Q. You've done a quite lot of fishing in public waters, from the banks of Lake Fork, the Neches River, Lake Athens, along with some fishing at private ponds. I know there are a lot of private places, close to Athens, with some excellent fishing. Actually, I prefer to try the public places. I enjoy watching people fish. I like looking at their equipment, their behavior, listening to how they talk.
People seem friendlier when they're fishing, more relaxed.
No ringing phones or loud televisions. There's a common bond that I experienced on the afternoon of January 22 on the Neches River between Athens and Tyler when I saw Aubrey Evans of Bullard catch a water-body record for the Neches River. After we met and I had a brief conversation with him, he gave me some tips about fishing the Neches. I watched him flipping his jig into every hole on the river, methodically and with great skill. After changing my lure and catching one bass, I followed him to see what else I could learn.