The morning air is crisp as the dawn of a new day is approaching. The skyline in the east is slowly changing from black of night to the light of day. There is excitement in the air.. There is myself, Ken, John, And Tom. I am from the Kingston area of Lake Texoma. The other three are from Kansas. We have been acquaintances for a few years.

We have just eaten breakfast, bought our snacks and drinks and our Texoma fishing license in preparation for an exciting day of striper fishing with a guide on Lake Texoma. As we wait for our guide to arrive to pick us up we can hear the occasional splash of a fish striking their food. A mother duck and her seven ducklings slowly pass underneath the dock on which we are standing.

Steve Pierce is our guide for this fishing trip. He is one of the most sought after and respected guides on Lake Texoma. He has been fishing for stripers in this lake for over 20 years. He has guided other fishermen for most of that time. He usually knows the general area where fish can be located. He knows what tackle is best for catching fish at any given time. We are all excited to be with him on this day.

It is 6:30 in the morning as Steve brings his boat up to where we are standing. We proceed to load our personal supplies in the boat. Steve states he has been up since 4 am getting things ready and catching bait to use for fishing. Today he says we will be using live shad that he caught this morning with his throw net. His bait tank is filled with the live shad swimming around just waiting for a big ole’ stripers dinner.

We are now set for our journey out into the lake where we will be fishing. Steve slowly heads the boat away from the dock area in the direction of the lake’s main body. We have now reached the outside of the no wake zone. He pushes the throttle forward, The boat speeds up as we rush across the lake. We head in the direction of the lake’s dam. As we travel the wind and sometimes the water spray from the waves hit us in the face. It just keeps adding to the excitement. As we proceed we ask our- selves “ How can Steve possibly find fish in this wide expanse of water traveling at this speed?”

Steve starts throttling the motor back causing the boat to slow down. He starts slowly idling around the area watching his fish locator all the time. He asks me to be ready to throw the anchor overboard. The anchor is tied to a 250 foot ½ inch rope that is tied to the front of the boat.

Steve spots what he is sure is fish we can catch on his fish locator. He puts the boat in reverse and tells me to throw the anchor overboard. We back until the end of the rope is near. He stops the motor and we drift to the end of the rope. By this time he has a pole baited with a shad and ready for each of us to drop the bait in the water. He explains just what we need to do so the bait will be fished at the desired depth.

We are now actually starting to fish. We sit there for just a few moments when all of a sudden Ken lets out an excited yell “I got one.” That seems to be signal that something great is going to happen. Each of us get a strike almost at the same time.

I was watching the others and did not catch my first fish. I think the others all got theirs into the boat. Things were in a frenzy for sometime as the fish were striking as soon as the bait was placed in front of them. As we caught the fish Steve would take them off the hook, count them with his mechanical counter, and put them in his large ice chest. He would have another pole baited and waiting for us to do again. He ask us to try to keep count of the number of fish we caught, and to be aware the limit is 10 fish per person and only two of those can be over 20 inches. After some time the fish slowed their biting, The main school of fish had moved to other places.

As we sat there we chatted about things we were doing and things we wanted to do. John started complaining that he had a sore spot on his stomach from holding the pole against it while reeling in the fish. Come to find out, all of us had the same sore spots. It is a know fact that if you catch many stripers, you will place the pole in the middle of your stomach to help control the fish. It always causes a sore spot.

Steve ask just what we planned on during the day after the fishing trip. I think it was unanimous that a nap was in store. The women were going shopping while the men were fishing. They wanted to visit with my wife Peggy in her neat little gift store in Kingston named The Gift Box. It offers a variety of gifts for Her-Him & Them. They wanted to pick up a few things to take back home with them.

During the lull in the fishing Steve had been on the radio with a guide friend of his. The friend stated he had marked some fish and was getting anchored. He would let Steve know if something developed. The guides can find fish when just a regular fisherman cannot because the guides help each other like this one is doing.

Steve said “We will sit here for just a little while to see what happens.” As we sat there he ask each of us how many fish we had caught. Together we said we had caught 32 fish with 2 over 20 inches. Steve said his count was 33. So we needed 17 fish to reach our limit. Just then the guide friend called and said they were catching fish and for us to come on over. We pulled anchor and again headed across the lake. We were headed for a place called tabletop. The wind has increased considerably from the time we first went across the lake. It was quite a rough, bumpy ride to where we were going.

In just a few minutes Steve spotted his friends anchored boat. We headed to the front of his boat and stopped our motor about 200 feet from the boat. Steve said we would drift in so that we would not spook the fish. Finally we reached the boat and maneuvered to the back where we tied on to the other boat. Steve handed each of us a baited pole and we started catching more fish. The fishing was going great until Steve says we have 38 fish. Me and John took our lines out of the water so Ken and Tom could catch the final two fish. That only took a few minutes and we had our limit. Our fishing is now finished for the day. It has been one of the most thrilling fishing trips of our lives.

We untied from the boat in front of us and drifted back for about 150 feet before Steve started the motor. We then headed back to Steve’s dock. We pulled into the dock and proceeded to unload our equipment and our fish. We laid the fish in a manner so many pictures could be taken to have Proof to show the friends back home.

Steve has a cleaning table at the end of his dock. After the pictures were taken, Steve proceeded to filet the fish. He used an electric knife. As each side is removed he places it in a five gallon container for washing when he is finished. When the fish have been washed he divides the fish in equal amounts for each fisherman and places them in plastic bags. I told him since I did not want my fish he could divide them 3 ways so each could have a part of mine. I gave each of them a note with my name, license number, and date of catch. This is one of the state laws that is required. Now they legally can possess my catch.

Before parting company for the afternoon, we all agreed to meet at 7 pm at Pierces Chicken & Chops Restaurant on the East side of Kingston for our evening meal.

We all met at the restaurant at about the same time with our wives. We had quite a reunion with all our old friends. We sat for a few minutes to get brought up on all that happened since we last gathered. The men had to comment [BRAG] on the fish they had caught and which had the biggest fish. The women, not to be out done, each had to tell just what neat items they had purchased at the Gift Box that they just could not do without.

In the meantime we ordered our meal and sat and visited some more while waiting for the food. Shortly the delicious meal arrived with the Chicken, Chops, salad and bread. Some ordered corn on the cob on the side. Steve and Francine only serve Chicken and Chops, but boy are they delicious. Everyone passing through Kingston should stop and savor one of their meals.

After that fine meal we just relaxed for awhile and chatted. It was at this point that I had the chance to relate just what I have to offer them in the way of making a passive income without working. They were interested, so I got their phone number and email address so I could get the information to them so they could make an educated decision.

Now the day is drawing to a close. We are all stuffed with food. Most are tired. We are ready to go our separate ways. Before parting company we reflect on the good exciting day this has been for all of us. The men with their fishing guide Steve Pierce. The women with their shopping spree at the Gift Box, and all of us with our excellent dinner at Steve and Francine’s Restaurant.

We agreed to stay in touch and that we must do this again in the future. With this we said our goodbyes and went our own way.

About the Author: Virgil Reich is a resident of the Kingston area of Lake Texoma in Oklahoma. He is an avid fisherman and hunter and has written several articles about his sport. He is not an expert in any of them. He just enjoys doing them and enjoys reading stories about the different aspects of each sport. This article just points to one day in his life on an exciting fishing trip. It is for your reading entertainment.

Resource Box: Steve’s Guide Service Ph: 580-564-3837 Pierces Chicken & Chops Hw. 70 E. Kingston, Ok Ph: 580-564-2823 The Gift Box Kingston, Okla.½ blk E of red lite hw. 70Ph: 580-564-9403 or 4439Virgil Money Maker Ph: 580-564-9403 mailto: [email protected] http://www.1vpe.homestead.com

Virgil Reich