SONAR

SONAR
Watching the sonar screen intently, he thought,”old habits die hard.” As was his habit, he had turned on the boats electronics as he prepared Harm’s weigh to get under way. Breakfast was well past, and they were going to check and re bait the bait traps. Cleaning the mornings catch had been a chore. Larger catfish just required more work. The yield of high quality fillets was greater alright, but it was quite a chore. A good catch would require all hands. This morning’s catch had been one of those.The plan was to move the bait trap from the inlet by the campsite to a more productive area. The neighbor that had mentioned the slow bait catch near camp had been right, it was time to change something up.Squealing and laughter had been the high point as they hoisted the bait trap aboard the boat. It had a snake in it that had also been looking for a bait fish for dinner. He had been lucky as evidenced by the large bulge in his body just back from his head. The snake was not aggressive, he was full and only wanted away as they opened the bait trap and let him back into the lake. The release took place on the far shoreline away from camp. The snake may have been the reason for the slow bait catch. Usually the bait catch was good near the campsite.Moving slowly down the inlet, watching the sonar, he hadn’t quite got the hang of calling it a fish finder, they looked for signs of bait fish. A combination of warm sunshine, gentle breeze and beauty of the glistening water had the whole crew in a ready to doze off, state of mind. Nearing the location of the other bait trap they began to see more and more large fish, a sure sign there were bait fish. He increased the sensitivity of the sonar and bait fish began to show up on the screen. They were within four hundred yards of the other trap on the same side of cigar island. Checking the depth of the bait fish, he began to look for a place to put the bait trap.With the bait trap re located. They went to re bait and check the first trap. They had emptied it out the night before when they cast the jugs.As the bait trap cleared the water, everyone was looking nervously to see if they might have another snake. There was no snake, but there was a few bait fish. They would adjust the trap to the depth that they had seen the bait fish minutes before. Re baiting the trap, they returned it to the water. They had high hopes for that evenings bait harvest because of the sighting on the sonar, and the adjustment to depth that they had just made.Moving around the point of the island slowly, they loitered for a bit, watching the eagles fish in the nearby inlet.The plan for the afternoon was to sonar the flats to see if there were any pre spawn catfish nearby waiting to lay their eggs. Stereo playing low, friends joking about the snake in the bait trap, soaking up sunshine, making plans for a domino game that evening, passed the afternoon quickly. Dillon the retired drug dog had woke himself up snorning, it was just that kind of a Springtime afternoon. Later back at camp the guys repaired jug lines while the ladies prepared a early supper before the casting the jugs again at dark.Supper lasted a bit late, friends that they hadn’t seen since last year, had stopped by for a visit and the time had slipped away from them. Lake time was like that. It seemed to pass more than twice as fast as home time.Putting the plug in the livewell, his friend signaled him to start the pump, then lifted the bait trap up out of the lake. Eureka ! The depth adjustment had done it. There were plenty of bait fish. As the bait fish were placed in the livewell, the trap was rebaited. His friend noted that they werent baiting up small bait fish at the next trap, just replacing the bait. It was actually that they were feeding the fish in the trap. There would be a full cast of the jugs tonight.The sonar was very active as they were making the cast of the jugs, right at dark. Active enough that they kept looking back down the line of jugs that they had just put out, thinking that one might be waving already. It had happened before. If conditions were right, a fish could be caught very soon after the jug was put in the water.As they neared the end of the jug cast, one of the ladies said, “I think one of the jugs just went under !” “The answer came back, “as dark as it is getting, how can you tell ?” Just a few more jugs and the evenings cast would be complete. As soon as the last jug was cast he turned the boat to go back up the line of jugs. They counted as they went. Soon it dawned on them, there was not one jug missing, but two ! As they began to discuss if they might have miscounted, a jug popped up nearby and the white underbelly of a catfish was seen to roll up to the surface. As the fish turned back down, he took the jug with him, plumb under the water.A scramble was on then, for they needed to get the net out and it was getting so dark that they needed a light.During the scramble the other jug came to the surface and when they realized that there were two fish in play the excitement elevated considerably.Both of the ladies intended to catch the fish themselves, they had seen them, and they were going to finish up the job !The guys stayed at the back of the boat and provided advice until one of the ladies said, ” now, we don’t worry you guys with all of that chatter when you are trying to land a fish !”After that the guys assisted with the operation of the boat as the girls landed both fish. They were a couple of good twelve pounders. The jugs were rebaited and re cast into the lake.They idled all the way back to the camp, enjoying the evening and talking animatedly about the two fish.