Post by Metal Angler on May 22, 2006 9:59:27 GMT -5
Excuse me sir, that's no perch
COMMENTARY
LOUIE STOUT
There's an old saying that every day of fishing adds a day to one's life.
If that's true, Jim Aldrich and Charlie Moon may live to be 150. Aldrich is 81 years young. Moon is 89. And they fish more often than most people half their ages.
However, if the Mishawaka anglers encounter any more excitement than they did on Christiana Lake near Edwardsburg recently, they may have to give some of those days back.
The two gents fish together often, harassing panfish on a number of Michiana lakes. But on this particular day at Christiana, the fish harassed back.
"We were fishing in front of the old dance hall and had already caught some nice bluegills," says Aldrich, whose son Jim is the head football coach at Mishawaka High School. "Charlie was picking up a few perch on red wigglers, so I thought I'd set up a perch rig with a minnow and see if I could get a few more."
A perch rig consists of a bell sinker tied to the end of the line with a couple of hooks baited with minnows and rigged about 3 feet off the bottom. The men were fishing in about 12 feet of water.
Suddenly, Aldrich's 5 1/2-foot light action rod was doubled over and 6-pound Trilene line was zipping off the spool of his Mitchell 300 spinning reel.
"I knew it wasn't a perch," said Aldrich, who fishes a couple of times a week. "I don't know what kept my line from breaking."
Or the hook from giving way. The minnow was baited on a dainty No. 10 gold hook.
To make matters worse, the bail on Aldrich's reel wouldn't stay closed, springing open from the pressure of the fish each time he tried to close it. The fish took so much line that the retired Dodge worker feared it might strip him completely.
Aldrich kept one hand on the bail to keep it closed and began working the fish through the weeds. It took about 30 minutes to get it close enough to see the monster terrorizing his tackle.
Was it big bass? Carp? Pike?
"All I knew it was probably the biggest fish I'd ever caught," he explained. "We had no idea until we got it next to the boat and saw that face."
The broad head and spindly whiskers that emerged from Christiana's tannic waters told the story. It was a catfish, probably a blue cat, that later would push Aldrich's hand-held scales past the 16 1/2-pound mark.
Getting the fish near the boat was only part of the problem.
Charlie managed to get it in the net, but the weight of the big ol' cat was too much for him to lift over the side of his 14 foot Lund.
"That fish hardly fit in the net and it took both of us to pull it into the boat," he laughed.
After pictures were taken and Aldrich skinned it out, his wife Millie fried it up and served it to the residents of the Country Side Nursing home where she works.
Christiana is one of Aldrich's favorite lakes early in the season. He was out there last January and caught 40 nice perch.
But other area lakes are good, too, he says.
"Shavehead Lake is good for bluegills and crappie and Garver can be good, but it hasn't been too hot so far this year," he offered. "Big Pleasant is good for bluegills, Cory Lake has really good perch and bluegills, and you can catch good perch from Finch Lake in about 15 to 20 feet of water."
The best perch fishing, he added, usually comes around June.
"Fishing helps get me out of the house," Aldrich said. "It keeps me busy."
And keeps adding days to his life.
Louie Stout:
COMMENTARY
LOUIE STOUT
There's an old saying that every day of fishing adds a day to one's life.
If that's true, Jim Aldrich and Charlie Moon may live to be 150. Aldrich is 81 years young. Moon is 89. And they fish more often than most people half their ages.
However, if the Mishawaka anglers encounter any more excitement than they did on Christiana Lake near Edwardsburg recently, they may have to give some of those days back.
The two gents fish together often, harassing panfish on a number of Michiana lakes. But on this particular day at Christiana, the fish harassed back.
"We were fishing in front of the old dance hall and had already caught some nice bluegills," says Aldrich, whose son Jim is the head football coach at Mishawaka High School. "Charlie was picking up a few perch on red wigglers, so I thought I'd set up a perch rig with a minnow and see if I could get a few more."
A perch rig consists of a bell sinker tied to the end of the line with a couple of hooks baited with minnows and rigged about 3 feet off the bottom. The men were fishing in about 12 feet of water.
Suddenly, Aldrich's 5 1/2-foot light action rod was doubled over and 6-pound Trilene line was zipping off the spool of his Mitchell 300 spinning reel.
"I knew it wasn't a perch," said Aldrich, who fishes a couple of times a week. "I don't know what kept my line from breaking."
Or the hook from giving way. The minnow was baited on a dainty No. 10 gold hook.
To make matters worse, the bail on Aldrich's reel wouldn't stay closed, springing open from the pressure of the fish each time he tried to close it. The fish took so much line that the retired Dodge worker feared it might strip him completely.
Aldrich kept one hand on the bail to keep it closed and began working the fish through the weeds. It took about 30 minutes to get it close enough to see the monster terrorizing his tackle.
Was it big bass? Carp? Pike?
"All I knew it was probably the biggest fish I'd ever caught," he explained. "We had no idea until we got it next to the boat and saw that face."
The broad head and spindly whiskers that emerged from Christiana's tannic waters told the story. It was a catfish, probably a blue cat, that later would push Aldrich's hand-held scales past the 16 1/2-pound mark.
Getting the fish near the boat was only part of the problem.
Charlie managed to get it in the net, but the weight of the big ol' cat was too much for him to lift over the side of his 14 foot Lund.
"That fish hardly fit in the net and it took both of us to pull it into the boat," he laughed.
After pictures were taken and Aldrich skinned it out, his wife Millie fried it up and served it to the residents of the Country Side Nursing home where she works.
Christiana is one of Aldrich's favorite lakes early in the season. He was out there last January and caught 40 nice perch.
But other area lakes are good, too, he says.
"Shavehead Lake is good for bluegills and crappie and Garver can be good, but it hasn't been too hot so far this year," he offered. "Big Pleasant is good for bluegills, Cory Lake has really good perch and bluegills, and you can catch good perch from Finch Lake in about 15 to 20 feet of water."
The best perch fishing, he added, usually comes around June.
"Fishing helps get me out of the house," Aldrich said. "It keeps me busy."
And keeps adding days to his life.
Louie Stout: