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  Fishin' with Capt. Gus! ~ What Fishermen Do
January 24, 2010
What do fishermen do when it’s too cold to fish? Sometimes they gather at local tackle shops and watering holes to brag about the big fish they’ve caught and lost. Some of their stories are hard to fathom, but because there are usually no pictures or reliable witnesses around, the truth is often questionable. Some might believe one such tale I overheard recently, while others might find it difficult to fathom. Regardless, this is the story….
It seems that Glen, a little known hunter, had designed and hand crafted a couple dozen “fishcoys” - not duck decoys, but fishcoys. If you haven’t heard of fishcoys before, don’t feel alone. Nobody in the bait shop knew what they were.
Glen complained loudly that the recent weather had been cold to try his fishcoys in the lake to see if they would actually attract fish. Regardless of the cold weather, he was planning to give them a try.
A week passed before he returned to the bait shop in a new red pickup truck. He was greeted immediately with open ears, as the tackle shop crowd was anxious to hear how his fishcoys worked.
Glen began by saying; “I was disappointed to find the lake covered with ice and impossible to launch my Jon boat.” He went on to say, “I was leaving when I remembered the sticks of dynamite in the tool compartment of my truck. That’s when I decided to try to blow up the ice, rather than wait for the lake to thaw.”
He then proceeded to throw a dynamite stick on the ice. To his surprise, Teal, his bird dog, jumped onto the frozen surface and scurried toward the smoldering explosive. He gently mouthed it like he would a wounded waterfowl, then headed toward shore. Glen was backing up and shouting at him to drop the fizzling red stick. Confused, the dog veered off at the last minute and dropped the dynamite under the truck, where it exploded with a loud bang and plenty of smoke. Glen was ok and was waiting for the smoke to clear, when he felt Teal licking his face for praise and approval.
A sigh of relief came over the tackle shop crowd when they realized that Teal was still alive. When someone asked about the fishcoys, Glen laughed and said, “They blew up with the truck, and that’s why I’m driving the new red one outside.” As he was leaving the shop, he added, “I guess we’ll never know about the fishcoys. They were much too dangerous to fish with.”
Tips from Capt. Gus:
Lithium grease used on an electric trolling motor shaft will prevent it from freezing in place during sub freezing temperatures. WD40 and Reel Magic are popular spray lubricants used to keep fishing reels and line from freezing.
Upcoming Events:
A free fishing seminar entitled “How to Find and Catch Winter Striped Bass on Lake Norman” is scheduled at Gander Mountain, Exit 36, Mooresville, NC, Thursday, January 28, 2010 at 6:30 p.m. Capt. Gus will conduct this informational session. For more information, call 704-658-0822.
Hot Spot of the Week:
Anglers fishing from the bank are catching stripers and bass at the designated fishing area at the McGuire Nuclear hot hole located off Highway 73 in Huntersville, NC. Spotted bass and stripers are hitting in Ramsey Creek.
The lake level is currently 96.7 or 3.3' below full pond. The water surface temperature is in the forties, with the exception of the Marshall and McGuire hot holes.
Captain Gus Gustafson of Lake Norman Ventures, Inc. is licensed by the US Coast Guard, a member of the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association, and is an outdoor columnist and a full time professional fishing guide on Lake Norman, NC. Visit his web site, Fishin' With Gus! at www.FishingWithGus.com or call 704.617.6812.
For additional information e-mail Gus at Gus@LakeNorman.com
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