PATIENCE SERVES KARSYN WELL

For The Record -For The Record- By Capt Dickie Colburn

Afternoon after afternoon and weekend after weekend, Michael Vaughan and his seven year old daughter Karsyn climbed into their deer stand and waited for a shot at a special deer.From Day 1 until the final day of youth season and regardless of weather conditions, they repeated that scenario.

It was not that she had not had several other opportunities that she patiently passed on nor was it the mounting pressure of having her older sister, Reagan, having bagged her buck on the opening day of youth season with her Grandpa Kevin that motivated the youngster. Karsyn set her sights on a massive buck that she named “Brows” due to his enormous brow length earlier in the season and would settle for nothing less.

A frustrating, but unforgettable season was all but over when she climbed in the truck on the final day. It appeared that the countless hours spent scanning the woods for one more glimpse of “Brows”, the memories of long whispered conversations with her Dad and the sleepless nights of anticipation would have to do.

I have never deer hunted a day in my life, but I can only imagine the adrenalin rush and excitement Karsyn and Michael experienced when “Brows” unexpectedly exited the cover of the tree line and eased their way.A fantastic shot, as attested to by the folks that have hunted with her and Michael, there was no doubt that this would be a fatal mistake for the buck.

Dad was undoubtedly for more anxious than daughter as she shouldered her 22-250 Remington and squeezed off the perfect shot. I don’t know if it is ethical to jump up and down and high five as much in relief as celebration immediately following such an event, but I have celebrated far less.

There is no doubt that Karsyn Vaughan will kill many more deer in her lifetime, but regardless of the size of the deer, none will be more memorable. More importantly, there is a pretty good chance that Michael will be there when it happens again!

The only bump in the road for Sabine Lake fishermen over the past week was a southwest wind that made fishing the Louisiana side of the lake all but impossible.That has been the preferred side of the lake basically because the water clarity has been a little better most days from Coffee Ground all the way to Green’s.

When the wind has allowed anglers to fish the Texas side it has been productive as well.I have no idea why the river is dirtier than the lake as we have suffered through no major rain events and Toledo Bend is releasing very little water, but that is very much the case.

While the numbers were down a little last week for the trout fishermen, there were at least two more big fish caught.Brad Robison caught a 28 inch trout that ate a topwater lure in three feet of water.He wasn’t into sharing the make or color of the lure, but did say that he caught the fish about thirty minutes after dark.

Dallas Smith caught an eight pound trout that ate his live shrimp while fishing the north revetment wall.He caught the fish around noon and added that it was the only fish he caught that day!

Bass Assassin’s new 5-inch Salty Snack continues to draw rave reviews, especially from folks that just hate fishing a Corky.It is a tail that is shaped much like a Corky Devil that you rig on the worm hook enclosed in the package.I only had two packages (three tails in a package) and they lasted two clients all day long.

After losing the first three or four fish they hooked, I rigged the exposed hook with more of the hook outside the body and they lost only one more fish.It sinks in a horizontal position and doesn’t twist as advertised.The only color I had was chicken on a chain, but I think it comes in seven other colors.

Even locating any scattered grass at the most productive depths is still a challenge for Toledo Bend anglers, but the bite has been good.Carolina rigged craw worms and lizards in any watermelon combination have been good as have six inch worms rigged on a shaky head.

You know the spawn is on when you have trouble finding a parking space at the launch on a week day!