“Cousin Don came to Tennessee to see us and do a little fishing. We looked up some portable fish finder reviews and decided to get before we went fishing, I also purchased a new rod. After two days in the cold and rain the third day was sunny and 60 degrees.  We caught a variety of fish over the three days but this Paddlefish that Don caught on light tackle ( 10 lb. braided line, with 8 lb mono leader,  # 6 hook,and one of Smitty’s large minnows ) was the highlight of the three days. He tells the story much better than I can, but I had two other lines in the water with a fish on one of them when he hooked the Paddlefish. He kept telling me that he had a big fish on we needed to follow it.  By the time I got my lines in and tried to move with the fish with the trolling motor, I realized that I had sheared a pin in the trolling motor.  During all of that the fish had stripped all the line off Don’s reel and he was trying to hold the fish. By some stroke of luck the fish came up and surfaced and I was able to grab hold of his bill.  He was heavy enough that I could not lift him over the side of the boat and Don had to grab his tail.  There was a Guide boat fishing near us and I asked them if they had a scale that we could weigh the fish because my digital scale did not work.  They didn’t have a scale but Chad Ferrell of Fish On Guided Tours  offered to take a picture. Chad estimated that the fish would go about 50 lbs.  It sure seemed like more but I am sure he was right.  What a great climax to three days of fishing.  Note: After the picture, we held the fish in the water for about 15 minutes to make sure it could swim away.   Keep on Fish’n,  Dick”

Just another day in paradise!  See ya’ll on the river.