Challenge to TD !!

[Therapist]

Awhile back there was a thread about browns in Deer Creek.  One of the poster's had caught a nice 20+ brown up there.  TD had replied to his post and apologized for possibly stealing his thunder.  I posted a reply  where I accused TD of being modest about his exploits on DC.  I know for a fact that he has caught more 20+ browns on DC, out of his tube, on small jigs, than anyone else I know.  I challenge him to dig into the archives of his picture collection and post some of those pics.  I know of at least one where there are 4, 20+ browns and a doz or more giant perch on the tailgate of his truck.  I think everyone would like to see some of those old pics ( and of a much younger TD ).  Go for it TD !!!

[TubeDude]

The picture you mention was one I showed you when Rick and I stopped by your store on our way to another fishing trip.  Alas, that picture...along with a lot of other irreplaceable ones...was lost when someone cleaned out my storage locker while I was living in an apartment in California. 

That picture was taken after a wild September morning tubing trip around the Island at Deer Creek.  I had launched in hopes of bagging some big perch and maybe a walleye.  The young-of-the-year perch were about 2" at that time and all of the predators were herding them into the shallows and chowing down.  I was pitching some small custom painted plastics that looked like little perchlets...as I had been doing for a couple of months.  I didn't get any walleye that morning but I did score some nice footlong perch. 


AND THEN...there began to be some big swirls and splashes right off the end of the island.   I thought they might be carp...joining in on the perchlet assault.   But as I got closer I got a good look at some of the marauders.  They was big browns.  And a cast into their midst got an instant chomp.  For the next hour or so I was hooked up almost constantly with big browns...from about 18" to the mid 20" range.  Some broke off on my wimpy poor quality 4# mono.  But I did bring a few to net...keeping a limit between 20 and 24 inches. 

Those were the days of me sometimes carrying a cheap Instamatic camera...no digital.  And I sometimes had the camera with me...and I sometimes took dead fish pictures of my catch.  Not always.  I did shoot a couple of shots of those fish...and I dearly wish I still had the old photos.  But alas, some idiots in California decided they needed my storage boxes more than I did.

I somehow managed to retain some of my old pictures and some of them I converted to digital.  Here is one survivor from a trip out of Charleston in August...a month or so before the colossal trip at the Island.  It has 5 nice browns...all caught on the little custom painted tubes...fishing around the edges of the weed beds where perch, trout and bass ganged up on the small perch every evening.

[Cowboypirate]

Thats a real shame about your lost/stole photos. I really enjoy looking at photos of years gone by. I often get nostalgic and pull out Dads old albums, grab a coke, and reminisce

[TubeDude]

Thats a real shame about your lost/stole photos. I really enjoy looking at photos of years gone by. I often get nostalgic and pull out Dads old albums, grab a coke, and reminisce

Yeah, there were a lot of pics of special times and places in that box.  Fortunately, I had a lot of other pics in an album inside where it did not get taken.  We had just moved into a new apartment and my (ex)wife left the lock off the storage compartment one afternoon.  And the next morning when I went out to get something there was nothing left.  There wasn't really much else of value out there but there is still a feeling of violation when something like that happens. 

I know what you mean about the nostalgia thing.  My dad wasn't big on photos or journals but my mother was. 
She left behind a couple of lengthy life journals and albums full of old black and white pictures.  Nothing like visiting the (bleak) past to remind one how much better we have it these days.  Kinda fun to think about how things might have been in the "olden days" if there had been Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and all that stuff.  Sure woulda missed out on a lot of fun times if we had to spend all day on our phones or computers.

[Therapist]

TD, that is a huge bummer, to have had all that stolen and destroyed. Fortunately I still have some of those memories locked in my head and can recall them when needed. It is a loss for those who will never be able to experience those memories on film !!