Am I The ONLY Retired Old Guy?

I know I'm "retired" from really working a job (fishing is NOT a job), but I guess most folks out there are "working" at something, somewhere - home, farm, at work. Well, now, wait a minute - some guys really "work" at this catfishing thing, right? Anyway, I was just wondering IF some "retired" catfishermen might get on this thing sometime soon and let's have us a real conversation about catching kitty cats. Or, maybe, most everybody is out doing one of them "catfish tournaments"?
Okay, I'm going to crawl back into my "catfish hole" and wait for the bite now!

Capt. First let me welcome you to CC, I havent made rounds in awhile, They call me Mac, I been fishin with these fellas when I can for years now and Im here to tell you there isnt a better group of fellas to shoot the bull with, and catch fish also. I am retired young from the Postal Service due to a Military injury that raised its ugly head. So, no, your not the only one retired on here. There is alot of catfish knowledge here especially on blues. Flathead experts would be Grumpy (Dale) and Rob. And Cactus Bob and Flatuator and a couple others in here could teach you everything you would ever want to know about river fishin. Anyways, Welcome again, stay with us and someday we can meet up and fish the big river...... Mac

I was having a good morning until the wife and I got up early and discovered that some **(VG%E$% jerks stole my granddaughter's old & new 4-Wheelers out of the yard in front of our house - took them in the middle of the night without a sound (and so much for my 6 dogs that live with us - go figure)! I guess the good Lord did not intend for Courtney to ride the bikes for a few more years, you think?

Anyway, back to what I was originally going to tell you, Mac - thanks for the response...I thought you were off with some of the others catfishing or something this week. A friend and I are suppose to go catfishing Sunday over on the Georgia side of the Flint River, but with this theft thing I may have to curtail that trip and hang with my family. Besides, I have a wedding to attend Saturday afternoon, so maybe that will brighten my mood (which is pretty dull right now).

I guess I need to ask you, in reference to this site, do I need to specifically query those fellas that you pointed out to me about different subjects for catfishing techniques? If so, I'll get together a list of things and quack away to them. I noticed that you must have a small farm in the country? Be glad you live in "the sticks", because living in a big city (and Tallahassee has become a really big city) sucks. Although I did notice that you had said earlier in a post that some &(&$$ jerk kids had stolen fish traps out of your creek by the farm.

I am a "country boy" at heart, though, having been raised by a southern father (and a yankee mother - ain't that a strange mix?) to hunt and fish all my life. Passed it on to my two sons, too - imagine that! Even though I spent 14 years in southern California during my younger years, I returned to my southern roots (just like my father) and have never looked back ever since I mustered out of active duty from the U.S. Navy in 1971. By the way, I noticed that you remarked that you were a veteran of some military service - what branch, etc.? I'm an old Hospital Corpsman ( they called me "Little Doc") that chewed plenty of dirt with some of Uncle Sam's Misguided Children - Simper fi!

This catfishing thing has really grabbed ahold of me for some darn reason. I had been fishing the salt water flats (as well as pestering mountain trout in Ga. & NC with a fly rod) the past couple of years. But, earlier this season, one of my fishing bro's and I stumbled upon a hot Channel Catfish bite out on Lake Seminole while trying to find some Crappie (back in early March-late April). When I started catching 6-8# kitty's - I was hooked!

Suddenly, I realized just how much fun I had been missing (I use to run trot lines and bush hooks over on the Sopchoppy River in a nearby county where my late father & mother had a home on the river). It all came rushing back to me in a flash. The next thing I know I'm researching catfish and putting my boat together for fresh water - the hell with salt water.

Anyway, that is a brtief history on me - I do look forward towards fishing with you and some of the other guys. "Where there is a will, there is a way", they say! I'm willing.

Yes, I have a farm of sorts, my wife enjoys her animals. If you have questions just fire them away at these fellas, that is what this forum is for. your questions and any responses will be read by all and gives oppurtunity for all to learn. Small world really, I too was a HM for 7years 4 of which were spent with the misguided children on camp pendleton. 1st battalion 5th marines. also, 2nd battalion 9th marines. Then I thought I had it licked with shore duty to seattle, and Desert storm popped up, so back to pendleton I went for nearly a year in the sand box. Became a single parent and mustered out. Went to work for the postal service. Only got to ride a ship on manuvers overseas while on okinawa.
anyways, Wife and I went fishin last night and didnt catch squat. I figure the blues are on the beds, and I couldnt find any flatheads. I dont mess with channels much as I dont eat many fish and if I do it will be a blue or flat. Water is so high here its hard to tell where anything is going to be. we were trying back water areas last night off the arkansas River. Using Shad, we didnt get out early enough to catch perch for flathead bait. But occasionally you can catch small ones on cut bait. Well, Im off to bed for a nap been a late night, and in fact I too have a wedding to attend this afternoon. one of the boys that grew up with our boys is gettin hitched, LOL Dummy....... See ya later........ Mac

I had a sneakin' hunch you were either a Marine or a Corpsmen...funny how that 6th sense kicks in, ain't it, Mac? I served with Co. C, 8th Tank Battalion here at the N&MCRC in Tallahassee from 1972-1986, active reserve assignment. I really loved the Corps and that unit. But, when the Navy made up the FSSG stuff, I was transferred directly away from the USMC-R and into the seperate Navy unit providing support to all Marine units. Went to Camp LeJune 3X's , Camp Pendelton 1X's , 29 Stumps X1 , I really liked the desert warfare stuff better than jungle training!

When Desert Storm came along I was in the Inactive Ready Reserve and elected not to leave my state job to rejoin my old FSSG detachment for possible combat duties over in Iraq. As it happened, my old Det 3 unit was activated and frozen @ LeJune for a month - never deployed because of the stat timeframe of winning the war. I figure my service in a combat zone during Vietnam (1970) was enough fun for a "doc".

Sorry to hear you & the Mrs. didn't catch some kitty's last night. My original plans to go after the cats has been changed to chasing salt water flats fish tomorrow. Oh well, I hear the catfish are shut down during spawning now anyway, so maybe I should look at the salt water for a few months until the kitty's get out of that nesting mood?

How big of a spread on that farm do you have, Mac? My oldest son, Bobby (age 39 - geez, I'm gettin' old), has a 5-acre deal over in the adjoining county...I wouldn't call it a farm or ranch, just a nice piece of property back in the woods!

Get some sleep, enjoy the wedding stuff, and we'll chat later or tomorrow sometime (I'M up @ 5 a.m. headed out with two friends to fish the salty flats). I'll tell youo about it later. Do you like to fish salt?