the win combined with the constant rapid clicking of the spool drag was music to my ears. I watched in awe as the line was being ripped from the spool faster than I had ever seen in my entire life. That Catbuster rod was getting a major test. It had a bow in it that looked like i had my hands wrapped around one end of the rainbow. When that fish took off upstream he displayed so much power and speed he covered nearly a hundred twenty yards before......