Big Piney Creek Fishing Trip August 21, 2017

 A few pictures of my recent fishing trip to Big Piney Creek, Arkansas. My plan was to catch a gar and bring it home for a cooking video. However, I did not manage to catch one despite seeing them everywhere. After several hours of casting in 97F humid heat I decided to spend a little time fishing just for fun. The fish were small and I did not take any home. But I did have a great time. 

 I have to cover up in the summer or the sun would burn me beyond recognition. 

 Big Piney Creek is one of my favorite places to go fishing. The fish seem to be smaller than what I catch out on the big Arkansas River, but I love the scenery and privacy of the creek. It is more wild and secluded. 

 Every now and then I put down the fishing pole and become a hobby botanist. The banks of the creek are lined with this Rose Mallow (Hibiscus moscheutos), a native hibiscus. 

 I caught a nice crappie on my favorite brush pile. This one looks bigger than it was and I decided not to take it home. 

 I caught another smaller crappie later while trolling on the way to a new spot. 

 Going up Little Piney Creek I saw a lot of trees in the water. 

 The current was quit strong and I did not even try to fish there. I let the current drift me back down the creek and started fishing for catfish in the shade of trees along the creek bank. 

 I caught many catfish but they were all too small to take home. 

 More catfish, all small. I must have caught and released over 10 of them. It was still fun. I have caught bigger catfish there before, but not this time. 

 On my way back I came upon a spot where small largemouth bass were feeding voraciously on smaller fish. With a jig I caught several of them in no time, but had to release them all because they were too small.   

 All in all it was a fun day, but very exhausting due to the heat and humidity.