Next step?

[D. kevin Hogue]

I am almost done with the green book. Should I send for the home study program? Or am I still to stupid for this Duplex?

[John Bales]

Kevin, Duplex is a pretty good spoonplugger. Your not....................... When you show your catches on your own, then you can get a bit cocky and you will deserve to do so. John Actually....... the stupid is showing right now!!!!

[Kevin McClure]

I would definitately send off and get it. The Green Book is a text that I try to keep with me at all times. Whenever I am waiting somewhere or have a few moments, I will open it up and read a few pages. (I study it as well, but I like to review all the time) The Blue Book, (The Home Study Course) is approx 640 pages. It is a much more in depth study of the Green Book and I think it is 8 volumes in 9 full size booklets, 8.5 x 11 or something close, with two of them being a part 1 and part 2. Please keep us posted on your progress. You will love the Home Study Course. Best regards. Kevin McClure

[spnplgrkenny]

Hey D.Kevin Hogue
Maybe it was just me…but it was until I got on the water did all the material start to make sense. Since that first time I have read the green book many many times, and still pickup things every time.
As we all know The home study course goes into great depth on each chapter from the green book…but without eating, sleeping, and drinking it passionately, it doesn’t really matter how much we read. Countless hours months and years spent on many different waters is what makes the difference….knowing that most 12 hour days you spend with the motor running that your lucky to experience one hour of active movements, depending on all the conditions that the book teaches us.

Also Kevin, If I had a dollar for every time I was chewed out by one of the veteran spoonpluggers, I would be rich…but their brutal honesty has made a massive difference in my ability. All the greats such as Frank Hamill, John Bales, Wayne Alford, Jerry Borst and Jim Duplex have always been completely honest with me. Sometimes their words hurt me….but I knew it was for my on good.
I speak to John on the phone often….and believe me, if there is something that he doesn’t agree with…he bluntly lets me know…just ask Fran, to me, this is the mark of a man.
As for Mr. Duplex…I consider him a friend….I have called him on a few occassions, and he has helped me considerably, so I have the utmost respect for him, he is truly one of the best.
Spoonpluggers is like one big family, no jealously, no envy. I say read all the material that you can get your hands on… find one of the greats, and spend as much time with them as you possibly can. If you have that burning passion, you will succeed!!.

[Kevin McClure]

I think there are to many Kevin's in this post. Kenny, I'm assuming your post was for D. Kevin Hogue and not Kevin McClure. Good stuff to think about. The first time I saw Don Dickson's On The Water: Mapping and Interpretation video and also John Bale's excellent DVD's, it was like they were in a foreign language. I've watched them a couple dozen times now, and they have really helped me get some answers to questions that I've had on both the Green Book and the Home Study Course. I always try to learn something new everytime I'm on the water. Kevin McClure

[Fran Myers]

I just want to say that Kenny writes like a beginner but he's in the Elite class so what he says carries a lot of weight. Nice to see you back and hope things are going well.

Kevin your absolutely right. It is not easy to take what read and the make it work in the boat. Do not feel bad if you feel like you're not getting it. You will feel somewhat disconnected until you actually get some quality time on water.

I'm not certain where your located but if you can one of the most helpful things I've found is to ride with other spoonpluggers occaisionally or even with an instructor just to see what they are doing. Many times I find I've misunderstood what I read and I was able o change my technique. Even more importantly I get confidence when I see I'm doing something correctly.

The biggest thing you can do is just get on water and struggle, fight, and just figure things out. Pretty soon you'll realize that your catching more and bigger fish. Pretty soon you'll have a friend in the boat with you and think you had a slow day. The funny part will be your friend had the best trip in his life. Your perspective is changing.

Keep at it, set little goals, and try to work on little things every time you go out.

[Bink]

I just want to say Fran writes like a pro but couldn't catch crabs in a whore house so what he says carries zero weight.

[Fran Myers]

Ok I see where this came from...

I said 'Kenny writes like a beginner'. What I intended to say and from the deepest part of my heart 'Kenny writes like he's a beginning Spoonplugger but'. I can understand why anyone reading the above post would be offended but honestly my mind was typing faster than my fingers on my new iPhone...obviously not a pro writer.

To all who might have been put off, I really didn't mean how it read. I'm sorry.

[Kevin McClure]

We're cool Fran. The way I read your post was that since he is talking about beginning stuff, one might misinterpret that he is a beginner when in fact you have a lot of respect for him as a Spoonplugger. You believe he is a knowlegeable Spoonplugger.
It was kind of funny though, Fran. Give a guy a complement and whack him over the head in the same sentence. But I've read enough of your posts to know you wouldn't give someone the business unless he had it coming and you meant what you said as a complement. That's one of the sad things about the written word. You can't always see someones face, etc. to get their mannerisms and things don't always come across the way you meant. Kevin McClure

[Steve Craig]

Geez Fran,
Poor Kenny hasnt posted here for months, and when he comes back(at my urging too), you rip him a new one!
FWIW, I feel he is a very good writer and poster here. We need more Kenny Hyde's, Jim Duplex's, and Jim Shells posting on this board!

Kenny thanks for reposting your very good post. I for one appreciate it!
Steve

[Fran Myers]

Steve, I have missed Kenny's posts and videos. He's a busy guy getting pulled in a lot of different directions. Hopefully he'll post more. Some of my biggest improvements in Spoonplugging have been doing what he told me.

BTW Bink, I may not catch many fish but I can catch craps...

[Jerry Borst]

Kenny we are very glad to see you back, we've all missed your input. Thanks again for sharing your time and experiences! Hope all is well. Dale, "If" you stick with this long enough.... You may get a chance to meet a guy like Kenny and I assure you there is no finer of a human being and not a bad fisherman either...

D,K, Heres a couple of tips, you've read the book, great now read it again! Then put the book down, put the blinders on and go fishing as soon as the ice comes off the water. If you hve to drive south or go to a cooling lake but go as often as you can and learn to control the depth and speed of your lures. Learn what it takes to hit every depth on the troll down to 15'. When you get to the river I want you to knowing something

Do not seek advice from other fishermen,,,,  they don't know what you now know, no matter how pretty their rig, in fact imho in most cases the more they have spent the less they know! However, don't let it go to your head just yet cause being book smart is one thing and having the gumption and the tenacity to be successful is quite another.Do your absolute best to stick to the guidelines laid out in Bucks material, you will be temped to short cut the system, resist! Buck says the fisherman needs to learn to do only 4 things physically, he needs to learn to troll the shallows, cast the shallows, troll deep structure and cast deep structure. Once the fisherman learns to present lures with a degree of accuracy, that's the easy part. After that it will come down to the decisions you make on and off the water. This is the area we all strive to get better.

 I never payed much attention to the "distractions".... Yourself included ha ha but with your good sense of humor, you'll be fine! Jim's a good guy and very good spoonplugger! Everyone on this board will sincerely try and point you in the right direction, its is a good place to ask questions, now whether you want to debate the best "color", you may get ignored. 

After putting a few hundred miles under your boat and you begin to see some success you'll become a where of why things are the way they are and who did all the real work.

[spnplgrkenny]

Jerry Borst, Thank You for the kind words!!!. The feeling is mutual!!! I really enjoyed your above post, great advice by a great spoonplugger.

When I first became a spoonplugger, all I wanted to do was please the great Frank Hamill. When I think back to his teachings, he reminds me of one of the old legendary football coaches. Frank could be very stern, but he also had that nack of making you believe that you were going to be great and theres nothing you couldn’t achieve. Failure was never an option with him, only a learning experience. In the beginning, he was very blunt, he laid it on the line of what he expected from me, and he explained that anything less from me was a waste of his and my time. He taught me to be relentless and never give up. Frank had a way of getting you so fired up each fishing day, you feel like you could run through a brick wall. To this day, when I am down, I call frank up, and he stands me right back up. I think it’s important to tell someone when they do a good job. It makes us strive to want to please.
I used Franks methods to supervise young firefighters, and believe me, his teachings helped me mold some of the finest young men I have ever known.
Great spoonpluggers like Jerry Borst makes us all want to reach for the stars. What Mr. Perry created many years ago makes it possible!!.
Thanks again deep water champ!!!!

[slp]

Kenny, always enjoy your words of wisdom....plugging and life in general. I can honestly say that multiple trips with you , Wayne Alford, and Steve Craig to Ten. and Florida lakes learning from you guys has helped me understand so much about Spoonplugging. Talking with Jim, Fran, John, and Dave Bishop at the last two jambories at Kentucky/Barkley gave me more insite to figuring out huge lakes and structures. I am retired now and plan on participating and spoonplugging much more. Glad to see you back Kenny.

[Steve Craig]

Glad you are back on here too, Steve!
Thanks for your kind words as well.
Looking forward to seeing and hearing more out of you.
How's the dance lessons go?!!!!