On Sat, 31 Jan 2004 23:14:22 -0800, "QLW" wrote:

I use artificial almost exclusively now, but that's more out of laziness
than any proven fact. The really big "specks" are still being taken on
small live croaker but it's just cheap and easy to walk out on the pier and
fling plastic. Our fishing on Galveston has improved so much that for me,
it's just too easy to catch "pretty" nice fish rather than spend the effort
to chase after the big ones with live bait. I guess I'm getting complacent
in my old age but hell, I'd rather catch 22" reds than 30" reds anytime,
simply because they're better to eat. It's a kick to fight a big one now
and then tho'.

Oh man, now you done gone and done it. :)

When I lived in New Orleans, I used to go down to Venice and fish for
specks and redfish. Caught some nice fish down there. The first
"big" boat I ever bought was from a Whaler dealer in Metarie, LA - a
20 foot Outrage. Used to fish a lot for specks out along the
shorelien of Lake Ponchatrain by the Coast Guard station in New
Orleans.

Later,

Tom
S. Woodstock, CT
----------
The years will bring their Anodyne,
But I shall never quite forget,
The fish that I had counted mine
And lost before they reached the net.

Colin Ellis, "The Devot Angler" quoted
in A. R. Macdougall, Jr's "The Trout
Fisherman's Bedside Book" (1963)