As Big As they Grow
The heat is hardly a reason not to fish
Look, I admit it: I just don’t fish when the weather gets so darn hot.
And the older I get the less motivated I am to even think about it. […]
Articles by Paul Johnson
As Big As they Grow
Take a kid fishing today
I’ve enjoyed the company of a couple of very special kids this summer. And one of the neatest things about both these kids is that they didn’t use or, in one case, even bring a cell phone with them. […]
As Big As they Grow
The Rez — Public or private?
Recently, a crappie fishing buddy of mine called to express his dismay and disappointment that the one ramp on The Rez he is able to use had been closed. […]
As Big As they Grow
Good fishing partners are hard to find
I fish 10 to 12 tournaments a year, every year — and I’m here to tell you that good partners are hard to find.
Over the last 27 tournament seasons, I’ve had half a dozen “regular” fishing partners and another half dozen or so subs or guest partners. […]
As Big As they Grow
You can’t make stuff like this up
Fishermen are known to tell tall tales — we all know that. How do you know when a fisherman is telling a lie? His lips are moving — right? […]
As Big As they Grow
Bad weather tournaments
The Magnolia Crappie Club’s February tournament was held at Lake Washington under horrible weather conditions. […]
As Big As they Grow
It’s finally time
At posting time for this month’s Mississippi Sportsman, it will be the “official” kickoff of the 2015 fishing season. That is, we finally got through winter, and spring, with all its outdoor opportunities, is upon us. Dust off that jig pole, find the sunscreen and get out on your favorite crappie fishing hole. […]
As Big As they Grow
Kids these days!
I want to talk about kids this month. Specifically, I want to talk about some amazing kids who have put down cell phones and the iPads/iPods and picked up fishing poles. […]
As Big As they Grow
Game fish for sale, game fish for sale!
“Game fish for sale! Right here, right now! Get ’em while they’re hot! Bluegill crispies on a stick, crappie gumbo, and largemouth sushi — all right here — hurry, hurry, hurry — game fish for sale!” […]
As Big As they Grow
College football and crappie fishing
If you’re enjoying this autumn as much as I am, you’re having a really great time watching Ole Miss and Mississippi State show out. […]
As Big As they Grow
A lesson on loading line
Hot dog! It’s late October and the crappie are absolutely burning it up, friend.
Now is the time to load up on some of the year’s biggest, most-aggressive white perch. I’m not kidding, friend. November is one of the top two or three months of the entire year to catch quantity and quality crappie. […]
As Big As they Grow
Finicky fish will soon want to feed
Ordinarily, my deadline for submitting each month’s “As Big As They Grow” column with Mississippi Sportsman is the first day of the month immediately preceding next month’s magazine issue date. I asked this time to be a week late, wanting to reference the Magnolia Crappie Club’s first tournament of the new 2014-15 season as the backdrop of this column. […]