rsimms, Nickajack (Riverpark), Catfish, 8-4-2009, The Sims Family

[FishNews]

I enjoy every fishing trip, but some are a notch higher on the ladder of fun than others. Such was the case today fishing with Cody Sims, and his youngsters Conner & Sarah.<br /><br />The Sims Family (perhaps long, lost cousins) from Trenton, Ga. are enjoying a little "Staycation" as they do fun stuff close to home before the youngsters head back for school. I'm so glad they included a fishing trip with me in their plans.<br /><br />The Sims's haven't fished very much, and really weren't sure what to expect. It didn't take Sarah but about 3 minutes to find out when a 9-pound cat slammed her good.<br /><br />I was fishing the same place, same way as the weekend, but the cats were MUCH hotter today. We smoked 'em good. Sarah first fish however maintained the "big fish of the day" lead, until right at the end when Conner stuck one that didn't want to give up. A 13-pound cat on spinning tackle in the river current is some serious fun!<br /><br />The Sims's headed back to Trenton with a cooler jam-packed with catfish. We even had to release a couple of smaller ones to make room for Conner's "biggun," which he of course wanted to show off to Mom.<br /><br />Some serious s broke out on the river this morning... and that makes a fishing guide feel extra special about what he sometimes calls "work." And that means life is good and gettin' better every day.