4 Lefties....Our 2012 'Bama Adventure! ( finished up)

[Ray Lyon]

We've watched the Bowhush girls grow up into beautiful young ladies and now we're watching Cade grow up into a fine looking young bow hunter.  Cool stuff for sure.  Time is a flying.

The kids posts here are definately highlights.  

[Guru]

We were in the water for about five minutes....

Now I can't remember if Don saw the fish and pointed it out to Cade, or Cade saw it himself....but next thing I see Cade drawing down on something....I look into the water just in time to see Cade's arrow perfectly skewer a gar!
 I saw his arrow go at least half way through it!

The very first fish we saw!

I knew there was no need to help him...this fish wasn't getting off!
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I bet in the previous 2 times I've been down to Alabama with Don and Sky I've shot at close to 15 gar and never hit one...he'd gotten one before me!

I couldn't believe it, his first shot and he'd already shot and landed a fish...I/we were blown away!

I know we saw a couple more fish, and we probably missed a couple....then we found the buffalo!

Cade draws and shoots at a very big fish, drills it, and the fight was on!
I knew he'd need a little help fighting this one! he got it close, then I tried to help him land it...
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"get the gaff!"
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His arrow had penetrated and held on this whopper!
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He had shot and landed his first buffalo!
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We were once again blown away at what was happening! We weren't on the water a half hour and he'd landed two fish already!

This was going to be special!

A couple minutes later, I see him a draw and shoot again...he drills another big buff!

This time it looks as though his arrow isn't in very far, so I draw and shoot it as it speeds by in front of me. I told him I wouldn't even pull on my line unless his arrow fell out.

He fought the fish right to the boat, and with some help landed another big buff...his arrow held again!
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There was no stopping him now...he'd made it over a huge hurdle!  What a feeling for me to watch this happen right before my eyes...I couldn't believe it!

Then the old pro got into the act...
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The next couple hours it was pretty crazy when we got on the fish....a lot more to come...

[cacciatore]

[eminart]

NICE! I've had a lot of fun shooting fish in those waters.

[Guru]

Cade's red striped arrow in another fish!
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By now he was fighting them all by himself until they got to the boat...
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Check out the smile on his face...
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Another big buff!!!
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Sky with another big boy...
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Another whopper buff for Cade!
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He was hammering fish like an old pro, his arrows were penetrating, and they were holding! I couldn't have dreamed it up any better!!

stay tuned.....

[Guru]

Up to this point I had not landed a single fish, I'd shot at a couple and either lost them or missed.  I was mostly just watching Cade and Sky shoot, and helping Cade when he needed it.

There were also some fish we didn't get pix of because we lost them at the boat while trying to lift them or gaff them...we were having a great night!

Just in case you haven't figured it out yet, Skyler can shoot!
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Don and I kept talking about how Cade had "figured it all out" and how he was doing just fine all on his own except getting them in the boat. It was time for me to get serious about shooting a few fish.

My first landed fish of the night, a big ol' common carp...
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And there's that red striped arrow again!
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Not to be outdone, Cade with a giant common carp!
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Cruizin' along on a slow stretch, we spotted a real nice gar on our side of the boat....Cade drew, I drew...and I released on his release...in a split second both of our arrows were in the gar with Cade's arrow striking a tad before mine...I'd finally hit a gar, and he hit it before me!

The gar instantly went for the only bit of cover around and got hung up. Don quickly got the boat turned around and I got everything untangled and handed Cade the lines.
 
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This is a cool picture...
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Good stuff!
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[kbetts]

Almost as if someone flipped a switch.

I see some very busy years ahead.....
Congrats on a milestone!

[J. Holden]

Those fish are as big as him!  Nice shooting Cade.
-Jeremy  

[Guru]

Originally posted by kbetts:
Almost as if someone flipped a switch.

I see some very busy years ahead.....
Congrats on a milestone!

It really was, we couldn't believe what was unfolding before our eyes!

Thank you!

[Guru]

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Whistlin' dixie....
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Don had Cade lay besides the fish to show their size...
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He was having the time of his life!
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Skyler boated the next fish...another whopper buffalo!
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The blue slide on that arrow means I got an arrow into one...
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And it's a big one!
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Up to this point I believe this was the biggest of the night...up to this point...
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Something very unexpected coming up....

[Jack Guard]

Oh man, i have been waiting to see these picture.  I heard about it in part of a phone call and it sounded like a great time.  

Congrats Cade.  Nice shooting.  You and Skyler are a heck of a team.  

Humm, funny Curt, your dry in all those picture ??

[Yellow Dog]

Super stuff     A lifetime of memories to come!

[Guru]

The fish were piling up, and this wasn't all of them...remember we'd been losing some next to the boat or flopping back in the water before we could get a picture...
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He was making it look easy...
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As was Skyler...
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Then I got an arrow into what ended up being the the biggest of the night...
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Skyler with yet another big buff...
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Then "it" happened....
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Cade hammered another real big buffalo and as he was wrestling it to the boat like a champ...I went for the gaff...

I got the gaff and as Cade got the buff close to the boat, I got the gaff under it and with a quick upward strike, got a solid hit into the fish...but feeling the gaff strike home, the big buff pulled back and got me off balance....

I teetered for a second on the tip of my toes bent over at the waist, but the fish pulled again and I grabbed for the light nearest to me.....the light started to give....by now I'm sure you know whats coming....
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When I looked up I saw a horrified look in Cade's face!  I could tell he thought I was about to drown or something!

After calming him down I just sat in the water for a second and could hear Skyler saying ...

"camera, camera, camera!"   I thought he wanted someone to take a picture....so I just stayed in the water and laughed...

Then it hit me, he was yelling at me because he knew my camera was in the pouch on my belt!!!!

I pulled myself out of the water as quickly as I could....but I'm afraid I was too late!

My camera was fried!!!!!

[DW]

Except for the camera, this was very funny and just added to an already great trip that was only hours old. The same thing nearly happened to me as I was gaffing one for Sky...those big Buffalo can be very strong.

[kennym]

Most excellent guys!! Good shootin, and great fish!!      

[Guru]

Thank goodness it was so warm, both the water and the air temperature!

We continued to have at it....

Don has the rest of the pix for this night....

[Shinken]

WOW!  That was a *most-excellent* fishing excursion!

Thank you for sharin' the adventure and the young lads' delight!

               

Memories for a lifetime....

Shoot straight, Shinken

   

[leatherneck]

Great looking trip guys! Congrats to you all.

Curt, you scared all the fish away.    

[Guru]

Thanks guys...but it's far from over!

[DW]

Curt and I were both taking pics and I will try to not repeat any pics.....