October sure did sneak up quick and before you know it, it will be
Thanksgiving and then when you turn around it will be Christmas. But if you’ve been to a department store lately you might be under the impression that Christmas is already here.
There is a lot to look forward to in between Halloween and Christmas like obviously Thanksgiving but not only that, there is the World Series, gigging season is still underway and deer season too. Why would you want to fast forward through these months to get to Christmas?
Last fall was the first time I engaged in the sport of fish gigging. Growing up in the Ozarks and just a few miles from the Niangua River, you’d think that giggin would be a normal recreational activity for me. Maybe I hadn’t been given the opportunity, maybe I had and just didn’t take it or maybe my dad just likes time with the guys on the river, whatever the case, it finally happened.
My sister and her husband along with some of their friends spend a lot of time at night on the river during the fall months. So, when the opportunity came about, I put on my Carhartt coveralls, hoodie, jacket, gloves, stocking hat and boots and got in the truck. By this time it was mid-December and 10 o’clock at night so it was a tad bit chilly. The jon boat, campfire and friends were already waiting for us.
First of all, no one told me that you had to STAND in the front of the jon boat with the 14-foot gig while keeping your balance. Gravity and I already have a problem getting along, so I was terrified of losing my balance while throwing the spear and sure enough would fall into the icy water below.
But here we were already at the river so I might as well go through with it. Plus, if my sister can do it, so can I, right? The runner lights are on and an experienced gigger controlling the boat, so in I go. I climb to the front, lean against the metal railings, grab the gig and give this thing a shot.
I spot a fish, raise and release my spear and miss. Try again and again miss. The fish are fast and their reflection in the water is deceiving. Eventually, someone was kind enough to let me in on a little secret – throw slightly ahead of the fish. I successfully gigged one fish that night.
Here it is three weeks into gigging season and I am yet to go back. God bless,
