Got a new 5-star review for Blood Flow. Yay!
I went out fishing on Tuesday and yesterday - in my favorite spot in the park. First off, YAY! I got to be in my favorite spot in the park after almost 3 months. I had to wait for the park to reopen after the flood and then I had to wait for all the campers to depart, but I got to the ledges. Second, while I was there, on both days, I saw a school of bass swimming about a foot off the ledges. Slowly making their way south both times. The first time, they ignored my bait entirely. The second time, they got to my bait turned around and went back. In the school is the hugest bass I've ever seen that wasn't on TV. It was cool and disappointing all at the same time. I'd really like to catch that big ol' bugger.
Between the clear water and my polarized sunglasses, I can see all the fish. Big ones, little ones, itty-bitty ones. It's like my own private visit to an aquarium.
It's also like a visit to an aviary out there. So many birds. I had a kingfisher swoop down toward my bobber right in front of me. He must've thought it was something he could eat and then realized his mistake at the last minute. =o)
I really need to cut my fingernails. They're pretty long right now and it's making typing a bit of a pain in the buns. So many typos. Ugh. Back when I cared, I used to paint my nails - they've always been easy to grow and maintain. Now they're just an easy way to open packages and I guess they'd be handy for self-defense if it ever came to that. Still, off they go.
I rolled over 25K words last night. Of course, that was after deleting everything I'd done the night before. Three steps forward, one step back. It's the Writer Tango!
That's it for me. What this n that items do you have to share?
Thursday, July 20, 2017
Sunday, July 16, 2017
Sunday Update - Week 28
Okay, so I messed up last week and it said Week 47 and no one noticed, including me. It's fixed now. Week 27 there, Week 28 here. Yay.
So, for the past week...
I didn't know what the hell I was going to write as of my post on Thursday. As usual, I no sooner say something like that and I resolved it. That night, I went back to a book I'd started in 2013, read the 51 pages I'd written and got to work. Wrote 3 more pages on it before I figured out something - I had taken a wrong turn at about pg 45. I gave myself a good talking to and brainstormed with myself for a while. Then I deleted back to pg 45 and started forward again on a better path. As of last night I'm up to pg 61 and 16699 words. It's all good, baby. (And I didn't really delete those pages. Snipped and in a file. I rarely delete anything substantial.)
What book was it? Oh, that. Sleeping Ugly. It's about a gal on the rise toward becoming a supermodel when she does something that gets her cursed. Every morning she wakes up ugly. She gets prettier over the course of the day, but midnight hits and BAM - ugly. Then the one night stand she was with that night shows up, and he's cursed, too. Yep, ugly - from sunset to sunrise. Together they have to figure out who cursed them and why and how to get rid of the curse. Which would be hard enough by itself except the police are looking at her as a suspect in the disappearance of her estranged brother.
I'm pretty excited.
I haven't really done much else this past week. Fished some. Did some yard work. Watered the gardens. Shopped for groceries.
I finished the anthology I was working on - Masterpieces of Mystery and Suspense. It had some really good stories in it. And some dogs that I didn't finish reading. And one or two meh pieces I read all the way through but meh. Up next? No clue. I'm writing again, so that takes precedence.
Oh, and I got copies of Natural Causes. They look awesome. I should be announcing a contest for one of those soon. Speaking of contests, you can enter to win a free copy of Up Wish Creek thru Goodreads starting tomorrow. It'll be open until the end of the month, so you have plenty of time.
That's about it for me today. What's up in your world.
So, for the past week...
I didn't know what the hell I was going to write as of my post on Thursday. As usual, I no sooner say something like that and I resolved it. That night, I went back to a book I'd started in 2013, read the 51 pages I'd written and got to work. Wrote 3 more pages on it before I figured out something - I had taken a wrong turn at about pg 45. I gave myself a good talking to and brainstormed with myself for a while. Then I deleted back to pg 45 and started forward again on a better path. As of last night I'm up to pg 61 and 16699 words. It's all good, baby. (And I didn't really delete those pages. Snipped and in a file. I rarely delete anything substantial.)
What book was it? Oh, that. Sleeping Ugly. It's about a gal on the rise toward becoming a supermodel when she does something that gets her cursed. Every morning she wakes up ugly. She gets prettier over the course of the day, but midnight hits and BAM - ugly. Then the one night stand she was with that night shows up, and he's cursed, too. Yep, ugly - from sunset to sunrise. Together they have to figure out who cursed them and why and how to get rid of the curse. Which would be hard enough by itself except the police are looking at her as a suspect in the disappearance of her estranged brother.
I'm pretty excited.
I haven't really done much else this past week. Fished some. Did some yard work. Watered the gardens. Shopped for groceries.
I finished the anthology I was working on - Masterpieces of Mystery and Suspense. It had some really good stories in it. And some dogs that I didn't finish reading. And one or two meh pieces I read all the way through but meh. Up next? No clue. I'm writing again, so that takes precedence.
Oh, and I got copies of Natural Causes. They look awesome. I should be announcing a contest for one of those soon. Speaking of contests, you can enter to win a free copy of Up Wish Creek thru Goodreads starting tomorrow. It'll be open until the end of the month, so you have plenty of time.
That's about it for me today. What's up in your world.
Saturday, July 15, 2017
Saturday Fishing Report - 7/15/17
Hello again and welcome to the Saturday Fishing Report. This week is less about my fishing and more about fishing related things I've heard or seen in the news.
First, me. I went out Monday morning. The park was packed, so I moved north to a boat ramp area on the main lake. Didn't catch a thing. I did have a nice conversation with a couple who were pulling their boat in for the morning, though.
Thursday morning. It was hot and sunny. I went to the park and fished in the cove where I caught that 12.5" smallmouth. Nothing was biting. Had a nice chat with an older gentleman who was camping with his grandchildren. Then I moved to my go-to area. My favorite spot was full sun, so I moved over to the cove there, too. Tiny fish were stripping my worms like crazy without even moving the bobber, so I went deeper and farther out. They were moving my bobber out there, but I wasn't sealing the deal until I went with a small hook. Caught 4 tiny bluegills, so it wasn't a skunker day.
Now for other news...
While I was chatting with those nice folks on Monday, the gentleman happened to mention how he was doing 70 (mph, I assume) up the lake coming back when he saw a large log floating in the middle of the lake. He told me the story in relation to the fact that there is still a lot of junk floating in the lake, despite the fact that the water is coming down. I really didn't think much about it until I saw a news story yesterday - an angler had taken his wife and daughter out for some late fishing when they were struck by another boat. The other boat had two tournament contestants zooming back to make weigh-in. Both the stationary boat with the family and the tournament boat had their safety lights on, so it wasn't like the tournament boat couldn't see - plus it happened just before 9pm and since it's still light here at 9pm, I'm guessing this lake in TX (west of here) is still light at 9pm. But I assume, the tournment boat driver was so intent on making it back for the weigh-in, he didn't pay attention to the lake in front of him. Anyway, the father was killed and the mother was injured. The tournament guys were thrown into the water, but they're fine. The 10-yr old daughter was the only one uninjured and sensible enough to call 911.
Which brings me around to my point. Slow the fuck down. It's not the International Speedway out there. There are no lanes. People drive their boats all over in all directions, and sometimes they park right in the middle of the lake. Plus, there might be floating logs in the way.
Also, this morning, I saw a news story about two heinous assholes stealing fishing gear over the 4th of July weekend. They recovered like 100+ fishing poles, 50+ tackle boxes, and assorted fish finders. WTF? We've had occasional reports of gear thefts here. If it doesn't belong to you, don't touch it. Derp.
Now, I carry gear in my car. Two poles and a tackle box. One pole and the tackle box go with me. The backup pole stays in the car. It's worthless. It's a 5.5" pole from the 1970s with a beat up old Daiwa spincaster on it. The bale doesn't close on its own. You have to hold the line against the pole when you cast or it falls all over the ground. But I know how to work it, so it works for me as a backup. Don't break into my car to steal it. No one will pay you anything for it.
And that's it for me for now. Go, get out in the world sometime this week - some morning if it's too hot otherwise. See ya next time.
First, me. I went out Monday morning. The park was packed, so I moved north to a boat ramp area on the main lake. Didn't catch a thing. I did have a nice conversation with a couple who were pulling their boat in for the morning, though.
Thursday morning. It was hot and sunny. I went to the park and fished in the cove where I caught that 12.5" smallmouth. Nothing was biting. Had a nice chat with an older gentleman who was camping with his grandchildren. Then I moved to my go-to area. My favorite spot was full sun, so I moved over to the cove there, too. Tiny fish were stripping my worms like crazy without even moving the bobber, so I went deeper and farther out. They were moving my bobber out there, but I wasn't sealing the deal until I went with a small hook. Caught 4 tiny bluegills, so it wasn't a skunker day.
Now for other news...
While I was chatting with those nice folks on Monday, the gentleman happened to mention how he was doing 70 (mph, I assume) up the lake coming back when he saw a large log floating in the middle of the lake. He told me the story in relation to the fact that there is still a lot of junk floating in the lake, despite the fact that the water is coming down. I really didn't think much about it until I saw a news story yesterday - an angler had taken his wife and daughter out for some late fishing when they were struck by another boat. The other boat had two tournament contestants zooming back to make weigh-in. Both the stationary boat with the family and the tournament boat had their safety lights on, so it wasn't like the tournament boat couldn't see - plus it happened just before 9pm and since it's still light here at 9pm, I'm guessing this lake in TX (west of here) is still light at 9pm. But I assume, the tournment boat driver was so intent on making it back for the weigh-in, he didn't pay attention to the lake in front of him. Anyway, the father was killed and the mother was injured. The tournament guys were thrown into the water, but they're fine. The 10-yr old daughter was the only one uninjured and sensible enough to call 911.
Which brings me around to my point. Slow the fuck down. It's not the International Speedway out there. There are no lanes. People drive their boats all over in all directions, and sometimes they park right in the middle of the lake. Plus, there might be floating logs in the way.
Also, this morning, I saw a news story about two heinous assholes stealing fishing gear over the 4th of July weekend. They recovered like 100+ fishing poles, 50+ tackle boxes, and assorted fish finders. WTF? We've had occasional reports of gear thefts here. If it doesn't belong to you, don't touch it. Derp.
Now, I carry gear in my car. Two poles and a tackle box. One pole and the tackle box go with me. The backup pole stays in the car. It's worthless. It's a 5.5" pole from the 1970s with a beat up old Daiwa spincaster on it. The bale doesn't close on its own. You have to hold the line against the pole when you cast or it falls all over the ground. But I know how to work it, so it works for me as a backup. Don't break into my car to steal it. No one will pay you anything for it.
And that's it for me for now. Go, get out in the world sometime this week - some morning if it's too hot otherwise. See ya next time.
Thursday, July 13, 2017
Thursday This n That
I have absolutely no idea what to write next.
I saw one of those things on FB this morning 'If you could spend the rest of your life on the beach, who would you spend it with?' My first thought was 'Hubs'. Second thought? 'Ew, the rest of my life on a beach?' I hate sand. It gets into EVERYTHING and it seems like no matter how hard you try, you can't get rid of it all. I think this stems from when my daughter was young and would come home from school covered in sand because the dips there would let her sit in the sand box at recess and cover herself with sand and then I'd have to deal with it when I got home from work.
Because we've arrived at the hot part of summer, Hubs and I are tag-teaming when we mow the lawn. He does some, then I do some, until we're done. It's good exercise, but I really hate our lawn mower. :shrug: When it dies eventually somewhere down the road, I'm buying a cheap ass light lawn mower without all the fancy shit. I miss the days of not having to hold that bar to keep it running and that other bar to engage the thing that's supposed to make it easier to push but just ends up stalling out the mower on hills. (And our yard is about a third of an acre and all hill, so you can imagine.)
Hubs spoils me by bringing the coffee pot into the office and topping off my mug whenever it gets low. Sometimes I notice my cup is getting low, but rather than get up off my buns, I wait for him. =oO
I'm reading this huge anthology of mystery and suspense short stories (650 pages worth). So far, the stories are pretty good except for a couple. The Stephen King one was boring, And another one by some gal I'd never heard of started off bashing cops, so I skipped it. I mean, I did start reading it, but the whole time I couldn't stop thinking about the bashing cops thing, so I DNF'd it and moved on. Life's too short. And that review by the little girl I talked about in another post? I read one of the stories she mentioned. It was a good story, but yeah, not for 11-12 year old girls.
I skidded past sunrise writing this post, but I really do want to go fishing this morning. Now I have to wait until the sun gets a smidgen higher so it's not right in my eyes while I'm driving. I hate that, too. ;o)
Okay, that's it for me. Any comments? What have you got on your this n that list today?
I saw one of those things on FB this morning 'If you could spend the rest of your life on the beach, who would you spend it with?' My first thought was 'Hubs'. Second thought? 'Ew, the rest of my life on a beach?' I hate sand. It gets into EVERYTHING and it seems like no matter how hard you try, you can't get rid of it all. I think this stems from when my daughter was young and would come home from school covered in sand because the dips there would let her sit in the sand box at recess and cover herself with sand and then I'd have to deal with it when I got home from work.
Because we've arrived at the hot part of summer, Hubs and I are tag-teaming when we mow the lawn. He does some, then I do some, until we're done. It's good exercise, but I really hate our lawn mower. :shrug: When it dies eventually somewhere down the road, I'm buying a cheap ass light lawn mower without all the fancy shit. I miss the days of not having to hold that bar to keep it running and that other bar to engage the thing that's supposed to make it easier to push but just ends up stalling out the mower on hills. (And our yard is about a third of an acre and all hill, so you can imagine.)
Hubs spoils me by bringing the coffee pot into the office and topping off my mug whenever it gets low. Sometimes I notice my cup is getting low, but rather than get up off my buns, I wait for him. =oO
I'm reading this huge anthology of mystery and suspense short stories (650 pages worth). So far, the stories are pretty good except for a couple. The Stephen King one was boring, And another one by some gal I'd never heard of started off bashing cops, so I skipped it. I mean, I did start reading it, but the whole time I couldn't stop thinking about the bashing cops thing, so I DNF'd it and moved on. Life's too short. And that review by the little girl I talked about in another post? I read one of the stories she mentioned. It was a good story, but yeah, not for 11-12 year old girls.
I skidded past sunrise writing this post, but I really do want to go fishing this morning. Now I have to wait until the sun gets a smidgen higher so it's not right in my eyes while I'm driving. I hate that, too. ;o)
Okay, that's it for me. Any comments? What have you got on your this n that list today?
Tuesday, July 11, 2017
Prime Day
Last week as I was driving down to Wallyworld, I listened to a couple radio announcers bantering back and forth about Amazon Prime. The guy was saying how he'd signed up for Prime under their '30 days Free' campaign and then, because he didn't cancel before the 30 days were up, he got charged $120 for the whole year. And now he can't cancel because he can't remember his password.
The gal was telling him all the awesome things he could do with his Prime account. None of which, he assured her, he would ever actually use. Free two-day shipping, which was the reason he signed up in the first place, was pointless for him. He told her he doesn't spend $120 a year on shipping for Amazon, so it wasn't worth it. And he rarely ever needs anything inside of 2 days.
Why he ever signed up for it in the first place? I missed that part. And I'm not sure what the resolution ended up being because I got bored and changed the station.
Today is Amazon Prime day. Apparently, if you're paying for Prime (or sign up for their free 30 days promotion right now), today you'll have access to all kinds of discounts and sales and special offers. I'm with the radio dude. I have no use for it. Right now, I have everything I want or need, so even browsing their sales and what have ya wouldn't do me any good.
I heard other stores are also supposed to be having sales extravaganzas today, so check your favorites and see what they have. You might find some deals elsewhere without a Prime membership. If you're into that thing.
I used to be. Believe me. I'd see a sale and I was SO there. Even if I didn't need what was being sold. Even if I didn't really have the money. (That's what credit cards were for, doncha know.) I reined all that in years ago. Now, if I don't need it, I don't get it. And if I don't have the money, I don't get it even if I think I need it. Which is probably why I'm driving a 2003 Cavalier.
Okay, I have to admit, I'm still pretty sale-driven when it comes to food. I probably didn't really need that packet of single serve coffee things, but it was marked down 20% in the clearance area, and I do love me some flavored coffee. Hazelnut. Yum.
Hello. My name is B.E. and I have a shopping problem. It's been years since my last binge shopping trip...
Which is why I'm avoiding shopping today. So, if you're a Prime member, have at it. If you're not and you want to still catch the sales, sign up for the 30-day thing - just remember to cancel unless you want to be billed like that radio dude. I heard today is supposed to be the biggest shopping day next to Black Friday. I'll be here, sitting in my cabin.
Speaking of sales, what's the best deal you ever got on anything? I found this awesome dress once for $3. It looked like nothing on the hanger, but when I put it on, I was a goddess. I loved that dress.
The gal was telling him all the awesome things he could do with his Prime account. None of which, he assured her, he would ever actually use. Free two-day shipping, which was the reason he signed up in the first place, was pointless for him. He told her he doesn't spend $120 a year on shipping for Amazon, so it wasn't worth it. And he rarely ever needs anything inside of 2 days.
Why he ever signed up for it in the first place? I missed that part. And I'm not sure what the resolution ended up being because I got bored and changed the station.
Today is Amazon Prime day. Apparently, if you're paying for Prime (or sign up for their free 30 days promotion right now), today you'll have access to all kinds of discounts and sales and special offers. I'm with the radio dude. I have no use for it. Right now, I have everything I want or need, so even browsing their sales and what have ya wouldn't do me any good.
I heard other stores are also supposed to be having sales extravaganzas today, so check your favorites and see what they have. You might find some deals elsewhere without a Prime membership. If you're into that thing.
I used to be. Believe me. I'd see a sale and I was SO there. Even if I didn't need what was being sold. Even if I didn't really have the money. (That's what credit cards were for, doncha know.) I reined all that in years ago. Now, if I don't need it, I don't get it. And if I don't have the money, I don't get it even if I think I need it. Which is probably why I'm driving a 2003 Cavalier.
Okay, I have to admit, I'm still pretty sale-driven when it comes to food. I probably didn't really need that packet of single serve coffee things, but it was marked down 20% in the clearance area, and I do love me some flavored coffee. Hazelnut. Yum.
Hello. My name is B.E. and I have a shopping problem. It's been years since my last binge shopping trip...
Which is why I'm avoiding shopping today. So, if you're a Prime member, have at it. If you're not and you want to still catch the sales, sign up for the 30-day thing - just remember to cancel unless you want to be billed like that radio dude. I heard today is supposed to be the biggest shopping day next to Black Friday. I'll be here, sitting in my cabin.
Speaking of sales, what's the best deal you ever got on anything? I found this awesome dress once for $3. It looked like nothing on the hanger, but when I put it on, I was a goddess. I loved that dress.
Sunday, July 9, 2017
Sunday Update - Week 27
Hey All. My eyes are full of grit and I'm kind of brain fried. And the coffee is working its magic sloooow this morning. But here we are...
After a few days of marathon editing, the end is in sight. As of the time of this posting, I have 5 pages of edit notes spanning the last 72 manuscript pages left to go. Considering I wound up with 19 pages of edit notes, I'm gonna say it's a definite possibility I will be finished by tonight. I don't think there's anything major left to do. Could be wrong. Like I said, I'm brain fried.
In other news, the paperback copies of Up Wish Creek arrived. I was going to set up a Goodreads contest, but I discovered I never set up a paperback page for that book. That has to be done first and right now, it's on a back burner. Monday, I'll do that and set one up for Natural Causes. Then I'll set up a contest for UWC. Once the NC copies arrive, there'll be a contest for one of those, too.
Speaking of contests, Deb Salisbury will have a copy of Blood Flow headed her way once she confirms her address via besanderson at gmail dot com. It's a copy with the original cover, which I still think is totally cool. I just had to change it to match the ebook cover, which I changed to be more 'in line' with what readers are expecting to see on a political suspense cover these days. Anyway, congratulations Deb!
I didn't do any reading last week because of the looming deadline thing. I fully expect to be reading tomorrow. First up, Silver James' latest Harlequin - Claiming the Cowgirl's Baby.
I managed one good morning of fishing.
And lastly, not but leastly, we saw the first fawn of the year last Sunday. Since then, we've seen two others - twins. Here's the single:
That's not the back of her mother, btw. Mom's off to the right. That's her older sister - a 2016 model.
Well, that's it for me this week. Whazzup with you?
After a few days of marathon editing, the end is in sight. As of the time of this posting, I have 5 pages of edit notes spanning the last 72 manuscript pages left to go. Considering I wound up with 19 pages of edit notes, I'm gonna say it's a definite possibility I will be finished by tonight. I don't think there's anything major left to do. Could be wrong. Like I said, I'm brain fried.
In other news, the paperback copies of Up Wish Creek arrived. I was going to set up a Goodreads contest, but I discovered I never set up a paperback page for that book. That has to be done first and right now, it's on a back burner. Monday, I'll do that and set one up for Natural Causes. Then I'll set up a contest for UWC. Once the NC copies arrive, there'll be a contest for one of those, too.
Speaking of contests, Deb Salisbury will have a copy of Blood Flow headed her way once she confirms her address via besanderson at gmail dot com. It's a copy with the original cover, which I still think is totally cool. I just had to change it to match the ebook cover, which I changed to be more 'in line' with what readers are expecting to see on a political suspense cover these days. Anyway, congratulations Deb!
 |
| New Cover |
 |
| Original Cover |
I didn't do any reading last week because of the looming deadline thing. I fully expect to be reading tomorrow. First up, Silver James' latest Harlequin - Claiming the Cowgirl's Baby.
I managed one good morning of fishing.
And lastly, not but leastly, we saw the first fawn of the year last Sunday. Since then, we've seen two others - twins. Here's the single:
Well, that's it for me this week. Whazzup with you?
Saturday, July 8, 2017
Saturday Fishing Report - 7/8/17
Welcome to the Saturday Fishing Report.
Well, it was another hot and wet week in the Ozarks. The spawn is over and the lake level is holding steady at about 920-921ft.
I really only got one good day fishing. I went out twice, but the first time was a bust and I didn't even get the rods out of the car. I went out Monday. The park was open, but it was packed, and I was too chicken to try any other places for fear they were also packed with holiday weekenders. Plus, I got a late start, so going anywhere else would've put me that much more past the time of good morning fishing.
Then I went to the park on Thursday morning. It was about 50% less packed than Monday. I tried a couple spots on the creek side. Got a few bites, but those were worm-stealing panfish. Then I went over to the lake side, where all the campers were. I found a camper-free spot in a cove, parked the car, and fished from the parking spot. Sat right on my car. It was kind of awesome. Caught three little punkinseeds and one 12.5" smallmouth. I also managed to attract what felt like every kid in the park. They'd ask 'did you catch anything?' as they walked or rode their bikes past me. Sometimes they stopped for longer conversation periods. When several of them stopped after I'd put the smallmouth back, I told them about it. One boy who seemed about 10 years old informed me that largemouth only have to be 8" to keep. I set him straight - nicely, of course. All bass have to be 15" on this lake. No exceptions. He looked embarrassed and a little shocked. Poor kid. Some adult somewhere must've steered him wrong.
Which brings me around to an important point. Kids look to the adults for guidance in anything. In this case, the legality of keeping the fish they just caught. He didn't just pull the number 8 out of the sky. Somehow or other, he learned from someone that was the size of a keeper largemouth. Shame on them. Shame on them if they steered him wrong and shame on them if they told him 8" was okay because they were ignorant of the fishing laws in this area. (I don't think 8" is a keeper bass in any area, but I could be wrong. Except rock bass, maybe, and those aren't really bass anyway.) And shame on them if they allowed him to keep a too small fish because they didn't want him to feel bad about throwing it back. Before you go fishing in a strange area, learn the rules. Teach kids the rules. And obey the rules in front of children, so they learn to be upstanding fishermen, too.
Well, that's it for me today. Have a great week and spend some time outdoors if you can. Also, take a kid fishing if you can. Kids and fishing go great together.
Well, it was another hot and wet week in the Ozarks. The spawn is over and the lake level is holding steady at about 920-921ft.
I really only got one good day fishing. I went out twice, but the first time was a bust and I didn't even get the rods out of the car. I went out Monday. The park was open, but it was packed, and I was too chicken to try any other places for fear they were also packed with holiday weekenders. Plus, I got a late start, so going anywhere else would've put me that much more past the time of good morning fishing.
Then I went to the park on Thursday morning. It was about 50% less packed than Monday. I tried a couple spots on the creek side. Got a few bites, but those were worm-stealing panfish. Then I went over to the lake side, where all the campers were. I found a camper-free spot in a cove, parked the car, and fished from the parking spot. Sat right on my car. It was kind of awesome. Caught three little punkinseeds and one 12.5" smallmouth. I also managed to attract what felt like every kid in the park. They'd ask 'did you catch anything?' as they walked or rode their bikes past me. Sometimes they stopped for longer conversation periods. When several of them stopped after I'd put the smallmouth back, I told them about it. One boy who seemed about 10 years old informed me that largemouth only have to be 8" to keep. I set him straight - nicely, of course. All bass have to be 15" on this lake. No exceptions. He looked embarrassed and a little shocked. Poor kid. Some adult somewhere must've steered him wrong.
Which brings me around to an important point. Kids look to the adults for guidance in anything. In this case, the legality of keeping the fish they just caught. He didn't just pull the number 8 out of the sky. Somehow or other, he learned from someone that was the size of a keeper largemouth. Shame on them. Shame on them if they steered him wrong and shame on them if they told him 8" was okay because they were ignorant of the fishing laws in this area. (I don't think 8" is a keeper bass in any area, but I could be wrong. Except rock bass, maybe, and those aren't really bass anyway.) And shame on them if they allowed him to keep a too small fish because they didn't want him to feel bad about throwing it back. Before you go fishing in a strange area, learn the rules. Teach kids the rules. And obey the rules in front of children, so they learn to be upstanding fishermen, too.
Well, that's it for me today. Have a great week and spend some time outdoors if you can. Also, take a kid fishing if you can. Kids and fishing go great together.
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