FANTASTIC FALL

Fall is a wonderful time for many reasons.  The weather cools down, football seasons kick-off and there's plenty to do in the great outdoors.  Hunting seasons are getting into full swing and the fish are strapping on the feed bags in preparation for winter.  Fall fishing is some of the best of the year and gone are the majority of boats making a day on the water peaceful.

I got a chance to meet an old friend, Eric Sher, and make a new one, Jeff Davis, for an afternoon of crappie fishing in Jeff's boat recently at Melvern Reservoir.  Melvern is a crappie factory and there's plenty of man-made brush piles in the lake to find hungry fish.  We met at the ramp at 1 p.m. and were off in search of big slabs.  Light winds and seasonal temperatures promised a perfect day.

The bite was a bit slow and we hopped from pile to pile trying to find something more than the obligatory dinks offered in a plentiful crappie population.  Running and gunning we managed to put the occasional keeper in the boat.  Nothing huge, but all were 10-13 inches and size really doesn't matter much to me as they all look perfect frying to a golden brown in hot grease. 

We had plenty of time to chat and I learned Jeff is a transplanted Cajun.  He came here via the Army at Ft. Riley back in the early 1990s.  After his 4-year commitment he decided to make Kansas his home to raise a family and enjoy all the Sunflower State had to offer outdoors.  Crappie fishing is likely his favorite and he admits there's plenty of options near his home in eastern Kansas.

The day turned to evening and the fall colors on the surrounding hills were amplified with a gorgeous sunset.  We watched the sun dip behind the horizon and the various hues of orange, yellow and red were spectacular as they stretched across the water and finally disappeared. 

Jeff fired up his boat and we headed back to the ramp, commenting on what a wonderful day it had been.  Fishing wasn't all that impressive, despite a dozen keepers that would feed my family a wonderful meal with fish sandwich leftovers.  With results like that I can't call it slow by any stretch and we had enough action we never got bored.  Spending time on the water on a perfect fall day is never boring to me anyway.  Meeting new friends with the same interests is a bonus, too, as the Kansas outdoors is a wonderful place to be.