5/30/22 Truman Lake offers opportunity to reflect

A different time.

I’m sitting on the back deck watching the lights flicker on the cell towers next to the dam, the dam lights lit up showing the way or which way not to go.

There’s a boat with its motor humming thru the water going past and I’m jealous. I didn’t get to do as much fishing this weekend as I planned.

Like most of you, life, family and time gets in the way. In a good way. I got to do a little fishing Saturday. I left the park mid morning and headed to the bluffs between long shoal and state park. There are plenty of fish. Interested fish, in everything thrown in their direction.

A jig tossed into the water would be met with a flurry of fish. A flurry that you can only see on livescope. (A benefit those without will never see). It’s amazing to watch fish react to your presentation, a slow drop or a fast retrieve can trigger a bite, but you’d never know without the ability to see it. (Not selling it just expressing the advantage)

I picked up several fish by using the tried and true method of dropping to the structure and slowly bringing it across the top. A fish would rise and sometimes take it, sometimes just follow it.

I had my best luck staying about 7-10 feet away from the fish. Dropping my jig (yellow body maribou with red head) and letting it sit. It was if they would watch the jig, not moving and then one or two would shoot out from the school to take it. I found lots of fish on structure, my biggest fish was caught off my favorite MDC structure.

The most aggressive fish were staged next to single trees, trees I’d never seen fish next to. Maybe they were stacked by those trees because of all the traffic. I had boats pulling kids IN the tree line I was fishing. I get it, we all use the lake for different recreational purposes.

I use it to fish and occasionally to pull my grandson or nieces on a tube. I NEVER do it within 20 feet of someone fishing. I never do it next to a tree line, and when I’d try to tell them that the water is high and there are tree tops just below only to be ignored. I quit. I can only resign myself to fishing in the summertime from dawn to around 9am.

I watched as a fishing boat left the park before 830 this morning and I realized others had figured this out long before me. Like I’ve said before. I was introduced to Warsaw in 1975. I started enjoying the area when I was 8 years old. Introduced to it by my stepdad, enjoying the area with my mom, sisters and brothers.

I used to sit patiently in the back of the Thunderbird or the old Dodge truck for that light to turn green and we’d drive across the swinging bridge. The lake wasn’t here then. They were still working on the dam and we’d unpack our stuff at a 600 sq ft cabin. Two adults, 8 kids. I’d bet the neighbors would cringe when we showed up.

We would fish in the river or the cove at White Branch. (The best catfishing was the swimming beach, has a dock over it now).

There was a time we fished for food. It was all we could do to scrape up a dollar in change to buy a jar of Bee-Jay catfish bait.

I don’t know how my parents did it. Especially my mom, but she always found a way to feed us. I don’t remember a time of being full, but I don’t remember being hungry.

We are blessed with what the lake has to offer. We are blessed. Blessed by all those that have served, will serve and those that sacrificed so much.