The Naked Lady of Possum Kingdom

Over the years, I have seen my share of tops removed after a few-too-many drinks. So has Nanda; she calls them "Bahama Mommas". I might also add there's a wonder there is any sand left with all the silicone I have seen over the years. Anyway......this Lady was standing up in a runabout, behind the windshield, stark naked, showing her beauty to the world! She came out of Hell’s gate, which is located across from the Boy Scout camp; in the summer there are several hundred boys at that camp. She came out directly across the lake to the Boy Scout camp. In about 2 seconds the shoreline was full of Boy Scouts, just as if they had called roll call, boys from one end of the camp to the other. I had a good laugh seeing their dropped jaws of surprise! It was probably a moment they will never forget.

Nanda and the Quicksand

Early on in our fishing adventures we were fishing Possum Kingdom, around Costello Island. Nanda hung up a lure, she wanted to retrieve it. So looking at the depth sounder I saw it was only a few feet deep. Nanda hopped overboard and when she hit a foot of water she began to sink. She hollered; "Help! Quicksand!" A quick glimpse told me cows had made this spot their regular watering hole and they had softened the mud to a pulp. I trolled over and rescued her, minus her shoes which remained stuck in the mud.

Swedish Women’s Swim Team

We have rescued several boats, people and even a deer that had swum out a little too far. We've helped people whose boats broke down because they backed over the ski rope which then wound around the propeller. But the Swedish Women’s Swim Team member we found swimming out in the middle of the lake was unusual. She was about 18 years old and she wore a sting bikini. We offered her help back to shore but she wanted to go for a ride so we gave her one, then about 200 yards from North D&D, she thanked us, and dove in headed for shore.

Shane: Nanda’s Brother

We were fishing Possum Kingdom where you can fish Strippers, Sandies and all 3 Bass from the same place. I was fishing towards the docks. Nanda was throwing a one ounce lead jig at Strippers surfacing. In her excitement she forgot Shane in the back of the boat. I heard a scream and I turned around to see Nanda lying down on the bench seat laughing so hard she was holding her sides. Then I saw Shane dancing around, cursing and holding his head. Nanda had whipped that lure back to throw and hit Shane right on the button on top of his cap. To this day Nanda still laughs about it but Shane accuses her of trying to kill him. She glued the lure to the top of a cap and gave it to him for his birthday!

The Thunderstorm

Randy Smith and I were fishing one day at Possum Kingdom when a thunderstorm started. The mountains around there are full of iron and lighting has a tendency to go in circles. We decided we were safe until I cast a 5/16 ounce jig with a plastic trailer out about 50 feet: it arched in the same trajectory as I had cast it but it never touched the water. The static electricity from the storm held it out of the water. We decided we weren't safe.

Shane, Nanda and I were fishing Possum Kingdom one evening. Shane bragged all day about his new reel and rod, a Shimano, cost him over $100.00. On his 3rd cast, all he had left in his hand was the handle, the rest now resided in 40 feet of water. Goodbye expensive Shimano. Nevertheless, Nanda quickly puts on a lead little gorge with a single treble hook and throws it out, lets it sink to the bottom, and after 2 tries she hooks the rod and reel. A very lucky Shane returned it to Wal-Mart the next day for a refund.

We were fishing Possum Kingdom again one day before daylight. Nanda had a buzzbait hanging over the edge of the boat - I could hear it while going down the lake. The wind had extended the length of the line a foot so it hung just above the water. When I slowed down and was cruising to our fishing spot a 3 lb. Black Bass jumped out of the water and hit the buzzbait. Luckily Nanda grabbed the rod as it was going overboard and she swung the fish aboard.

Over the years I have seen some strange things on the water like the man who had one-too-many and turned too soon with his 50 foot cabin cruiser and put completely on shore by 100 yards. Lucky for him it was soft mud instead of the rocky point on most of the lake.

I was fishing with a buddy when, on take-off, I noticed water was sloshing around my feet. I figured he had left out the plug, something most fisherman have done at one time or another, but no, he had never taken it out and we had received 4 inches of rain.

Nanda, Randy Smith and I were fishing Lake Fork. When we arose early in the morning it was fogged-in - we decided we would go fishing anyway. Somehow we traveled 10 miles up the east side of the lake without hitting a stump. (See some of the pictures on the Lake Fork page.) The way back was harder than getting there and there was no fog. We could see every tree and before we could only see about two feet in front of us. Randy rode laying down up front as lookout, telling us where to turn. We told some guides about it - they said we were lucky!

Over the years we have run into fishing pros on almost every lake. We have met Country Music stars such as Charlie Daniel and Hank Williams Jr. who was asking for directions. He was in Fort Worth for a show and he decided to rent a boat and go fishing at Possum Kingdom. We have alligator stories and of course we have hook stories. All I can say about them is: the best thing a person can do is learn to remove a hook. Just like any other sport, it can be dangerous. Anytime you have a heavy weight, hook or hooks, a 6 to 7 foot rod and you are casting, accidents can happen.

These are but a few of my many fishing stories. I'm sure there are many more to come!

She is still in Lake Fork making babies for next time. This replica was done by Ron Kelly of Artistic Wildlife Gallery.

A version of the following article appeared in Honey Hole Magazine in November, 1998.

I have been addicted to fishing for years for I grew up a stones throw from Town Creek, a branch of the Trinity River. I have hunted and fished up and down the creek my entire childhood. My Dad and Uncle taught me about fishing.

The first time I tried an artificial lure, I was about 11 years old. My Uncle Butch took Ricky, my brother, and I to Sunshine Lake, a private lake at the time. We caught 25 Bass on a shyster and I was hooked. Then the gamekeeper ran us off, but that’s another story.

I started reading a BASS Master Magazine when I was 16 and I longed for a boat and all the equipment.

Marriage and Children changed that goal but I found an item called a float tube and spent many a summer day in one. I tried to learn to fish like the pros; worms, crank, bait, et cetera.

Many things have changed in my life but fishing has been a constant.

I remarried and decided to borrow my brother’s 16 ft Bass boat Terry BFA. We went to Possum Kingdom Lake. Nanda caught a 3 lb. Black Bass on a buzz bait. She was hooked! We took that Boat out every chance we got.

Then one ICEY and SNOWY day in January, 1988, I mentioned they were having a boat show at Fort Worth. I was read the riot act: No we cannot afford a boat; No we do not need one just yet, maybe in a year or so. I agreed but still.....it would be fun to look at the new boats and the new tackle. So Nanda, our kids and myself went to the BIG Boat show. I was like a kid in a candy shop looking at and comparing models of boats and motors and dreaming a dream. Then, I noticed Nanda was missing and I went to look for her. She was at the Skeeter Boat dealer signing our life away! I said "We cannot afford one." "We can afford this one!" she replied. "Maybe next year," I reminded her. "This was a great deal and they are going up in price after the show!" she stated implacably. I gave up. We now owned our first boat, a Skeeter SD125.

That very same night we met Jerry and Deb for the first time. We signed up with Honey Hole Magazine and are life time members. Jerry and Deb are our long-time compadres.

I am lucky to have a wife that is also a fishing partner. Buying gifts got easier! We spend quality time together even though 17 or 18 feet separate us and we are alone, no phone no faxes or computers.

We joined a Bass club and fished for a couple of years. We fished a couple top six and any six events and did ok. We also bought a bigger and faster boat, but that time I picked the boat and Nanda picked the colors. I cannot ask for better than that!

I'm not able to fish as often as I would like to due to injuries and illnesses and I would die if I did not get to fish at all. I get excited just taking out the tackle box and trying to figure out what they are going to bite, and I alternate baits in case the fish want McDonald's instead of a Hot Dog.

We get up in the early hours of the morning, hook up the boat and double-check to make sure everything is okay, and then we head out. The closer we get to the lake, the greater the anticipation grows. Finally we are there and we back down and launch and fire up the big motor, and after we put on our life jackets and check our checklist, we're ready to go fishing!

As you idle out to the no wake buoys Adrenalin is rushing through your body. Throttle-up is almost like launching in a Rocket ship and then you’re on a plane headed out to the next great adventure. The lake has cooler temperatures than the air at the house and you pass through pockets of air 20 degrees cooler than what you're accustomed to. It just charges your soul. Your senses come to life all at once.

You arrive at the first spot and shut down the big engine and you glide across the water with only the noise of the water against the boat's hull till you come to a complete stop. You then drop the trolling motor. Then the first cast. Then the working of the lure. Then the first beam of light comes from the morning over the mountains or trees, the feeling is UNMATCHED by any other experience anywhere at anytime. If you do not believe in a heavenly creator you have never been on the water to watch a sunrise. The only thing close to that experience is being there for the sunset.

Now your mind turns to the first tap on the worm for this was the reason you started your quest so very early in the morning. The size of the fish only matters in tournaments and for eating. The catch is the thrill no matter if it is a one pounder or a new personal best. We all remember our biggest fish or our first catch but I remember the ones that bite on the slow days too. This is the best therapy in the world!

Look at all the excitement before you even land your first fish! You leave stress at the boat ramp and your troubles melt away with each cast. Yes, fishing is an addiction that I do not want a cure for!

I was prompted to write the article above for people who have not been fishing, or do not understand fishing. I have been asked on numerous occasions, "Why do you go fishing?" I thought this article might help people to better understand my need to fish. It takes many years to get this way, it usually does not happen overnight, but on rare occasions it does. And the need to fish cannot be completely explained by one fisherman in one story.

"This is samm, the designer of this site and Bill & Nanda's 'friend from Canada', and I have briefly commandeered their site (one page of it) to tell a samm and Bill tale I think is cute. Hope you enjoy it!"