I feel the need,
the need to cast and wind;
for the fish to feed,
and bite upon my line.

From the tiniest of perch,
to biggest largemouth bass;
as long as my line will lurch,
each time I make a cast.

Crank baits, worms or spinners,
I really just don't care;
as long as I catch dinner,
and a few more for fun to spare.

Casting lines
dropping jigs
some of them tipped with pig

Chicken liver
on the river
channel, Blues or yellow cats

Texas Rig
rattle Trap
pull out that hot spot map

Spinner baits
attracting blades
casting lures in the shade

Spin cast
snoopy pole
custom rod, medium fast

Crappie and largemouth
catfishing in the south
lakes or rivers, even streams
sometimes of the gulf we dream

Finger mullet on the line
waiting on the drag to whine
sharks or rays, even trout,
man that what it's all about

Whiting or croaker
let's go catch some Redfish
or salmon for the smoker

Northern pike and walleyes
white bass and panfish
fishing under blue skies

Bring a rod and a reel
tackle box and cold beer
at the lake its the deal

Cast and wind
catch and clean
fried blackened or steamed

Cast out your worm, Texas rigged
work the lure till you get a bite
set the hook and enjoy the fight
if not, then switch to a blue-black jig

Ask me what I want to do, go fish
if I had a genie, it’s what I would wish
in the lake, river, creek or pond
eagerly cast next to a fern frond

Wiggle my bait and work it some more
hoping a fish cannot ignore
flipping up under docks
or the edges of piles of rocks

Working the tree stumps
waiting on a big thump
on my lure, adrenaline pumps
waiting for the end of my rod to jump

Bass, on Carolina, Alabama, or Texas rigs
crappie and pan fish I’ll catch on a jig
white bass and hybrids, on slabs and spoons
I have even caught them casting at  loons

Sam Rayburn, Cedar Creek or Lake Fork
I’m getting excited just like a dork
Tawakoni, Amistad, or Nacogdoches
if I ran out of bait, man I would use roaches

Livingston, Stryker, or the Trinidad  Lake
catching some fish, fry them up on a plate
bait cast, and spin cast, pushbuttons oh wow
I also can fly-fish, I taught myself how

Gar, carp and buffalo, anything that bites
looking for something to make my line tight
Matagorda, or Galveston, or Port A
I have no problems fishing  the bay

Intercoastal waterway or out in the surf
no problems cooking surf and turf
Black drum, Red fish or Speckled trout
as long as they’re biting I’ll never pout

Whiting, and Croakers and even Hardheads
catching are fun, getting the slime off you dread
gaff tops are pretty, but just as slimy nasty
I’ve never had any, I hear their pretty tasty

Flounders are flat and so are sting rays
but if that’s what’s biting I’ll fish everyday
jacks, and mackerel and bonnet head sharks
so many fish in the ocean, that’s just a start.

How about invasives, silver carp and snakeheads
cast for the snakehead, jumping carp in a net
I’ve fished lots of bass, native and Florida strain
but there is one thought that sticks in my brain

Is I’d like to go catch some peacock bass
top water action would really kick ***.
catch and release or serve it up in a dish
as you can see I really love to fish

Golden tail showing
Eyespot above the water line
Cast bait, hopefully

Twitch the line, lure moves
Attention gained, tail twitches
Propels forward fast

Explosion, water splash
Lure swallowed, fight has begun
**** on line, hook sets

Drag is whining loud
Reel engaged, brace for impact
Hang on tight, hard pull

The rod is half bent
Creaks in pain from the straining
Stiffens now, fights back

Retrieve the slack, reel
Wind in the line against wrath
Fish begins to tire

Waist deep in waders
Gold color under water
Glides close, trophy caught.

Camera out, smile
Trophy lifted, photo done
Freedom, fish released

Out in the wild
Stream trickles through the field
I continue to hike, I will not yield.
Stop for a bit, sandwich bite, onion mild

Continue on to a spot I know
Hiking on with my pack
Sweating, almost there though, oh my back
Nobody but me has been there though.

Approach so I don't cast a shadow
Pack down, gear unpacked, rod assembled
Line fed, leader tied, tippet and fly, mayfly resembled
couple of back casts out into the meadow

Cast made, fly lands, begins to float downstream
Into the eddy, as it swirls across smooth stone
something eases to the surface looks at the fly, clear water shone
Life is good, water trickles, standing in the sunbeams

No bite, the line whips back
different landing spot
Middle of the day its hot
Fly floats into the shade of black

Strip line back a few times
allow the fly to swirl into the shade
huge splash the fly has paid
The price and tightens the line

Lift the rod, keep the line tight
strip a time or two, reel quick
Trout runs, stay out of the sticks
Fish landed, I win the fight

Into the creel, dinner tonight
walk aways down the stream
Look in the water for a flash and a gleam
Cast again looking for a fight

Creel full of trout
gutted and clean
hike back, keen
for dinner and a stout.

I stand in knee deep water
cold and quickly flowing
I cast my fly back and forth
where the water lillie's growing

Strip the line a few times
no bites so cast again
Take a few steps downstream
and simply rebegin

Fish for a while
no nibbles so change the fly
cast over a stump
bite knocks my bait in the sky

Cast back across
the old rotten stump
strip a few feet of line
and feel a little bump

The fight is on
not much but its fun
a green warmouth
catching fish in the sun

My little yellow fly
really does its job
so many little warmouths
on the stump, in a mob

I caught quite a few
not big enough to eat
so I move along
on a rock, I take a seat

Cool water flowing by
I relax in the sun
cast my lure to a point
I consider being done

One final cast
on the edge of some moss
Twitch my wooly ******
gets hammered by a hoss

she goes on a run
fly line is peeling
I can see the backing
drag is loudly squealing

The fight is truly on
I turn her and begin to reel
flashes or silver and green
she has fight left in her still

Tired out she finally gives up
I reel her to my side
an 8-pound bass, selfie
and I let her go in stride

I didn't catch a lot
but had a blue clear sky
If anybody asks if I caught
I'll say, I went didn't I

Columbia river, shirt and pants
walking the flats in a sting ray dance
shuffle, shuffle, slide and step
is it silly, a little, yep

Casting a torpedo, searching trout or reds
out hungry, patrolling the edge of grass beds
long cast out to a floating log
reel and pop it, as it walks the dog

Nothings biting here but, its ok
I'm not at work, and I have all day
just being in the bay is lots of fun
soaking up the salt spray and the sun

I went fishing with two witches
Out in my new boat
There was me, the witches
Two black cats, and a little pygmy goat

We sat out on the water
The small odd group and me
And in the first few hours
Not one fish did we see

The witches looked on skyward
Grabbed hands to cast a spell
They said that this worked wonders
And then they both did yell

Icarus, thickarus, giraffes and wild dogs
Lizards, and giant gnu
Bippity, Boppity, snakes and we wish
An airborne callipoe stew

Suddenly the water around the boat
Started to steam, and then it did boil
The sun disappeared, the sky went all black
And the clouds went the colour of oil

The witches both gathered the nets on the boat
As the fish came on up from the deep
They were out of the water and up in the air
And through this the goat went to sleep

Icarus, thickarus, giraffes and wild dogs
Lizards, and giant gnu
Bippity, Boppity, snakes and we wish
An airborne callipoe stew

Fish were around us, high in the air
The witches waved nets as if mad
The cats didn't move nor did the goat
It was the best catch that I'd ever had

After a while the sky turned to blue
The witches sat back with a look
We'd netted hundred of fish from the lake
Now, they would have to be cooked

Icarus, thickarus, giraffes and wild dogs
Lizards, and giant gnu
Bippity, Boppity, snakes and we wish
An airborne callipoe stew

I took the boat in, and docked on the shore
With our fish all strung up just for show
Everyone there asked what bait did we use?
I just smiled, for they weren't set to know

I go fishing with witches at least once a week
My freezer is full and then some
Their spell is amazing, it works every time
They say it loud, and fish come

Icarus, thickarus, giraffes and wild dogs
Lizards, and giant gnu
Bippity, Boppity, snakes and we wish
An airborne callipoe stew