The Great Outdoors
by Larry Whiteley
THE MAGICAL DAYS OF AUTUMN
Autumn is a much-needed relief from a long, hot summer. Autumn is cool nights and mornings. A jacket or sweater hanging by the door. Wood smoke from chimneys and campfires drifts through the air. Geese honk their way south in a V- formation. Deer move through fields and colorful forests in their urgency to mate. Duck hunters and duck dogs are getting ready. Fish feed heavily in preparation for winter. Fishermen also are rewarded with the color of autumn leaves reflected in the water.
The changing of leaves is a big part of autumn’s magic. As days get shorter, other colors replace the green in tree leaves. The leaf veins seal themselves and do not allow the leaf to replace the chlorophyll that gives the leaf its green color. The yellow, orange, reds and brown pigments, already in the leaf, shine through. If the days of fall are warm and sunny with cool nights, colors will be at their brightest.
Get away from the desk, the computer, the TV, the smartphone. Go fishing, get in a treestand, take a hike, go camping or take a drive in the country. It is time to enjoy the magical days of autumn.
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
“If a year was tucked inside of a clock, then autumn would be the magic hour.”
– Victoria Erickson, Author
OLD BOONES FISHING TIP
Fall lake turnover causes crappie to move around more. That means you need to move around more too. The turnover and the change that comes with it can make crappie unpredictable. Places you always catch crappie will not produce. But, a place you have always passed up will. Autumn crappie can test your skill and your patience. But, when you figure it all out, you will be rewarded. Besides, autumn is a beautiful time to be on a lake fishing. Enjoy it!
THE BANANA SUPERSTITION
Lots of fishermen have a superstition about having a banana on their boat. That is because stories of bananas on boats date back to the early 1700s. At that time, wooden sailing ships that carried bananas had to travel quickly in order to get them to where they were going before they spoiled. Because of the boat’s speed, crew members trying to fish did not have much luck.
Another reason for the banana superstition is that when another ship came upon a shipwreck, the only visible sign was mostly the floating cases of bananas bobbing up and down. They blamed the bananas for the lives that were lost.
Probably the best reason for this superstition is that bananas provided a way for venomous spiders to get on board wooden cargo ships. Back then it was hard to treat spider bites at sea. Many died from their bites. The deaths were again blamed on the bananas.
It really doesn’t matter where this superstition first started. Just don’t ever try to get on someone’s boat with a banana in your pocket.
