In fishing, sometimes simplicity simply works best

I was recently reminded of some great characters I met many years go in north-central Wisconsin. There were two in particular who had lived and traveled the high road, in both job and financial scenarios.

I admit to not being enthralled with trolling, but with Edward, a retired bookkeeper living near Wausau, I acquired a new respect for anglers who plumb the depths in search of their next meal(s).

Edward was good with hand tools, so one day he decided to build a wooden boat for use on the lake where he lived. It took a year, and when finished he decided he would rarely use an outboard motor on this particular body of water.

I was fishing on Edward's lake one long weekend when he rowed over in his beautiful watercraft after seeing me land a couple bass.

"Like crappies?" he asked.

I told him I loved to find the schools and take a bunch home. He explained how he row-trolls the lake with long bamboo poles sticking out from the stern, and usually locates large, suspended schools of slab crappie. Then he rowed off to one of his favorite hot spots.

He worked one stretch of water for an hour, getting hits and fish on both poles. When it appeared he was all done he waved me over.

"You're welcome in my boat," he said, "and I'll show how I do it."

I graciously declined and told him I would rather watch him do his thing.

"You know," he said, "I've had the fancy bass boats, the fancy rod and reels that cost me a pretty penny, and every imaginable lure, but I wanted to do something that reminded me of the times when I was a kid and didn't have two nickels to rub together. And row-trolling with $2 bamboo poles filled in those pieces of the puzzle for me."

He admitted he has raised some small muskies when trolling around nearby lakes.

"Sometimes I'll use some large shiners on a good-size hook," he said, "and when I get a tooth job striking it, I'll throw the pole in to the water and follow it around the lake until the muskie gets tired."

The other "make-it-simple" guy was Sam, a retired truck driver from Chicago's south side. He's no longer around, but he sure lived a full life fishing and hunting in northern Wisconsin.

I met Sam in an old gas station after a day of grouse hunting north of Hayward, Wis. He invited me to fish his honey hole near Cable.

"The only bait I use are salamanders I catch in the shallows," he said.

Often some anglers use the term "water dog" in place of salamander. Believe me, these critters send a distinct message to fish in the form of "come hither, dinner is served."

His partially filled bait bucket looked like it belonged in the serpent house at Lincoln Park Zoo. I've been with Al Lindner when he used the waterdog for bait and nailed a 51/2-pound bucketmouth.

Sam's rods consisted of a trio of old fiberglass sticks and some Mitchell 300s spooled with 10-pound mono. His hooks looked like throwbacks to the late '40s, but one did the job when he hauled in a 6-pound largemouth bass.

Again, another situation where for these two old salts and their simple tactics, their angling efforts produced phenomenal results.

angler@mikejacksonoutdoors.com